Truefriendsdoubleyourhappiness-优题课

Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world’s best marathoners(马拉松运动员) can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That’s about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was second in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn’t like to be told she’s brave. “I’m in sports because I’m a competitive person!” Jean was born with spina befida(脊柱裂), a birth illness that damages the spine（脊椎）. She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed.” Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs,” she says, “It was fun.”
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals. “When I sign my autograph（亲笔签名）,says Jean, “I write, dream big and work hard.”
What made Jean take part in sports?

A．She was brave.

B．She was competitive.

C．She was strong.

D．She was disabled.

What kind of education did she receive?

A．High school.

B．Junior middle school.

C．High education.

D．Primary school.

What is Jean’s advice on how to succeed?

A．Work hard.	B．Hope for the best.
C．Dream a lot.	D．Have great wishes and work hard.

In 2004，the World Health Organization，WHO，warned of a possible outbreak of another serious disease which may be even more deadly than SARS．The WHO believes that it is likely that bird flu will spread to human beings in the next few years．If it does，up to seven millions people could die from the disease．
Diseases like bird flu are caused by viruses，that is，tiny things which change and become more dangerous over time．When a new type of a common virus changes，it may be able to get past the body’s immune(免疫的)system．If that happens，humans are in great danger until a cure or treatment becomes available．
There have always been viruses and people always get sick，of course，but as we saw with SARS，the situation is more difficult today．People travel more than ever before，which means that disease can spread quickly and across large areas——in fact the whole world．
Scientists are already working on drugs that will prevent or limit the effect of a new virus，but the process takes time．It is just as important to make sure that countries，especially poor countries，are prepared to deal with the disease. New disease usually affect poor areas the most，so we must help develop health care in all countries．
The situation is more serious today because．

A．people travel more	B．people don’t eat healthy food
C．there aren’t enough hospitals	D．scientists can’t find a cure

From this passage we know．

A．bird flu will surely spread to human beings in the next few years．

B．a virus changes and become less dangerous over time．

C．SARS is 1ikely to come again in some years．

D．poor areas usually suffers more from new diseases than rich areas．

The possible title of this passage is

A．The Work of WHO

B．Scientists Are Working Hard on Drugs for Diseases

C．What Is a Virus

D．Virus Changes and Causes New Diseases Over Time

From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to prevent his enemies from walking in ．
Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．During days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's"Mona Lisa"is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．
On the whole，this passage is mainly about____.．
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A．an art museum called the Louvre
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B．an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci
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C．a king of France named Francis I


D．the best known painting in Louvre

Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？
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A．It helps people remember who the King of France is．
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B．It keeps people out of the palaces．
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C．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art．
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D．It helps people to know who is the greatest

artist．

From the passage we know that _____．
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A．it is not possible for treasures to be stolen
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B．old forts always make the best museums
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C．great art should be shared with all the people
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D．king Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort

In the third paragraph the word"moat"probably means_____．
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A．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies
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B．a long and deep ditch（沟） dug round a castle and was usually filled with water
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C．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought
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D．a long and high wall around castle

阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community then we will have a better life．To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above opinion?
In this fast-paced world, many values are undergoing major changes．While people traditionally prioritize caring, sharing and generosity in life and work, modern people seem to be more self-absorbed and self-concerned．
Modern people act selfishly to survive the harsh competition of life．They say that it is a jungle out there．To survive, you have to fight with whatever means that come handy．Obviously greedy and selfishness go perfectly well with such ideas．In a company, employees do everything they can to get better pay and higher position, even at the cost of colleagues．We are in any way advocating any selfish conduct．It is just that people are pressured to act in a certain way due to outside influences．
In spite of common practice, it is hard to conclude that modern society is built on greed and selfishness, both of which are not newly invented vocabulary．In ancient times people also did greedy and selfish things though such behaviors were more condemned then．But we can not ignore the fact that people in the past lived a relatively more isolated life and faced less pressure compared with their modern counterparts．
Are we happier to share with others and be generous to them? There is no fixed answer either．Some people take great pleasure helping and giving to others while others feel happy doing the opposite．But I personally think that people should not be too selfish．Caring for others can actually encourage the development of a mutually beneficial relationship．
In conclusion, modern people appear to be more self-centered than those in the past due to strong outside pressure．However, we should encourage people to know the importance of being caring and generous and to build a mutually beneficial relationship with others．
Are Modern People Becoming More Selfish?

Main comparisons	Contexts
____ are changing	In the past people put caring, sharing and generosity in the first ________．
Nowadays, people seem to be more ______about themselves．
_____are changing too．	People in the past appeared to be modest and self-effacing（谦让的）．
People may strive to achieve their own __ at the price of their coworkers．
The author’s understanding
_____ for the changes in author’s eyes	Fierce __ and great _____on modern people may be responsible for the changes．
The author’s ______towards topic	A relationship which can ___ two sides should be established．

A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me．” However, that’s not really true．Words have the power to build us up or tear us down．It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting．
We all talk to ourselves sometimes．We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though．In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit．
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down．Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative．So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves．We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back．The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”
Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have．But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others．For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange．And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner．Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．
Words possess power because of their lasting effect．Many of us regret something we once said．And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid．
Words possess power: both positive and negative．Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively．We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best．Negative words destroy all those things．Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours．
The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________．