People often talk as if shyness is a disease or mental condition that can be cured. I prefer to think of it as an emotional disability. It’s something we are born with and something we carry with us in our entire lives. There are too many people, however, who seem to be determined to find some way of doing away with their shyness. In my opinion, it’s a waste of time. I don’t mean that we should do nothing about it; quite the contrary, I think we need to separate the basic fact of shyness from our ability to take part in a social environment.
Look at one of the most famous shy people of them all, Johnny Carson. This man is painfully shy, yet for decades he made a living talking and associating with different people every night, in front of a national audience. Carson has never done away with his shyness, but he has successfully found a way to deal with it to the extent that he could be, not just a talk show host, but a legend (传奇) among talk show hosts. Look also at Sally Fields, who has recently admitted her problem with shyness. This is a woman who has appeared in many films, TV shows and interviews, yet in her early years she was so shy that she turned down a lunch invitation from Jane Fonda because she was terribly afraid of meeting her.
I guess that our shyness is there because each of us is born with some insecurity (不安全感) and this insecurity prevents us from reading out to others the way people with a more open personality do. As we grow up and become adults, we allow our social skills to grow and develop. But we are still stuck in kindergarten or elementary school or wherever it was when our shyness took root in our soul.. In the author’s view, shyness can be explained as _________.
| A．a disease that can be easily cured |
| B．a not very normal mental condition |
| C．an emotional disability |
| D．something we pick up after birth |
. The author believes it’s a waste of time to ____________
| A．develop a healthy personality |
| B．talk with as many people as possible |
| C．study where shyness comes from |
| D．look for ways to do away with one’s shyness |
. Which of the following is TRUE of Johnny Carson?
| A．He dared to speak in front of a national audience. |
| B．He did away with his shyness carefully. |
| C．He was described as a hero in some legend books. |
| D．He failed to become a good talk show host. |
. The author thinks that our shyness is there because _______
| A．we are not open enough |
| B．we don’t feel safe at heart |
| C．we try to reach out to others all the time |
| D．we lack certain social skills |
A man accused of failing to return more than 700 children’s books to five different libraries in the county was released from prison after a book publisher agreed to post his bond（保释金）of $1,000．The publisher said．“There’s a story here．This is a man who loves books．He just can’t let go of them．He hasn’t stolen a single book．So what’s the crime ? We think that Mr．Banish has story to tell．We plan to publish his story．”
When asked why he didn’t return the books, Mr．Banish said，”Well，how could I? They became family to me．I was afraid to return them，because I knew that kids or dogs would get hold of these books and chew them up，throw them around，tear the pages，spill soda on them，get jelly﹙糊状物﹚ on them，and drown them in the toilet．
He continued，“Books are people，too! They talk to you，they take care of you，and they enrich you with wisdom，humor and love．A book is a guest in my home．How could I kick it out? I repaired tor n﹙撕破的﹚ pages．I dusted them with a soft clean cloth．I turned their pages so they could breathe and get some fresh air．”
“Every week I reorganized them on their shelves so they could meet new friends，My books were HAPPY books．You could tell just by looking at them．Now they’re all back in the libraries，on the lower shelves，on the floors，at the mercy of all those runny-nosed kids I can hear them calling me．I need to rescue them．Excuse me．I have to go now．”Why was the man put into prison?
| A．Because the book publisher persuaded the police to do so． |
| B．Because he stole 700 children’s books from the five different libraries． |
| C．Because he refused to return the books that he had borrowed． |
| D．Because he wanted to publish his story． |
From the passage we can learn that the man is
| A．a thief | B．a writer | C．crazy about books | D．unfortunate |
What might happen after the man was set free?
| A．He might stop borrowing books． |
| B．He might start a library of his own． |
| C．He might go on borrowing books from libraries． |
| D．He might return all his books． |
What is mainly talked about in this passage?
| A．A funny thief who loves stealing books． |
| B．A person who refuses to return borrowed books and wants to look after them． |
| C．A person who is crazy about books so he keeps stealing them from the library． |
| D．A person who may have some mental problems |
Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids (孩子) to? Try some of these places
★Visit art museums. They offer a variety of activities to excite your kids' interest. Many offer workshops for making hand-made pieces, traveling exhibits, book signings by children's favorite writer, and even musical performances and other arts.
