Because of the stress and strains of modern life folks today would rather watch television than get together with neighbors. Their behavior doesn't mirror TV soaps like Coronation Street and East Enders.
The Street's Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby know all their neighbors. But the Royal Mail survey shows that real-life under35s wouldn't dream of popping next door for a chat or to borrow a cup of sugar.
Three out of ten say they wouldn't know their neighbors if they saw them in the street. The same proportion would only offer to help neighbors if absolutely necessary, while thirty-onepercent don't want to get to know them better. Twenty-six percent rarely or never speak to the person next door. Thirty-five percent only talk to neighbors occasionally, and six percent actively dislike them. The older generation are still sociable, with seventy percent of over55s taking time to chat to people next door. The report says: “In the past, the British tradition of village green gossip（闲聊）between neighbors was celebrated worldwide. But there's been a clear shift away from local links by the young generation.” Londoners are least likely to be neighbors, with a third rarely or never chatting over the garden fence. People in the Midlands—where 65 percent often speak to their neighbors are most friendly.
Sociologist Jane Blakeman said: “People are working longer hours than ever before, and are traveling further to work. It leaves them far less time at home.”Almost a third of young people_______.
| A．know their neighbours quite well |
| B．have no idea who lives next door to them |
| C．talk to their neighbours when they want to borrow something |
| D．spend time chatting with neighbours like their parents |
It can be inferred that Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby are both_______.
| A．important roles in a popular TV series |
| B．famous stars in TV programmes |
| C．old soap operas |
| D．members of royal family |
Gossip among neighbours is still common among_______.
| A．people under35s | B．people between 35 and 55 |
| C．people over55s | D．people of different ages |
There is a difference between London and the rest of Britain mainly in that non-Londoners
_______.
| A．would help their neighbours only when necessary |
| B．are less likely to have good relations with their neighbours |
| C．wouldn't travel far and find more time to chat with neighbours |
| D．are more likely to keep up the old British tradition of having a chat over garden fence |
When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely
whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a yea
r．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course (坚持到底)in the shadow land．Why did A
lex give up his job?
| A．Because he didn't like the working conditions． |
| B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living． |
| C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job． |
D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer． |
What did Alex exp
ress when he answered the call?
| A．He refused the job offer． |
| B．He was willing to give them a hand． |
| C．He expected them to pay him more money． |
| D．He would write in his spare time． |
What kind of person is Alex?
| A．Determined． | B．Modest． | C．Shy． | D．Brave． |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?
| A．Look before you leap． | B．Two heads are better, than one． |
| C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true． | D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush． |
A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease.
Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.From the passage, we can learn that .
| A．the habit of littering doesn’t spread |
| B．a lonely person won’t have friends |
| C．everyone may be affected by others’ loneliness |
D．lonely people don’t know the cause of their lone liness |
Which statement about the spread of loneliness is true?
| A．The spreading effect was the second strongest among friends. |
| B．No spreading effect was found on husbands and wives. |
| C．Women are more likely to be affected than men. |
| D．Brothers are more easily affected than neighbors. |
If you make 10 more friends in a year, the days of your feeling loneliness will be reduced by.
| A．48 days | B．25 days | C．20 days | D．15 days |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Actions should be taken t o help lonely people. |
B．People feel lonely for many reasons. |
| C．Ways to fight against loneliness. | D．Lonely people can affect others. |
To all of you at Chinese love links.
I am 44 years old and never married. I have always wanted to find that perfect someone that I dream about. For about the last five years I have almost given up the hope of ever finding the one I truly wish to spend the rest of my life with.
I have always tried to be a nice guy. I had found your website some four or five months before. I did not know what to expect. I don’t know how to speak Chinese and never thought truly of how I was to an Asian woman.
Well, I had a lot of replies from some very nice and pretty women. I had a hard time finding only a couple to write to. But one stood out from the rest. She was cute, nice and seemed to hold a lot of the same values as I do. In a short time I had decided to write only to her. We communicate via e-mails 2-3 times a day and phone calls once or twice a week.
I went and met her and her family only a week ago. Her name is 
Yun and she lives in Nanning. I found Nanning to be one of the most beautiful cities I had ever been to. We had even decided to marry and bring her to the USA under the finance visa. Not only did she meet everything I had ever hoped to find in someone else but turned out to be what every woman should be like, at least the ones I have met. We plan to marry as soon
as she is here and start a family together as neither of us has children but we both want them.
So to anyone out there reading this, I can only say this: You may not find what you are looking for if you’re not honest with your partner and yourself. This site worked for me mostly because I was honest with something that I wanted in someone else. When I did find her, love can work even across the other side of the world, between language differences and cultural differences. I wish you all luck in finding your perfect match. I have finally found mine and wish to give all my thanks to those at Chinese love links to help make it happen.
