ASK LASKAS
YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS. SHE'S GOT ANSWERS
Q: My problem is computer gaming. I do it day and night, averaging four hours of sleep. I can't control of this, and I don't know where to go for help. Do you?                            —Player
A: Dear Player,
You have an addiction. For some people playing video games releases dopamine, a powerful brain chemical that makes you feel good. You'd toss your cigarettes if you were ready to quit, right? To kick the habit, get help from a health professional. And don't look for help on line; that would be like an alcoholic going to the bar for advice.
Q: My brother's wife just had triplets(三胞胎). This is such a joy! Yet every time I share the news with co-workers, they ask me if she was on fertility pills. I think this is rude—or has society just become so talk-show numbed (麻木的)that you can ask anyone anything?                     —No Show Host
A: Dear Host,
Yes. Our society has become increasingly disrespectful of privacy. But don't blame it all on the talk-shows. Continue to celebrate and greet impolite questions with stony silence. Their fertility history is nobody's business but their own.
Q: I work at an amusement park, and my manager steals supplies. She has a catering business on the side, and we've seen her load up her van at the back gates. The big bosses think she is the best thing since buttered bread, and we're all afraid that if we say anything, we'll lose our jobs. What can we do?   —Righteous
A: Dear Righteous,
Be sure you're right. You must have evidence about what and why things are going out the back gates. Once you know for certain, it's time to go to the bosses and report what you have seen.
Q: My stepson's wife sometimes leaves their eight-year-old home alone for "a short run to the store." That may be an hour or so. I believe by law we should report it. What do you think?
—The In-laws
A: Dear Laws,
I don't know what the child-protection laws in your state are, but I do know that children need care and attention. This child may be able and unafraid, but kids aren't always careful. It also sounds like there is stress in your family relationship. One thing you can do to help this situation is offer to baby-sit when Mom needs to step out.
小题1:Which of the following statements is true?

A．Dopamine is a powerful brain chemical good to our health.

B．Looking for help on line is like getting help from a health professional.

C．Player is a video game addict who smokes and sleeps few hours.

D．Player is advised to stay clear of the screen.

小题2:According to the Q&A,        .

A．Host's colleagues are insensitive

B．The talk-show is to blame

C．Somebody's business is everybody's

D．Host's sister-in-law was on fertility pills

小题3:What we can infer from the Q&A is      .

A．The Mom is not to blame because she needs a short run to the store

B．Children need care and attention, though not for all of them

C．Laws, the old lady, wants to report what she sees to the child's father

D．Laskas doesn't seem to approve of Laws' trying to report what she sees

小题4:Which Q&A mentioned transport?

A．The first

B．The second.

C．The third.

D．None.

If a business wants to sell its products internationally, it had better do some market research first. This is a lesson that some large American corporations have learned the hard way.
What’s in the name?
Sometimes the problem is the name. When General Motors introduced its Chevy Nova into Latin America, it overlooked the fact that Nova in Spanish means “It doesn’t go”. Sure enough, the Chevy Nova never went anywhere in Latin America.
Translation problems
Sometimes it is the slogan that doesn’t work. No company knows this better than Pepsi-Cola, with its “Come alive with Pepsi!” campaign. The campaign was so successful in the United States , Pepsi translated its slogan literally for its international campaign. As it turned out , the translations weren’t quite right. Pepsi was begging Germans to “Come out of the grave(坟墓)” and telling the Chinese that “Pepsi brings your ancestors(老祖宗) back from the grave.”
A picture’s worth a thousand words
Other times, the problem involves packaging . A picture of a smiling baby has helped sell countless jars of Gerber baby food. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in African countries, the picture on the jar shows what the jar has in it, for many people there can’t read.
Twist of fate
Even the culture and religious factors and pure coincidence can be involved. Thorn McAn shoes have a Thorn McAn “signature” inside. To people in Bangladesh, which is a Muslim country, this signature looked like Arabic script for the word Allah. In that country, feet are considered unclean, and Muslims felt the company was offending God’s name by having people walk on it.
小题1:From the text we learned that _________.

A．Chevy Nova was brought in Latin America

B．General Motors did the best market research of all companies

C．Pepsi still sold well in China owing to the translation problems

D．the “Come alive with Pepsi” campaign worked well in the US

小题2:What was “Gerber’s problem”?

A．A translation problem	B．Cultural factor
C．Religious factor	D．The picture on the jar

小题3:For what reason were Thorn McAn shoes turned down in Bangladesh?

A．They are not designed attractively

B．Their advertisements are not persuasive

C．A signature looking like the word Allah was in the shoes

D．Problem for Thorn McAn was the company’s name

小题4:What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Lessons from some large corporations.

