What exactly is a lie ?Is it anything we say which we know is untrue ?Or is it something more than that ?For example, suppose a friend wants to borrow some money from you. You say “I wish I could help you, but I am short of money myself.” In fact , you are not short of money but your friend is in the habit of not paying his debts and you don’t want to hurt his feelings by reminding him of this. Is this really a lie ?
Professor Jerald Jellison of the University of southern California has made a scientific study of lying. According to him, women are better liars than men, particularly when telling a “white lie”, such as when a woman at a party tells another woman that she likes her dress when she really thinks it’s terrible. However, this is only one side of the story. Other researchers say that men are more likely to tell more serious lies, such as making a promise that they have no intention of carrying out. This is the kind of lie politicians and businessmen are supposed to be particularly skilled at :the lie from which the liar hopes to profit or gain in some way.
Research has been done into the way people’s behavior changes in a number of small, unimportant ways when they lie. It has been found that if they are sitting down at the time, they tend to move about in their chairs more than usual. To the trained observer they are saying “I wish I were somewhere else now”. They also tend to touch certain parts of the face, particularly the nose. One explanation of this may be that lying causes a slight increase in blood pressure. The tip of the nose is very sensitive to changes and the increased pressure makes it itch.
Another gesture that gives liars away is what the writer Decmond Morris in his book Man Watching calls the “mouth cover”. He says that there are several typical forms of this ,such as covering part of the mouth with the fingers, touching the upper lip or putting a finger of the hand at one side off the mouth. Such a gesture can be understood as an unconscious(未察觉的) attempt on the part of the liar to stop himself from lying.
Of course, such gestures as rubbing the nose or covering the mouth , moving about in a chair can not be taken as proof that the speaker is lying. They simply tend to happen more often in this situation. It is one gesture alone that gives the liar away but a whole number of things , and in particular the context(上下文) which the lie is told.According to the passage, a white lie seems to be a lie ______.
A.that other people believe |
B.that other people don’t believe |
C.told in order not to hurt someone’s feelings |
D.told in order to take advantage of someone |
Research suggests that women _____.
A.are better at telling less serious lies than men |
B.generally lie for more than men do |
C.often make promises they intend to break |
D.lie at parties more often than men do |
Researchers find that when a person tells lies _____.
A.his blood pressure increases measurably |
B.he looks very serious |
C.he is likely to make some small changes in his behavior |
D.he uses his unconscious mind |
The writer of the passage______.
A.hates lying | B.enjoys lying | C.often tells a lie | D.tries to study about lying |
Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage as a sign of lying ?
A.Touching one’s ears | B.Rubbing the nose |
C.Moving in a chair | D.Covering the mouth |
While Bill was getting ready for work one Monday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Bill felt nervous as he thought about the upcoming showdown. What if Mr. Smith refused his request? Bill had worked so hard in the last 12 months and managed to win a contract that was hard to get for Procter& Gamble. Of course, he should get a salary raise.
The thought of walking into Mr. Smith’s office left Bill weak in the knees. Late in the afternoon he was finally brave enough to approach his superior. To his delight and surprise, the mean boss agreed to give Bill a raise!
Bill arrived home that evening---despite breaking all city and state speed limits---to a beautiful table. His wife, Alice, had prepared a fabulous meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he figured someone from the office had told her the news.
Next to his plate Bill found a beautiful lettered note. It was from his wife. It read: “Congratulations, my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I am so proud of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to reflect on how sensitive and caring Alice was.
After dinner, Bill was on his way to the kitchen to get dessert when he noticed that a second card had slipped out of Alice’s pocket onto the floor. He bent forward to pick up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you how much I love you though you did not get the increase.”
Suddenly tears welled in Bill’s eyes. Total acceptance! Alice’s support for him was not conditional upon his success at work.
The fear of rejection is often softened and we can face almost any difficulty when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure.What was Bill’s plan that Monday?
A.To request a wage increase from his boss. |
B.To get a promotion. |
C.To celebrate his success. |
D.To ask his boss to come for dinner. |
On his way home, Bill was .
A.excited | B.relaxed | C.nervous | D.puzzled |
We can conclude from the passage that .
