Without any hesitation,he said,"I'd be better off dead." Hearing those words come out of my best friend's mouth tore my heart apart.He has repeated that phrase more than once,and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording. I met my best friend about three years ago.After knowing me for six months,he told me about his struggles with depression.Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked.He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time.I soon learned that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child,causing him to have suicidal thoughts. He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults,especially those in his family.In spite of this,he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. _ .It does not matter where I am or what I am doing,for he takes priority.Sometimes he just needs the assurance of my voice telling him that everything is going to be okay and that I will not let him down. Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice the scars on his arms from cutting.It seems that other kids have every right to make fun of him and to look down on him.But no one holds such a right,so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly.When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices,I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally.Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going. My best friend once told me that if he had not had me,he would not be alive.He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take the way out .Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can impact on someone's life.With the fragility of life as it is,I believe in the necessity of encouragement. The author's friend got into depression mainly because  _  . A) he lived without his parents B) he had poor health C) he received little care at school D) he had a bad childhood
D
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Local businessmen are increasingly facing competition from on line retailers. Larry Pollock, owner of Camera Co/Op on South Congress, said he has been dealing with this kind of problem for years, even before the Internet. The struggle began with mail-order catalogues, which are similar to online retailers in that they have few employees to pay, no sales tax fees and no business venue to lease and manage. "Their overhead is lower, but they don't offer a service like we do," Pollock said. Pollock, however, said providing a valuable service to customers does not always guarantee continued sales. "We spend 30 minutes to an hour with somebody and they go home and buy it online," he said. According to the state comptroller's office, online shopping is developing at a more rapid rate than traditional businesses. In spite of how fair or unfair online shopping may be to the local businessmen, consumers will continue to turn to the Internet for its variety and accessibility, said Mitch Wilson, an online shopper. "You have a larger selection and it's easier to compare prices."  Wilson said he built his personal computer and paid a third of the price by shopping online. "Before the Internet, I would have had to go and buy an assembled computer from somebody like Dell," he said. "Before I started shopping online I could never find all the pieces I wanted. No single store had everything needed, so shopping online saved me from having to buy from Dell." Janny Brazeal, a psychology freshman, said online shopping is too impersonal. "I'd rather see it in person, touch it, know that I'm getting it," she said. Brazeal also said she would not give out her credit card number or other personal information online no matter how safe the site claims it is. More people like online shopping because   _  . A) the consumers can easily compare a variety of goods on line B) it's easy for consumers to get what they want C) it's cheaper to buy what they need from on-line retailers D) all above
D
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The spread of Western eating habits around the world is bad for human health and the environment. These findings come from a new report in the journal Nature. David Tillman, a professor of ecology at the University of Minnesota, America, examined information from 100 countries to identify what people ate and how diet affected health. He noted a movement beginning in the 1960s. He found that as nations industrialized, population increased and earnings rose, more people began to adopt  what has been called the Western diet. The Western diet is high in sugar, fat, oil and meat. By eating these foods, people began to get fatter and sicker. David Tillman says overweight people are at greater risk for non-infectious diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Unfortunately when people become industrialized, if they adopt this Western diet, they are going to have these health problems, especially in developing countries in Asia. China is an example where the number of diabetes cases has been jumping from less than one percent to 10 percent of the population as they began to industrialize over a 20-year period. And that is happening all across the world, in Mexico, in Nigeria and so on. And, a diet bad for human beings, is also bad for the environment. As the world's population grows, more forests and tropical areas will become farmland for crops or grasslands for cattle. We are likely to have more greenhouse gas in the future from agriculture than that coming out of all forms of transportation right now. Mr. Tillman calls the link between diet, the environment and human health, "a trilemma": a problem offering a difficult choice. He says one possible settlement is leaving the Western diet behind. David Tilman believes that  _  . A) diet, the environment and human health are closely connected B) the Western diet is the only choice as the nation industrializes C) people in tropical areas are more likely to have heart disease D) traditional diets are more balanced than the Western diet
A
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Do you blank out or feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just last night? If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety. But, don't be afraid. By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it. Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly. This is because under stress, the body releases   the hormone adrenaline  , which prepares it for something important that will happen. However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite before tests, and poor performance. Some people might feel hot and tired. With great anger they often shout or complain for no reason. If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety. Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety. When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you're doing and make your mind a blank. If possible, actually tell yourself to 'STOP!' This will get your mind off the stress. Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax. As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first. This will help restore your confidence. Important of all, talk to yourself using positive language. Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason. For example: "I've studied hard and I know the material, so I'm ready to do the best I can." Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes. In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities. Last but not least, start test preparation early - three to five days ahead of the quiz or test. After all, good study habits and skills - for example, time management and note-taking - will give you the feeling that you are in control. What can we infer from the passage? A) Mistakes sometime can be valuable and helpful. B) Those who have prepared poorly for a test cause test anxiety easily. C) Full test preparations will give you the feeling that you are in control. D) A touch of anxiety can have a positive effect.

D
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