One of the most popular and enduring myths about depression is that depressed people are sad all the time--and that by extension, people who are happy can't be experiencing depression, even if they say they are. It is a mistaken version of depression. Depression doesn't make you sad all the time. When I'm having a depressive feeling, I'm not walking around in black clothes, and weeping. I go out with friends. I play jokes. I keep working, and have friendly chats with the people I work with. I read books. Above all, I experience moments of happiness. Yet I feel a strange conflicting pressure. On the one hand, I feel like I need to engage in a sort of sadness for people to understand that I really am depressed and that each day is a struggle for me. Because that way I will appear suitably sad, and thus, depressed--and then maybe people will recognize that I'm depressed and perhaps they'll even offer support and assistance. On the other hand, I feel an extreme pressure to perform just the opposite, because sad depressed people are boring and no fun, as I am continually reminded every time I speak openly about depression or express feelings of sadness and frustration. I'm caught in a trap where if I don't perform sadness, I'm not really depressed, but if I express sadness at all to any degree, I'm annoying and boring and should stop being so self-centered. Depression can become your master, but you can slip out from under it occasionally. And many depressed people don't actually spend it fainting dramatically on the couch and talking about how miserable they are. When feeling depressed, the writer usually avoids _ . A) expressing sad feelings straight B) going out with friends and relatives C) having friendly chats with colleagues D) experiencing moments of happiness
A
(Question)
Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid Good grades and high tests scores still matter--a lot--to many colleges as they award financial aid. But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as "merit aid", is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars. George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients , pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago. Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008. Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don't meet need eligibility have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school. For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running. But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. "They're trying to buy students," says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum. Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it. "As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid," says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered... In recent years, merit-based aid has increased much faster than need-based aid due to _ . A) more government funding to colleges B) fierce competition among institutions C) the increasing number of top students D) schools' improved financial situations
(Answer)
B
Ques: It would be hard to find a person in America who has never eaten a hamburger, but this popular food was not originally made in America. The original hamburger can be traded back to the Middle Ages, when Russians ate raw meat that was scraped and shredded with a dull knife and formed into patties , It was called Tartar steak. This was the first step in a long series of developments that eventually resulted in hamburger as we know it today. German sailors picked up the raw meat delicacy in their contacts with Russians and brought it back to their home port of Hamburg. But the people there were unused to eating raw meat , so they broiled the outside of the Russian steak; thus the hamburger steak was born. The hamburger steak was brought ot America in the nineteenth century immigrants. Louis Lasssen, a cook in New Haven, Connecticut, modified the hamburger steak by sandwiching it between two pieces of bread. But the true American hamburger came into existence in St. Louis at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. A harried cook at the fair quickly slapped broiled beef patties between buns and served them to a demanding crowd, which gulped them down joyously. At first this new food creation was made from scraps of poorer cuts of meat that were not used for anything else, but before scrapes were not enough. The demand for greater quantities of hamburger could only be met by using more and better cuts . Hamburger stands sprang up all over the country, and a side industry of condiments , such as ketchup and relish, grew The writer talks about the emergence of the hamburger by _ . A) describing the changes step by step B) retelling Russian folk tales C) describing eyewitness accounts D) showing that other foods changed too .
Ans: A
On the way to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man with a dirty face jumped up from a chair, opened the door for us and greeted us in a friendly way. Once inside, my daughters said in a low voice, "Mom, he smells." After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look beyond the dirt. Seeing this rudeness truly upset me, I wanted to set a good example to my children, but sometimes being a good example was difficult. When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills in the truck. With the windiest trip ahead, the kids needed them, so Iwent back to the car for them. Just then, the "doorman" was opening the door for me, I said a loud "thank you" to him as I exited. When I returned, we talked a bit. He said he was not allowed inside unless he bought food. I went back and told my family his situation. Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich. The kids looked puzzled, but when I said the order was for the "doorman", they smiled. When it was time to continue our trip, I noticed the "doorman" enjoying his meal. Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily. He then lifted his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted. I suddenly noticed the tears in his eyes-tears of gratitude . What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the "doorman" a hug. Back in truck, I fell into deep thought. While we can't choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude. I said thanks to a man who had simply helped open a door for me, and also said thanks for that opportunity to teach my children by example. It can be learned from the passage that the doorman _ . A) refused to accept the offer B) took the offer for nothing C) gave the author a thankful hug D) was moved to tears for the kind help
D