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The Puritans (新教徒) get a bad reputation in America — especially when it comes to alcohol.
Mayflower, the first ship that came over from England to Massachusetts Bay, actually carried more beer than water. In fact the Founding Fathers of America liked a drink — Samuel Adams was a partner in his father brewery, and Thomas Jefferson was famous for importing European wines.
Early Americans took a healthful small drink for breakfast, whiskey was a typical lunchtime drinks ale (麦芽酒) accompanied supper and the day ended with another drink called nightcap. Most Americans in 1790 consumed an average of 5.8 gallons of pure alcohol a year. In 1830, consumption reached 7.1 gallons a year and alcoholism was starting to have a serious influence on communities. Women and children might be in physical danger if the man of the house began drinking. If he became ill or lost his job through drinking, there was no social safety net to support or protect his family. Eventually, alcoholism was being treated as a disease.
By the late 19th Century, support for Prohibition, banning the manufacture and sale of alcohol, was powerful. The first arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol was in 1897. On 16 January 1919, Prohibition was set into law. However, by the 1930s when American economy was experiencing a hard time it was widely believed that making alcohol legal again would provide badly-needed jobs and taxes. So in February of 1933, Prohibition was ended. Still, Prohibition had a great influence on alcohol drinking in this country. In 1955, Americans drank an average of 2.3 gallons of pure alcohol a year. The Prohibition movement was still quite strong after Prohibition ended and it led to a lot of local prohibition on alcohol.
The American presidency has done a lot to rehabilitate alcohol and make it respectable again. Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama can all be seen on film drinking socially and making official toasts with international celebrities.
36. Which is TRUE about the Puritans according to the passage?
A. Their ancestors came to America to sell alcohol.
B. They founded the breweries in European countries.
C. They had a habit of alcohol drinking.
D. They were the major importer of alcohol.
37. In what way was an alcoholic’s family affected by alcoholism?
A. His family couldn’t afford the drink.
B. His family might suffer financially.
C. His wife and children might become ill.
D. His family might not be treated equally.
38. What can be learned about Prohibition in America?
A. It came into law in the 19th century.
B. It discouraged alcohol drinking.
C. Its effect disappeared after its removal.
D. It failed to forbid drunk driving.
39. The underlined word “rehabilitate” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to
A. acknowledge B. forbid C. import D. produce
40. The passage mainly talks about _______.
A. the brief history of alcohol drinking in America
B. American presidents’ affection for alcohol drinking
C. the Puritans’ bad reputation in America
D. the reasons why Prohibition came into law
D
There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep — but what does that really mean? It turns out that the answer depends not only on your age, but also on your lifestyle. Some people are productive and happy with fewer hours of sleep, while others need more. Still, experts can determine guidelines that work for most people. The National Sleep Foundation researched the topic and gave new recommendations this week. The foundation acknowledges that sleep needs will vary — lifestyle and stress should be taken into consideration — but their recommendations offer a general guideline. For example, teenagers (14 —17 years old) ne 8—10 hours, sleep every day.
To create the recommendations, some sleep and medical experts reviewed 312 articles from journals published during the last decade. This is the first time that any professional organization has developed age-specific recommended sleep durations based on a systematic review of the world scientific literature.
A lack of sleep can be linked to weight gain, because that causes an increase in appetite, according to the foundation. It can also have serious consequences on the brain. People who do not get enough sleep are at increased risk for depression, and can endanger others. Those that become sleepy while driving, for example, risk both their lives and the lives of those around them.
Researchers also have found in the past that too much sleep can have negative effects. Low socioeconomic status and depression reportedly are significantly associated with longer sleep. However, experts nowadays find that research on oversleeping is still unconvincing and needs more attention. Currently, there is no strong evidence that sleeping too much has health consequences. There is, however, laboratory evidence that short sleep durations of four to five hours have negative consequences. We need similar laboratory studies to determine whether long sleep durations result in physiological changes that could lead to disease before we make any recommendations against sleep extension.
41. Which is TRUE about sleeping time?
A. The time you need for sleep is related to your state of mind.
B. Experts’ guideline for sleeping time applies to all the people.
C. The less you sleep, the more productive you are.
D. The more you sleep, the more energetic you are.
42. How did die National Sleeping Foundation do the research?
A. By interviewing different people.
B. By reading lots of articles.
C. By consulting other experts.
D. By doing systematic experiments.
43. The research shows that people without enough sleep will _______.
A. lose some weight B. eat more food
C. dream during their sleep D. drive faster than usual
44. From Paragraph 4, we can learn that _______.
A. too much sleep may result in social changes
B. researchers now agree with those ill the past
C. more research on oversleeping is needed
D. research on oversleeping is quite convincing
45. From which section of a newspaper is the passage most probably taken?
A. Health. B. Psychology C. Sport. D. Education.
