What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.
We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.
Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.
| A．bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding |
| B．pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking |
| C．great and important; common |
| D．hopeful and helpful; careless |
According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.
| A．a normal person; a funny person |
| B．a strong person; a weak person |
| C．a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person |
| D．a famous person; an ordinary person |
A person ________ is more likely to become a genius.
| A．whose parents are clever |
| B．often thinking about difficult problems |
| C．often helped by his parents and teachers |
| D．born with a good brain and putting it into active use |
It is better for parents ________.
| A．to praise and encourage their children more often |
| B．to be hard on their children |
| C．to leave their children alone with nothing to do |
| D．to give their children as much help as possible |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
| A．Parents play an important part in their children’s growth. |
| B．The less you use your mind the duller you may become. |
| C．Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live. |
| D．What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion. |
A new study warns that about thirty percent of the world’s people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
An American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It was more than three hundred and thirty-five million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or in the Middle East.
Population Action International researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three thousand million people lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have serious water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on the earth the same. Mr Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking water is not safe. Mr Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases such as cholera that are carried in water.
Lack of water also may result in more international conflict. Countries may have to fight for water in the future. Some countries, such as Syria, Sudan, Cambodia, and so on, now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability to improve their economies. This is because industries often need a large amount of water.
The Population Action International study gives several ways to solve the water problem. One way is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third is to use less water for agriculture. The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth.According to the report, how many countries will lack water by the year 2025?
| A．More than eighteen | B．About twenty-eight |
| C．Less than forty | D．At least forty-six |
____ million will lack water by the year 2025?
| A．335 | B．3,000 | C．3,305 | D．355 |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The amount of the water on earth will always stay the same. |
| B．The report gives three solutions to water problem. |
| C．M ost of the countries that lack water belong to the developing ones. |
| D．There’s only one long-term solution to solve the water problem, that is we must try our best to control the population growth. |
The passage mainly tells us that_____.
| A．water is very important for any people |
| B．PAI did a lot of study about water shortage |
| C．water shortage will be a serious problem facing us in the near future |
| D．controlling the population is the best way to solve the problem of water shortage |
The Elysee Palace in France enjoys equal popularity in the world with the Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, the Kremlin in Russia as well as the White House in the U. S. It is the residence of the president of the French Republic and the symbol of the supreme authority in France.
The Elysee palace, with an area of 11,000 square metres, is at the eastern end of the Champs Elysee in the city of Paris proper and backed by a large and peaceful garden of more than twenty thousand square metres. Its main building, quite handsome and graceful, is a two-story classical stone architecture of European style, and beside it are two side buildings facing each other and with an extensive rectangular courtyard in the middle. There are altogether 369 halls and rooms of different sizes.
The Elysee Palace, built in 1718, has a ling history of close to300 years to date. This house was at first a private residence of a count named d’Evreau, so it was called Hotel d’Evreau. It had later gone through many changes and its owners had been changed for many times, but all the residents in it were distinguished persons and high officials. The house was renamed Bonaparte Mansion when it was owned by Louis X V and Louis X VI successively when they acted as emperors. Napoleon I signed his act of abdication here when he had suffered defeat in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Nopoleon III moved in the Mansion in 1848 when he was elected president, and the house became a Royal Palace when he declared himself as emperor. The Third French Republic issued a decree in 1873, appointing officially the Elysee Palace as the residence president of the French Republic. Over the hundred years since then, almost all the president of the French Republic worked and lived there. Starting from 1989, the Elysee Palace is open to the public every year in September on the French Castles Day.The number of the buildings of the Elysee Palace is ______.
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
Why does the writer mention the Buckingham Palace?
| A．To tell us it’s very famous in the world |
| B．To tell us the Elysee Palace is as large as it. |
| C．To show that the Elysee Palace is also a symbolic building. |
| D．To show that it is also the living place of the president. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To tell us the long history of the Elyseee Palace. |
| B．To make an introduction of the Elysee Palace. |
| C．To show the political importance of the Elysee Palace. |
| D．To explain how the Elysee Palace became the residence of presidents. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The time when the Elyusee Palace is open to the public. |
| B．The reason why Napoleon I signed his act of abdication. |
| C．The time when the Elysee Palace became the residence of president of the French Republic. |
| D．The reason why there’s the French Castles Day. |
A student was one day taking a walk with his teacher. As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying in the path. They were a poor farmer’s, who was working in the nearby field.
The student turned to the teacher, saying:“we will hide his shoes, and hide ourselves behind those trees, and wait to see what he will do”
“My young friend,” answered the teacher, “we should never make fun of the poor. Why not put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch?” The student did so and they both hid themselves behind the trees. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes.
After putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes, and felt something hard. Then he bent down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Surprised, he looked at the coin, turned it around and looked at it again. He then looked around, but no person was seen. He put the money into his pocket, and continued to put on the other shoe. His surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.
He couldn’t control his feelings and fell to his knees, looked up to the sky and expressed his thanks. Then he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without food. He said the help would save them from dying.
The student there deeply moved, and his eyes filled tears.“ Now,” said the teacher, “are you not much happier than if you had hidden the shoes?”When the student saw the shoes, he wanted to____.
| A．steal them | B．find their owner |
| C．play a joke on the owner | D．give the owner some money |
According to the passage, the teacher is______.
| A．quiet and honest | B．kind and friendly |
| C．patient and clever | D．strict and careful |
When the farmer saw the second coin, he___.
| A．was very excited and grateful |
| B．was worried and looked up at the sky |
| C．was surprised and decided to find the owner |
| D．spoke of his difficulties and asked for more help |
At the end of the story, the student____.
| A．was very proud of himself | B．was very pleased with his life |
| C．felt very sorry about his first idea | D．felt sad for not taking his teacher’s advice |
Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don’t talk. Gestures are the “silent language” of every culture. We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say．It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.
In the United States，people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction．The handshake must be firm．If the handshake is weak，it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness．Friends may place a hand on the other’s arm or shoulder．Some people，usually women，greet a friend with a hug（拥抱）．
Space is important to Americans．When two people talk to each other，they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle，so they are not facing each other directly．Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close．They will move back to have their space．If Americans touch another person by accident，they say “Pardon me” or “Excuse me”．
Americans like to look at the other person in the eyes when they are talking．If you don’t do so，it means you are bored，hiding something，or are not interested．But when you stare at someone，it is not polite．
For Americans，thumbs-up means yes，very good，or well done．Thumbs-down means the opposite．To call a waiter，raise one hand to head level or above．To show you want the check，make a movement with your hands as if you are signing a piece of paper．It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger（食指）．Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them．
Learning a culture’s body language is sometimes confusing（使糊涂的）．If you don’t know what to do，the safest thing to do is to smile．From the first paragraph we can learn that ________．
| A．gestures don’t mean anything while talking |
| B．gestures can help us to express ourselves |
| C．we can learn a language well without body language |
| D．only American people can use gestures |
If you are introduced to a stranger from the USA，you should _______．
| A．greet him with a hug |
| B．place a hand on his shoulder |
| C．shake his hand firmly |
| D．shake his hand weakly |
In the United States，people often ________．
| A．show their friendship by touching each other |
| B．show their friendship by glancing at each other |
| C．say “Pardon me” to each other when they are talking |
| D．get uncomfortable when you stand close to them |
If you talk with an American friend，it’s polite to ________．
| A．look up and down at your friend |
| B．look at the other person in the eyes |
| C．hide your opinion |
| D．look at your watch now and then |
Throughout history, people have been interested in knowing how language first began, but no one knows exactly where or how this happened. However, we do know a lot about languages, the languages of today and also the languages of earlier times. There are probably about three thousand languages in the world today. Chinese is the language with the most speakers. English, Russian and Spanish are also spoken by many millions of people. On the other hand, some languages in the world have less than one hundred speakers.
There are several important families of languages in the world. For example, most of the languages of Europe are in one large family called Indo-European. The original (最初的) language of this family was spoken about 4,500 years ago. Many of the present day languages of Europe and India are modern forms of the language of 4,500 years ago.
Languages are always changing. The English of today is very different from the English of 500 years ago. In time some even die out completely. About 1,000 years ago English was a little -known relative of German spoken on one of the borders（边界）of Europe.
If a language has a lot of speakers or if it is very old, there may be differences in the way it is spoken in different areas. That is, the language may have several dialects. Chinese is a good example of dialect differences. Chinese has been spoken for thousands of years by many millions of speakers. The differences between the dialects of Chinese are so great that speakers of Chinese from some parts of China cannot understand speakers from other parts.The first paragraph mainly tells us that_______.
| A．most people in the world speak Chinese |
| B．there are thousands of languages in the world today |
| C．man has much knowledge about languages |
| D．some people know several languages |
Many European and Indian languages ______.
| A．will soon die out completely |
| B．were once a relative of English |
| C．are the same as before |
| D．come from the same family |
____ seems to have changed a lot
| A．Chinese | B．English | C．Spanish | D．German |
The best title of this passage is .
| A．English | B．Changes of English |
| C．Chinese | D．Knowledge of Language |