B．How to make use of advertisements

C．The importance of market research

D．The importance of packaging

Our Future Homes
　What kinds of homes will we live         the future? Nobody can be sure,         architects, and scientists are         new ideas now.
　　Some architects are thinking about          whole cities under huge glass domes. Of course, complicated heating and        systems will be necessary to control the climate in the domes.        , there will never be any rain      snow, and the temperature will be always        .
　　Perhaps everyone will live in vertical（立体的）       . High rises are so large that they can contain all the necessities of life. Since vertical cities will use        land than horizontal cities, and provide homes for more people, they will be       for small countries that have     populations.
Another idea that will be helpful to        countries (and island countries) is
the      city. Monaco has already built homes, stores, and offices         the water of the Mediterranean Sea. And a Japanese       has made a plan for constructing buildings on bridges over Tokyo Bay.
　　There are some people who think we will go back to living in       . But the caves of the future will be quite      the caves of the Stone Age. Computers will control light and climate. Farms and parks will be on the land      the cave city. When people want to go to the country or to a park, a short ride in       will take them there.

小题1:	A．in B．in at C．in in D．in for

小题2:	A．and B．or C．but D．however

小题3:	A．working out B．working at C．working on D．thinking

小题4:	A．burying B．destroying C．founding D．building

小题5:	A．cooling B．cold C．living D．social

小题6:	A．So B．However C．Therefore D．Even if

小题7:	A．or B．and C．but D． with

小题8:	A．pleased B．happy C．content D．comfortable

小题9:	A．towns B．villages C．buildings D．cities

小题10:

A．fewer B．more C．larger D．less

小题11:

A．practical B．expensive C．unnecessary D．useless

小题12:

A．big B．many C．much D．large

小题13:

A．huge B．small C．strong D．great

小题14:

A．floated B．float C．floating D．to float

小题15:

A．in B．under C．over D．on

小题16:

A．teacher B．sailor C．doctor D．architect

小题17:

A．houses B．caves C．buildings D．cities

小题18:

A．different from B．similar with C．equal to D．the same as

小题19:

A．under B．in C．over D．far from

小题20:

A．a bus B．ship C．an elevator D．a train

Bob was a clever college student, but his family was poor, so he had to work after class and during his holidays to get enough money for his studies.
One summer he got a job in a butcher's shop (肉店) during the day time, and another in a hospital at night. In the shop, he learned to cut and sell meat. He did so well that the butcher went into a room behind the shop to do all the accounts ( 算账) .In the hospital, of course, Bob was told to do only the easiest jobs. He helped to lift people and carry them from one part of the hospital to another. Both in the butcher's shop and in the hospital, Bob had to wear white clothes.
One evening in the hospital, Bob had to help to carry a woman from her bed to the operating - room. The woman already felt frightened when she thought about the operation. When she saw Bob coming to get her, she felt even more frightened.
"No! No!" she cried. "Not a butcher! I won't let a butcher operate on me!" with these words ,she fainted away.
小题1:Bob had to work after class and during his holidays because_________.

A．his father told him to make more friends

B．he wanted to become a rich man

C．his family couldn’t support him

D．he had nothing to do at home.

小题2:One summer Bob_________.

A．wanted to become not only a butcher but also a doctor.

B．got two different jobs at two places

C．was free only at night

D．worked only during the daytime

小题3:In the hospital, Bob's job was_________.

A．to take care of the wounded soldiers

B．to give the doctor's advice

C．to find out what was wrong with the sick people

D．to carry the sick people from one place to another

小题4:When the woman saw Bob,_________.

A．she was so frightened that she fainted away

B．She was frightened and then got so excited that she fainted away.

C．She was very disappointed

D．She was quite pleased

小题5:Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Bob was an unknown doctor.

B．Bob was a butcher and he studied at college in the evening.

C．When the woman saw Bob, she thought he was going to operate on her.

D．Bob worked in a butcher's shop and helped to do the accounts.

“Have a nice day!” may be a pleasant gesture or a meaningless expression. When my friend Maxie says “Have a nice day” with a smile, I know she sincerely cares about what happens to me. I feel loved and secure since another person cares about me and wishes me well.
“Have a nice day. Next!” This version of the expression is spoken by a salesgirl at the supermarket who is rushing me and my groceries out the door. The words come out in the same tone(腔调)with a fixed procedure. They are spoken at me, not to me. Obviously, the concern for my day and everyone else’s is the management’s attempt to increase business.
The expression is one of those behaviors that help people get along with each other. Sometimes it indicates the end of a meeting. As soon as you hear it, you know the meeting is at an end. Sometimes the expression saves us when we don’t know what to say. “Oh, you just had a tooth out? I’m terribly sorry, but have a nice day.”
The expression can be pleasant. If a stranger says “Have a nice day” to you, you may find it heart-warming because someone you don’t know has tried to be nice to you.
Although the use of the expression is an insincere, meaningless social custom at times, there is nothing wrong with the sentence except that it is a little uninteresting. The salesgirl, the waitress, the teacher, and all the countless others who speak it without thinking may not really care about my day. But in a strange and comfortable way, it’s nice to know they care enough to pretend they care when they really don’t care all that much. While the expression may not often be sincere, it is always spoken. The point is that people say it all the time when they like.
小题1: How does the author understand Maxie’s words?

