Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships .One strength of the human condition is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful conditions .Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties .Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with major life changes and daily hassles(困难). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people fend off(挡开) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways .First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us .Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support .They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移注意力)us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support—money aid ,material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.Interpersonal relationships are important because _______.
| A．they are indispensable to people’s social well-being |
| B．they awaken people’s desire to exchange resources |
| C．they help people to cope with life in the information era |
| D．they can cure a range of illnesses such as heart disease, etc |
Research shows that people's physical and mental health _______.
| A．relies on the social medical care systems which support them |
| B．has much to do with the amount of support they get from others |
| C．depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles |
| D．is closely related to their strength for coping with major changes in their lives |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “cushions”?
(Line 1, Para 2)
| A．adds up to | B．does away with |
| C．lessens the effect of | D．lays the foundation for |
Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of _______.
| A．instrumental support | B．informational support |
| C．social companionship | D．the strengthening of self-respect |
Social companionship is beneficial in that__________.
| A．it helps strengthen our ties with relatives |
| B．it enables us to eliminate our faults and mistakes |
| C．it makes our leisure-time activities more enjoyable |
| D．it draws our attention away from our worries and troubles |
Travel Unaccompanied
Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to new things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents.
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen. It is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone.It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own.
Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year.He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He said he wished he had traveled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person，” said the 30yearold.
Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”， which “makes you a more confident person that was ready to deal with anything”. He said: “The feeling of having conquered something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I'm dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”
The great 19th century explorer John Muir once said: “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.”Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?
| A．Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone. |
| B．It is more meaningful to travel in foreign countries. |
| C．It is comfortable to travel around without a friend. |
| D．Traveling abroad helps people to find new things. |
Traveling alone is challenging because ________.
| A．it will finally build your character |
| B．you have to make things on your own |
| C．you depend on yourself whatever happens |
| D．it is hard for you to prove yourself to others |
What can we infer about Chris Richardson?
| A．He started traveling at an early age. |
| B．He was once shot in the arm. |
| C．His website inspires others a lot. |
| D．He used to work as a salesman. |
Three Central Texas men were honored with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Director’s Award in a Tuesday morning ceremony for their heroism in saving the victims of a serious twocar accident.
The accident occurred on March 25 when a vehicle lost control while traveling on rainsoaked State Highway 6 near Baylor Camp Road. It ran into an oncoming vehicle, leaving the occupants trapped inside as both vehicles burst into flames.
Bonge was the first on the scene and heard children screaming. He broke through a back window and pulled Mallory Smith, 10, and her sister, Megan Smith,9, from the wreckage.
The girls’ mother, Beckie Smith, was not with them at the time of the wreck, as they were traveling with their baby sitter, Lisa Bowbin.
Beckie Smith still remembers the sickening feeling she had upon receiving the call informing her of the wreck and the despair as she drove to the scene.
Bozeman and Clemmons arrived shortly after Bonge and helped rescue the other victims and attempted to put out the fires.
“I was nervous,” Bozeman said. “I don’t feel like I’m a hero. I was just doing what anyone should do in that situation. I hope someone would do the same for me.”
Everyone at the accident made it out alive, with the victims suffering from nonlifethreatening injuries. Mallory Smith broke both femurs(股骨), and Megan had neck and back injuries. Bowbin is still recovering from a broken pelvis(骨盆), ankle and foot.
The rescuers also were taken to the hospital and treated for cuts and smoke breathing, Bonge said.
In addition, Bozeman got to meet accident victim Anthony Russo in the hospital after the accident, where Russo presented him with a glass frame inscribed with “Thank you”, Bozeman said. Those involved in that fateful encounter on Highway 6 credited God blessing for bringing them together.
“Whatever the circumstances, Tuesday’s ceremony provided a time to be grateful for those who put their lives on the line for the lives of complete strangers,” Beckie Smith said, “We’re calling it The Miracle on Highway 6.” What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Three persons were awarded for rescuing victims in a car accident. |
| B．Three ordinary people were regarded as great heroes. |
| C．Several victims were carried to safety from the burning cars. |
| D．A car accident occurred on rainsoaked State Highway 6. |
Who saved Megan Smith from the damaged car?
| A．Clemmons. | B．Anthony Russo. |
| C．Bozeman. | D．Bonge. |
Which of the following can be used to describe Bozeman?
| A．Kind. | B．Modest. |
| C．Excited. | D．Smart. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Luckily, no one received too serious injuries in the accident. |
| B．All the victims received slight injuries in the accident. |
| C．The rescuers were taken to the hospital to visit the victims. |
| D．The injured will soon recover from their injuries. |
New findings from Queen’s University biologists show that in the plant world, bigger isn’t necessarily better.