★Head to a natural history museum. This is where kids can discover the past from dinosaur(恐龙) models to rock collections and pictures of stars in the sky. Also, ask what kind of workshops and educational programs are prepared for kids and any special events that are coming up.
★Go to a Youtheater. Look for one in your area offering plays for child and family visitors. Pre-show play shops are conducted by area artists and educators where kids can discover the secret about performing arts. Puppet(木偶)making and stage make-up are just a couple of the special offerings you might find.
★Try hands-on﹙动手﹚ science. Visit one of the many hands-on science museums around the country. These science play-lands are great fun for kids and grown-ups alike. They'll keep your child mentally and physically active the whole day through while pushing buttons, experimenting, and building. When everyone is tired, enjoy a fun family science show, commonly found in these museums. If a child is interested in the universe, he probably will visit
| A．a Youtheater | B．an art museum |
| C．a natural history museum | D．a hands-on science museum |
What can kids do at a Youtheater?
| A．Look at rock collections. | B．See dinosaur models. |
| C．Watch puppet(木偶) making. | D．Give performances. |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A science textbook. | B．A tourist map. |
| C．A museum guide. | D．A news report. |
One very cold day，a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood，I quickly set out with my best friend，Bruce，to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along with. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of danger.
When I chose a big tree about 23 meters tall and prepared to cut it down，my best friend suddenly warned me，“Don’t cut down that tree！It’s too close to the power line！﹙电线﹚”I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell，there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line，bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all，electricity can’t travel through wood，so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree，pain ran up my arm and through my head. I was shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what had happened，she quickly called the power company. The workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree，and when I told him I had，his face turned pale.
“You should have been killed，” he said.
So why am I still alive？It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours，the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.
Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt，my mother was still serious. After all，I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.
Through this experience，I learn it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the “shock” of my life.The underlined word “disregard” in the second paragraph means “________”．
| A．pay no attention to | B．take notice of | C．consider | D．follow |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．But for his boots，the author would have died. |
| B．The author regretted having brushed off his friend’s warning. |
| C．The author knew nothing about electricity. |
| D．When the tree was cut down，the author realized his friend was right. |
The underlined part “the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother” means “________”．
| A．my mother was still angry with me for not listening to my friend’s warning |
| B．my mother was still in fear of the terrible accident |
| C．my mother was still comforting me |
| D．my mother was still worried about my safety |
The author wrote the passage mainly to________.
| A．give an account of one of his terrible experiences |
| B．make us know it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective through his experience |
| C．tell us not to cut trees down any more |
| D．remind us to be careful while we are working |
China has become Volvo's third largest market, with more of its car models to go on sale in the world's largest auto（汽车） market this year, Chief Executive Office (CEO) of Volvo Cars China said in Tianjin.
Alexander Klose, CEO of Volvo Cars China, told Xinhua at the Ninth Tianjin International Automobile Trade Show, being held from Friday to Wednesday.
Klose said Volvo Cars had entered a new time of fast development, adding that its sales volume in China roared in 2010.
Up to the end of September, Volvo's global sales volume was up 12.5 percent year on year（同年比）, compared with 52 percent year-on-year rise in China, he said.
Two new Volvo sales centers opened in Beijing within merely one week in early October, about two months after east China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co acquired（购得）the Swedish brand from the US auto giant Ford for $1.5 billion in early August.
Klose said he was confident of seeing tremendous(巨大的) growth in China's auto market in the next five years. "As the Chinese government has increased the tax rate for large displacement （排量）cars already, we now have a lot of cars below three liters（升）, and I think we'll stick to that strategy, as you can see now the XC60 which was introduced today is just two liters," he said.
"As the technology advances, we'll probably even see 1.6 liter engines or 1.5 liter engines in the future," he added.
