If you know something is bad for you, why can’t you just stop? About 70% of smokers say they would like to stop. Drug and alcohol abusers (滥用者) struggle to give up the bad habits that hurt their bodies and destroy families and friendships. And many of us have unhealthy weight that we could lose if only we would eat right and exercise more. So why don’t we do it?
Some scientists have been searching for answers. They’ve studied what happens in our brains as habits form. They’ve found answers to why bad habits, once formed, are so difficult to kick. And they’re developing ways to help us make the changes we’d like to make.
Habits are a normal part of life, and are often helpful. “ We wake up every morning, shower, comb our hair or brush our teeth without being aware of it,” Volkow says. We can drive along familiar routes without really thinking about the directions. “When behaviors become automatic(不加思索的), it gives us an advantage, because the brain does not have to perform the action on purpose.” Volkow says. This frees up our brains to focus on different things.
One way to kick bad habits is to focus on your unhealthy habits. Then try your best to stop them. For example, habits can be linked in our minds to certain places and activities. You could develop a plan, say, to avoid walking down the hall where there’s a candy machine. Try to avoid going places where you’ve usually smoked. Stay away from friends and situations linked to problem drinking or drug use.
Another helpful way is to replace unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones. “It doesn’t work for everyone,” Volkow says. “But certain groups of patients who have a history of taking a drug can do something else like running and it helps them stay away from drugs.”
1.In the first paragragh the writer mainly wants to tell us ______.
A. we should stop something bad for us
B. most smokers would like to stop smoking
C. bad habits are really difficult to give up
D. eating right and exercise more can lose weight
2.Scientists studied what happened in our brains as habits form in order to______.
A. find answers to solve the problem
B. find ways to form good habits
C. kick their own bad habits
D. help us see how bad habits form
3. If you want to kick bad habits you’d better_______.
A. focus on them on purpose
B. go to the places linked with them
C. do something linked with them
D. ask your friends for help
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Breaking bad habits.
B. Forming good habits.
C. Finding reasons for bad habits
D. Replacing bad habits with good ones.
书面表达
最近，某中学英语报向学生征文，主题为New Look of My Hometown。请你根据以下内容提示，用英语为该报写一篇短文，介绍家乡的情况并发表自己的看法。
概况 | 1.气候宜人，常年绿树成荫； 2.近年经济发展迅速，城市面貌焕然一新，高楼林立，道路宽阔，环境优美； 3.人民生活条件不断改善，不少人搬进新居，拥有私家车。 |
你的看法 | 家乡人民将更加努力工作…… |
注意：1．可适当增加细节，使短文连贯、通顺；
2．词数100左右。
参考词汇：economy经济
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(
)，并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
例如：
It was very nice to get your invitation to spend ∧ weekend with you. Luckily I was completely free then,
The am
so I will ﹨ to say “Yes”, I will arrive in Bristol at around 8:00 pm in Friday evening.
on
In December of 2006, I was the single parent raising my daughter whom was six years old at the time. I didn’t have much money, and I wanted to buy a Christmas tree. I took my daughter along with me. As we were choosing a Christmas tree within my budget, my daughter wanted a tall tree than that planned one. I told my daughter we can’t afford a taller tree. Someone must have heard of our conversation. When I went to paying for the tree, the clerk said the customer before me had paid for my tree. I shocked. I was very thankful to what the stranger had done for us. That day I promised to me that I would pay it forward.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（每空1词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
A man got lost while driving through a country. As he tried to read a map, he drove off the road into a ditch(沟渠) 1._________ (luckily). Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud(泥). So the man had got to walk to 2._________ nearby farm to ask for help.
“Warwick can get your car out of that ditch,” said the farmer, 3._________ (point) to an old mule(骡). The man looked at the weak mule and the farmer 4._________ just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.” The man thought he had nothing to lose. Therefore, 5._________ took the old man and Warwick to the ditch.
