A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone may break my bon
es, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves – the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. But we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solves problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clea
n your room, join me in saying, “Good job!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motive others to do their best. Negative words destroy 
all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.The author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
| A．words will never hurt us at all |
| B．words have lasting effects on us |
| C．positive effects last longer than negative effects |
| D．negative words last longer than positive effects |
Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
A．Almost everybody has the habi t of talking to oneself. |
| B．It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone. |
| C．Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems. |
| D．Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health. |
The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _________.
| A．blame ourselves | B．punish ourselves | C．praise ourselves | D．talk to ourselves |
Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
| A．It is better to think twice before talking to others. |
| B．It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten. |
| C．Words always possess long positive effects. |
| D．Kind words are sometimes not needed at all. |
Sooner or later, most students are to take some form of English examinations. Often the more successful students are better prepared. However, sometimes students who do well have better test taking skills. These abilities really have nothing to do with understanding English better. They are skills that make taking the test easier, and therefore provide better results.
Here are some very important—and often ignored—guidelines to taking a test successfully.
Do not insist on completing each question before going to the next. This is extremely important. Remember one question may only be worth one point! You will become nervous when you fail to find out its answer, making you lose your concentration and leading to worse results. However, answering the questions you are sure you know results in your being more relaxed and feeling more confident.
Go through the test a second time working out the answers to more difficult questions. Sometimes questions asked are answered in later questions asking for different things.
Usually(but not always) a strong first impulse(冲动) means we know the answer and we don’t really have to think about it too much. Going back to think about it usually makes you unsure and often causes a mistake. This is very common, so be very careful!
If you don’t know the answer, write something. If you are answering a 4 possibility multiple choice question you will still have a 25% chance of being correct!
Taking a test is as much for you as is for your teacher, so never cheat. If you cheat, you don’t help yourself in the long run.In the first paragraph, the writer stresses the importance of ______.
| A．better preparations for exams. |
| B．better understanding of English. |
| C．better skills at taking exams. |
| D．better results of taking exams. |
When taking an exam, you are advised ______.
| A．to first answer the questions which are easier to you. |
| B．to depend on your first impulse to answer the questions. |
| C．to search the test paper for all the answers to the questions. |
| D．to give up the questions whose answers you don’t know. |
It is common that many students______.
| A．pay much attention to their testing skills. |
| B．often give up a difficult test halfway. |
| C．often get higher results by cheating. |
| D．don’t believe in their first impulse. |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Effective Studying Methods. | B．Effective Test Taking Skills. |
| C．Getting Better Exam Results. | D．Being Successful Students. |
Perfect Disaster
All around us buildings shook. We decided to leave the town. We stopped once we had left the buildings behind us. The carts were moving in opposite directions, though the ground was perfectly flat, and they wouldn't stay in place even with their wheels blocked by stones.
In addition, it seemed as though the sea was being sucked(吸) backwards, as if it were being pushed back by the shaking of the land. Certainly the shoreline moved outwards, and many sea animals were left on dry sand.
Behind us were frightening dark clouds that opened up to show fire—like lightning, but bigger. Not long after that the clouds reached down to the ground and covered the sea. Now came the dust, though still thin. I looked back. A dense cloud appeared behind us, following us like a flood pouring across the land. Then a darkness came that was not like a moonless or cloudy night, but more like being in a closed and unlighted room. You could hear women and children crying, men shouting. Some were calling for parents, others for children; they could only recognize them by their voices.
Darkness and ashes came again, a great weight of them. We stood up and shook the ash off again and again; otherwise we would have been covered with it and crushed by the weight.
At last the cloud became thinner and thinner until it was no more than smoke or fog. Soon there was real daylight. The sight that met our still terrified eyes was a changed world, buried in ash like snow.
―from Pliny's letter to a friendPliny left the town after _____.
| A．the eruption | B．the sky became dark |
| C．the buildings began shaking | D．the sea went back |
The carts wouldn't stay still because _____.
| A．the earth was shaking |
| B．the sea sucked them backwards |
| C．the wheels had stones under them |
| D．the lightening frightened the horses |
The reason why it was dark is that _____.
| A．it was very late at night | B．clouds of ash covered the sun |
| C．there was a very bad storm | D．there was no moon that night |
People tried to find their relations by calling out their names and.
| A．listening to their voices | B．running about looking for them |
| C．shaking the ash off people | D．watching people as they ran past |
We often hear people talking about a generation gap (代沟). The name is new, but the idea is old. Young people and their parents don’t understand each other. The world has always kept changing. During the second century after Christ a wise man said, “Bury me on my face because in a little while everything will be turned upside down.”
