Have you ever been in a meeting while someone was making a speech and realized suddenly that your mind was a million miles away? You probably felt sorry and made up your mind to pay attention and never have daydreaming again. Most of us, from earliest school days, have been told that daydreaming is a waste of time.
“On the contrary, “says L. Giambra, an expert in psychology (心理学), “daydreaming is quite necessary. Without it, the mind couldn't get done all the thinking it has to do during a normal day... You can't possibly do all your thinking with a conscious(有意识的)mind. Instead, your unconscious mind is working out problems all the time. Daydreaming then may be one way that the unconscious and conscious states of mind have silent dialogues. “
Early experts in psychology paid no attention to the importance of daydreams or even considered them harmful. At one time daydreaming was thought to be a cause of some mental illnesses. They did not have a better understanding of daydreams until the late 1980s. Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology, is the writer of the book Daydreaming. Klinger says, “We know now that daydreaming is one of the main ways that we organize our lives, learn from our experiences, and plan for our futures. Day dreams really are a window on the things we fear and the things we long for in life. “
Daydreams are usually very simple and direct, quite unlike sleep dreams, which may be hard to understand. It's easier to gain a deep understanding of your life by paying close attention to your daydreams than by trying to examine your sleep dreams carefully. Daydreams help you recognize the difficult situations in your life and find out a possible way of handling(处理) them.
Daydreams cannot be predicted(预料); they move off in unexpected directions which may be creative and full of useful ideas. For many famous artists and scientists, daydreams were and are a main source of creative energy.
So the next time you catch yourself daydreaming, don't stop. Just pay attention to your dream. It may be more important than you think. Daydreaming used to be considered .
| A．very simple and direct | B．unimportant or even harmful |
| C．a necessary part of thinking | D．the result of an unconscious mind |
In what way are daydreams different from sleep dreams?
| A．Daydreams help us to handle more difficult situations. |
| B．Daydreams are not so easy for us to control and direct. |
| C．Daydreams are easier for us to understand. |
| D．Daydreams help to develop an unconscious mind. |
Professor Eric Klinger believes that .
| A．we may study our experiences just through our daydreams |
| B．daydreaming is one of the important ways that we recognize our lives |
| C．our fears and longings in life are shown in our daydreams |
| D．we should be able to tell our futures by having daydreams |
The writer of the article thinks that .
| A．daydreaming is more helpful than sleep dreams |
| B．daydreaming with an unconscious mind will do good to health |
| C．Professor Eric Klinger has a better idea than L. Giambra |
| D．many artists and scientists are famous because they have daydreams |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Daydreaming was once regarded as a cause of some mental illnesses. |
| B．Many well-known artists gained energy of creation from daydreams. |
| C．Experts began to have a better understanding of daydreams in the late 1980s. |
| D．Scientists believe that we can know daydreams before having them. |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
In so many ways, cyberspace (网络空间) mirrors the real world. Some people ask for information, play games, and share hobby tips. 71 Still others look for friendship, or even love.
Unlike the real world, however, your knowledge about a person is limited to words on a computer screen. Identity (身份) and appearance mean very little in cyberspace. 72 So even the shyest person can become a chat-room star.
Usually, this “faceless” communication doesn’t create problems. Identity doesn’t really matter when you’re in a chat room discussing politics or hobbies. In fact, this emphasis on the ideas themselves makes the Internet a great place for exciting conversation (对话). 73
But some Internet users want more than just someone to chat with. 74 Is cyberspace a good place to find love? That answer depends on whom you ask.
75 Others fail miserably.
| A．Instead, a person’s thoughts or at least the thoughts they type are what really matters. |
| B．Others buy and sell products. |
| C．They’re looking for serious love relationships. |
| D．But cyberspace is different from the real world in some aspects (方面). |
E. Some of these relationships actually succeed.
F. Where else can so many people come together to chat?
G. Chatting online isn’t always reliable (可靠的).
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 |
SYDNEY (AFP) — Thousands of people sat down to breakfast on the Sydney Harbor Bridge on Sunday after the bridge was closed to traffic and carpeted with grass for the first time for a giant picnic.
About 6,000 early riser were on the steel bridge from 6:30 am to take part in the two-hour event designed to show Sydney’s best food and outdoor lifestyle.
As music performers provided the background music, those who had won tickets to the picnic in a random lottery (随机抽奖) began to feast on fruit, pastries, muesli, yoghurt ...
“It’s amazing to see the bridge in this perspective (角度),” said Don Fuchs who lives near the bridge, which is used by about 100,000 cars daily.
“Usually you sit in the car, you cross it, and that’s it.”
“It was beautiful,” said Linda Curnow who attended the picnic with her family. “The grass was so thick that it was like being in your backyard.”
New South Wales state Premier Nathan said the event was set to become a mark of an annual Sydney’s month-long October food festival.
About 45,000 people applied for tickets to the breakfast for which people brought their own food but were able to taste samples from some of the state’s best producers.
