Dear editor,

      Several days ago, I heard that a dear friend of mine had killed herself. I was deep in sorrow by the sudden news. I can’t keep calm any longer. I’m always thinking about life and death.

      Life is so precious. If we can slip into death in an impulsive (冲动的) moment, what use in all our efforts and hopes? Our families, our ambitions, everything is flung into total darkness. And death allows no time for regret.

      Nevertheless, the suicide rate increases year by year, particularly of young people. Reasons may vary from person to person, yet I think they share something in common.

      First, today’s young people are morally weak. They hunger for success but can not face failure; they are eager to be understood but afraid of opening their hearts to others. They live in a wide world, from east to west, ancient to present, but their hearts beat in a narrow desert, closed tight, unable to communicate. Each becomes an isolated fortress (孤堡), lonely, and weak.

      My friend is a good example of that. As a young teacher, she was devoted to her work but was disappointed with her students’ occasional failures. She fell in love with a colleague but he deserted her. With no close friends, disappointed at work and in love, death seemed to her the only remaining choice and she took it.

      Another reason for the weakness of today’s youth, in my opinion, comes from society’s pressures. The young are forced to try too hard to succeed. On the other hand, society refuses to accept that children sometimes do fail. But failure is more important because it can teach the young how to win next time.

      What can we do to save the desperate young?

56. The passage wants to tell us         .

      A. a lot of young people choose death to escape from the society

      B. the number of people who take suicide is larger and larger

      C. the young people should go to see doctors to solve the spiritual problems

      D. the reason why the young kill themselves lies in two main kinds

57. In the writer’s opinion, failure is         .

       A. the mother of success                       B. the key to success

       C. good for the young                            D. bad for the young

58. Among the following, which one is NOT the cause of “my friend’s death”?

      A. She has too much society’s pressure. 

      B. She is not well content with her work.

        C. She is disappointed in love.         

        D. She doesn’t get on well with others.

59. The passage suggests those people       would be most likely to take suicide.

       A. who are alone                              B. who are weak-minded

       C. who fail in love                            D. who suffer from society’s pressures