From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.
With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement. One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains, brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.Why is it that we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?
| A．No one has come to disturb you. |
| B．Everything is so quiet and calm around you. |
| C．The book you are reading is so interesting and attractive. |
| D．Your book is overdue; you are finishing it at a very fast speed. |
How would you account for the fact that people like their acquaintances in books even more?
| A．They resemble human friends exactly. |
| B．They are unfamiliar types we like. |
| C．They never desert us. |
| D．They never hurt our feelings. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Your wish to visit some far-off place can be realized through the pages of the books. |
| B．To escape from the dull realities of everyday life you should take up reading. |
| C．Books can always help you to live a colorful life. |
| D．You may obtain valuable experience from reading good books. |
The word “weary” means ______.
| A．“to attract someone’s attention” |
| B．“to distract someone’s attention” |
| C．“to make someone very tired” |
| D．“to make someone interested” |
“... the whole world is ours for the asking” implies that ____________.
| A．in books the world is more accessible to us |
| B．we can ask to go anywhere in the world |
| C．we can make a claim to everything in this world |
| D．we can make a round-the-world trip free of charge |
The best way of learning a language is by using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible.
Sometimes you will get your words mixed up and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor，you can always have a good laugh at the mistake you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to laugh at your mistakes. It’s much better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important rule for learning English is “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, everyone makes mistakes.”The most important thing in learning a language is ____.
| A．laughing | B．writing |
| C．remembering | D．practicing |
In learning English, you should ____.
| A．speak as quickly as you can |
| B．laugh as much as you can |
| C．use it as often as you can |
| D．write more than you read |
When you make a mistake you’d better ____.
| A．do the same thing again |
| B．ask others for help |
| C．have a sense of humor |
| D．run away |
When people laugh at your mistakes, you should ____.
| A．not be unhappy | B．be angry with them |
| C．be more careful | D．not speak English any more |
All students need to have good study habits. When you have good study habits, you learn things quickly. You also remember them easily.
Do you like to study in the living room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing, and you will learn better.
Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. A good desk light is important, too. You’ll feel tired easily if there is not enough light.When you have good study habits, you will ____.
| A．learn things quickly | B．remember things easily |
| C．think about one thing | D．both A and B |
The living-room is not a good place for study because it is too____.
| A．quiet | B．noisy | C．good | D．clean |
You’ll feel tired easily if the light is____.
| A．good | B．enough | C．bad | D．wonderful |
The best title for this passage is____.
| A．Study in the Bedroom | B．Good Study Habits |
| C．How to Study | D．Desk Light is Important |
I travel a lot, and I find out different "styles" of directions every time I ask "How can I get to the post office?"
Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don't have names; in Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile."
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it's about five minutes from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it?" They don't know.
It's true that a person doesn't know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, "Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don't know." People in Yucatan believe that "I don't know" is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place they usually________.
| A．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
| B．show him a map of the place |
| C．tell him the names of the streets |
| D．describe the place carefully |
What is the place where people measure distance in time?
| A．New York. | B．Kansas. |
| C．Los Angeles. | D．Iowa. |
People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________.
| A．so as to be polite | B．as a test |
| C．in order to save time | D．for fun |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It's useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
| B．It's important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
| C．People have similar understandings of politeness. |
| D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
Holidays
Holiday News
Vacancies(空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season.
The Snowdonia Centre
The Snowdonia Centre for young mountain climbers has a mountain climbing lesson. The beginners’ costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost. You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.
The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime
Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking, waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another. On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home. During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play. You will visit all the places most people only dream about — from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong. For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?
| A．Go to the Snowdonia Centre. |
| B．Choose the holiday in Devon. |
| C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008. |
| D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii. |
In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?
| A．It provides chances of family gatherings. |
| B．It provides customers with good food. |
| C．It offers comfortable rooms. |
| D．It offers a sports lesson. |
What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?
| A．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places. |
| B．You can have free meals on deck every day. |
| C．You will have chances to watch and act in a play. |
| D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking. |
It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smartphones become increasingly important assistants in their lives. As we rely too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities.
The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored in smartphone contacts, there's now no need to dial a number or look at it again. This is fine until you need to call someone for help, only to find your phone is not around.
And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because navigation apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can't use their smartphones, they get lost and anxious.
But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially inept(无能的)People often bury themselves in their smartphones. As we're too absent-minded by what's happening in the virtual(虚拟的)world, some of us have lost conversational skills and sometimes can't even distinguish whether a person is happy or not.
Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours' screen time every day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared.
The children made an average of 14.02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average.
Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents' numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores , which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products. The underlined sentence in the second paragraph implies that__________.
| A．you are unable to contact others without your smart phone |
| B．others are able to call you anytime and anywhere |
| C．others are unable to get in touch with you by smartphone |
| D．you are able to turn to others for help |
Overusing smartphones, people will probably_______ according to the passage.
| A．find their destination without difficulty |
| B．have no sense of numbers |
| C．weaken their senses of hearing and sight |
| D．lose face-to-face communication skills |
The passage mainly tells us that many people are__________.
| A．becoming no smarter than smartphones |
| B．benefiting from smartphones' intelligence |
| C．losing some basic abilities because of using samrtphones |
| D．trying hard to break away from smartphones’ intelligence |
The writer’s attitude towards electronic products is__________.
| A．supportive | B．sympathetic |
| C．critical | D．optimistic |