阅读下面对话，掌握其大意，并根据所给首字母的提示，在标有题号-优题课

Society today tells us that automatic pencils are a lot better than manual ones which you have to sharpen every 5 seconds. Maybe this is true. However, there are some benefits from using an old-fashioned traditional pencil which you cannot get with an automatic one.
To be honest, it is quite convenient to use an automatic pencil with an easy press on the button. Meanwhile a manual pencil doesn’t enjoy any plus point. But it is sort of strange that manual pencils should be used in standardized tests today. Chances are that the manual pencil makes the line of grey look nicer.
Nowadays, it is always a battle of who has the newest, most high-tech gadget(小装置), from pencils, cars to clothes. The newer it is, it seems the more popular it becomes. If you walk around school, you will for sure find at least three out of ten people walking around with the latest iPhone 4S. If you are one of the luckier ones walking around with the newest Nokia phones, you will get laughed at.
Maybe an automatic pencil is better at the moment, but after using it for a while, usually the pencil will break. Most people lose them and don’t remember to carry extra lead(铅芯) to fill them up with, as it sometimes can do so much that it needs a lot of lead, just like an iPhone 4S needs to be charged after it has done so much work. As for the manual pencil, the lead will also run out but unlike the mechanical pencil it will last longer. Besides, the automatic pencil and the iPhone 4S are more likely to get stolen while the manual pencil along with the Nokia phone will be left alone and most likely-returned to you.

Title	Automatic Pencils Manual Pencils?
People’s towards different high-tech gadgets	●The newer-gadget like the iPhone 4s becomes more . ●You will be at if using the Nokia phones at school.
Advantages	●We can use the automatic pencil more easily by the button. ●The manual pencil is to make the line of grey look nicer. ●The manual pencil can last longer.
	●The automatic pencils usually tend to after being used for a while. ● People often to take more lead along to fill the automatic pencil up with. ●with the manual pencil, the automatic one is more likely to get stolen.

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 that 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 greed 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（谦逊的）.
People may strive to achieve their own at the price of their co-workers.
The author’s understanding
for the changes in the author’s eyes	Fierce and great on modern people may be responsible for the changes.
The author’s towards this topic	A relationship which can two sides should be established.

Society today tells us that automatic pencils are a lot better than manual ones which you have to sharpen every 5 seconds. Maybe this is true. However, there are some benefits from using an old-fashioned traditional pencil which you cannot get with an automatic one.
To be honest, it is quite convenient to use an automatic pencil with an easy press on the button. Meanwhile a manual pencil doesn’t enjoy any plus point. But it is sort of strange that manual pencils should be used in standardized tests today. Chances are that the manual pencil makes the line of grey look nicer.
Nowadays, it is always a battle of who has the newest, most high-tech gadget(小装置), from pencils, cars to clothes. The newer it is, it seems the more popular it becomes. If you walk around school, you will for sure find at least three out of ten people walking around with the latest iPhone 4S. If you are one of the luckier ones walking around with the newest Nokia phones, you will get laughed at.
Maybe an automatic pencil is better at the moment, but after using it for a while, usually the pencil will break. Most people lose them and don’t remember to carry extra lead(铅芯) to fill them up with, as it sometimes can do so much that it needs a lot of lead, just like an iPhone 4S needs to be charged after it has done so much work. As for the manual pencil, the lead will also run out but unlike the mechanical pencil it will last longer. Besides, the automatic pencil and the iPhone 4S are more likely to get stolen while the manual pencil along with the Nokia phone will be left alone and most likely-returned to you.

Title	Automatic Pencils Manual Pencils?
People’s towards different high-tech gadgets	●The newer-gadget like the iPhone 4s becomes more . ●You will be at if using the Nokia phones at school.
Advantages	●We can use the automatic pencil more easily by the button. ●The manual pencil is to make the line of grey look nicer. ●The manual pencil can last longer.
	●The automatic pencils usually tend to after being used for a while. ● People often to take more lead along to fill the automatic pencil up with. ● with the manual pencil, the automatic one is more likely to get stolen.

