Eat healthier. Exercise twice a week. Read more books. Lose weight. We make the same resolutions(决心) every year, but most of us fail, dying out after only a few days or , at best, weeks. Even the most successful among us crash and burn when it comes to personal change. President-elect Barack Obama struggles to remove his cigarette habit.
Professionals who help people make changes in their lives suggest the change is determined not by one's surroundings, but one's mind. Beginning with small goals or steps usually leads to a bigger payoff later, they say. But they caution that the experience is different for everyone.
"People are more likely to make positive changes in their lives not only when their friends do, but when their friends of friends do, and when their friends of friends of friends do," said Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard University. "People are better able to make changes in their lives - lose weight, quit smoking, become happy - when they do this with a large number of other people, and so taking advantage of your social network ties can result in a magnification of your own efforts."
Jhonny Augustin understands that well. His resolution for 2008 was to shed 30 pounds from his 237-pound frame. But the change didn't come easily. He said,"I'm a huge procrastinator, I kept putting it off until tomorrow. I didn't get to do it until the summer." However , Augustin got inspired when he saw his older brother working out. Today, Augustin weighs 190 pounds.
“Of course, change can happen only if people don't set their expectations too high or try to tackle too many changes at once; one of the biggest mistakes we make is setting unrealistic goals, ”said Dalia Llera, a psychologist and associate professor of counseling and psychology at Lesley University. "You can't accomplish in a few weeks what you haven't accomplished in a few years," said Llera.
46.From the first paragraph we can infer that .
A.change for a person is challenging
B.famous people have great determination
C.most people don’t want to change themselves
D.personal change is beyond belief
47.It is known from Nicholas christkis that .
A. making a change is easier with support from a cheerful group of friends
B. social networks have great effect on one’s change
C. people who have the same attitude often get together
D. people’s mood can contribute to their efforts
48.The word “procrastinator” in Paragraph 4 refers to those who .
A. have great determination to make a change
B. have no desire to do something great
C. put off work especially because of laziness
D. have habitual carelessness and laziness
49.According to the passage, Dalia Liera suggested that .
A. people should understand their goals well
B. people should try their best to change themselves
C. people should have confidence and positive habits
D. people should start with setting small goals to meet
50.The passage is mainly about .
A. the reason why losing weight is so hard
B. the effect of the positive change
C. the attitudes towards change in life
D. the ways of making a change
China recorded fewer traffic accidents in 2001 than in 2000 and a lower going continued in January this year .
The traffic accidents in 2001 totaled 270, 000 , fewer by 20, 000 than in 2000 .
But the number of the dead for 2001 was 54, 000 , an increase of 1, 000 from the year before . The increase was not as slow as that in recent years .
A government official said in Beijing yesterday that 3, 821 persons were killed in highway traffic accidents last month , a drop of 12.8 percent from January 2001 . He also said there were 21, 201 traffic accidents in the first month of the year , 10.1 percent fewer than January last year , and 11, 700 people injured .
The traffic accidents last year caused a loss worth 27.32 million yuan , about 2.9 million US dollars .
Economic Daily also said 170, 000 persons were injured in the traffic accidents in 2001 , fewer by 10, 000 than in 2000 .
( From China Daily , February 16 , 2002)
1. In 2000 the total number of the traffic accidents was ________ .
A. 290, 000 B. 250, 000 C. 270, 000 D. 20, 000
2. In 2000 ________ persons were killed in the traffic accidents .
A. 1, 000 B. 53, 000 C. 54, 000 D. 55, 000
3. Which is true according to the news report ?
A. The traffic accidents in 2002 will go up continuously .
B. Economic Daily said the traffic accidents caused a loss worth 2.9 million US dollars in 2000 .
C. In January 2002 , there were 3, 821 highway traffic accidents .
D. There were more traffic accidents in January 2001 than in January 2002 .
4. The best title for this news report should be ________ .
A. Road Accidents 2001B. Road Accidents 2000
C. Death Up or Down This YearD. $ 2.9 Million Loss in Traffic Accidents
Ⅳ阅读理解(2×20，共40分)阅读下列短文，从所给的四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
Mr. Brown had a nice shop in the main street of a small town. He sold jewelry, watches and the like. All went well some years, and then his shop was broken into twice in one month at night, and a lot of jewelry was stolen each time. Three weeks had passed, yet the police had not done much to catch the thief. So Mr. Brown decided to try to do something about it himself. He bought a good camera and fixed it up in his shop and put some cheap jewelry in front of it for the thief so that it could take a photo of anyone who stole the jewelry. A few nights later the thief did come again. But he did not touch any of the cheap jewelry that Mr. Brown had put out for him. He took the camera, which was worth 15,000 pounds.
