Everyone has good days and bad days.
Sometimes, you feel as if you’re on top of the world. But occasionally you feel horrible, and you lose things and you cannot focus on your schoolwork.
For more than 20 years, scientists have suggested that high self-esteem (自尊) is the key to success. Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something.
“Forget about self-esteem,” says Jennifer Crocker, a psychologist (心理学家) at the University of Michigan, US. “It’s not the important thing.”
Feeling good
Crocker’s advice may sound a bit strange because it is good to feel good about yourself.
Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed, anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem.
But, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.
He believes that violent and wicked people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said: “There’s no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school.”
Problems
All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos (自我) that can make them less likeable to their peers(同龄人), said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University.
People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves, Vohs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.
What to do
Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail at something try to learn from the experience. “The best therapy (药方) is to recognize your faults,” Vohs says. “It’s OK to say, ‘I’m not so good at that,’ and then move on.”The new research comes to the conclusion that high self-esteem ________.
| A．is not important at all | B．has taken on a different meaning |
| C．may not be the key to success | D．does not help you do better at school |
One of the conclusions of the new research is that ________.
| A．feeling good about oneself doesn’t mean you lead a happier life |
| B．people with high esteem usually do not seek other’s help |
| C．people with high esteem tend to be proud |
| D．people with low esteem are often more popular |
The underlined part “a better person” in the passage probably means a person who is ________.
| A．helpful and supportive | B．gentle and modest |
| C．likable and successful | D．friendly and kind |
From the text, we can infer the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for people ________.
| A．with high self-esteem | B．with low self-esteem |
| C．of all kinds | D．who are focusing on building self-esteem |
Learners of English, especially self-taught learners may have trouble in understanding the speeches made by native speakers. The following ways might help improve your listening skills.
First of all, do things step by step. It is not good to listen to something beyond your level. Better choose a suitable course and start with the first book. Don’t go on to the second book until you are sure you understand the first one.
Secondly, keep studying one course. Don’t change books often. Never let your attention be attracted by another course just because it seems to be more popular.
Thirdly, listen to the English news over the radio from time to time. Better look through the news stories in Chinese-language newspapers first. That will make it easier for you to understand the English news on the radio.
Fourthly, if you have time, listen to some interesting stories in Special English from the V.O.A or other listening materials of the same level as those of your textbook.
76. What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．How to speak English correctly. | B．How to read fast. |
| C．How to improve your writing skills. | D．How to improve your listening skills. |
77. What does the underlined part “beyond your level” mean?
| A．Easy for you. | B．Too difficult for you. |
| C．Just all right for you. | D．Neither difficult nor easy for you. |
78. What should you do if you want to understand the English news on the radio?
A. Practise speaking very often.
B. Read the news stories in Chinese-language newspapers first.
C. Listen to some interesting stories in Special English from the V,O.A.
D. Ask others to explain it to you.
79. How many pieces of advice does the writer give?
| A．Four | B．Three. | C．Two. | D．Many. |
80. Which of the following is NOT right?
| A．English learners may have difficulty in understanding native English. |
| B．To improve our listening skills, we should choose popular courses from time to time. |
| C．Chinese-language newspapers are good for us to understand the English news on the radio.. |
| D．We can only improve our listening skills step by step. |
School uniforms are becoming more and more popular around the USA. That’s no surprise, because they have many benefits. They end the powerful social labeling（有力的社会标记）that comes from clothing. If all the students are dressed in the same way, they will not pay too much attention to their clothing and some of them will not be laughed at for wearing “wrong” clothes.
Some people are against the strict rule of school uniforms, but they don’t realize that students already accept a kind of rule--- wanting to look like just their friends. For students, the school uniforms remind them that their main task in school is to get education. Some parents are unhappy with uniforms, saying that school uniforms will affect their children’s “creativity”.
However, school uniforms that students wear don’t necessarily show their individuality (个性). And also the students have the rest days of the week to be as creative as they like. While they are in school, their jobs are to learn reading, writing, math and so on. Mastery (掌握) of those skills will be good for students to build up their creativity in every way.
71. The underlined word “benefits” means “___________” in Chinese.
| A．好处 | B．信息 | C．差异 | D．特征 |
72. From the passage, we can learn that school uniforms can _______________.
| A．make students laugh at others. | B．show students’ individuality. |
| C．help students keep their task in mind. | D．reduce parents’ economy pressure. |
73. The students’ main task at school is to ____________.
| A．study with their friends. | B．get education |
| C．learn English well. | D．make friends as many as possible. |
74. Some parents are unhappy about school uniforms because they ___________.
| A．don’t like school uniforms. |
| B．wouldn’t like to pay for school uniforms. |
| C．think that uniforms will affect students’ creativity. |
| D．students’ uniforms don’t look good. |
75. We can infer that students need to wear school uniforms __________.
| A．on weekdays | B．on weekend | C．in holiday | D．everyday. |
Bernice Gallego sat down one day this summer, as she does pretty much every day,and began listing items on eBay. She dug into a box and pulled out a baseball card. She stopped for a moment and admired the picture. “Red Stocking B. B. Club of Cincinnatti,” the card read, under the reddish brown color photo of ten men with their socks pulled up to their knees.
As a collector and seller, it’s her job to spot old items that might have value today. It’s what Bernice,72, and her husband, Al Gallego, 80, have been doing since 1974 at their California antique store.
This card, she figured, was worth selling on eBay. She took a picture, wrote a description and put it up for auction.She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents. Later that night she got a few odd inquiries---someone wanting to know whether the card was real, someone wanting her to end the caution and sell him the card immediately.
