None of us is quite as healthy in mind as we seem, but neither is every unusual thing we do means we’re unhealthy. How to tell the difference? Start by reading the letters below, which have been analyzed by our experts.

(1) Lately, after I read an unusual word, I often can’t get it out of my head for days, sometimes weeks. I silently repeat it to myself, often spell it, and even wake up in the night with it ringing in my head. What’s wrong with my brain?

That sounds like a little obsession (着迷). Your brain feels that for some reason it must repeat this word. Unless it is taking up more than an hour of your day or really influencing your life, it is not serious. To stop it, leave it alone. If you really want to stop the repetition, set aside ten minutes a day to repeat the word over and over again. Do it so many times that you finally get sick of it.

(2) I sometimes have strange dreams when taking a short sleep, and I think they’re real when I wake up. Then, as I come around, I realize they aren’t. Is there something wrong with me?

What’s wrong is that you take short sleeps and most of us don’t! But are you mad? No. We all have strange dreams, and it’s normal, upon waking, to be fuzzy (模糊) for a little while or even not to remember where we are. What is not normal is if you don’t have these dreams.

(3) When people are eating, I can’t stand the sound of a fork or spoon knocking on a plate or bowl. I begin shaking and having a headache. I’m also sickened by the sound of people chewing with their mouths open. Is there something wrong with me?

It seems that there is something wrong with everyone else you know. How come they don’t eat with their mouths closed? At the least, you’re over sensitive (敏感) to little noise. You may also be troubled by a disorder in mind called misophonia. Try drawing your attention away from the noise. Pay attention to something else as hard as you can when you eat with your friends: the music in the background, the scene out the window, even what they’re talking about. You can train yourself to be less troubled by the noise.

(4) When I’m driving and have to cross a bridge, my heart starts racing and I feel light-headed. The fear that I’m going to pass out makes the whole situation worse. Am I crazy?

This sounds like an anxiety (忧虑), which can bring on heart illness and a real sense that you’re going to die. This kind of feeling is the body’s reaction to the possible danger in near future. To keep your anxiety from progressing, try the old method: breathing. When you feel your heart starting to race, take a deep breath in three or four times, and then let it out five or six times until you start to feel comfortable. You can also make a tape of your favourite song, and sing along as you cross the bridge.

56. What does the word analyzed mean in the first paragraph?

A. Divided into parts.                                    B. Examined carefully.

C. Discussed in groups.                                D. Treated scientifically.

57. Which person described in the four letters has got something wrong?

A. The first two.                                                 B. No. 1 and No. 3.

C.       The last two.                                           D. No. 2 and No. 4.

58. What can we do when we have strange dreams after a short sleep?

A. It’s not necessary for us to do anything.

B. We can think about the dreams once again.

C. It’s a good idea to pay attention to other things.

D. We’d better go to see a doctor as early as possible.

59. From the passage, we can infer that ______.

A. we don’t need to worry about anything in mind

B. disorders in mind can be treated by ourselves

C. one must face all kinds of problems in life

D. if you are brave, nothing can trouble you

　　 Imagine one day the water taps(水龙头) in your house stop running. You have to pay a lot of money to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough water for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to use for washing clothes. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?

　　 Probably not. But that is what kids in Yemen(也门) are experiencing. According to a report, the capital, Sana, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.

　　 Because of the water shortage(短缺), the Yemen government often cuts the water supply (供给). Hannan, an 18-year-old girl, told the time, “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”

　　 Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water trucks. Private(私人的) companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water—at very high prices.

　　 “A lot of people can’t pay for it,” she said.

　　 The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.

36. How old is Hannan?　

A. She is eight. 　 B. She is eighteen. 　　 C. She is seventeen. 　　 D. She is seven.

37. The underlined word “that” means ______.　

A. buying water from shops 　　　　　　　　　 B. having enough drinking water

C. suffering from water shortage　　　　 D. washing clothes with used water

38. From the passage, we know that ______.

A. the people of Yemen don’t have to worry about water

B. people in Yemen have no water to use during a bad week

C. Sana will have no drinking water in 5 years　　

D. private companies make much money by selling water

39. The Yemen government ______.

A. may try to make use of seawater　 　　　　　　 B. does nothing about the water problem

C. only cares about rich people’s lives　 D. may solve the problem soon

40. The writer wants to tell us ______.

A. not to use seawater 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. not to waste water

C. to drink less water 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. to sell water to Yemen

When I was a child, my parents often took me to an old house in a thick forest. No other children ever stayed there. I didn’t even have the choice of playing with a brother or sister.
I could never understand what the attraction(吸引) of the house was, even for my parents, who enjoyed nothing better than to sit in silence with a good book. The woman in the house, my father’s distant cousin, was a terrible cook and her food was inedible.
One day, when I was wandering around the garden behind the house, I noticed a wooden house which had clearly been abandoned(被遗弃的). As I walked towards it, I heard a noise, like an animal moving hurriedly away. Then I saw a man with a long beard standing at the door. I was greatly surprised.
“Please don’t tell them you saw me,” he said. “They never use this place, and I have nowhere else to live.” “Don’t worry,” I said. “I won’t tell anyone. But are you all right out here? I mean—do you have enough to eat?” The old man shook his head.
The same evening, I took a small plastic bag into the dining room and, while no one was looking, emptied some of the food into it. Later, I got out of the back door secretly and gave the food to the old man, whose name I had discovered was Taff.
I had never seen anything else as lovely as the smile of satisfaction on Taff’s face when he ate the food. From then on, my visits to the old house had a purpose, and I enjoyed every minute of the rest of my stay.
【小题1】 How did the writer feel about staying in the old house at first?