A.unconditional love brings courage and strength |
B.work hard and you will be rewarded. |
C.many fears turn out to be unfounded |
D.we should never be afraid to demand what is due to |
Which of the following statements about the passage is FALSE?
A.Bill was afraid that his request would be refused. |
B.Bill had worked hard and done his part for the company. |
C.Bill’s boss agreed to his request. |
D.One of Bill’s colleagues had told his wife the good news. |
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream and listen to the singing of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their original position after the wind had died down.
When I think about the bamboo trees’ ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word “resilience” comes to my mind. When used in reference to a person, this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other negative situation that stretches the limits of a person’s emotions.
Have you ever felt like you are about to lose control of your emotions? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.
During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally tired, mentally exhausted and you most likely bored unpleasant physical symptoms.
Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.
A measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant moments. Will hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant moment may be easier to deal with if the end result is worth having.
If the situation gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo trees, bend, but don’t break!What does the underlined word “resilience” mean in Paragraph 2?
A.The ability to overcome any difficulty. |
B.The quality of hoping for a better tomorrow. |
C.The quality of being brave at the breaking point. |
D.The ability to recover easily and quickly from unpleasant or damaging events. |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A.Life is like a bamboo tree that never breaks. |
B.Whatever difficulties we may meet with in our life, we can bend, but can never break. |
C.Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. |
D.If you get over your breaking point, you can survive to live longer and more happily than others. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.The author was an idle child when he was living near the river. |
B.We should try our best not to let our bad times get the best of us. |
C.Our being likely to lose control of our emotions is common in our life. |
D.We should always believe things may not be as bad as they seem to be. |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A.Bend, but don’t break. |
B.My wonderful childhood. |
C.The bamboo trees. |
D.Love the bamboo trees and your life. |
That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines(台词). I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers (抢劫犯). Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck (垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “ Alisa Camacho ?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 A.M. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back. I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
A.Cold and sick. |
B.Fortunate and helpful. |
C.Satisfied and cheerful. |
D.Disappointed and helpless. |
On her way home the writer _______.
A.lost her wallet unknowingly |
B.was stopped by a garbage truck driver |
C.was robbed of her wallet by an armed man |
D.found some homeless people following her |
In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?
A.Someone offered to take her back home. |
B.A red-haired man came to see her. |
C.She heard someone call her name. |
D.Her wallet was found in a garbage truck. |
From the text, we can infer that the writer _________.
A.would stop working at night |
B.would stay on in San Francisco |
C.would make friends with cleaners |
D.would give up her job at the bank. |
Pango was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides (杀虫剂)and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.From Paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers ________.
A.worked very hard for centuries |
B.dreamed of having a better life |
C.were poor but somewhat content |
D.lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
A.The frogs were easy money. |
B.They needed money to buy visitors. |
C.They wanted to please the visitors. |
D.The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
A.The crops didn’t do well. |
B.There were too many insects. |
C.The visitors brought in diseases. |
D.The pesticides were overused. |
What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?
A.Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. |
B.Health is more important than money. |
C.The harmony between man and nature is important. |
D.Good old days will never be forgotten. |
The physical education office of Peking University announced on Aug 27 that the university would build a golf course near Weiming Lake. Golf would thus become an elective course for Peking University's students in the near future.
Peking University's eastern sports ground will be rebuilt into two soccer fields and one golf course. The latter will be designed as 90 meters long and 40 meters wide, occupying only a quarter of the whole sports ground.
The director of the physical education office revealed that a student would make only one stroke on the ground, and one class session would hold no more than 30 students.
Some teachers suspect such an activity will be a waste of university's limited land resources, but the director thinks otherwise, for the place can also be used for such sports as javelin or discus throw.
It is reported that currently Peking University is still discussing about fees to be charged for the after-class use of the golf links.What is the best heading of the news?
A.Golf in Peking University |
B.One Golf Course to be Built in Peking University |
C.Peking University to Teach Students Golf |
D.Come to Peking University to Play Golf |
What does the underlined word “suspect” mean in the sentence?
A.think | B.praise | C.hate | D.add |
We can learn from the news that _______.
A.all the teachers support the building of the Golf course |
B.the fees for the after-class use of the golf links has been set |
C.students of Peking University must attend the golf course |
D.there are only 30 students in one Golf class period |