passage 1
cocaine is regarded today as a major social evil and as a medical problem of vast proportions. only a century ago, however, cocaine was believed to be a harmless stimulant and cure-all. highly respectable scientists such as psychoanalyst sigmund freud experimented with cocaine. the original 1886 formula for coca-cola included three parts coca leaves (the source of cocaine) to one part cola nut. the original coca-cola was advertised not only as a refreshing beverage, but as a medicine to ''cure all nervous afflictions-sick headache, neuralgia, hysteria, melancholy, etc.''
passage 2
5 things to know about the mers virus.
mers virus is spreading from person-to-person through close contact, but might also be transmitted to humans from animals. who reports that roughly one-third of the people known to have contracted the mers virus have died from it. symptoms of the mers virus include fever and cough, which are also symptoms of the flu. mers can also cause diarrhea and shortness of breath, and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure. while the source of mers remains a mystery, scientists suspect that it came from an animal. camels and bats in saudi arabia have tested positive for the virus. there's no treatment for mers. people who get sick are given supportive treatment to address the infection's various symptoms, according to the cdc. there's no vaccine, either.
passage 3
when is a 2000-calorie meal fattening? it depends on what time you eat it. dr.franz halberg, a professor of laboratoory medicine and pathology at the universe of minnesota, probed this mystery in a study conducted a few years ago. each day for a week, he fed six volunteers a single meal, eaten at breakfast time, which consisted of 2000 calories. then he gave the same participants the identical 2000-calorie meal as dinner for a week. but on the dinner regimen, four of the six people lost weight. even the remaining two lost more on the breakfast diet than on the dinner diet. dr.halberg's conclusion is that a calorie is not the same at breakfast as it is at dinner.
passage 4
selfies
the self-portrait is nothing new. painters and photographers have always used themselves as subjects. today, however, almost everyone walks around with a camera in his or her pocket. this is because most cell phones have cameras on them. the fact that most people have cellphone cameras with them all the time has led to the rise of the selfie. a selfie is a self-portrait usually taken with a cell phone.
since the pictures are usually taken on a cell phone, many people tend to share these photographs with friends and even strangers on different social networking websites. some of the popular social networking platforms people use to share selfies include lnstagram, snapchat, and facebook.
people usually take selfies when they are engaged in normal day-to-day activities. they take selfies of their commutes to work or school. people take selfies of themselves eating. other people take selfies to show what they are wearing or whom they are hanging out with.
the most common way to take a selfie is by holding a cell phone at arm's length. some people take selfies by taking a picture of their reflection in a mirror. ln these pictures, you can usually see the phone the person is taking a picture with. selfies taken using a mirror often are taken in a bathroom, which some people think is offensive. the bathroom is a very private place, not a place to take pictures.
some people think that selfies are a sign that people are becoming vain or superficial. it is not often that people take pictures of themselves that make them look bad. when people take pictures of themselves, they usually are trying to present themselves in the best light. however, some people use selfies to show what they really look like. some people are trying to challenge stereotypes of what makes someone attractive.