Marry of us wake up feeling{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(tire) in the morning. Many of us ignore the problem as the day goes on,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (forget) that it might have a{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(danger) effect. Society even glorifies “burning the candle at both ends” as{#blank#}4{#/blank#}sign of our devotion to work and family.

    Believe it{#blank#}5{#/blank#}not, all this bad sleep has far-reaching consequences. We just do not give ourselves enough chances to sleep. A survey of over 74,000 people found 35 percent reported sleeping less than seven hours daily{#blank#}6{#/blank#}average. Furthermore, the amount of sleep{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(change) greatly over the past 15 years.

    This lack of sleep can lead of many serious{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(problem). One study found that{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(simple) limiting yourself to six hours of sleep a night for two weeks had similar effects to staying up all night the night before,{#blank#}10{#/blank#}could make you perform poorly on a timed attention task.

    Mr. Robinson had to travel somewhere on business. As he was{#blank#}1{#/blank#}a hurry, he decided to go by air. He liked sitting beside a window when he was flying, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}when he got onto the plane, he looked for a window seat. He found all of them already {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(take) except one. There was a soldier sitting in the seat beside {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Wondering why this one had not been taken, Mr. Robinson at once went towards it.

    When he reached it, however, Mr. Robinson saw that there was a notice stuck on the seat. It said, “This seat{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(keep) for proper load balance, thank you.” Because he had never seen such a kind of{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(usual) notice in a plane before, Mr. Robinson was a little surprised. But he thought that the plane must be carrying something {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(particular) heavy in it, so he walked on and found{#blank#}8{#/blank#}empty seat, not beside a window, to sit in.

    Two or three people tried to sit in the window seat beside the soldier, but they too read the notice and went on. When the plane was nearly full, a very pretty girl hurried into the plane. The soldier,{#blank#}9{#/blank#}was watching the passengers coming in, quickly took the notice off the seat beside his and in this way succeeded in having the company of a{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(beautiful) during the whole trip.

    The Battle of Chancellorsville, one of the most famous battles of the Civil War, took place in Virginia in the spring of 1863. For months, the two armies had been staying on opposite banks of a narrow river. The Confederate(南方联盟) troops were led by perhaps {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (honored) military tactician(战略家) in American history, General Robert E. Lee. The Union (北方联盟)soldiers were led by “Fighting” Joe Hooker.

    In appearance, personality, and lifestyle, these men were nearly perfect opposites. Lee, an older man in poor health with a gray beard, had a solemn, measured character. Hooker was a blond, broad-shouldered young man {#blank#}2{#/blank#} pride over his appearance was but one aspect of his self-centeredness. Whereas Lee was loyal and principled, Hooker was known for his rollicking enjoyment of both women and whiskey.

    Despite the fact that the Confederacy {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (win) the last four major battles and the Union soldiers were starving, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (exhaust), and demoralized, Hooker proclaimed, “My plans are perfect. And when I start to carry them out, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} God have mercy on Bobby Lee, for I shall have none.” Why was Hooker so confident?

    Hooker had used spies, analysts, and even hot air balloons to compile a vast amount of intelligence about Lee's army. He had already been aware, for example, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} Lee had only 61,000 men to Hooker's own 134,000. Supported by his superior numbers, Hooker secretly moved 70,000 of his men fifteen miles up and across the river, and then ordered them to sneak back down to position themselves {#blank#}7{#/blank#} Lee's army. In effect, Hooker had cut off the Confederate soldiers in front and behind. They were trapped. Satisfied with his advantage, Hooker became convinced that Lee's only option was to retreat to Richmond, thus {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (assure) a Union victory.

    Yet Lee, despite his disadvantages of both numbers and position, did not retreat. Instead, he moved his troops into position to attack. Union soldiers who tried to warn Hooker that Lee was on the offensive {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (dismiss) as cowards. Having become convinced that Lee had no choice but {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (retreat), Hooker began to ignore reality. When Lee's army attacked the Union soldiers at 5:00 p.m., they were eating supper, completely unprepared for battle. They abandoned their rifles and fled as Lee's troops came shrieking out of the brush, bayonets drawn. Against all odds, Lee won the Battle of Chancellorsville, and Hooker's forces withdrew in defeat.

    Cell phones can be life-saving communication tools to have on hand in a vehicle in case of emergency. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, actually using a cell phone while driving may be life threatening. Many different studies have shown that when drivers use a phone while driving, it can be very {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (danger). At some point during the use of a cell phone, a driver's eyes are sure to be distracted from the road.

    Studies have shown that new drivers are especially likely {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (have) an accident when they use a cell phone while driving. The reason for this is {#blank#}4{#/blank#}new drivers have less experience in focusing {#blank#}5{#/blank#}driving during distractions. Also, several studies {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (do) on teen drivers found that many teens send text {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (message) while driving, which is thought to be more distracting and at risk.

    All drivers, not just teens or other new drivers, who use a cell phone while driving {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (say) by studies to be at least four times {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (much) likely to be at risk than drivers who don't use a phone behind the wheel. Such studies have inspired many countries, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (include) the United States, to have at least some bans on hand-held cell phone use while driving. However, many people feel that these restrictions are not enough because studies have also shown that hand-held cell phones are just a part of the problem.

    John Snow was a famous doctor in London, who was so expert that he attended Queen Victoria as her {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(person) physician. But he felt {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(inspire) when he thought about {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(help) people exposed to cholera. Cholera was a {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (dead) disease and neither its cause nor its cure was understood. John Snow wanted to face the challenge and solve the problem. He suspected that people absorbed this disease {#blank#}5{#/blank#} their bodies with their meals. So when another outbreak hit London, he began his enquiry. He found that many victims {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(link) to the outbreak were near the water pump, so he had the handle {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (remove). Soon afterwards the disease slowed down. He drew a conclusion that the water was {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(blame).

    The water {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(company) were instructed not to expose people to {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(pollute) water any more. Finally "King Cholera" was defeated.

    NASA has a new job listing, and it's no joke. The US space agency is looking for a "joker" to join their {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (plan) mission to Mars.

A mission to Mars is no laughing matter. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} is known that Mars is 225 million kilometers away from Earth. A trip there would take around eight months in a small spacecraft. "When you're living with others in a confined (封闭的) space for a long period of time, such as on a mission to Mars, problems are likely {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (happen)" Jeffrey Johnson, a scientist at the University of Florida, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (say) to the Guardian. This is probably {#blank#}5{#/blank#} NASA wants an astronaut with a sense of humor. "These are people that have the {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (able) to pull everyone together." Johnson said.

    In {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (stress) situations, perhaps humor is a way to know we aren't alone. We can share our stress by {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (laugh) together. Then we can focus on our jobs instead of just worrying.

But if you're hoping that your favorite TV comedian will fly to Mars, that {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (possible) won't happen. "Being funny won't be enough to land somebody the job," Johnson said, "They also need to be an excellent scientist and engineer." Besides, it's required that they {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (be) in top physical condition.