Volvo Cars is not the only automaker hoping to take advantage of China's rapidly growing auto market.
Bentley, the famous British luxury（豪华） carmaker, will open a new sales center in China at Tianjin Thursday, which is the 11th one in China, according to a press release（新闻发布） by Shanghai-based Zenith Integrated Communications Corp (Zenith) Saturday at the auto show.
Zenth is the public relations agent of Bentley in China. The automaker has sold 421 limousines（大型豪华轿车） to China in 2009, and the goal for 2010 is 777, the release said.The word underlined in the third paragraph would probably be___.
| A．shouted loudly | B．increased in large numbers |
| C．reduced rapidly | D．burned brightly |
From this passage we can infer that ___.
| A．The Ninth Tianjin International Automobile Trade Show was held from Friday to Wednesday. |
| B．Volvo Cars is a world-famous carmaker in Britain. |
| C．Of all the auto sales volume Volvo sales volume is only number one in China |
| D．Volvo sales centers are developing very fast in China recently |
The text is mainly about____.
| A．China Becomes Volvo's 3rd largest market |
| B．Volvo Cars in China |
| C．Volvo Sales Volume in China |
| D．Carmakers in China |
How many carmakers are mentioned in this passage which opened and will open new sales centers in China recently?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
When we look at the sky and see a bright light moving quickly across it or coming towards the earth, we talk about seeing a “shooting star” or a “falling star”. These moving lights are not, in fact, stars at all. They are small pieces of matter from outer space, which burn up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. The correct name of them is meteoroids. Any pieces that make it to the Earth’s surface without completely burning up are known as meteorites. A meteor is actually the name given to the light we see when a meteoroid is burning up.
When a meteorite hits the Earth at speeds between 11 and 72 kilometers a second, it can do amazing damage. A very large meteorite could knock the earth out of its orbit. If this happened, all life on Earth would probably become extinct（灭绝）. The path we follow around the Sun would change and as a result the Earth would become either much hotter or much colder. This change in temperature would affect sea levels and the amount of water in rivers. There would either be huge floods, which would cover most of the land with water, or the oceans would dry up and there would be a drought, which means a long period of time without rain. Either way, nothing could survive. If a large meteorite landed in the sea it would almost certainly cause tsunamis, which would race towards the land, destroying everything in their paths.
Although it is unlikely the Earth will be struck by a meteorite large enough to do that kind of damage, there is evidence of fairly large meteorites hitting the Earth in the past. In 1908 a large area of forest in Tunguska, Siberia was destroyed by a meteorite that came apart just before it hit the ground. The moon, however, has about three billion craters陨石坑caused by meteorites impacting影响 its surface. The reason more meteorites have reached the surface of the moon than the surface of the Earth is that the moon does not have enough atmosphere for the meteorites to burn up in. some of the meteorites that have reached the Earth’s surface have done considerable damage. Some scientists believe it was a change of climate caused by meteorites hitting the Earth that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs and other large prehistoric animals.
Scientists are especially interested in meteorites because they contain information about the solar system. It is widely believed by scientists that most meteorites are produced by collisions（碰撞） between asteroids (small planets). These collisions probably happened many billions of years ago. This means the physical and chemical structure of a meteorite can give scientists information about the early days of the universe.The story is about ___.
| A．floods caused by meteors |
| B．matter from outer space |
| C．life on Earth millions of years ago |
| D．meteorites that have damaged the moon |
The Earth has ___.
| A．three billion craters |
| B．fewer craters than the moon |
| C．more craters than the moon |
| D．a thinner atmosphere than the moon |
Some scientists believe the dinosaurs became extinct because ___.
| A．they were hit by meteors |
| B．meteorites landed on their nests |
| C．meteorites landed and changed the climate |
| D．they could no longer breathe the atmosphere |
Meteors are ___.
| A．small planets |
| B．the same as asteroids |
| C．from broken parts of asteroids |
| D．the light we see when meteoroids hit our atmosphere |