In February 2006, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada. The sound of children shouting made her turn around. To her horror, Lydia saw a 700-pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son. Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away. She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could. A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear. But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children’s lives. A local policeman described it this way: “… I guess when your back is up against the wall, … we come up with super-human strength.”
Where does this “super-human strength”, courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action. These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it.
When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects. Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful. In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel.
Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline(肾上腺素) which in turn increases our energy and excitement. The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more. This is why some people say they work better under a deadline.
Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to increase and strengthen our abilities instead of weakening them. We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit. Stress can also make us more confident. Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future. Who knows? Today’s stress may even prepare for the next polar bear that comes along!In the first paragraph, the case of Lydia Angyiou is mentioned to______.
| A．introduce the topic to be followed |
| B．remind us of the unexpected danger of life |
| C．praise Lydia Angyiou for her bravery |
| D．show the importance of super-human strength |
What does the policeman probably mean by saying “your back is up against the wall”?
| A．You are helped. | B．You are inspired. |
| C． You are confident. | D．You are cornered. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Brave Mother | B．The Cause of Stress |
| C．The Benefit of Stress | D．Super-human Strength |
A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself, and your other writing. It can unshroud your knowledge, and create an ongoing relationship with your readers. A good blog is more than just a marketing tool; it’s also an expression of your personality.
An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more. Post selections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak. If you write nonfiction (写实文学), show people what they could achieve, and give them a few steps to get them started.
Give tips, information and advice about the subjects you cover. For example, something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this. Your writing tips can also be included, as well as interesting, strange or funny things you discovered during your research. Whenever you contact an expert, ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use. You may also give background information about your stories and the locations.
Give details of coming posts on your blog, so people can watch out for you, or come and meet you. Personal news will help people feel better connected to you. Include photos of objects and locations in your writing, famous people you meet, the views from your window, and your favorite things—with a note about where they came from and what they mean to you. Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better, know the subject better, or anything else you think they might find useful, inspiring or entertaining.
If you only occasionally post things on your blog, people have a tendency to forget you. As a writer you shouldn’t ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with—and your readers will love you for it.Which is the best title for the text?
| A．What to Blog about | B．How to Start a Blog |
| C．Why to Launch a Blog | D．How to Make Website Attractive |
The underlined word “unshroud” in the first paragraph means ________.
| A．hold out | B．turn up |
| C．show off | D．put down |
You’d better blog about ________.
| A．the difficulties of your position to readers |
| B．the entertaining stories you have |
| C．advice about your readers’ subjects |
| D．masterpieces from famous writers |
What does the author suggest for keeping a blog?
| A．Posting things on your blog once in a while. |
| B．Adding new stories to it every day. |
| C．Filling it with attractive things frequently. |
| D．Loving it as your life. |
When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence.
People naturally have different levels of confidence. Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals. Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals.
One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace. We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise. This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities. After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?
Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success. If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors, will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do.
Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job. If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing. After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team.
Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve. Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The influence of confidence on one’s life. |
| B．The importance of confidence to success. |
| C．The difference of people’s confidence. |
| D．The judgment on one’s confidence. |
Psychologists and other professionals can offer help to those _____.
| A．who think their goals are hard to reach |
| B．who expect to give guidance to others |
| C．who want to ask the boss for a raise |
| D．who dream to be recognized experts |
What does the underlined word “indispensable” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
| A．important | B．attractive | C．outspoken | D．energetic |
What message does the author want to express in the last paragraph?
| A．To overlook one’s disadvantages. |
| B．To make full use of one’s advantages. |
| C．To have great confidence in one’s abilities. |
| D．To make objective evaluations of one’s abilities. |
In November of 2007, NBC Universal launched its first official Green Week. Throughout the week, NBC Universal presented over 150 hours of environmentally themed content through multiple platforms (平台).
Now, NBC Universal is proud to present Green Week 2012. With a new theme and message of “Green Your Routine”, NBC and NBC.com presents green-themed tips in several of our daytime life, among several other features here on the “Green Your Routine” site.
Fashion & Beauty
Throw a clothes exchange party! Are you dying for that sweater your friend wore the other day? Well, maybe she’ll trade for that old T-shirt you have. Here’s a website that helps you organize an exchange party (www.swapstyle.com), or just plan your own!
Go natural with organic make-up. Applying unnatural products on your skin wasn’t exactly that nature intended. Try switching to a line of organic make-up and cosmetics for a different way to bring out your natural beauty.
Home
Drop a brick in your toilet tank! Literally! According to the EPA, flushing (冲洗) makes up 30 percent of a household’s water use (about three to six gallons per flush). By placing a brick in your toilet tank, you can help to conserve the amount of water used during each flush.
