Why do people drink too much, eat too much, smoke cigarettes or take drugs? What’s to blame for all the bad behavior? Most people would say that, while these self-destructive acts can have many root causes, they all have one obvious thing in common: they are all examples of failures of self-control, lacking the will power to resist them.

According to a recent study, however, if you really think about it, something about that simple answer doesn’t quite make sense. In fact, it turns out that sometimes it’s having will power that really gets you into trouble.

Think back to the time you took your very first sip (啜饮) of beer. Disgusting, wasn’t it? When my father gave me my first taste of beer as a teenager, I wondered why anyone would voluntarily drink it. And smoking? No one enjoys their first cigarette — it tastes awful. So even though smoking, and drinking alcohol or coffee, can become temptation (诱惑) you need will power to resist, they never, ever start out that way.

Just getting past those first horrible experiences actually requires a lot of self-control. Ironically (讽刺的是), only those who can control themselves well, rather than give in to them, can ever come to someday develop a “taste” for Budweiser beer, Marlboro cigarettes, or dark-roasted Starbucks coffee. We do it for social acceptance. We force ourselves to consume alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and even illegal drugs, in order to seem experienced, grown-up, and cool.

These bad habits aren’t self-control failures — far from it. They are voluntary choices, and they are in fact self-control successes. Self-control is simply a tool to be put to some use, helpful or harmful. To live happy and productive lives, we need to develop not only our self-control, but also the wisdom to make good decisions about when and where to apply it.

1.What do most people think causes bad behavior?

A．Being forced by others.

B．Not having enough will power.

C．Enjoying their first experiences.

D．Following the examples of their friends.

2.The author mentions his experience in the third paragraph to prove ____.

A．will power helps develop bad habits sometimes

B．drinking beer is harmful to the health of teenagers

C．self-control should be developed when one is young

D．everyone can be challenged by different temptations

3.In the last paragraph, the author stresses that ____.

A．without self-control, no one can succeed

B．bad habits don’t always lead to bad results

C．applying self-control correctly is important

D．people can develop wisdom from bad behavior

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．My First Sip of Beer                      B．Do You Have Will Power ?

C．Does Will Power Benefit Us?               D．Dark Side of Self-control

 

Risk of death is 3.5 t0 5 times greater for obese smokers than it is for people who have never smoked and are at a normal weight, according to a study published in the November, 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The study, which began with a self-administered questionnaire taken between 1983 and 1989, asked more than 80,000 radiologic technologists aged 22 t0 92 questions about age, height, weight and smoking behavior.

    BMI (body mass index) was calculated, with a BMI of 30 t0 34.9 being considered obese, and 35 and over being very obese. Smoking behavior was analyzed by looking at a person's tobacco consumption level, number of years smoked, and current smoking status. Researchers then followed participants through December of 2002, noting the number of deaths that occurred.

     The study involved researchers from the National Cancer Institute, the University of Minnesota and the American Registry of Radiolegic Technologists.

     Key Findings:

     20 percent of obese adults in the United States smoke.

     Obese smokers face a greater risk of death from cancer and circulatory disease.

     Current smoking is a greater risk factor for death by cancer than obesity is, generally speaking.

     The higher a person's pack-years (number of packs smoked per day times the number of years smoked) are, the greater the risk of death.

    Men and women of all ages faced an elevated risk of death due to circulatory disease as BMI increased. And for those who were both obese and currently smoking, risk of circulatory disease increased 6 to 11 times under the age of 65, as compared to their never-smoking, normal weight counterparts.

     While it's not surprising that obesity coupled with smoking is a recipe for trouble, it is important to highlight this growing health concern in America today.

     Taking Charge of Your Health

     Making healthy choices can be difficult when we're constantly bombarded with products that are hazardous to our health, but it's not impossible. With education and some motivation, we all have the ability to make lasting changes for the better. If you're an overweight smoker worried about gaining weight due to quitting, take heart. It's never too late to change your course and even reverse damage to some extent.

1.What is the probably the best title of the text?

A. Obese smoking and death             B. Key findings about smoking

C Taking charge of your health           D. Obesity and smoking

2.Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. Obese smokers are less likely to suffer from cancer

B. Obese smokers are more likely to suffer from cancer

C. Obese smokers .tend to gain fewer body mass index.

D. Obese smokers tend to get heavier than those Who never smoke

3.According to the  author, it is________to get rid of smoking.

