The main cause of death and disability in the US

    Stroke (中风) is the main cause of death and disability in the United States. Every 45 seconds, someone in America has a stroke. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is the nation's third leading cause of death, ranking behind diseases of the heart and all forms of cancer. The following is something more about stroke.

Definition and description of a stroke

    Stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease. It affects the arteries(动脉) leading to and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel（血管） that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So stroke forms.

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    The American Stroke Association has identified several factors (因素) that increase the risk of stroke. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that he or she will have a stroke. Some of these you can't control, such as increasing age, family health history, race, and previous stroke. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Factors resulting from lifestyle or environment can be improved with a healthcare provider's help.

Breakthroughs in treatment

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In fact, about 600,000 people have strokes every year. For many years, there was no hope for those suffering a stroke. However, recent breakthroughs have led to new treatments. For the treatments to work, the person must get to a hospital immediately.

    With the summer holiday just around the corner, it seems like everybody is busy planning their vacations. Here are some tips that can help you enjoy your holiday without empting your pocket:

    Travel off-season

    Go to your desired destination while the demand is low and take advantage of huge discounts. During the peak season, the hotel and flight prices increase quickly, and you'll likely spend more of your vacation time standing in line due to the rush of tourists. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

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    Websites can help you find discount hotel rooms. Look for places that do not charge extra for children if they use the existing bedding. Stay with the locals. If you and your family are going to stay for a longer period, renting a small apartment is a good choice.

    Eat like a local

    Why eat at big chain restaurants when you can experience something new? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} During your family trip, try new food where the locals eat. This will not just save money, but also provide you with a new and different experience. For smaller meals and snacks, avoid restaurants and try street food or other takeout. 

    Don't hesitate to bargain

    Tourist- heavy places are known for overcharging for just about everything. Clothes, travel goodies, souvenirs, etc. are very expensive at these places. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Bargain hard to get the best price.

    Choose local transportation

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Instead, take buses, railways or subways, which are always cheaper. If you are planning to stay for a while, you can consider renting a car. Hiring a car is much easier than carrying your bags everywhere if you are moving around a lot.

A. Save on hotels.

B. Surf the Internet while traveling.

C. Therefore, avoid buying anything there.

D. So it's best to find out when the off-season starts.

E. Planning your meals is another way to reduce your travel costs.

F. For this reason, you shouldn't feel ashamed to ask for bargains.

G .As a tourist, avoid taking taxis whenever possible, since they are expensive.

    Everyone has heard of Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    People in America think that the groundhog awakens from its winter's sleep on February 2^nd. The groundhog comes out of its hole. If the sun is shining, it will see its shadow. The shadow scares it. So it runs back into its hole. This means six more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy, it will not see its shadow. Since it is not scared, it stays out of its hole.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. These are the same things we say on Groundhog Day today.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They are known mainly to country people. City people just don't know how to look for them. City people think that a groundhog sitting by its hole may look like a root(根). It could also be seen as a clod (块) of earth. Or it may look like a broken fence-post(栅栏柱). But a farmer sees groundhogs anywhere he looks. They'll be watching like guards.

    The groundhog is a native American.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It may also appear as far north as Alaska. It is hated by farmers. The groundhog eats a third of its weight in a day. What a big appetite(胃口)！It may eat about a half-ton of alfalfa(苜蓿) in a summer. So 10 groundhogs in a big field would eat five tons.

    Why do groundhogs eat so much? To prepare for winter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} .This extra food is changed to fat. This fat is what they live on during their long winter's sleep.

A. It is an American holiday.

B. Groundhogs are strange animals.

C .This means that spring will soon come.

D. There are several ways to protect the groundhog.

E. In the fall, when there is a lot of food, they fill up.

F. It is found in most states east of the Rockies(落基山脉).

G. While it is not one of your major holidays, it is one that children love.

    Do you know how to pick a good book you'll really like? Here are some tips. Start With Your Interest.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You can pick something that you love to read, not for school. They can be ancient martial (武术) arts, computers, or fashion design. You name it, there are books about it.

    What's Your Type? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction (or both)? Fiction books, like novels, can transport you to another world or help you imagine something beyond your own experience. Nonfiction books give you the who, what, when, and why of something.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Many of them read like novels from start to finish.

    Read the description. The reviews and quotes on the back and inside covers of many books give you an idea of what the book is about. They can also help you pick future books, too. If you find a book you really like, take a minute to read the quotes and see which authors praised the book.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Find a Family Favorite. Which book did your mother love best when she was at your age?{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Find out and give them a read — then you can share your thoughts about the book.

    Finally, you'll probably enjoy what you're reading a lot more if you find a quiet place and make time for the book.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. You can put on some good music, get yourself some tea and let yourself be carried away by the book. You'll see that time does fly when you're reading something you love!

    China has been the birthplace of many of the world's greatest inventions. It was, for example, the first country to produce paper money. Before the invention of paper money and coins, people used many different kinds of things for buying and selling{#blank#}1{#/blank#}This exchange of goods and services for other goods and services is called bartering.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}In 1200 BC, people in China began to use shells (贝壳) as money. Usually the shells used as money were very small. This made it easier for people to carry money over long distances, and allowed for trade to develop between different parts of the country.

    In the years which followed this invention, many other countries around the world began to do the same.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The next development was in 1000 BC, when China started making bronze and copper shells. It wasn't long before the Chinese made round coins out of metal.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}By 500 BC, metal coins had begun to appear in countries like Persia and Greece, and later in the Roman Empire.

    About 1,000 years later, leather was used as money in China, and in 806 AD, the first paper banknotes were produced by the Chinese people.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. People also began collecting foreign coins as souvenirs.

B. During that time, for example, buying a chicken might cost several potatoes.

C. It was still many years before paper currency appeared in Europe.

D. However, as economies developed, such exchanges became impractical.

E. They also used tiny shells as money for buying and selling.

F. As time went by, trade between countries increased.

G. The first coins often had holes in them so that people could string them together.

    If something that you're doing doesn't challenge you, then it doesn't change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So challenge the following limits:

    ①Figure out what you're scared of and do it continuously.

    If you're a salesman, and you're scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, now, instead of being scared and thinking you'll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But don't stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, "Go on, I'm not scared!"

    ②{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on. Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.

    ③Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A simple 9­minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight, but also make you feel better about yourself.

    ④Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.

    Don't just limit yourself to your fellow travelers－try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they're going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}