Throughout our childhood our parents taught us to say “thank you” and it has become a habit — something we say automatically (自动地), along with “please”. And because of this we have forgotten just how important gratitude is and how essential it is in leading fulfilled (感到满足的) lives.
Just for a minute, think of all the things you are grateful for, such as loving friends, good health, great holidays as well as everyday items such as a comfortable home, TV, and clean water. The list, in fact, could go on and on.
Now focus on events that have made you angry — it’s raining, the car won’t start, and a colleague (同事) makes you annoyed. You start to feel unhappy, and that is something that certainly does not make you feel good！
In fact, we have the ability to choose how we feel — it’s just our perception (认识) of how things are. But for most of us, it just doesn’t seem easy.
Let me give you an example: it’s a rainy day, and immediately most people will start to complain, telling everyone who will listen what a miserable day it is, with the result that they end up feeling miserable themselves. But look at it another way and despite wet clothes and hair, both will dry perfectly well and no lasting harm has been done. And in addition to this, because of rain, we not only live in a green and beautiful landscape, we are also able to grow a lot of fruit and vegetables.
There really is no obvious reason for feeling miserable — in fact there is a great deal to be grateful for. It all depends on what we think about things.
Realize what a difference having gratitude can make to your life. That’s why gratitude is so special — use it to feel good!What do we usually do automatically according to the author?
| A．Focus on good things. | B．Prefer to feel good. |
| C．Express thanks orally. | D．Take many things for granted. |
By the example in the fifth paragraph, the author advises us to _____.
| A．see things in a different way | B．refuse the unchangeable things |
| C．ignore the harm bad weather does | D．listen to others’ complaints patiently |
By writing the passage, the author mainly wants to tell us _____.
| A．to think twice before we act |
| B．to be grateful for what we have |
| C．it is no use making complaints |
| D．saying “thank you” has many disadvantages |
Luggage
We ask you to keep a medium – sized suitcase per person, but a small holdall can also be taken onto the coach.
Seats
Requests for particular seats can be made on most coach breaks（巴士旅游）when booking, but since seats are booked on a first come, first serve basic, early booking is advisable. When bookings are made with us, you will be offered the best seats that are available on the coach at that time.
Travel Documents
When you have paid your deposit(订金) we will send you all the necessary documents, so that you receive them in good time before the coach break leaving date. Certain documents, for example, air or boat tickets, may have to be reserved and your guide will then give them to you during the break.
Special Diets
If you require a special diet, you must inform us at the time of booking with a copy of the diet. This will be told to the hotels on your coach break. The hotels for certain coach breaks are tourist class and they may not have the equipment to deal with special diets. Any extra costs must be paid by yourself before leaving the hotel.
Accommodation (住宿)
On any coach break there are only a limited number of single rooms. When a single room is available, it may be subject to an extra charge and this will be shown on the brochure page.
Entertainment
Some of our hotels arrange extra entertainment which could include music, dancing, films, etc. The nature and frequency of the entertainment presented is decided by the hotel and therefore not guaranteed and could be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers in the hotel.If you want to choose certain seats of the coach, you should .
| A．take little luggage |
| B．avoid traveling in holidays |
| C．book your seats well in advance |
| D．arrive early on the leaving date |
What should you do if you need a special diet?
| A．Bring your own food with you. |
| B．Tell the organizer while booking. |
| C．Inform the hotel when you arrive. |
| D．Pay extra money with the booking. |
It may be necessary to pay extra for .
| A．single rooms | B．particular seats |
| C．entertainment | D．hand luggage |
Where is the passage mostly taken from?
| A．A fashion magazine. | B．A business report. |
| C．A legal document. | D．A travel brochure. |
Have you ever intended to be fully absorbed in your work but found yourself distracted by e-mail, the Internet and other things throughout the day? According to the survey made by a famous university in the USA, most people have the experience.
"People often lose their concentration when they are bored, of course, but also when they are engaged in challenging tasks," says Peter Bregman, the head of the survey. "They sometimes have a feeling to escape from what's difficult or boring, so they jump out," he says. The part of the brain devoted to attention is connected to the brain's emotional center. Any strong emotion —quarrels with colleagues, problems at home —can interrupt our attention. Studies over the last decade have shown that too much work to do at a time can easily lead to distraction.
Refocusing is hard for many people. Robert Epstein suggests the following, "Stop and listen to some soft music for a few minutes. Find a good friend or a teacher and say out your matter on your mind. Go for a short walk or take a deep breath, where you breathe in deeply, count to five slowly, hold it and breathe out very slowly." This can "blow out all the tension and the unwanted in your mind to restore your focus."
Take more control by structuring your time and becoming more aware of your behaviors. "Setting the phone alarm to go off every hour is my way of creating awareness," Mr. Bregman says. "You have to inform yourself that you've lost focus in order to do something about it." Starting the day with a to-do list is also important, such as when to eat, when to go to the gym or take a walk. But if it's overly ambitious, you will put yourself in a state of anxiety, which makes it hard for the brain to concentrate. "Choosing three or four things as your priority for the day allows your brain to settle down and focus," he says.According to the passage, which is NOT the reason why some people can be distracted from their work?
| A．They don't want to be devoted to their work. |
| B．They are disturbed by the Internet and other things. |
| C．They can't find interest in their work. |
| D．They feel their work is too hard for them. |
Which incident might NOT interrupt your attention?
| A．You were scolded by your teacher. |
| B．You had words with your good friend. |
| C．You went to school at six as usual. |
| D．Your mother and father had a quarrel. |
What's the meaning of the underlined word "restore" in the passage?
| A．recover | B．reform | C．release | D．react |
According to Robert Epstein, how can we refocus on what we should do?
| A．Listen to rock music for some time. |
| B．Turn to your good friends or teachers for help. |
| C．Run around the playground for some time. |
| D．Take a breath from time to time. |
If you want to teach your children how to say sorry, you must be good at saying it yourself, especially to your own children. But how you say it can be quite tricky.