Organizers used about 40 percent of the grass on Sydney parks. The bridge reopened at about 1:00 pm.What made Linda Curnow feel as if she were in her own backyard?
| A．There being no cars passing by. |
| B．So much food offered by Australian producers. |
| C．So many people dining at the same time. |
| D．The thick grass covering the bridge. |
Why was the event planned?
| A．To mark the Sydney food festival. | B．To attract more tourists to Sydney. |
| C．To promote the Australian life. | D．To display the world’s best food. |
We learn from the passage that _____.
| A．the giant picnic is organized in a park in Sydney |
| B．the grass from Sydney parks was moved to the bridge |
| C．the Sydney Harbour Bridge was open to traffic all day |
| D．those who had won tickets to the picnic didn’t eat breakfast |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Welcome to Sydney |
| B．October — Sydney’s art festival |
| C．Thousands eat breakfast on Sydney Harbour bridge |
| D．What is the feature of Sydney? |
Spring is just around the corner and it’s a time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Here is a selection of festivals around the country that are a great excuse to travel and get back in the spring sunshine.
Dana Point Festival of the Whales
Dana Point, California
March 7 to 8 and 14 to 15, 2010
Each year, over two sunny weekends in March the town of Dana Point, California celebrates the return of migratory California gray whales to this part of the Pacific Ocean. Festivities include whale-watching, an arts festival and educational hands-on activities for the entire family. Prices start at $29 per adult and $19 for children. For more information, visit:
www.dpfestivalofwhales.com
Chandler Ostrich Festival
Chandler, Arizona
March 13 to 15, 2010
Chandler is the center of ostrich ranching (鸵鸟经营) in the USA. You can see jockeys ride these feathered beasts around the ostrich track at Tumbleweed Park. General admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for children aged 5 to 12 and kids 4 and under are free. For more information, visit:
www.ostrichfestival.com
Festival of Houses and Gardens
Charleston, South Carolina
March 19 to April 18, 2010
The Historic Charleston Foundation gives curious travelers the opportunity to explore gardens of some of the finest private residences in America. Each 3-hour tour (afternoons from 2 to 5 pm and evenings from 6 to 9 pm) lets you visit 8 to 10 properties dating from the American colonial period. Prices range from $25 to $45. For more information, visit:
www.historiccharleston.org
Tulip Time Festival
Holland, Michigan
May 1 to 9, 2010
You don’t need to travel to the Netherlands this spring to see and smell some of the world’s finest tulips (郁金香). The annual Tulip Time Festival, one of the largest flower festivals in the country, will kick off with fireworks on May 1. Admission fee ranges from $6 for the children’s area to $38 for theatre tickets. Tickets and more information are available at:
www.tuliptime.com A couple with their 4-year-old son will go whale-watching. They have to pay _____.
| A．$58 | B．$38 | C．$48 | D．$77 |
The underlined word “jockeys” in the passage is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．judges | B．children | C．riders | D．beginners |
A group of travelers who want to have fun in mid-April will go to _____.
| A．Festival of Houses and Gardens | B．Chandler Ostrich Festival |
| C．Dana Point Festival of the Whales | D．Tulip Time Festival |
Which of the following is TRUE of Tulip Time Festival?
| A．It is held in a town in the Netherlands. |
| B．It will start with fireworks on the first day. |
| C．It is the largest flower festival in the world. |
| D．Admission is free for children. |
Once a neighbour stole one of Washington’s horses. Washington went with a police officer to the neighbour’s farm to get the horse, but the neighbour refused to give the horse up; he claimed (声称) that it was his horse.
Washington placed both of his hands over the eyes of the horse and said to the neighbour, “If this is your horse, then you must tell us in which eyes he is blind.”
“In the right eye,” the neighbour said.
Washington took his hand from the right eye of the horse and showed the police officer that the horse was not blind in the right eye.
“Oh, I have made a mistake,” said the neighbor. “He is blind in the left eye.”
Washington then showed that the horse was not blind in the left eye, either.
“I have made another mistake,” said the neighbor.
“Yes,” said the police officer, “and you have also proved that the horse does not belong to you. You must return it to Mr. Washington.”Why did Mr. Washington go to the neighbor’s farm with a police officer?
| A．Because the neighbor was the police officer’s friend. |
| B．Because he wanted to make the neighbor return the horse. |
| C．Because the police officer was Washington’s friend. |
| D．Because they were invited to the neighbor’s farm. |
When Washington and the police officer reached the neighbor’s farm, the neighbor _____.
| A．immediately admitted that he had stolen the horse |
| B．received them warmly |
| C．said he had lost a horse, too |
| D．didn’t want to give the horse back to Washington |
When Washington asked the neighbor to tell them in which eye the horse was blind, the neighbor _____.
| A．didn’t say anything | B．knew the horse wasn’t blind at all |
| C．thought the horse was really blind | D．said he had stolen the horse |
From the passage, we know _____.
| A．Washington was a wise man |
| B．Washington’s neighbor was cleverer than Washington |
| C．the police officer was the cleverest of the three |
| D．all the three men were not very clever |