A. easy and possible                     B. difficult and impossible

C. easy ant worthwhile                   D. difficult but worthwhile

4. What is the American Journal of Preventive Medicine?

A. An medical institute.                   B A research center.

C. A medical magazine                    D. A TV station

5. What is the purpose of the text?

A. To inform the readers of the findings about obese smoking.

B. To warn the readers of  the danger of obese smoking.

C. To tell us what obese smoking is.

D. To call on the obese smolkers to quit smoking.

 

阅读简答，阅读下列文章，回答问题。

   Health experts have warned for many years that cigarette-smoking can lead to heart disease, cancer and other medical problems. And officials say disease caused directly by smoking kill at least three hundred and twenty thousand Americans each year. But smokers still find it rather difficult to stop .The tobacco industry says 40 million Americans continue to smoke cigarette . The American Cancer Society wants to change this. Every year the group organizes a national Non-smoking Day in order to get people to give up cigarette.

On the Non-smoking Day the organization is asking all smokers to stop smoking at least for 24 hours .The Cancer Society hopes this will lead many people to give up smoking completely .On that day the Cancer society officers will give telephone call advice on how to stop smoking. Some others also can call a special telephone to hear recorder messages by doctors. Some factories will offer their workers candy or chewing gum to help them to keep from smoking. Some companies are offering special presents and low prizes to people who sign an agreement to stop smoking. And Americans who don’t smoke are being asked to help just one person who is smoking during the 24-hour campaign.

 

1.How many Americans die from smoking each year ? ﹙不超过4个单词﹚

                                 .

2.Who set the Non-smoking Day ? ﹙不超过4个单词﹚

                                  .

3.What is the purpose of the Non-smoking Day ?﹙不超过7个单词﹚

                                                        .

 

Dad is used to smoking and drinking. There’s no chance ________ I'm able to talk him into ________.

　　A. whether; giving it up

　　B. of whether; giving them up

　　C. that; getting rid of them

　　D. which; stopping it

Life is to be enjoyed. There’s no point in giving up something you enjoy unless you get something back that’s even better. When people eat more healthfully, exercise, quit smoking, and manage stress better, they find that they feel so much better that it reconstructs the reason for making these changes from fear of dying to joy of living. The latest studies show that when you exercise and eat right:

YOUR BRAIN receives more blood flow and oxygen, so you become smarter, think more clearly, have more energy, and need less sleep. Two studies showed that just walking for three hours per week for only three months caused so many new neurons (神经细胞) to grow that it actually increased the size of people’s brains!

YOUR FACE receives more blood flow, so your skin glows more and wrinkles less. You look younger and more attractive. In contrast, an unhealthy diet, chronic emotional stress and smoking reduce blood flow to your face so you age more quickly. Smoking accelerates aging because nicotine causes your arteries (动脉) to narrow down, which decreases blood flow to your face and makes it wrinkle earlier. This is why smokers look years older than they really are.

YOUR GENES change. In May, a study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that changing your lifestyle changes your genes.

YOUR TELOMERES (染色体端粒) get longer. Telomeres are the ends of our chromosomes (染色体) that control how long we live. As telomeres become shorter, then cells age more quickly, thus shortening your life.

 Besides, one of the most interesting findings in the study was that the mothers’ awareness of stress was more important than what was really occurring in their lives. The researchers gave the women a questionnaire and asked them to rate on a three-point scale how stressed they felt each day, and how out of control their lives felt to them. The women who were aware that they were under heavy stress had significantly shortened and damaged telomeres compared with those who felt more relaxed. On the contrary, some of the women who felt relaxed despite raising a disabled child had more normal-appearing telomeres.

In other words, if you feel stressed, you are stressed; if you feel fine, you are fine.

1.Which of the following are good for lengthening one’s life, according to the passage?

① eat healthy food  ② drink plenty of water  ③ take exercise  ④ get up early

⑤ go to sleep early  ⑥ release one’s stress

A. ①③⑥                           B. ①②③                           C. ①⑤⑥                           D. ③④⑥

2.The underlined words “your skin glows” in Paragraph 3 are closest in meaning to _________.

A. your skin becomes white as there is plenty of sunshine

B. your skin becomes smooth as there is much blood in it

C. your skin looks pink as you are healthy

D. your skin becomes soft as you exercise enough

3.In the author’s opinion, when you exercise and eat right, you will experience some changes EXCEPT _________.

A. brains becoming cleverer                                 B. faces having fewer wrinkles

C. arteries turning narrower                         D. genes being changed

4.From the last but one paragraph we learn that _________.

A. mothers will have more damaged telomeres if they raise a disabled child

B. mothers don’t know how to handle stress effectively

C. some women were asked to fill out a questionnaire about educating children

D. mothers’ positive attitudes are the key to managing their stress

5.The best title for the passage would be _________.  

A. Eat better, live better                                         B. Feel better, live longer

C. Less stress, fewer diseases                 D. Smoke more, age sooner