Passage A Think About It Read About It Talk About It Write About It

Passage A • Think About It • Read About It • Talk About It • Write About It

1. Why do some people use Ecstasy according to the author? Reference: They think it is a fun, harmless drug.

2. What did Ecstasy and other drugs do to the author? Reference: It seriously damaged her health. Besides she lost her strength, motivation, dreams, friends, apartment, money and most of all, her sanity.

3. What do you know about drugs and drug abuse? Reference: Open.

Read About It • Language Points • Content Awareness • Language Focus

Agony from Ecstasy I hear a lot of people talking about Ecstasy, calling it a fun, harmless drug. All I can think is, “if they only knew.” I grew up in a small, rural town in Pennsylvania. It’s one of those places where everyone knows your name, what you did, what you ate and so on. I was a straight-A student and one of the popular kids, liked by all the different crowds. Drugs never played a part in my life. They were never a question — I was too involved and focused on other things. I always dreamed of moving to New York City to study acting and pursue a career in theater. My dream came true when my mom brought me to the city to attend acting school. As you can imagine, it was quite a change from home.

I was exposed to new people, new ideas and a completely new way of life — a way of life that exposed me to drugs. Most of the people that I met in the acting school had already been doing drugs for years. I felt that by using drugs, I would become a part of their world and it would deepen my friendships with them to new levels. I tried pot, even a little cocaine, but it was Ecstasy that changed my life forever. I remember the feeling I had the first time I did Ecstasy: complete and utter bliss. I could feel the pulse of the universe. It was as if I had unlocked some sort of secret world; it was as if I’d found heaven. And I wondered how anything that made you feel so good could possibly be bad. As time went by things changed. I graduated, and began to use drugs, especially Ecstasy, more frequently. As I did, I actually started to look down on those who did not. I surrounded myself only with those who did. I had gone from a girl who never used drugs to a woman who couldn’t imagine life without them.

In five months, I went from living somewhat responsibly while pursuing my dream to a person who didn’t care about a thing — and the higher I got, the deeper I sank into a dark, lonely place. When I did sleep, I had nightmares and the shakes. I had pasty skin, a throbbing head and the beginnings of paranoia, but I ignored it all, thinking it was normal until the night I thought I was dying. On this night, I was sitting on the couch with my friends, watching a movie and feeling normal when suddenly, I felt as if I needed to jump out of my skin. Racing thoughts, horrible images and illusionscrept through my mind. I thought I was seeing the devil, and I repeatedly asked my friends if I was dead. On top of all this, I felt as if I was having a heart attack. Somehow, I managed to pick up the telephone and call my mom in the middle of the night, telling her to come get me. She did, pulling me out of my apartment the next morning.

I didn’t know who I was or where I was as my mom drove me back to my family’s hospital in Pennsylvania. I spent most of the drive curled up in the back seat while my younger sister tried to keep me calm. I spent the next 14 days in the hospital in a state of extreme confusion. This is what Ecstasy gave me — but it didn’t stop there. My doctors performed a scan of my brain. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the results. The scan showed several dark marks on the image of my brain, and my doctors told me those were areas — areas that carry out memory functions — where the activity of my brain had been changed in some way. Since I saw that scan my life has been an uphill crawl.

I hear people say Ecstasy is a harmless, happy drug. There’s nothing happy about the way that “harmless” drug chipped away at my life. Ecstasy took my strength, my motivation, my dreams, my friends, my apartment, my money and most of all, my sanity. I worry about my future and my health every day. I have many mountains ahead of me, but I plan to keep climbing because I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve been given a second chance, and that’s not something that everyone gets.

agony n. — extreme pain or suffering • Examples • The injured soldiers lay screaming in agony. • We felt helpless as we saw him dying in agony.

rural a. — in, of or like the countryside • Examples • Rural life is usually more peaceful than urban life. • He paints pictures of rural scenes. Translate annual income of the urban and rural household in China Key 中国城乡居民家庭年收入

They were never a question — I was so involved and focused on other things. Paraphrase I was never troubled by drugs — I devoted myself wholly to other things. More to learn

They were never a question — I was so involved and focused on other things. focus on — to direct (one’s attention) to something • Examples • The book focuses on the way the computer affects the young. • I find it easy to focus on textbooks when the exam is approaching.

come true — to happen just as was wished, expected or dreamt • Examples • He has always dreamt of owning his own company, but I doubt it will come true. • When I finished my first novel, it was a dream made to come true.

expose … to … — to cause to be unprotected from • Examples • People living near the nuclear power station may have been exposed to radiation. • His viewpoints expose him to criticism, but he won’t give them up. Translate the underlined part This program is designed to expose students to good art and music. Key 使学生接触美好的艺术和音乐

utter a. — complete or extreme • Examples • The discussion was an utter waste of time. • A hot bath after such a long day of hard work was utter bliss. Translate I was at an utter loss what to do. Key 我完全不知道该怎样做才好。 More to learn

utterly ad. — completely • Example • Are you utterly convinced that he is guilty? Cf. absolutely entirely

look down on/upon — to regard with scorn; despise • Examples • When she married a millionaire, she looked down on the office girls she had worked with. • The disabled shouldn’t be looked down upon.

I surrounded myself only with those who did. Paraphrase I kept in contact only with those who used drugs.

somewhat ad. — to some degree; a little; rather • Examples • We were somewhat tired after our long walk. • The campus has changed somewhat over the last few months. Translate 我喜欢这裙子的款式，可它有点贵。 Key I like the design of the dress, but it’s somewhat expensive.

illusion n. — an idea or belief which is not true or not what it seems to be • Examples • College students tend to have illusions about how easy their life will be after graduation. • The magician tricked the audience with skilful optical illusions, making things appear and disappear.

creep v. — to move slowly, quietly and carefully, often with the body close to the ground • Examples • The naughty child crept up behind his father and suddenly yelled “Boo!” • A tiger crept towards the deer from the downwind bush.

on top of — in addition to • Examples • On top of the discount, the store tried to attract customers with nice gifts. • We missed the train, and on top of that we had to wait for two hours for the next one.

extreme a. — (at) the furthest point; (to) the greatest degree • Examples • Jane fell into extreme pain after her son died in an accident. • The extreme penalty of the law is the death penalty. More to learn

extreme n. — either end of anything; highest degree; qualities as widely different as possible • Example • His moods go from one extreme to the other. Fill in the blank The general asked the soldier to _____ (在紧急状态下诉诸非常手段). Key resort to extremes in the emergency

carry out — to perform or complete; to conduct • Examples • In spite of the ban, some scientists are still carrying out research on cloning humans. • It is hoped that the kidnappers will not carry out their threat to kill the hostages.

Since I saw that scan my life has been an uphill crawl. Paraphrase Since I saw the results of the medical scan I’ve started a difficult process of getting rid of drugs.

sanity n. — the quality of being healthy in mind • Examples • He’d been behaving so strangely that they began to doubt his sanity. • It’s hard to keep your sanity in such a crazy situation. More to learn

sane a. — healthy in mind • Example • In the doctor’s opinion he was sane at the time of the murder. • Antonym • insane a. • He must be insane to drive his car so fast.

Passage A Think About It Read About It Talk About It Write About It