A．Maxie shows her anxiety to the author.

B．Maxie really wishes the author a good day.

C．Maxie encourages the author to stay happy.

D．Maxie really worries about the author’s security.

小题2: What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．The salesgirl is rude.

B．The salesgirl is bored.

C．The salesgirl cares about me.

D．The salesgirl says the words as a routine.

小题3:By saying “Have a nice day,” a stranger may 　　　. 

A．try to be polite to you	B．express respect to you
C．give his blessing to you	D．share his pleasure with you

小题4:According to the last paragraph, people say “Have a nice day” 　　　. 

A．sincerely	B．as thanks
C．as a habit	D．encouragingly

小题5: What is the best title of the passage?

A．Have a Nice Day — a Social Custom

B．Have a Nice Day — a Pleasant Gesture

C．Have a Nice Day — a Heart-warming Greeting

D．Have a Nice Day — a Polite Ending of a Conversation

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw Kyle from my class walking home from school. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd (a foolish person)." I had quite a weekend planned, so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running towards him. They knocked all his books out of his arms and tripped(绊倒) him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the glass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye.
As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should go to hell." He looked at me and said, "Hey, thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real thankfulness. I asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. I am here to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp(倒吸气) go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.
小题1:Why did Kyle carry all his books home?

A．Because it was Friday.

B．Because he was a nerd.

C．Because he wanted to kill himself.

D．Because he liked doing things for his mother.

小题2:Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The bunch of kids attacked Kyle to have his glasses and books.

B．The author planned to study all weekend after he met Kyle.

C．The author was a freshman when Kyle gave the speech.

D．Kyle felt grateful to the author for his help.

小题3:What can we infer from the passage?

A．When Kyle couldn't find the glass, he turned to the author for help.

B．The author teased Kyle a lot about being a nerd.

C．The author didn't expect Kyle to tell the story.

D．Kyle thanked his parents first for saving his life.

小题4:What does the underlined "them" in the 2nd paragraph refer to?

A．The kids.

B．Kyle's books.

C．Kyle's glasses.

D．Kyle's arms.

Riding a motorcycle is a popular way to travel. A motorcycle often has better acceleration than the fastest     . A motorcycle can      traffic jams and can speed ahead while the cars wait. A motorcycle is      to run --- you need less petrol per mile for a motorcycle than for most cars.
But this doesn’t explain why, for some people, motorcycles are      a way to travel, they are a way of life. Everybody knows about the problems of riding a motorcycle. It’s quiet dangerous. It’s very uncomfortable too. However well dressed for a ride the motorcyclist is, wind and rain make the journey difficult and     . And then, motorcycles often      .
But the       motorcyclist doesn’t care! 
Take a look at any motorcycle magazine and you will have an idea of what motorcycling means to the enthusiast. The keen motorcyclist may sometimes think about the       of his way of life. But he will still go ‘on the ride’ whenever he can!

小题1:	A．car B．bike C．bus D．train

小题2:	A．limit B．control C．avoid D．break

小题3:	A．faster B．easier C．greater D．cheaper

小题4:	A．more than B．less than C．better than D．worse than

小题5:	A．puzzling B．astonishing C．tiring D．boring

小题6:	A．break out B．break down C．break up D．break in

小题7:	A．generous B．cautious C．responsible D．enthusiastic

小题8:	A．safety B．excitement C．difficulties D．problems

Not many people can say that they have lived in two totally different environments, and technically neither can I. I have lived in the same house in the same Connecticut town my whole life, but a lot of my childhood and teenage years have been spent visiting my family in New York City.
Wethersfield is a typical New England town, a small close community (社区) where almost everyone knows your name. My friends all go to the same high school and my parents are friendly with my friends’ parents. Most of my friends don’t realize what life is like outside this little town. Maybe every so often a few take a day trip to Manhattan or Boston, but none really knows what it’s like to live in an urban environment.
My parents are both from New York City and since they have siblings and friends who still live there, we visit a lot. From an early age I have been exposed to urban life. Jeff, one of my cousins, lives with his mother in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. He has never had his own room and has always been very much on his own. I don’t think any of my friends could understand how someone could live like that.
When I go to the city I see things I would never see in my hometown. I see poverty and people struggling to make a living. I observe a whole different pace; there, you’re just one guy living with millions of others who will never know your name.
I feel blessed to have experienced the lifestyles of two completely different places. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had. I feel that living in Wethersfield has given me a solid base in forming my character and the ability to deal in a close-knit society. On the other hand, my time spent in New York has exposed me to diverse cultural experiences. I feel that I would be comfortable in any environment and could make the best of any situation.
小题1:According to the author, most of his friends in the town _____.

