The addictive pull of Internet shopping is dragging thousands of victims into a rise of debt, including thousands of women who have run up huge credit card bills they cannot repay. The appeal of 24-hour access and the explosion in goods and services on offer has seen a 10 percent increase in credit card debts in the UK this year. Much of it has accounted for online spending. The latest report on Internet usage shows the number of adults logging on at home has risen from 10 million in October last year to 15.5m this month. The report by Continental Research, which has monitored Internet access in the UK for the past six years, found that while online shopping used to be experimental it is now becoming habitual, especially for women. Colin Shaddick, who heads the company, said, "Women are logging on in record numbers ---online shopping has certainly played a big role in this." The study found that average annual spending online is PS700 a year for each Internet shopper. The draw of the Internet is especially strong for collectors. Business lecturer Stephen Hall, who has been buying and selling books since he was a child, now has a collection worth PS40,000. He is passionate about the opportunities offered by shopping online. "You can find a book in minutes that you could spend months hunting down at auctions or second-hand bookshops," he said. "It can easily become addictive, and all the collectors I know use the Internet. I suspect you do waste money because you are less likely to send back a book to Little Rock, Arkansas, than take it back to the high-street shop." Like Stephen Hall, most of us can shop online sensibly---but for some it provides an easy, anonymous and accessible way to feed their habit. It also provides secrecy---a central part of any addiction. Dr Samantha Haslett, a psychologist and expert in addiction at the Promos counseling centre, said, "It's compulsive in the same way as alcohol and gambling, and addicts find themselves completely unable to stop themselves, despite debt mounting... According to Dr. Samantha Haslett, we can draw a conclusion that _ . A) the main reason for ruining people's marriage contributes to shopping online B) it is the convenience of Internet that brings about people's shopping addiction C) a great many things women purchase on the Internet are of little practical use D) spending money by clicking the mouse can satisfy customers' desire greatly
D
(Question)
When someone says "well, I guess I'll have to face the music", it doesn't mean that he is planning to go to hear a singer. It is something far less happy, as you are called in by your leader to explain why you did this and did that or why you did not do this or that. At some time or another, every one of us has to "face the music", especially as children. We can all remember father's angry word "I wasn't to talk to you" and only because we did not listen to him. What a bad thing it was ! In the middle or at the end of every term, we students have to "face the music". The result of the exam will decide whether we will face the music or not. If ...that means parents' cold faces and the contempt of the teachers and classmates. "To face the music" is well known to every American, younger or old. It is at least 100 years old. It really means that you have to do something, no matter how terrible the whole thing might be, because you know you have no choice. "To face the music" means "to _ " A) do something we don't like to B) go to the theater C) go to the music show D) do something that we want to
(Answer)
A
Ques: While some scientists overlook the existence of a sixth sense for danger, a new research from Washington University in St. Louis has discovered a brain area that clearly acts as an early warning system and helps us adjust our behavior to avoid dangerous situations. "Our brains are better at picking up not obvious warning signs than we previously thought," said Joshua Brown, a PhD in psychology in the issue of the journal Science. The findings offer exact scientific evidence for a new way to form a concept of the complex control processes taking place in and around the ACC, a brain area located near the top of the frontal lobes and along the walls that divide the left and right hemispheres . "In the past, we found activity in the ACC when people had to make a difficult decision, or after they make a mistake," Brown said. "But now we find that this brain area can actually learn to recognize when you might make a mistake, even before a difficult decision has to be made. So the ACC appears to act as an early warning system---- it learns to warn us in advance when our behavior might lead to a negative outcome, so that we can be more careful and avoid making a mistake." By providing a clearer picture by which we self monitor and control our behavior, the study is an important step in efforts to develop more effective treatments for mental illnesses. It also provides a new way of understanding inappropriate behaviors that often accompany mental illnesses. "Our results suggest how injury of the ACC can lead to breakdowns in the early warning system, so that the brain fails to stop or control inappropriate behavior ahead of time," said Brown. "On the other hand, in those persons with mental disorder, the ACC might warn us of an upcoming problem even when no problem is in the existence." Known to be an important part of the brain's control system, the ACC is believed to help adjust between cold, hard, fact-based reasoning and emotional responses, such as love, fear or expectation. The new research helps us understand _ . A) why we are likely to make mistakes when the ACC is badly injured B) why people with illnesses usually have so many strange behaviors C) how the ACC works when something dangerous happens D) how our brain warns us of failure in advance
Ans: A
On a hill 600 feet above the surrounding land, we watch the lines of rain move across the scene, the moon rise over the hills, and the stars appear in the sky. The views invite a long look from a comfortable chair in front of the wooden house. Every window in our wooden house has a view, and the forest and lakes seldom look the same as the hour before. Each look reminds us where we are. There is space for our three boys to play outside, to shoot arrows, collect tree seeds, build earth houses and climb trees. Our kids have learned the names of the trees, and with the names have come familiarity and appreciation. As they tell all who show even a passing interest, maple makes the best fighting sticks and white pines are the best climbing trees. The air is clean and fresh. The water from the well has a pleasant taste, and it is perhaps the healthiest water our kids will ever drink. Though they have one glass a day of juice and the rest is water, they never say anything against that. _ We watch the maples turn every shade of yellow and red in the fall and note the poplars' putting out the first green leaves of spring. The rainbow smelt fills the local steam as the ice gradually disappears, and the wood frogs start to sing in pools after being frozen for the winter. A family of birds rules our skies and flies over the lake. What is the main purpose of the author writing the text? A) To describe the beauty of the scene around the house. B) To introduce her children's happy life in the forest. C) To show that living in the forest is healthful. D) To share the joy of living in the nature.
D