Sincerely yours,
ArthurWe can infer from the letter that Chinese love
links is
a website to ____________.
| A．help foreigners to travel in China |
| B．help both Chinese and foreigners to find one they want to marry |
| C．help Chinese and foreigners make friends |
| D．receive letters from the USA |
Which of the following is true about Arthur’s story?
| A．He was sure of finding a Chinese woman as his wife at first. |
| B．He was determined to find a Chinese woman as his wife. |
| C．He almost lost hope in finding a perfect wife until he found Yun. |
| D．No women wrote to him before Yun. |
Yun stood out from the rest because ________.
| A．she was a Chinese. |
| B．she had much in common with Arthur |
| C．other women stopped writing to Arthur |
| D．she was cute and nice and often phoned to Arthur |
Arthur thinks _________ is the most important in finding someone one wants to ma
rry .
| A．being honest with the partner and oneself | B．help from the website |
| C．difference in languages and places | D．difference in cultures |
What is language for? Some people seem to think it’s for practicing grammar rules and learning lists of words — the longer the lists, the better. That’s wrong. Language is for the exchange (交流) of ideas and information. It’s meaningless knowing all about a language if you can’t use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can ’t speak correctly or fluently(流利地). They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard Shaw once wrote, “Foreigners often speak English too correctly.” But the mistakes that native speakers make are differ
ent from those that Chinese students make. They are English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. People not only make history, but they make language. But people can only make its own language. It can’t make another people’s language. So Chinese students of English should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn’t overdo it. They should put communication first.Language is used to ________.
| A．express oneself | B．practice grammar rules |
| C．talk with foreigners only | D．learn lists of words |
Generally, when an American or an Englishman speaks English, he ______.
| A．never makes mistakes | B．often makes mistakes |
| C．can’t avoid（避免）making mistakes | D．always makes mistakes |
“Foreigners often speak English too correctly.” The sentence means that ______.
| A．foreigners speak correct English. |
| B．foreigners speak incorrect English. |
| C．foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules. |
| D．foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English. |
If too many native speakers break a rule, ______.
| A．what they will become right | B．they are against the law |
| C．they should say sorry to others | D．they will become heroes |
When we speak a foreign language, we should _____.
| A．speak in Chinese way | B．speak by the rules |
| C．speak to native speakers | D．not be afraid of making mistakes |
Ｊａｓｏｎ
What I like best is seeing Arsenal win and playing football. If I am feeling sad I will play a football game on my Play Station 2. The best day I have ever had was when I finished first in the 800-metre race at my secondary school. It was a school record, although I didn’t know that at the time. My family makes me happy, too.
Ａｎｔｏｎｉｏ
My little sister makes me sad because she always tells tales on me to my mum. If I am having a bad day, food cheers me up. I like chili con carne and sweet chili crisps. It makes me happy because I want to be big and have lots of energy.
Ｕｓｍａｎ
I haven’t done anything very exciting in my life but one of my best achievements is that I got a good report from my school this year, because last year I got a bad one. People on TV make me laugh, particularly Eddie Murphy. If I am having a bad day I watch Ｂａｓｉｌ Ｂｒｕｓｈ. I am good at making other people happy. I just talk and my friends start laughing — they think I am silly.
Ａｓｈｌｅｉｇｈ
If I’m having a bad day, knowing that someone is there for me can make me happy. I wouldn’t say I’m the best at making other people happy, but I know that just being a good friend to other people is important. The things I like doing are singing, dancing, hanging out with my friends and just being lively and funny.
Ｋｉｎｚｅｙ
The most exciting thing I have ever done in my life was when I went abseiling in Wales. But that was a one-off. The things I do all the time are playing football, watching movies and going places with my friends. I know it sounds bad, but what I find funny is when people hurt themselves. If I am having a bad day and I see someone having a worse day than me, that makes me feel better. Food is very important for _________ when he has a bad day.
| A．Kinzey | B．Ashleigh | C．Antonio | D．Usman |
________ like playing football.
| A．Jason and Ashleigh | B．Jason and Usman |
| C．Kinzey and Usman | D．Kinzey and Jason |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Kinzey finds it bad when people hurt themselves. |
| B．Jason knew he had set a new school record when he finished first in the 800-metre race. |
| C．When Usman talks, his friends start laughing because they think he is humorous. |
| D．Antonio likes food because he wants to be big and have lots of energy. |
Ashleigh mentions all the following things EXCEPT（除外）_________.
| A．to make other people happy |
| B．to play football with friends |
| C．to hang out with friends |
| D．to be lively and funny |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．what makes different people happy |
| B．what makes different people feel moved |
| C．relationships between different people |
| D．what different people think success is |