Nowadays, studying abroad gains popularity in China. Many parents would rather send their children abroad to receive education than let them be educated in China.

　　Every coin has two sides and studying abroad is no exception (例外). There are advantages for people to attend school abroad. In the first place, he can use the foreign language in his daily life so that his ability in the second language may be greatly improved, as it is obvious that there is no better opportunity to improve second language skills than living in the country where it is spoken. While studying in a foreign country, he will mostly meet many others from overseas and it is possible to make friends with people from all over the world. This is not only exciting on the social level, but could lead to important overseas contacts in his career as well. He can learn the latest knowledge in science and make use of the first­rate facilities (设备) available. In this way, there are many chances for him to widen his horizons and broaden his mind.

　　Of course, attending school abroad may bring about a series of problems as well. The most serious problem is language barrier (障碍). Not all of the students who plan to go abroad are good at the language spoken there. As a result, on arriving there, they will find it difficult to understand what the teachers say. Besides, for lack of knowledge of the customs of the local people, they may constantly (不断地) run into trouble in dealing with various situations. Furthermore, the tuition and the cost of living are much higher than those in our country, which may add more burdens to their family.

　　Therefore, given an opportunity to attend a school abroad, one must consider both its advantages and its disadvantages carefully before making up his mind.

　　5．What is the passage mainly about?

　　A．Students' life in the foreign countries.

　　B．The advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad.

　　C．Problems that will be met when we study abroad.

　　D．The reasons why many parents sent their children abroad.

　　6．All the following are the advantages of studying abroad EXCEPT________.

　　A．the ability in the second language may be greatly improved

　　B．you may make friends from all over the world

　　C．you can learn to live an independent life

　　D．you can get to know the latest knowledge in science.

　　7．The writer's attitude towards studying abroad is ________.

　　A．positive B．negative

　　C．neutral D．not clear

　　C

　　Alzheimer's disease (老年痴呆症)affects millions of people around the world. American researchers say the disease will affect more than one hundred million people worldwide by the year 2050. That would be four times the current number. Researchers and doctors have been studying Alzheimer's patients for a century. Yet the cause and the cure for the mental sickness are still unknown. However, some researchers have made important steps towards understanding it.

　　Several early signs of the disease involve memory and thought processes. At first, patients have trouble remembering little things. Later, they have trouble remembering more important things, such as the names of their children.

There are also some physical tests that might show who is at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The tests look for proteins in brain and spinal cord (脊髓) fluid. The proteins appear to be