A．have never experienced city life

B．can only understand the rural life

C．prefer the small close community

D．know little about the real city life

小题2:The underlined word “siblings” in paragraph 3 means _____.

A．schoolmates

B．colleagues

C．relatives

D．parents

小题3:The author’s life in New York has brought him _____.

A．his present character	B．the social ability
C．the comfort of city life	D．diverse cultural experiences

小题4:What could be the best title for the passage?

A．A Small Town and a Big City

B．A Man of Two Different Worlds

C．Experience Various Environments

D．Make the Best of Diverse Cultures

Travel can be a lifesaver. But in today’s economy (经济) with airlines adding new fees almost daily and ticket prices sharply on the rise, many have written off travel as too expensive. However, with a few saving tricks and a little research, there are still lots of great deals to be had on airline tickets and more.
Early Bird Gets the Deal.
Travel experts say that there are certain times of day when more deals are available. Airfares can change three times a day as airlines adjust their prices to fill up flights. Early morning is when the fares tend to be lowest.
What Wouldn’t a Business Traveler do?
Flying when business travelers don’t can save you big money. Most business travelers fly on Mondays and Fridays, so Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days. Airlines will usually lower their prices on these days to aggressively try and fill empty seats.
 
                                
Fly to popular places at unpopular times. The slowest time of the year for travel is in the Fall between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Again, to try and fill more empty seats, the airlines will lower prices and offer better deals to get people to fly during this time of the year.
Package Deals
Many times the best deals on airfare can be found as part of a package rate. Most travel sites have package rates available. Often, the entire package (hotel, airfare, rental car) is cheaper than just the plane ticket on another site. Even if you don’t need the rental car, with the money you’ve saved on the flight, you can afford to take a taxi. These deals are especially good on last minute bookings.
With a little inside knowledge and some good timing, you can get yourself a steal on a ticket to the vacation you thought was out of reach.
小题1:Which would be the best title for the text?

A．Tips on Vocation Travelling

B．Advice for Business Travelers

C．The Effect of Economy on Airlines

D．Tricks of Finding the Cheapest Flights

小题2:Many people have to cancel their travel plan because they _____.

A．have no saving tricks	B．consider economic reasons
C．seldom do research	D．can’t have great deals

小题3:Which of the following can be filled in the blank in the text?

A．Fly to popular places.

B．Don’t Miss the Holydays.

C．Better Avoid the Crowds.

D．Lose No Chance for Travelling.

小题4:What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Saving tricks can make the seemingly impossible vacation possible.

B．Inside knowledge and good timing help you to steal tickets from airlines.

C．Vacation will be out of reach without inside knowledge and good timing.

D．Who thinks the vacation is out of reach never grasps the tricks of saving.

The structure and workings of the university are ever changing. The university of the past is not like the university of the present and the university of the present will not be like the university of the future. This “adaptation” to the times is what can make some universities great or make some universities among the worst in the nation.
In the past the university was very set in their ways. They did things the way they wanted them done. They paid no attention to the rest of the society and the way the ones paying the bills wanted them done. In the past the professors would lecture endlessly to the students, which often left the students bored and with no idea what was really said to them in the lecture. This is no way to try and teach students; students need interaction with the professors that are paid to teach them. As Paulo Freire believed there needs to be communication between the students and the professors and the class should not be totally memorization. This is the way that things were done in the past.
In the present many universities have either changed or are changing the way that they run their universities. The universities now are taking on many of the modern educational beliefs in order to make changes in the teaching methods. Universities are breaking down many of the divides between majors that they offer. By breaking these barriers the universities are becoming less specialized and more diverse. This goes along with the ideas of Berry who believes that the schools are over-specialized and that the universities are now just machines that are merely meant to produce workers. In the past few years the colleges have been lowering the standards of admission, which in turn lowers the standards of all the schools below the college level. The universities are now on the right track by increasing the standards of admission into their colleges.
小题1:In the author’s view, what can decide a university’s quality?

A．What its structure is like.	B．How its workings are run.
C．What times it belongs to.	D．Whether it’ll adjust itself.

小题2:Which of the following is NOT a feature of universities in the past?

A．They were run in a fixed way.

B．They ignored the needs of society.

C．They had lower standards of admission.

D．Professors lacked interaction with students.

小题3:What is the author’s main attitude towards universities in the present?

A．Positive.

B．Doubtful.

C．Passive.

D．Uncertain.

小题4:What would the author most probably focus on in the following part of this passage?

A．Universities in the future.

B．The standards of schools.

C．The admission into some colleges.

D．Other changes of teaching methods.