Every people has its own special words and expressions like the American expression “on the

wagon” It means a person who no longer drinks whisky, beer or other kinds of alcoholic drinks. The “wagon” is a water wagon. In other words, a drinker has decided to change from alcohol to water. An Oklahoma newspaper wrote about a man who had a history of heavy drinking on America’s Fourth of July holiday. Said the newspaper, “We believe that his experience had lifted him onto the water wagon, but he was even drunker the next Fourth of July.”

Why do people decided to go on the wagon? Well, usually because they are alcoholics. They loss control of themselves when they drink. If they take one alcoholic drink, then they want to  drink another, and another, until all thought is gone.

Alcoholism is a major social problem in countries throughout the world. The United States is no exception. Experts believe that several million Americans are alcoholics today. Their health care needs, car accidents, reduced job performance and other problems cost thousands of millions of dollars every year.

In the early 1900s, many Americans joined in a campaign to make alcohol illegal in the United States. In 1920 an amendment was added to the Constitution. It made drinking or selling alcohol a crime. But the new law did not stop people from drinking. Criminals  produced or imported alcohol illegally and sold it almost everywhere.

After a few years Americans realized the so-called Prohibition Law did not work. So in 1933 another constitutional change was made, canceling the amendment that made alcohol illegal.

In recent years Americans have taken other steps to deal with the problem of alcohol. One important action has been to increase the punishment for people who drive their automobiles after drinking alcohol. Many states now consider this to be a serious crime. Another important step has been to explain to children and students the danger of alcohol. Many schools now offer special programmes to teach young people about the problem. Doctors have been working to develop new drugs and treatment programmes to help alcoholics. Finally, alcoholics themselves are dealing with the problem of alcoholism. Many of them have “ gone on the wagon” and stopped drinking. They have joined the Alcoholics Anonymous group meeting regularly to discuss their problems and give each other support. “Going on the wagon” is not the only way to control alcoholism, but most alcoholic say it is the best way. They must give up alcohol completely so their own body and spirit can survive.

1．People decide to go on the wagon because        .

    A．they enjoy having one drink after another

    B．they like the kind of drinks they get on the wagon

    C．they are afraid of losing their self-control in drinking again

    D．they are alcoholics and can not control themselves well

2．Americans are now taking steps to solve the problem of alcoholism by        .

    A．decreasing the amount of alcohol drunk by drivers

    B．teaching young students how to drive safely after drinking alcohol

    C．punishing people more heavily for driving after drinking alcohol

    D．giving special courses to teach doctors about new drugs and treatments for alcoholics

3．In the United States today        .

    A．a(chǎn)lcoholism is not a major social problem

    B．there are no more than a million alcoholics

    C．the problem of alcoholism costs thousands of millions of dollars every year

    D．a(chǎn)lcoholism has caused a million automobile accidents a year

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科目：高中英語 來源：同步題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解。
      Most people say" yes" much more readily than" no".
     A friend is moving house this weekend and would like some
help,and you agree. But, what you really wanted was relaxing at
home for a couple of quiet days,or a roommate spends the whole
weekend playing video games and wants to borrow your homework
for"reference". But,you've just finished it after working hard for a
whole day.
     Many people say" yes" to this kind of requests. They tend not
to consider their own interests and feelings,and are often angry with
themselves afterwards. Saying" no" requires courage and considerable
practice. " Everyone wants to be liked. " says Gabriele Steinki,a
German psychologist. "Saying'no'risks losing the affection of the
person asking for the favor. Or even a job. "The result is that many
people say"yes"just for keeping the peace. But experts say this is
regrettable. Anyone should have the right to say" no". In fact, rejecting
a request can even help to stabilize a relationship because it
expresses real affection. But,for peop'le accustomed to agreeing every
request,it's very distressing to say" no".
     Most people believe that if they say" no" ,they'll lose the affection
of the person. But the affection is important to them. This way
of thinking can be replaced by this:"If he only likes me because I
always do what suits him,then the price of this affection is too high
in the long term. "
    When people say " no", Steinki advises giving the reasons
calmly until the person gets the message.
1. What does the second paragraph tell us?  
A. In fact people are usually selfish.
B. Sometimes people say " yes" when they really want to say no .
C. It's not suitable to ask others to help at weekends.
D. It's disgusting to borrow homework for reference.
2. Many people don't say" no" though they really want to because    
A. they dare not offend the asker
B. they are afraid of breaking the good relationship with the asker
C. they don't care about their own feeling
D. they are good-tempered
3. The underlined word" distressing" can be replaced by "____ ".   
A. comfortable                      
B. funny
C. unnecessary                    
D. uncomfortable
4. The best title for the passage would be _____.  
A. You Need Courage to Say "No"
B. Saying" No"Is More Important Than Saying" Yes"
C. Saying " No" Would Bring Benefits
D. The Art of Saying " No"

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