If you say to your children “I’m sorry I got angry with you, but …” what follows that “but” can render the apology ineffective: “I had a bad day” or “your noise was giving me a headache ” leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.
Another method by which people appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say “I’m sorry you’re upset”; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done.
Then there is the general, all covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying “I’m useless as a parent” does not commit a person to any specific improvement.
These pseudo-apologies are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness. Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not resort to these pseudo-apologies.
But even when presented with examples of genuine contrition, children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old might need help in understanding that other children feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology. A six-year-old might need reminding that spoiling other children’s expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that raiding the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not.According to the author, saying “I’m sorry you’re upset” most probably means “_______”.
| A．You have good reason to get upset |
| B．I’m aware you’re upset, but I’m not to blame |
| C．I apologize for hurting your feelings |
| D．I’m at fault for making you upset |
We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry _______.
| A．the complexities involved should be ignored |
| B．their ages should be taken into account |
| C．parents need to set them a good example |
| D．parents should be patient and tolerant |
It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is _______.
| A．a social issue calling for immediate attention |
| B．not necessary among family members |
| C．a sign of social progress |
| D．not as simple as it seems |
"We do look very different; we're older. Leo's 38, I'm 37. We were 21 and 22 when we made that film. You know, he's fatter now -- I'm thinner.". So says Kate Winslet, who is thrilled at the 3-D re-release of Titanic to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship's demise. “ It happens every time I get on any boat of any kind." She recalls. There are all the people who want her to walk to the front of the ship and re-create her famous pose, arms flung wide. Most people remember the tragedy: The British passenger ship -- said to be unsinkable -- hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York City. More than 1,500 people died. But little known is what the world learned from the sinking to prevent future incidents.
Probably the greatest deficiency （不足）of the Titanic was that she was built 40 years before the widespread use of the wonderful invention radar(雷达). Her only defense against icebergs and hidden obstacles was to rely on manned lookouts. On that fateful night the eyesight of trained lookouts only provided 37 seconds of warning before the collision.
Traveling at nearly 30 miles an hour the Titanic was moving far too fast to avoid the huge iceberg. The warning did prevent a head-on collision as the officer on the bridge managed to turn the ship slightly.
The last ship to send a warning was the California. She was within ten miles of the Titanic during the disaster, but her radio operator went to bed at midnight and never received any of the SOS messages from the Titanic. That was one of the important lessons learned from the catastrophe, the need for 24-hour radio operators on all passenger liners.
Another lesson learned was the need for more lifeboats. The Titanic remained afloat(漂浮) for almost three hours and most of the passengers could have been saved with enough lifeboats.
1,500 passengers and workers died in the 28 degree waters of the Atlantic. Out of the tragedy, the sinking did produce some important maritime reforms. The winter travel routes were changed to the south and the Coast Guard began to keep an eye on the location of all icebergs. The new rules for lifeboats were obvious to all. There must be enough lifeboats for everybody on board.
The most important lesson learned was that no one would ever again consider a ship unsinkable- no matter how large or how well constructed. Never again would sailors place their faith in a ship above the power of the sea. The text mainly tells us ______.
| A．the reason why the Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean |
| B．how the unsinkable ship of Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean |
| C．the lessons that we could learn from the accident of theTitanic |
| D．the things we should do to protect the lives on the ship |
According to the passage, which of the following could we infer?
| A．If the captain had been more careful, he could have had the chance to save the Titanic. |
| B．If radar had existed 40 years ago, the Titanic would have never disappeared from the world. |
| C．If the lookout had had much more experience, he could have had the time to save the Titanic. |
| D．If there had been enough lifeboats on the Titanic, the Titanic would not have sunk in the Atlantic. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Lessons from the Titanic | B．Technology is Important |
| C．Demands of Passengers | D．Power of Sea |
What’s the sailors’ attitude towards the ships after the tragedy?
| A．They think there really exists the unsinkable ship. |
| B．They think ships could eventually defeat the sea. |
| C．They think there is no power that could control the sea. |
| D．They think the bigger the ship is, the safer it is. |
This is the letter that Mr. White wrote before his death about his three books for children:
Dear Reader:
I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all -- there wouldn't be time enough in a day. That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I'll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn（谷仓） is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig's life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation（拯救） on a farm. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)
Sometimes I'm asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -- as soon as I could spell. In fact, I can't remember any time in my life when I wasn't busy writing. I don't know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction is trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.
Some of my readers want me to visit their school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book. And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I'd like to, I can't go visiting. I can't send books, either -- you can find them in a bookstore or a library. Many children assume that a writer owns (or even makes) his own books. This is not true -- books are made by the publisher. If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it. That's why I can't send books. And I do not send autographs（亲笔签名，手稿） -- I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I live near my married son and three grandchildren.
Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn't spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn't blow a trumpet（喇叭，小号） . But real life is only one kind of life -- there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too -- truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.
Yours sincerely,
E.B. WhiteWhat does the author do?
| A． a writer | B．a reporter | C．a doctor | D．a teacher |
What caused the author start to write?
| A．His parents’ encuoragement |
| B．His talent in writing |
| C．Not mentioned in the passage |
| D．A writer in the early time |
Why does the author think he can’t seng his autographs?
| A．Because he thinks it should be dong by movie stars. |
| B．Because he thinks his writing is not good enough |
| C．Because he has no much time |
| D．Because he hates writing |
How long had the author been writing the story of Chariotte’s web?
| A．3 minths | B．2 years | C．3 years | D．5 years |