The farmer hitched(套住) the mule to the car and 6._________ (shout), “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!” And the mule pulled the car from the ditch 7._________ very little effort.
The man was 8._________ (amaze). He thanked the farmer and asked, “Why did you call out all of those other names 9._________ you called Warwick?” The farmer smiled and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. Once he believes he’s part of a team, he won’t mind 10._________ (pull).”
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填人空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Dear Mom and Dad,
I’d like you to know that I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, such as teaching me, taking care of me, and loving me.
I’m writing this thank-you letter, Mom and Dad, because I want you to know what a big _________ you have truly made in my life. You _________ me so many things about the world and myself. You were the first ones to tell me about the importance of _________ by telling me it was _________ to refuse all my other playmates from using my toys. And to this day, _________ those toys are long gone, I _________ to live by the idea of sharing my blessings (祝福) with the people _________ me.
Mom and Dad, you also_________ me to be sympathetic (同情) towards the blind old man. You told me that our pets are there for us to _________ and not to hurt. And because of those _________ , I’ve learnt to be _________ .
Thank you, Mom and Dad. You gave me some of the nicest _________ . Mom, I remember how you would let me sleep in your bed _________ how you used to bring me my favorite fried chicken and take care of me whenever I was _________ . Dad, I remember how you worked _________ to make me a playhouse in the yard so my friends and I could _________ happily there.
I may have _________ you and your purposes when I was much younger. But now I know that _________ you did was for my own good.
Mom and Dad, I hope this thank-you _________ is enough to let you know how much I_________ everything you’ve done for me.
All the love,
Rex
1.A. difference B. benefit C. discovery D. balance
2.A. reminded B. gave C. taught D. showed
3.A. studying B. sharing C. living D. behaving
4.A. ordinary B. possible C. fake D. wrong
5.A. though B. unless C. before D. because
6.A.manage B. stop C. pretend D. continue
7.A. toward B. like C. around D. against
8.A. educated B. convinced C. allowed D. supported
9.A. bring up B. get close to C. look after D. catch sight of
10.A. tales B. theme C. lessons D. tradition
11.A. unique B. caring C. polite D. curious
12.A. memories B. methods C. theory D. ideas
13.A. but B. and C. or D. as
14.A. tired B. hungry C. sick D. disappointed
15.A. indeed B. independently C. truly D. hard
16.A. play B. swing C. observe D. chat
17.A. ignored B. misunderstood C. forgotten D. refused
18.A. everything B. nothing C. anything D. something
19.A. explanation B. discover C. letter D. passage
20.A. appreciate B. miss C. admire D. approach
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Researchers have shown that your talent for happiness is, to a large degree, determined by your genes（基因）. 1. We can do this by overcoming negative emotions and developing positive emotions.
Strategy（策略）1: 2.
The first step is to make a choice to be happy. In Seeking Happiness, Bertrand Russell said, “Happiness must be an achievement rather than a gift of the gods, and in this achievement, effort must play a great part.”
Once you’ve decided to be happier, you can choose strategies for achieving happiness.
Strategy 2: Develop gratitude（感激）.
In Authentic Happiness, psychologist Martin Seligman encourages readers to perform a daily “gratitude exercise”. 3.
Strategy 3: Remember, money can’t buy happiness.
Research shows: 4. Yes, “we always think that some things are wrong because they cannot bring us happiness.” writes Daniel Gilbert in Stumbling on Happiness.
Strategy 4: Take part in meaningful activities.
“People are seldom happier,” says Jackson, “than when they’re doing meaningful activities.”
Yet, he has found that the most common leisure（休闲）activity — watching TV — produces some of the lowest levels of happiness. 5. Active leisure that helps a person grow does not come easily, he writes in Finding Flow.
A. Choose to be happy.
B. Seek happiness.
C. However, psychologists believe we can pursue happiness.
D. This drives bitterness from our heart, and promotes happiness.
E. Happiness is decided by many things.
F. To get more out of life, we need to put more into it.
G. More money doesn’t often bring more happiness.