There has always been a gap between generations, but more people talk about it now. Old Mr. Ellis thinks he understands what has happened.
“When I was a boy, I thought the world was a beautiful place. My life was very pleasant. But when I was older, I learned about people who were treated badly, people who didn’t have enough to eat. I wanted to help them, and I married a girl who wanted to help them, too. We went to meetings and talked a lot, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. ”
“Our children grew up in a world at war. They didn’t know when the fighting would stop. They wanted their children to have nice clothes and toys. They didn’t want to think about the future. They thought nothing could be done about it.”
“Now I have grandchildren, and they have their own ideas. They are trying to make the world better. They are trying to help other people. They’re making people listen to them. I am proud of their generation.”The wise man mentioned in the text told people to bury him on his face so that when everything is turned upside down he will _____.
| A．lie on his back | B．lie on his stomach | C．stand quietly | D．sit in peace |
Which generation did NOT want to do anything to make the world a better one?
| A．Mr. Ellis’ generation | B．His grandchildren’s generation |
| C．His children’s generation | D．None of the above. |
Which generation is/was more efficient in making the world better one?
| A．Mr. Ellis’ generation. | B．His children’s generation. |
| C．His grandchildren’s generation. | D．None of the above. |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the generation gap?
| A．Unacceptable. | B．Awful. | C．Funny. | D．Objective |
One Friday morning, Andrew announced to his wife that he finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt worried --- what if Mr. Larchmont refuses to grant his request? Andrew had worked so hard and of course, he deserves a wage increase.
The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak in the knees. Late in the afternoon he finally mustered up the courage to approach his superior. To his delight and surprise, the ever-frugal Harvey Larchmont agreed to give him a raise!
Andrew arrived home to a beautiful table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina had prepared a fine meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he figured someone from the office might have broken the good news to her!
Next to his plate Andrew found a lettered note, reading: "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 Tina was.
After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen when he observed a second card had slipped out of Tina's pocket onto the floor. He picked it up. He read: "Don't worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you even though you did not get the increase."
Suddenly tears swelled in Andrew's eyes. Total acceptance! Tina's support for him was not conditional upon his success at work.
The fear of rejection is often softened when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure. Why was Andrew worried about asking for a salary raise?
| A．He was afraid of being turned down. |
| B．He didn’t think he ought to get a raise. |
| C．He wife didn’t support him in this. |
| D．His superior had refused him once. |
What does the underlined word “muster” in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．To gather something. |
| B．To make use of something . |
| C．To create something. |
| D．To consume something |
Andrew felt ______ when he discovered the truth.
| A．angry | B．disappointed | C．relaxed | D．moved |
Tina prepared a good meal, _________.
| A．because she knew her husband would make it |
| B．because she wanted to comfort her husband |
| C．but she didn’t know what the result would be |
| D．and she wrote a letter to her husband. |
Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school. His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do all for him. They call him at six in the morning, after breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon, as soon as the young man comes back, the supper is ready. Of course, he never washes his clothes or goes to buy something in the shops.
Once Harry’s father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. Leaving, he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up earlier and did all her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldn’t do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. Even he didn’t know where to get on the bus!
Yesterday Harry’s mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a new pair in the shop. But he didn’t know how to choose. The woman had a sigh(叹息) and gave him a shoe pattern(鞋样) and told him to buy a pair of shoes himself. It’s Saturday today and Harry doesn’t go to school. With a policeman’s help, he found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, “What’s the matter, young man?”
“I’m sorry, I’ve left the shoe pattern at home!”_______ always does some housework in the morning.
| A．Harry’s mother | B．Harry’s father | C．Harry | D．Nobody |
Harry’s parents do all instead of him because _______.
| A．he’s too young |
| B．he has poor health |
| C．they hope he spends all time on studies |
| D．he’s busy with his studies |
The woman had to look after her son by herself because _______.
| A．she was stronger than her husband |
| B．her husband wasn’t at home |
| C．she knew the young man well |
| D．she was freer than her husband |