Listen carefully, working people, we would like to tell you something that could save your precious time and money! Best of all, it is free!
It’s “no”.
What do you ask? We’ll say it again: “No”.
Sweet and simple “no”.
Say “no” at your office and see how quickly that pile of work on your desk disappears.
“Saying ‘no’ to others means you are saying ‘yes’ to yourself, ” said Leslie Charles, a professional speaker from East Lansing, Michigan.
“Time is precious. People are spending money buying time. And yet we are willing to give up our time because we can’t say ‘no’.”
Susie Watson, a famous writer, said people who always say “yes” need to say “no” without guilt(内疚)or fear of punishment. “I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ than an obligated(强制的) ‘yes’, ” she said.
Susie Watson says she feels “no” obligation to give an explanation when she says “no” either socially or professionally. Does she feel guilty about it? “Not at all, ” said Watson, who is director of advertising and public relations at Timex Corp in Middlebury, Conneticut. “Most people are afraid of saying ‘no’… My advice is to say ‘yes’ only if you don’t mean ‘no’.”
Watson said “no” is the most effective weapon against wasting time. “Every year there are more demands on your time… Other people are happy to use up your time, ” Watson said. Time saving appears to be “no’s” greatest friend.
“No” can be your new friend, a powerful tool to take back your life. “No” may even take you further in the business world than “yes”.
“No” is power and strength. “No” now seems completely correct. “Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy. But finally it’s greatly liberating,” Charles said. But, he added, a “no” project needs to be worked on every day because it is hard to change long-term habit.
But, he also warns: “Don’t go to extremes. Don’t find yourself saying ‘no’ to everything. In return you should learn to hear ‘no’.” The sentence “Saying ‘yes’ to yourself” means _______.
| A.you can have more time to play with others |
| B.you needn’t care about other’s feeling if you are happy |
| C.you are selfish and treat others rudely |
| D.you can deal with your business as you have planned |
When you say “no” to others you should say it in a _______.
| A.secret way | B.polite way |
| C.proud way | D.guilty way |
In Watson’s opinion, people can save much time on condition that _______.
| A.they say “no” at a suitable time |
| B.they say “no” as much as possible |
| C.they are afraid of saying “no” |
| D.they make others angry at them |
If a person says “no” to everything, the result he or she receive may be that he or she _______.
| A.enjoys a wonderful life | B.makes a lot of money |
| C.faces difficulty in life | D.forgets to say “yes” in the end |
Here are some tips on how to relax after a long day's work.
This will not only make sure you don't notice the cleaning you should do, but also make you more relaxed. When the light is weak, you will be more likely to relax your eyes. Use candles instead of electric lights! They can help you feel comfortable and relaxed.
When it comes to relaxing, it is important for you to enjoy a good meal. Cook some food yourself. Enjoy it when you are cooking as the process (过程) can help you relax. Make the food as delicious as you can! If you're too tired, you should think about ordering food just for this night, but don't make it a habit!
Nothing can take your mind off work as a good friend can! Make sure you don't talk about work all night but do something fun together! After work, your friend is probably tired too, so don't plan on doing everything at once and save the exciting and fun activities for future. Have a cup of tea, play a game or watch your favorite TV series. It's good for you to be social after a long day of work.
It is important to get a good night's sleep if you are planning to work better the next day and have the energy to do something nice after work. If you are working hard for a long period of time, enough sleep is necessary for keeping you going. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Make your body relax and let go.According to the author, in order to feel relaxed, we should _______.
| A.stay under brighter lighting |
| B.turn down the lights and light some candles |
| C.do the cleaning in the daytime |
| D.relax our eyes by using electric lights |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A.Food. | B.A meal. |
| C.Relaxing. | D.Cooking. |
We can infer from Paragraph 4 that _______.
| A.friends are usually too tired to come out for social activities |
| B.watching TV series with friends won't help us feel relaxed |
| C.being social after a long day's work can help us relax |
| D.we should plan on doing everything at once for fun with friends |
What is the order of the titles for Paragraphs 2 to 5?
a. Eat good food.b. Invite a friend over.
c. Go to bed early. d. Turn down the lights.
| A.a-b-d-c | B.a-d-b-c |
| C.d-a-c-b | D.d-a-b-c |
This passage is most probably written for _______.
| A.people who work hard |
| B.students who study hard |
| C.students who want to learn better |
| D.people who are bad at socializing |
When I first entered high school, I knew no one at my school. All my friends in middle school went to other schools. I wanted to make some new friends. However, I was shy and wasn’t good at making new friends. On my first day at school, I looked at others who were talking in groups happily. How I wish I were one of them!