1. The jewelry the thief had stolen was ________
A. very valuable. B. worth little money.
C. quite cheap. D. of no use to the thief.
2. How did the thief know about jewelry?
A. He knew a little about jewelry.
B. He knew a lot about it.
C. The poor one knew nothing about jewelry.
D. He knew little about it.
3. Why did Mr. Brown buy a camera and put it in the shop?
A. Because the camera was not so expensive as the jewelry or the watches in the shop.
B. Because he knew that the thief was interested in a cheap camera.
C. Because he thought that a good camera could help him find out who the thief was.
D. Because the policemen told him to do so.
4. What did Mr. Brown lose during the two months?
A. 15,000 pound notes.
B. A camera and 15,000 pounds.
C. Lots of jewelry and a good camera.
D. A lot of jewelry, a camera and 15,000 pound notes.
The most common disease in the world is the cold. It often starts with a sore throat（咽部疼痛）. You sneeze (打喷嚏) and your nose runs. You usually have a headache, too. Often you have a cough later. It's not a serious disease, but you can feel quite bad.
There isn't a cure (良药 ) for a cold, but you can take medicines to make you feel better. For example, you can take aspirin (阿司匹林) to get rid of your headache. It is good to rest, and to drink a lot of water, too. A doctor once told me, "With the right medicine, a cold will last for seven days. With no medicine, it will go on for a whole week!"
Where does our medicine come from? A long time ago, people understood that some plants made them feel better. They ate the leaves, the roots , the fruit or the seeds of plants. For example, the juice of lemons (柠檬) makes a sore throat feel better. In modern times, scientists have looked at these plants, and found out which chemicals (化学药品) are in them. Many of our medicines today are made from those chemicals. There are some diseases that we can't cure yet. And nobody has found a cure for old age. But because of modern medicines, the average (平均的) person now lives longer than their grandparents.
1. A cold often starts with________________.
A. a headache B. a cough C. a pain in your throat D. feeling a little cold
2. What should we do when we catch a cold?
A. We only take some medicine.
B. We should rest well, drink much water and have some medicine.
C. We just wait for a whole week.
D. We only need a good rest.
3. What makes a sore throat feel better?
A. The medicine aspirin. B. A lot of water.
C. Something inside lemons. D. The root of a plant.
4. What is the real meaning of the doctor's words?
A. There is almost no medicine that can cure the cold.
B. There is some medicine that can cure the cold.
C. You will feel well after a week when you take some medicine.
D. The cold is a serious disease.
Well, Mrs. Evans, I’ve done my best to look after David. I’ve tidied his room up every day, got him a meal together whenever he needed one and made sure he’s always had a clean shirt to put on. It’s not been easy, with two of my own to worry about, as well. David had the best of attention, I must say. But now because I asked him to give up bringing that American friend to his home he has got quite miserable and unfriendly. He comes in at all hours and his behavior---- well, it’s quite hard to put up with---- and it’s all because of this friend. I’m sure he’s a bad influence. You see, David’s a visitor and doesn’t fully understand our ways.
He used to study most evenings. He’s got through quite a bit of work. He did up his room quite nicely, with bookshelves and large posters. He’d ask Mr. Smith and me up for a drink and cheer us up with songs from his country. He’s very good at the guitar, you know.
I don’t want to appear as if I’m running after him, but it’s about time we made it up. I’m sure he’s upset because I told him off. It might be a good idea to take him out for a meal, perhaps even with his friend. I don’t know whether it will do any good but we can try. I’m glad I’ve had this little chat with you, Mrs. Evans, and I’ll let you know how I get on.
1. Mrs. Smith believes that David is not the cause of the quarrel but that the main cause is __________.
A. Mr. Smith B. too much homework
C. David’s behavior D. David’s friend
2. Mrs. Smith wants to make up the quarrel by _______.
A. cooking a meal B. inviting David and his friend out
C. running after David D. giving them drinks
3. David’s present attitude to Mrs. Smith is ________.
A. unfriendly B. cheerful C. very attentive D. incomprehensible
4. David is ________.
A. an American friend B. a singer C. a visiting student D. Mrs. Smith’s son
The use of cars is becoming more and more popular in the twentieth century. A large number of the world's population are now able to buy and use cars.
Having a car gives much mobility（活动余地）, enabling the driver to move around freely. The owner of a car is no longer forced to depend on public transport（公共交通）and doesn't, therefore, have to work in a place near his home. Instead, he can choose from a greater variety of jobs and he could change his job frequently.
Travelling to work by car is also more comfortable than having to use public transport; the driver can use the heating in winter and the air conditioning in summer to meet his own need and preference. There is no discomfort caused by waiting for
buses, trains or underground trains etc. With the building of good fast motorways long distances can be covered rapidly and pleasantly. Also, for the first time in the century, many people are able to enjoy their free time to the full by making trips to the countryside or seaside at weekends. This feeling of independence and the freedom to go wherever you please is perhaps the greatest advantage（优势）of the car.
1. What does the writer think of the public transport?
A. It gives less mobility B. It is not comfortable at all
C. It enables a variety of jobs D. It is becoming more popular than before
2. Traveling by bus may be ______.
A. less comfortable than by underground train
B. more comfortable than by other transport
C. less comfortable than by other public transport
D. less comfortable than by car
3. What does the underlined word mean?
A. from time to timeB. with difficulty
C. against his own willD. never
4. What does the writer think of having a car of your own?
A. It offers lots of advantages. B. It has lots of independence.
C. It gives the feeling of freedom. D. It offers free trips.