“Until now most of the thinking has suggested that to be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a big plant,” says Queen’s Biology professor Lonnie Aarssen. “But our research shows it’s virtually the other way around.”
Previous studies showed that larger plant species monopolize(垄断) sunlight, water and other resources, limiting the number of smaller plant species that can exist around them. But the research has proved that this is not generally the case in natural vegetation.
In the Queen’s project, PhD student Laura Keating targeted the largest “host plants” of 16 woody plant species growing in the Okanogan Valley, British Columbia. The research team calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant. They then randomly selected plots without host plants and calculated the plant species there as well. The research showed that the massive trees have no effect on the number of species with which they coexist.
Smaller plants have many advantages over their overbearing neighbors, Professor Aarssen notes. Larger species generate physical space niches under their shelters where smaller species grow well. Smaller plants are much more effective than large trees at using available resources. They also produce seeds at a much younger age and higher rate than their bigger counterparts, and settle down much more quickly—thuscompeting with the newly-born plants of larger species. What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Smaller plants may have many advantages over their neighbors. |
| B．In the plant world, the bigger is better than the smaller one. |
| C．To be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a small plant. |
| D．Queen’s University’s students made a new research. |
The underlined word “this” in Para. 3 refers to the view that _____.
| A．large and small plants can grow together in harmony |
| B．larger plant species limit their smaller neighbors’ growth |
| C．small plant species have their own advantages |
| D．large and small plant species can never coexist |
What can we learn according to the text?
| A．Larger plant species limit the number of smaller ones around them. |
| B．Smaller plants can limit the number of plant species around them. |
| C．Smaller plants produce seeds at a higher rate than their bigger counterparts. |
| D．Larger trees are more effective than small plants at using available resources. |
Which is the CORRECT order in the Queen’s project?
a. Randomly selected plots without host plants and-calculated the plant species.
b. Calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant.
c. Selected the largest individuals or "host plants" of 16 woody plant species.
| A．a, b, c | B．c, b, a |
| C．b, c, a | D．a, c, b |
Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar with winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than 3,000 such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.
But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, “Year-round schools don’t really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year.”
Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
But calling them “summer school” could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp”, “extra time” and “hands-on learning”. According to the first paragraph, the summer learning gap _____.
| A．helps children to gain weight |
| B．leads children to work harder |
| C．improves children’s memories |
| D．affects children’s regular studies |
Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones _____.
| A．perform better and have more learning gains |
| B．have much less time for relaxation every year |
| C．have generally the same number of class days |
| D．hold more classes with more free weeks off |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vocation. |
| B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap. |
| C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar. |
| D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation. |
Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?
| A．Because they cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much. |
| B．Because they are worried about the quality of the “summer school”. |
| C．Because they want their children to be forced to make up the gap. |
| D．Because they couldn’t afford to the further study during the vacation. |
Bus crash kills four Taiwanese, injures 15
(People’s Daily Online)
14:38, August 16, 2011
A tourist bus crashed on the highway in Jilin province leaving four Taiwanese tourists dead at the scene and 15 injured.
According to the Jilin Publicity Department, the bus overturned after colliding with a car on the Hunchun-Ulanhot expressway in Jilin province around 440 kilometers away from Changchun. Four Taiwanese tourists were killed instantly, including one man and three women, and of the 15 injured, 14 were Taiwanese tourists.
The tour leader provided a list of the dead: The three women killed were Lv Huiyu, 42; Zhao Zhuo, 62; Liao Xiuyun, 42, and the man was Wang Mingwei, 24. Moreover, the injured tourists were mostly elderly. The oldest injured tourist is around 80 years old and the youngest victim was about 50 years old. Five of them were hurt seriously, but their injuries are not life threatening.
According to the local public security bureau, the bus had a capacity(载客量) of 39 people and carried a real load of 21 people. It belongs to the Heilongjiang Juntai Transport Co., Ltd.
The departments of public security, fire control, the Taiwan Affairs Office have actively operated scene rescue, accident investigation and follow-up care for victims after the tragedy(悲剧). The Jilin provincial party committee secretary Sun Zhengcai issued instructions immediately requiring proper handling of the aftermath and genuine care in helping the victims. The vice-governor Chen Weigen visited the injured in the First Hospital of Jilin University.
The responsible person of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office is heading for Changchun. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．All the people injured on the bus were Taiwanese tourists. |
| B．The accident happened on the expressway near Changchun. |
| C．Most of the injured were elderly. |
| D．Most of the injured were seriously hurt and several of them were dying. |
Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “colliding” in the passage?
| A．碰撞；相撞 | B．拐弯 |
| C．翻转 | D．坠毁 |
What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?
| A．Sad. | B．Objective. |
| C．Disappointed | D．Doubtful. |