I guess I was very lucky then. At lunch in the dinning hall, when I was eating at a table alone, a girl came to me. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” she asked. I immediately shook my head. She smiled and sat down opposite(面对) to me. I felt a little awkward and didn’t know what to say at all, but I really wanted to communicate with her. It was a good opportunity to make friends with her. When I looked up, I found she was smiling at me. Her smile calmed me down. “I really like this school. It’s beautiful, but I don’t know anyone here. All my friends went to other schools,” said the girl. Hearing her words, I immediately said, “my friends are not here either. Can we be friends?” I was surprised. I couldn’t believe I would say something like that, and to my surprise, that girl immediately said “yes”. We both smiled.
We became very good friends. Now it’s the beginning of a new term again. Many students may have no friends at their new schools. If you are also as shy as I used to be, please don’t be afraid to talk to others. You may get a surprise and make a new friend. After all, others want to make new friends, too.We know on her first day at school, the author _________.
| A.hoped she could make some new friends |
| B.only knew a few people at her school |
| C.met some old friends at her new school |
| D.hoped she could go to her old friends’ schools |
The underlined word “awkward” in paragraph 2 is closed in meaning to “”
| A.bored | B.excited |
| C.interested | D.embarrassed |
After the girl sat down opposite to the author, the author _________.
| A.immediately shook her hand |
| B.immediately say something to keep calm |
| C.wanted to talk with her |
| D.wanted her to go away at once |
What did the girl do after the author asked if they could become friends?
| A.She agreed at once |
| B.She thought for a long time |
| C.She felt a little down |
| D.She sat down in no time |
What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
| A.To show that high school is really exciting. |
| B.To encourage shy people to talk to others. |
| C.To tell us how lucky she was in high school. |
| D.To advise us to have a good first day in high school. |
Throughout the world, clothing has many uses. It is used to provide protection from cold. It is also worn to prevent others from seeing specific parts of one’s body. However, the parts of the body that must be covered vary widely throughout the world. Some clothing is worn to provide supernatural protection. Wearing a lucky shirt to take an exam is calling for supernatural assistance.
People in all cultures use clothing and other forms of bodily decoration to communicate status(身份), intentions and other messages. In North America, we dress differently for business and various leisure activities. North American women usually are much more knowledgeable of little difference in messages communicated by clothes than men. At times, this leads to silly mistakes of understanding of female intentions on the part of men. Of course, clothing styles also are intended to communicate messages to members of the same gender(性别).
Long before we are near enough to talk to someone, their appearance tells their gender, age, economic class, and often even intentions. We begin to recognize the important cultural clues at an early age. The vocabulary of dress that we learn includes not only items of clothing but also hairstyles, jewelry, and other body decoration. In most cultures, however, the same style of dress communicates different messages depending on the age, gender, and physical appearance of the individual wearing it.
Putting on certain types of clothing can change your behavior and the behavior of others towards you. This can be the case with a doctor’s white lab coat, or an army uniform. Most uniforms are clearly symbolic so that they can rapidly and unmistakably communicate status. For instance, the strange hairstyle and clothing of the English “punks” are essential aspects of their uniforms.
There are many forms of body decoration other than clothes that are used around the world to send messages. These include body and hair paint, and even body deformation. When doctors put braces on teeth, they are actually doing the same thing – deforming or reforming a part of the body to make it more attractive.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
| A. Clothing and Culture |
| B. Ways of Sending Message |
| C. Clothing and Social Behavior |
| D. Communication through Clothing |
Some people wear lucky shirts to take an exam because they believe .
| A. clothes can hide their fear for the exam |
| B. clothes have extraordinary power |
| C. shirts can make them more comfortable |
| D. shirts provide protection against bad weather |
In North America, men sometimes misunderstand women’s intention because .
| A. men are more careless than women |
| B. women spend more time on their clothes |
| C. men and women have different views on clothing styles |
| D. men care less about the different messages communicated by clothes |
According to the passage, the behavior of others towards you can be changed by your .
