Friendship is one of the basic bonds (纽带) between human beings. While the characteristics of friendship might vary from one country to another, people from all cultures not only enjoy friends but need them.
Many studies have shown that teenagers who have no friends often suffer from psychological disorders. It has been shown that teenagers, perhaps more than any other age group, need companionship and a sense of belonging. The negative consequences of loneliness have also been observed among the elderly. The death of a spouse often leaves a widow or a widower totally bereft (失去). If, however, they are surrounded by friends and relatives and if they are able to articulate(清楚表达) their feelings, they are more likely to recover from their grief.
“No man is an island.” In other words, we are all parts of society. We all need the love, admiration, respect and moral support of other people. If we are fortunate, our friends will provide us with all of these necessary aspects of life.
As most people observe, there are many levels of friendship. The degree or intensity of friendship varies depending on the personality of the individuals involved and the context of the relationships. Extroverts (性格外向者) enjoy being surrounded by many people whereas introverts(性格内向者)are perhaps content with fewer but more intense friendships.
Everyone is not equally open with all their friends. The degree of intimacy (密切) is determined by many factors. Close friends can be formed at any stage in one’s life but they are usually very rare. Not very many people have more than a few really close friends. Irrespective of the level of intimacy, all friendships are based on reciprocity(相互性), honesty and a certain amount of love and affection.The second paragraph implies that _____..
| A.teenagers without friends will suffer from psychological problems |
| B.a widow or a widower will die very soon without companionship |
| C.human beings need companionship and a sense of belonging |
| D.both A and B |
The degree of intimacy of friendship mainly depends on _____ .
| A.age | B.belonging | C.personality | D.culture |
The author thinks that close friends _____ .
| A.can be easily formed when one is young |
| B.cannot be long-lasting |
| C.are not rare for everyone |
| D.are rare for most people |
The word “irrespective”(Last sentence, Para. 5) means _____ .
| A.not respecting | B.dishonoring | C.regardless | D.Considering |
I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth suggested a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state-owned and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a better business strategy(策略), better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But there are so few well developed marketing and management minds that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, co-operation with institutions like Yale and MIT have been started . And then there’s the “thousand talent program”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization(现代化). It can attract top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about co-operation with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about offering a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?
| A.Because there is one group presenting a catering service. |
| B.Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains. |
| C.Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic. |
| D.Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness. |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A.China can make and sell any product all over the world |
| B.high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment |
| C.cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand |
| D.the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A.Look for a New Way of Learning. |
| B.Reward Creative Thinking. |
| C.How to Become a Creator. |
| D.Establish a technical Environment. |
People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word“mouth”.
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say“Do not bad mouth me. ”Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say:“I really put my foot in my mouth this time. ”If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something, the other person might protest,“I did not say that . Do not put words in my mouth. ”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person“Born with a silver spoon in his mouth. ”This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.
Parents might sometimes withhold(拒给)sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk, I have been running my mouth long enough.In what kind of situation will a person say“Do not bad mouth me. ”?
| A.When he feels down. | B.When he feels regretful. |
| C.When he is spoken ill of. | D.When he feels proud. |
If a person feels sorry for what he has said, he might say “_____”
| A.Do not bad mouth me. |
| B.I really put my foot in my mouth this time. |
| C.Do not put words in my mouth. |
| D.Stop mouthing off. |
If a person lives from hand to mouth, it implies _____ .
| A.he is badly-off | B.he is hard-working |
| C.he is well-off | D.he has enough to eat |
By saying“I have been running my mouth long enough.”, the speaker means “_____”
| A.I have run a long way. | B.I have been a mouthy person. |
| C.I have learned a lot. | D.I have talked too much. |
The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party. The time printed on the invitation was 7:30 pm.Jane went off with her husband, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and song.
By 9:45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were starving.But no one wanted to leave, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11:00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads. Jane and David left hungry and angry.
Their experience suggests that the words on the printed invitations need to be made clearer. Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently. Most of us would agree that 6:30 - 8:30 pm means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8:00 pm or 8:30 pm means possible dinner, but 9:30 pm and any time thereafter means no food, eat beforehand, arrive late.
But this is not always the case.If asked to a students’ party at 6:30 pm, it is unaccepted for guests to appear on time. Being the first to arrive — looking eager — is social death. When my mother is asked to a party at 6:30, she likes to be there, if not on time, then no later than seven.My age group (late thirties) falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we’re young, we’re probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.
