Do you sleep well? Some people get off to sleep as soon as their head hits the pillow, but  many others are not so lucky. In fact, the lack of quality sleep has become a public health issue around the world. According to me World Association of Sleep Medicine, 45 percent of the world's population suffer from sleep problems. One in eight people don't sleep well and are easily woken. 7.6 percent sleep less than 3 hours each night. Some even cannot fall asleep for several days in a row.

As a basic bodily and mental need, sleep is essential for our survival, it helps us to fight diseases, strengthen our memory, perform better in work and school and improve our quality of life. Lack of sleep is known to have a significant negative influence on health, both in the short and long term. Poor sleep has been associated with obesity, diabetes, weakened immune systems and even some cancers, as well as depression and anxiety.

The World Sleep Day, held on the third Friday of March, is an annual celebration of sleep to lighten the burden of sleep problems through better prevention and management of sleep disorders.

To achieve this goal, we must figure out what causes sleepiness and sleeplessness.

Unhealthy lifestyle may be the first to blame. More and more people use cell phones and computers in bed, with many staying up until midnight. Modern technology does make our life convenient, but abuse of it ruins our health. Environmental conditions, such as temperature, noise, light, bed comfort also play an important Pole in one's ability to get proper sleep. Besides, improper evening diet, like a full or an empty stomach, coffee and alcohol all contribute to sleep problems. Of course, when it comes to causing poor sleep, stress from finances, family or work should never be ignored．

However, those who suffer from sleep disorders don't necessarily have to continue to do so -most sleep problems can be managed．

1.What can be inferred from Paragraph 1?

A．Nobody can stay awake for several days

B．Most people are going through sleep problems

C．Sleep problems have become a worldwide concern．

D．The majority of the world's population can't sleep well．

2.Which of the following is not a direct cause of sleep problems?

A．Unhealthy lifestyle．                    B．Modern technology．

C．Environmental conditions．               D．Work stress．

3.What will be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．The harm of sleep problems．

B．Activities on the World Sleep Day．

C．Interviews of poor sleep sufferers．

D．Measures against sleep problems．

4.Which best describes the author's attitude to sleep problem in the text?

A．Doubtful．        B．Disapproving．     C．Concerned．      D．Enthusiastic

An agreement seems to be impossible because the majority of the committee members are ________ it.????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? (2012·陕西，11)

A．against? B．for

C．to? D．with

When Mrs．Joseph Groeger died recently in Vienna，Austria，people asked the obvious question,“Why did she live to be 107?” .Answers were provided by a survey conducted among 148 Viennese men and women who had reached the age of 100．Somewhat surprising was the fact that the majority had lived most of their lives in cities．In spite of the city’s image as an unhealthy place，city living often provides benefits that country living can lack．One factor seems to be important to the longevity(长寿)of those interviewed．

This factor is exercise．In the cities it is often faster to walk short distances than to wait for a bus．Even taking public transportation often requires some walking．Smaller apartment houses have no elevators(电梯)，and so people must climb stairs．City people can usually walk to local supermarkets.  Since parking spaces are hard to find，there is often no alternative to walking．

On the other hand，those who live in the country and suburbs do not have to walk every day．In fact，the opposite is often true．To go to school，work，or almost anywhere else，they must ride in cars．

1.The Vienna survey may help to explain _____

2.The purpose of the second paragraph is to list some _____

3.To reach the third floor of a building, it would probably be most healthful __

4.People who live in the country probably do more driving than walking because __

5.A conclusion that can be drawn from this passage is that__________   

People often view the “last” moments of an event positively simply because they signal the end of an experience, say experts.

University of Michigan researchers found that even if an experience is painful or negative, but ends on a good note, people will consider it to be positive.

“Endings are powerful,” said Ed O’Brien, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan.

O’Brien and colleague Phoebe Ellsworth, the Frank Murphy Distinguished Professor of Law and Psychology, conducted a chocolate tasting experiment with 52 college students to test the theory.

Volunteers could taste five different Hershey’s Kisses chocolates—milk, dark, cream, caramel and almond – but did not know in advance how many pieces they would eat or the type. Participants rated how much they enjoyed the chocolate and described each flavor so that the researchers could record the order in which the randomly (随机的) selected treats were eaten.

Volunteers were assigned to the “next” or the “last ” condition by chance.

In the “next” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your next chocolate” before offering each chocolate, including the fifth.

For the “last” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your last chocolate” before offering  the fifth chocolate.

These participants rated the fifth chocolate more enjoyable than volunteers in the “next” condition.

As predicted, participants who knew they were eating the final chocolate of a taste test enjoyed it more.

In fact, when asked to pick their favorite chocolate, the majority of “last” participants chose the fifth – even though the flavor of the fifth was randomly chosen.

They also rated the overall experience as more enjoyable than volunteers who thought they were just eating one more chocolate in a series.

O’Brien says these findings may have far-reaching implications. For example, the last book or film in a series or the last speaker in a symposium (研讨会) may receive unwarranted praise.

The last job applicant, meanwhile, may look more qualified.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about the experiment?

A．The majority of “last” participants chose the almond flavor as their favorite.

B．Some participants enjoyed the experiment more because the last flavor tasted better.

C．The result would be different if researchers had used another brand of chocolate.

D．Some participants didn’t know it was their last chocolate when offered the fifth one.

2.What does the underlined word “unwarranted” in the second-to-last paragraph mean?

A．Fake.             B．Unwanted.         C．Unreasonable.      D．Insincere.

3.Which of the following is the best title for the article?

A．“Last” is the best.

B．Why “last” matters most.

C．It is the last step that is the hardest.

D．He who laughs last laughs best.

An apprenticeship is a form of on-the-job training that combines workplace experience and classroom learning. It can last anywhere from one to six years, but four years is typical for most. An apprentice spends the majority of the time in a workplace environment learning the practical skills of a career from a journeyman--someone who has done the job for many years. The rest of the apprentice's time is spent in a classroom environment learning the theoretical skills the career requires. Being an apprentice is a full-time undertaking.

     One of the advantages of apprenticeship is that it does not cost apprentices anything. The companies that hire them pay for school. What's more, it offers apprentices an "earn while you learn" opportunity. They usually start out at half the pay of a journeyman, and the pay increases gradually as they move further along in the job and studies. Near the end of the apprenticeship, their wages are usually 90 percent of what a journeyman would receive. Apprenticeship also pays off for employers. It can offer employers a pool of well-trained workers to draw from.

     Despite the advantages, apprentices are usually required to work during the day and attend classes at night, which leaves little time for anything else. Sometimes, they might be laid off(下岗) if business for the employers is slow.

     Once they have completed the apprenticeship and become journeymen, they receive a nationally recognized and portable certification and their pay also increases again. Some journeymen continue employment with the companies they apprenticed with; others go onto different companies or become self-employed contractors.