The card is actually 139 years old. Sports card collectors call the find “extremely rare” and estimate the card could fetch five, or perhaps, six figures at caution.
Just like that, Bernice is the least likely character ever for a rare-baseball card story. “I didn’t even know baseball existed that far back,” Gallego says, “I don’t think that I’ve ever been to a baseball game.” The theory is that the card came out of a storage space they bought a few years back. It is not uncommon in their line of work to buy the entire contents of storage units for around $200.
When she met with card trader Rick Mirigian, she found out what the card was-----an 1869 advertisement with a picture of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnatti Red Stocking.
“When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich bag and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted,” Mirigian says. “ They’ve uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine. That card is history. It’s like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso.”
67. What can we conclude from paragraph 3?
| A．Bernice had to pay some fees for her card on eBay. |
| B．Bernice wanted to end the caution that night. |
| C．Bernice decided to sell the card for $15. |
| D．eBay charged her 20 cents for the card. |
68. The underlined word “fetch” in paragraph 4 most probably means “_______”.
| A．go and bring | B．add up to | C．go down to | D．be sold for |
69. From the passage we may learn that _______.
| A．Bernice is a baseball fan |
| B．Bernice is the last person to purchase the rare-baseball card |
| C．Bernice unexpectedly became the owner of the rare-baseball card |
| D．Bernice didn’t realize the value of the card until she put it up for auction |
70. What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Surprisingly Valuable Discovery |
| B．The History of the Baseball Card |
| C．Bernice Gallego---A lucky collector |
| D．Sports Card Collectors |
Like most big projects, learning to manage your mother well is what you should do. Here are what I believe the best steps towards a better relationship with her. They are not necessarily surprising or revolutionary, but they have worked for many people. Try them.
Remember your mother’s age. As children, we often do not think of our mother as having an age. Even when we become conscious of her as an individual, age does not change our view; she is still our mother. Knowing our mother’s age, not just in numbers of years but in terms of her psychological and physical state, often helps us to understand her better.
Listen to your mother. I have found that sometimes the things my mother told me long ago are remarkably useful. If your mother knows that you respect her point of view, even if you do not share it, it will help her feel close to you.
Remember that your mother has a past. A key step in managing our relationship with our mother is to find out about her early life.In learning about our mother’s past, we know that it can encourage us to think about her whole life.
Ask your mother about your c
hildhood histo
ry. My grandparents died when I was young. If you are fortunate enough to have living family, think of your life as a jigsaw puzzle and ask as many questions as you can to put the picture together. Understanding your roots and your childhood can hel
p you know more clearly who you are, as part of a family which you share with your mother.
Remember that managing your mother is really about managing yourself. Taking any measure to managing our mother is the issue of how we manage ourselves. No matter how difficult we find her, it is important to remember that it is not her behavior itself that is causing us discomfort, but the way we feel about 
her behavior. We should follow the way of her life. At the heart of managing your mother is being able to accept your flawed self. Only then are you able to accept your mother-----with all her failings.
64. What does the underlined phrase “a jigsaw puzzle” mean?
| A．拼图玩具 | B．浏览迷宫 | C．填充字谜 | D．游戏人生 |
65. Which of the following is implied but not stated in the passage?
| A．You will have a better relationship with your mother if you respect her opinion. |
| B．Knowing your mother’s age is a useful piece of advice. |
| C．The key measure of managing our mother is how we manage ourselves. |
| D．It is unreasonable to expect our mother to change totally from the way she was brought up. |
66. The main purpose of writing the text is _______.
| A．to give information about how you think of your mother |
| B．to improve the relationship with your mother |
| C．to keep a sense of humor about your mother all day long |
| D．to accept your mother-----with all her failings |
Toucans(巨嘴鸟), a kind of tropical birds known for its colorful beak, are very smart. In Mexico, my dad became friends with a toucan that was in a “walk in and see the birds” cage. The toucan was so smart that it knew how to get out. It just needed some human to help it. It almost flew out while we were leaving!
I also noticed that all toucans have different beaks! They also have very long unique beaks with an extremely long tongue. It struts(大摇大摆地走) around with its chest sticking out and beak pointed forward. The toucan is a beautiful bird! The beak has a red tip (different shades on every one), but sometimes there is a little turquoise on the bottom half. Then, right where the beak separates there is a splotch of yellow. And the rest of the beak is green. The toucan takes 
very much pride of itself.
The toucan eats fruit and seeds. The ramphastidae(the toucan family) is known for its long beak, and 37 species. Toucans also feed on insects, small lizards, bird nestlings and eggs. They nest in hollow trees where they incubate and care for their young.They are found in the woody areas.
Of the various toucan facts, here is an odd one. Citizens of Central and South America associate the toucans with evil spirits. They think the birds can be the personification of evils. Where couvades(父代母育) is practiced, the father of a new child must not eat toucan flesh as it is believed to bewitch th
e new-born child. Yet the toucan can also be a tribal totem(图腾). So the medicine men use it as a symbol to fly to the spirit world.
60. Which of the following words is NOT suitable to describe toucans?
| A．Intelligent | B．Confident | C．Dangerous | D．Colorful |
61. The second paragraph mainly talks about _______.
| A．where toucans strut around | B．how toucans get food |
| C．what toucans look like | D．when toucans lay eggs |
62. What does the underlined word“incubate”probably mean in paragraph 3?
| A．Hatch eggs | B．Take cover | C．Gather strength | D．Keep warm |
63. We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.
| A．all citizens of Central and South America are afraid of toucans |
| B．the toucans can also be used as medicine to cure diseases |
| C．a new child must not eat toucan flesh because it is poisonous |
| D．some people believe toucans can bring them misfortune |