The accepted custom at present is confusing, sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element of surprise.The underlined words “off their heads” probably mean _______.
| A.tired | B.crazy | C.happy | D.encouraging |
Jane and David’s story is used to show that _______.
| A.party invitations can be confusing |
| B.party-goers usually get hungry at parties |
| C.people should ask for food at parties |
| D.birthday parties for middle-aged people are dull |
For some young people, arriving on time for a students’ party will probably be considered _______.
| A.very difficult | B.particularly thoughtful |
| C.friendly and polite | D.socially unacceptable |
What is the general idea of the text?
| A.It’s safe to arrive late just when food is served. |
| B.It’s wise to eat something before going to a party. |
| C.It’s important to follow social rules of party-going. |
| D.There’s no need to read invitations carefully. |
The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life.I had my arms full of books and I was rushing into the classroom when 1 ran into something solid. It was Carlos.
"My... you're tall," he said. The whole class burst out laughing .
“Take that seat,” Mr. McCarthy told the cocky(骄傲自大的) newcomer Carlos,pointing to the only empty one , in the back of the room.
Carlos laughed widely. "But I need a couple of dictionaries."
The bell rang for classes. As I stood up to go, I saw Carlos coming toward me. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you," he said . I looked straight ahead over the top of his black hair. "That's all right."
"I ought to know better." He was still blocking my way. "What's your name?" "Karen Forbes." He held out his hand. Unwillingly, I shook hands with him. He looked up at me seriously with his brown eyes. " I am Carlos . I don't see why you're so touchy."
It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again. Carlos was voted vice-president.“How come ?”I kept asking myself, "How come this shrimp(虾)who’s only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?"
So on that morning,I stopped Carlos and said,“It doesn't seem to bother you — being short.” He looked up at me, "Of course I mind being short.But there isn’t anything I can do about it. When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself." "You seem to get along great,” I admitted, "But what about me? The trouble with you is you’re afraid to be yourself. You’re smart. And you could be pretty. In fact, you might be more than pretty.” I felt myself turning red…It is a story about a short boy who .
| A.won the school election | B.is ashamed of his height |
| C.has learned to accept his size | D.is embarrassed by his class |
From the text, we can see Carlos is .
| A.handsome and proud | B.humorous and confident |
| C.diligent but shy | D.honest but sensitive |
The underlined word "touchy" in paragraph 8 probably means .
| A.moved | B.cheerful | C.curious | D.annoyed |
According to the text, which is the most likely ending?
| A.The author didn’t want to make friends with Carlos |
| B.Carlos and the author argued with each other. |
| C.The author changed her attitude towards Carlos. |
| D.Carlos was elected president of the student committee. |
Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to sleep, tossing and turning (翻来覆去). Your mind is racing, going over everything that happened that day. Night noises keep you awake. What can you do? Here are some things you can do to help you to fall asleep.
Sleep only when sleepy
This reduces the time you are awake in bed.
If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something boring until you feel sleepy.
Don’t expose yourself to bright light while you are up. The light tells your brain that it is time to wake up.
Don’t take naps
This will ensure that you are tired at bedtime. If you just can’t make it through the day without a nap, sleep less than one hour, and take a nap before 3 p.m.
Get up and go to bed at the same time every day
Even on weekends! When your sleep cycle has a regular rhythm, you will feel better.
Regular exercise can help you sleep well, but the time to do exercise is important. Exercising in the morning or early afternoon will not interfere (干扰) with sleep.
Have a snack before bedtime
If your stomach is too empty, that can interfere with sleep. However, if you eat a heavy meal before bedtime, that can interfere as well. Have a warm glass of milk.
Take a hot bath 90 minutes before bedtime
A hot bath will raise your body temperature, but it is the drop in body temperature that may make you feel sleepy._______ can help you fall asleep at night.
| A.Reading an uninteresting story |
| B.Thinking over what happened during the day |
| C.Sitting quietly with the light on |
| D.Taking some exercise |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A.You should follow the routine even on weekends. |
| B.Go to bed right after you take a hot bath. |
| C.The time to take exercise is important. |
| D.Don’t take a long nap even though you are very sleepy. |
According to the passage, one had better not take naps _______.
| A.when they have many things to do |
| B.before 3 p.m |
| C.for over one hour |
| D.when they are tired |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A.A regular sleep cycle will make you feel better. |
| B.Taking exercise now and then can help you sleep well. |
| C.Have a little food when you feel very hungry before bedtime. |
| D.The drop in your body temperature makes you feel sleepy. |