I used to be the messiest person alive．Over the years, through watching others and by trial and error, I have finally found ways to come up with plans, organize them and follow through with them．
Make an outline of everything you need to have and do to make your plan happen．Make a list of all of the steps that need to be accomplished and think about what needs to be done．
Detail everything thoroughly and read over it so you can start coming up with some mental solutions of how to carry out your plans．
You should ensure that if for some reason way one doesn’t work, you have way two and way three to lean back on．Therefore, different ways are needed at hand．It’s just a matter of being organized．Chances are that there is always more than one way of doing things, and chances are that if one of those ways doesn’t work, one of the other ones will．
Commit yourself to finishing at least part if not all of your plan at once is also necessary．It will show that you not only have initiative to get things rolling, but that you are interested in the results obtained with making the move to get everything done．
If you make a commitment to finish before a specific time, make sure that you carry that out, and be sure to do everything in the way you said you would, within the time-frame you set for yourself．
Don’t try to tackle more things all at a time．All that does is delay your progress, distract you and make you lose your interest, motivation and energy．
Carrying out an effective plan requires being as organized as possible．You will only achieve this by sticking to the order of the plan and not deviating or trying to do more at a time．
Last but not least, you should never abandon things mid-project．It will only annoy everyone around you including yourself．Unfinished plans are a waste of time, energy and, in some cases, even money．
So, don’t be afraid of organization．The older we get, the more necessary it becomes to have the skills to follow through with confidence and to be able to carry through plans in an organized and manageable way．It pays to be organized, after all．

Title: Tips on how to bein your life
Tips	Details
down your plan	◆List everything you need ◆List theyou will follow	To make your plan happen
Prepare three ways to carry out your plan		Tothat you can have some other choices when one way doesn’t work.
to finish at least part of your plan if not all	Do everything your own time-frame	To show yourself you are determined to get things started and caring about the results.
Do one thing at once	Stick to the order of your plan	To save your interest, motivation and energy
Finish what you have started		To get your planout thoroughly．

You shouldn’t be afraid of organization because it’s really worthwhile．

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___

阅读下面短文，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。
New discoveries suggest that trade between Europe and Asia along the Silk Road probably began many centuries earlier than once thought. The findings add a fascinating new page to the epic(史诗) of the Silk Road, which spread far and wide in no time.
The latest and most surprising discovery is pieces of silk found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy(木乃伊) from about l,000 BC, long before regular traffic on the Silk Road and at least one thousand years before silk was previously thought to be used in Egypt. Other researches may extend human activity along this road back even further, perhaps a million years to the moving of human ancestors into eastern Asia.
The official origin of East-West trade along the road is usually placed in the late 2nd century BC when an agent of the Chinese Emperor Wu-di returned from a dangerous secret task across the desert into the remote high country of Central Asia. The agent, Zhang Qian, traveled as far as Afghanistan and brought back knowledge of even more distant lands such as Persia, Syria and a place known as Lijien, perhaps Rome. Historians(历史学家) have called this one of the most important journeys in ancient times. His journey opened the way for what have been thought to be the first indirect touches between the ancient world’s two super-powers, China and Rome. Chinese silk, first traded to Central Asia for war horses, was soon finding its way to the markets of Rome through a network of businessmen.
But the new discoveries show that Chinese silk apparently existed in the West long before the Han emperor started to organize trade over the Silk Road. The research could change thinking about the early history of world trade and provide comprehension into the mystery(谜) of just how and when Europe first realized the glorious culture at the other end of Eurasia.

Title: New Discovery of the Silk Road
Introduction	New findings about the ________ of trade along the Silk Road are spread far and wide in no time.
Discovery	☆The silk thread found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy from about 1,000 BC makes all feel greatly _______ . ☆The discovery suggests the trade along the Silk Road may ________ back to an earlier time than once thought.
Zhang Qian’s ________	☆Being accepted as official ________ of East-West commerce along the Silk Road. ☆Opening the way for the first ________ touches between the ancient China and Rome. ☆ ________ Chinese silk to Central Asia and Persia. ☆Making Chinese silk ________ the markets of Rome.
Summary	☆Show the ________ of Chinese silk in the West long before the Han Dynasty. ☆Change thinking about the early history of word trade. ☆Help to solve the puzzle of Europeans’ first realizing ________ culture.