| A. age | B. dress |
| C. status | D. gender |
From the passage, it can be inferred that .
| A. clothing plays an important role in social activities |
| B. words of dress are unable to communicate different messages |
| C. dress is better than language in communicating messages |
| D. messages communicated by clothes are the same in different cultures |
Today, nearly 400 animals are listed as threatened or endangered animals in the United States. Many are at risk of becoming extinct or disappearing permanently. Unless efforts to save these vulnerable(易受攻击的) animals succeed, many of the country's greatest creatures will be lost forever. From the facts listed, guess which animals are endangered. Click on the picture to find out more about each of these animals in trouble.
American Crocodile
●American crocodiles are about 12 feet long. They live on land and in shallow water, swamps and marshes.
●American crocodiles like to float in the water with only their eyes and noses above the water surface.
●American crocodiles eat mostly small animals, which they grab with their strong jaws and sharp teeth.
●American crocodiles lay eggs. They hide their eggs under twigs and leaves, or bury them in the sand.
●Some crocodiles help their young hatch, and then carry them to the water in their mouth.
Habitat
Southern Florida, Mexico, Central and South American, Caribbean islands.
Why It's Endangered
Overhunted for its skin and habitat destruction.
Peninsular Bighorn Sheep
●Bighorn sheep can weigh as much as 280 pounds and stand about 3 feet tall.
●They live in dry, desert mountain ranges, near rocky cliffs.
●Bighorn sheep eat grass, twigs and leaves.
●Male sheep are called rams and can be recognized by their huge, brown horns. The horns curl back over the ears, down,and up past the cheeks.
●They live in herds or groups. The male sheep with the biggest horns are usually in charge. Male horns can weigh as much as 30 pounds.
●Males will use their massive horns to fight. The fights can last as long as 24 hours.
●Females are called ewes. They are smaller than rams and have shorter, smaller horns.
Habitat
Nevada and California to west Texas and south into Mexico.
Why It's Endangered
Loss of habitat, hunting illegally, drought and disease.Where can the article be found according to the passage?
| A.Newspaper. | B.Website. |
| C.Student book. | D.Magazine. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the description about American crocodiles?
| A.American crocodiles live on land and in swamps and marshes. |
| B.American crocodiles hide their eggs under leaves, or bury them in the sand. |
| C.American crocodiles grab small animals with their strong jaws and sharp teeth. |
| D.American crocodiles like to float with their eyes and nose below the water surface. |
Where can we find both American crocodiles and Bighorn sheep according to the passage?
| A.Southern Florida. | B.California. |
| C.Mexico. | D.West Texas. |
Rams make use of their massive horns to ________.
| A.master the herds | B.show their beauty |
| C.fight with others | D.hunt for food |
What can be the best title?
| A.Animals in Danger |
| B.American Crocodile |
| C.Peninsular Bighorn Sheep |
| D.How to Save Animals in Danger |
Most young people enjoy some forms of physical activities. It may be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some kind, football, hockey, golf, or tennis, it may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks on high mountaineering? This astonishment is caused probably by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no manmade rules, as there are for such game as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of a different kind, which would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from manmade rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering with other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “game”. We would be mistaken in this assumption. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical capacities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier is probably past his prime by the age of thirty, and most international tennis champions are in their early twenties. But it is not unusual for a man of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they probably climb with more skill and less wasted effort, and they certainly experience enjoyment.Mountaineering is a sport which involves all the following things EXCEPT ______.
| A.hardship | B.comfort |
| C.physical risk | D.cold |
The main difference between a sport and a game lies in origin of the ________.
| A.uniform | B.activity |
| C.skills | D.rules |
Mountaineering is also a team sport because ________.
| A.it involves rules as well |
| B.it involves matches between teams |
| C.mountaineers depend on each other while climbing |
| D.it requires mental and physical qualifications |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A.Mountaineers compete against nature. |
| B.Mountaineers compete against teams. |
| C.Mountaineers compete against each other. |
| D.Mountaineers compete against international standard. |
What is the best title for the text?
| A.Mountain Climbers. |
| B.Mountaineering. |
| C.Mountaineering is gaining popularity. |
| D.Mountaineering is More Dangerous than Other Sports. |