Work
Print smarter. Printing and copying can be one of the most costly operations in any office. To save on ink and paper costs, print double-sided and try to fit more than one page on a sheet. More printing tips can be found here: lifehacker.com
Turn off your computer. Do you leave your computer on over night? If so, you’re using up a good amount of electricity. If you can, try turning off your computer and the power strip it’s connected to. If you can’t, shut off your monitor at least.
Transportation
Organize a car pool (拼车). There are many benefits to carpooling. You save on gas and you get to ride in the HOV lines. Get connected with your neighbors and co-workers to start sharing rides and check out this website for more tips: www.erideshare.com.
Lose the car and get a bike. If you live close to where you work, try taking a bike instead of driving. You’ll keep in shape and save on gas!
Every small step and efforts makes a difference! Be sure to GREEN YOUR ROUTINE!NBC Universal holds Green Week activities ________.
| A．in a university | B．in a park |
| C．in an office | D．on the Internet |
This year, Green Week welcomes________.
| A．advice on how to improve the website |
| B．suggestions about how to make their activities more interesting |
| C．tips on what to do to make our life greener |
| D．opinions on whether we should have campaigns |
Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?.
| A．Never use make-up and cosmetics any more. |
| B．Putting a brick in the toilet tank can help flash quickly. |
| C．Printing double-sided can save paper costs. |
| D．You’ll keep fit through carpooling. |
The passage is mainly intended to _______.
| A．call on readers to be environmentally friendly and present some good tips |
| B．tell readers to be environmentally friendly while travelling |
| C．persuade readers to ride bicycles when travelling |
| D．inform readers of measures to improve our environment |
It was the summer of 1965. DeLuca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked DeLuca about his plans for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” DeLuca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘You should open a sandwich shop.’ ”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners, and they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $1000. DeLuca rented a storefront(店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1000.
But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. DeLuca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
DeLuca was managing the store and going to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We persuaded ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful; we are opening a second store.’ ” And they did—in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, DeLuca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their suppliers(供应商). “It probably took my two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary, but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out.” DeLuca says.
And having a goal was also important, “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” DeLuca adds.
DeLuca ended up founding Subway Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain.DeLuca opened the first sandwich shop in order to__________.
| A．support his family |
| B．pay for his college education |
| C．help his partner expand business |
| D．do some research |
Which of the following is true of Buck?
| A．He put money into the sandwich business. |
| B．He was a professor of business administration. |
| C．He was studying at University of Bridgeport. |
| D．He rented a storefront for DeLuca. |
What can we learn about their first shop?
| A．It stood at an unfavorable place. |
| B．It lowered the price to promote the sales. |
| C．It made no profits. |
| D．It lacked control over the quality of sandwiches. |
They decided to open a second store because they_______.
| A．had enough money to do it |
| B．had succeeded in their business |
| C．wished to meet the increasing demand of customers |
| D．wanted to make believe that they were successful |
Farmers can produce more by planting several different crops in the same field.But their success depends on which crops they plant together and how they mix (混合) them in the filed.In the past, the only way the farmers could learn which crops grow best together is to plant them and wait for the results.Now, however, a computer can give them answers.A new computer program written by Dr John Vanderwell of Michigan University can tell a farmer which plants grow well together and which do not.It can tell him how to plant the different crops; if he should plant each in a separate row, or mix the crops in the same row.It can tell the farmer how changes in planting each of the crops will affect the production of all of them.And it can tell him which plants can help reduce losses (损失) from diseases.Which of the following best gives the main idea of the passage?
| A．Computer helps find the best program for mixing plants. |
| B．Computer helps produce more crops. |
| C．Computer helps protect against insects and diseases. |
| D．Computer helps grow different plants. |
According to the passage, to get the best result, one needs to choose carefully ________.
| A．the kinds of crops to be planted together |
| B．the way for different crops to be mixed |
| C．both A and B |
| D．either A or B |
It seems the new computer program can NOT tell us ________.
| A．whether we should grow cotton and tomato together |
| B．how we should plant cotton and tomato together |
| C．what will happen if we grow potato, instead of tomato, together with cotton |
| D．how we can grow rice in the tomato field |
The new computer program seems most useful in saving us ________.
| A．man power | B．seeds | C．time | D．land |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Computers can tell farmers how many plants can grow together. |
| B．With the help of computers farmers don't have to do a lot of work. |
| C．With the help of computers farmers can get better results. |
| D．The change of one plant may cause a change in production. |