阅读理解

　　Ali is from a Middle Eastern country．He now stays in the USA．He smokes a lot of cigarettes(香烟)every day．He has smoked for nine years．Ali says, “ I tried to quit(放弃)smoking in my hometown, but it was impossible．My brothers smoke．All my friends smoke．At parties and at meetings, almost all the men smoke．Here in the United States, not as many people smoke．It will be easier to change my habit here．”

　　Many smokers are like Ali：they want to stop smoking．The smokers know that smoking is bad for their health．They know it can cause cancer and heart disease．But it is difficult for them to give up smoking because cigarettes have a drug in them．The drug is nicotine(尼古丁)．People who smoke a lot need nicotine．

　　When a person first begins to smoke, he usually feels terrible．The nicotine makes him sick．In a few days, the smoker's body is used to the nicotine, and he feels fine．Later, the smoker needs nicotine to keep feeling fine．Without nicotine, he feels bad．

　　It is very hard to quit smoking, and many people who quit will soon smoke again．At a party or at work they will decide to smoke “just one” cigarette．Then they will smoke another cigarette, and another．Soon they become smokers again．Maybe there is only one easy way to quit smoking：never start．

完形填空

　　Tick, tock, tick, tock．I'm sitting here, watching the movements of my existence pass slowly away．My house has been 　　1　　 for such a long time，and I'm lonely and forgotten．Sitting here, by myself, all that I can do is 　　2　　 and think about my past．I could tell you stories that only 　　3　　 would know．But walls can't speak．

　　I came to this place many years ago，along with an old man…．　　4　　, he was with me for on1y three short years before he passed on…．

　　For a time, I was left alone, while people came and 　　5　　 the house…．Then, one day a nice couple moved in with a young son．　　6　　, their son Danny liked to stay with me, and I was completely 　　7　　 with him．He always looked as if he loved the stories I told, most of which began with．”Back in my day…”and“When I was 　　8　　…．”I sometimes had the kind of idea that he didn't really understand what I was saying, but it felt good to be 　　9　　．When Danny went off to college，my heart broke．Soon afterward, 　　10　　 sold the house…．

　　New owners came and 　　11　　．Then, One day it so happened that I was in when a new family was moving into the house．You can't even imagine my 　　12　　 when, unexpectedly, Danny walked through the front door．He had a 　　13　　 and kids now．I was so overjoyed when I saw him that I put all my 　　14　　 into my daily activities…I spent the next twenty years watching his kids grow up, with a mixture of pride and 　　15　　 about what would happen next．

　　The kids finally became 　　16　　 and Danny sold the house．That was about five years ago…．Some of the local kids have started the rumor that the house is haunted(闹鬼的)－and, in a way, it is．It is haunted by 　　17　　 of all the people who have lived in it．Every second has 　　18　　 me so much．I have been 　　19　　 them all day and they are almost up for me…．I hope that someday somebody will 　　20　　 me, and drop in on me again．Maybe then I'll get a new home and an opportunity for a whole new set of memories．