People often use gestures to express our feelings, but the problem is that the gestures can be understood in different ways.
It is true that a smile means the same thing in any language. So does laughter or crying. Fear is another emotion(情感) that is shown in much the same way all over the world. In Chinese and in English literature, a phrase like “he went pale and began to tremble” suggests that the man is either very afraid or he has just got a very big shock.
However, “he opened his eyes wide” is used to suggest anger in Chinese whereas in English it means surprise. In Chinese, surprise can be described in a phrase like “they stretched out their tongues!” “Stretching out your tongue” in English is an insulting(侮辱的, 无礼的)gesture or expresses strong dislike.
Even in the same culture, people differ in their ability to understand and express feelings. Experiments in America have shown that women are usually better than men at recognizing fear, anger, love and happiness on people’s faces. Other studies show that older people usually find it easier to understand body language than younger people do. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．We can easily understand what people’s gestures mean. |
| B．It is difficult to tell what people’s gestures really mean sometimes. |
| C．Gestures can be understood by most people but words are not. |
| D．Words can be better understood by older people. |
People’s facial expressions may be misunderstood in different cultures because ______ .
| A．people from different cultures have different meanings about some facial expressions |
| B．people speaking different languages have different facial expressions |
| C．people of different ages may have different interpretations (解释) |
| D．people of different sexes may understand a gesture differently |
From the passage, we can conclude(得出结论) that ______ .
| A．words are often more difficult to understand than gestures |
| B．gestures can be more effectively used than words to express feelings |
| C．gestures can be used to express feelings |
| D．gestures are used as frequently as words to express feelings |
The best title for this passage can be ______ .
| A．Gestures | B．Feelings |
| C．Culture and Understanding | D．Gestures and Feelings |
My family and I lived across the street from Southway Park since I was four years old. Then just last year the city put a chain link fence around the park and started bulldozing(用推土机推平)the trees and grass to make way for a new apartment complex. When I saw the fence and bulldozers, I asked myself，“Why don’t they just leave it alone？”
Looking back, I think what sentenced the park to oblivion(被遗忘)was the drought(旱灾)we had about four years ago. Up until then, Southway Park was a nice green park with plenty of trees and a public swimming pool. My friends and I rollerskated on the sidewalks, climbed the trees, and swam in the pool all the years I was growing up. The park was almost like my own yard. Then the summer I was fifteen the drought came and things changed.
There had been almost no rain at all that year. The city stopped watering the park grass. Within a few weeks I found myself living across the street from a huge brown desert. Leaves fell off the park trees, and pretty soon the trees started dying, too. Next, the park swimming pool was closed. The city cut down on the work force that kept the park, and pretty soon it just got too ugly and dirty to enjoy anymore.
As the drought lasted into the fall, the park got worse every month. The rubbish piled up or blew across the brown grass. Soon the only people in the park were beggars and other people down on their luck. People said drugs were being sold or traded there now. The park had gotten scary, and my mother told us kids not to go there anymore.
The drought finally ended and things seemed to get back to normal, that is, everything but the park. It had gotten into such bad shape that the city just let it stay that way. Then about six months ago I heard that the city was going to“redevelop”certain wornout areas of the city. It turned out that the city had planned to get rid of the park, sell the land and let someone build rows of apartment buildings on it.
The chainlink fencing and the bulldozers did their work. Now we live across the street from six rows of apartment buildings. Each of them is three units high and stretches a block in each direction. The neighborhood has changed without the park. The streets I used to play in are jammed with cars now. Things will never be the same again. Sometimes_I_wonder,_though,_what_changes_another_drought_would_make_in_the_way_things_are_today.How did the writer feel when he saw the fence and bulldozers?
| A．Scared. | B．Confused. |
| C．upset. | D．Curious. |
Why was the writer told not to go to the park by his mother?
| A．It was being rebuilt. |
| B．It was dangerous. |
| C．It became crowded. |
| D．It had turned into a desert. |
According to the writer, what eventually brought about the disappearance of the park?
| A．The drought. |
| B．The crime. |
| C．The beggars and the rubbish. |
| D．The decisions of the city. |
The last sentence of the passage implies that if another drought came，________.
| A．the situation would be much worse |
| B．people would have to desert their homes |
| C．the city would be fully prepared in advance |
| D．the city would have to redevelop the neighborhood |
This is a time of year when we think about giving and receiving presents. Can you find a little extra to give? On this page we suggest a few organizations you might like to help.
Littleton Children’s Home
We DON’T want your money, but children’s toys, books and clothes IN GOOD CONDITION would be very welcome.
Also, we are looking for friendly families who would take our children into their homes for a few hours or days as guests. You have so much ─will you share it?
Phone Sister Thomas on 55671
Children’s Hospice
We look after a small number of very sick children. This important work needs skill and love. We cannot continue without gifts or money to pay for more nursing staff. We also need storybooks and toys suitable for quiet games.
Please contact the Secretary, Little Children’s Hospice, Newby Road.
Street Food
In the winter weather, it’s no fun being homeless. It’s even worse if you’re hungry. We give hot food to at least fifty people every night. It’s hard work, but necessary. Can you come and help? If not, can you offer a little money? We use a very old kitchen, and we need some new saucepans(平底锅). Money for new ones would be most welcome indeed.
Contact Street Food, c/o Mary’s House, Elming Way. Littleton Phone 27713
Littleton Youth Club
Have you got an unwanted chair? ─a record-player?─a pot of paint ? Because we can use them!
We want to get to work on our meeting room!
Please phone 66231 and we’ll be happy to collect anything you can give us.
Thank you!
The Night Shelter
We offer a warm bed for the night to anyone who has nowhere to go. We rent the former Commercial Hotel on Green Street. Although it is not expensive, we never seem to have quite enough money. Can you let us have a few pounds? Any amount, however small, will be such a help.
Send it to us at 15, Green St, Littleton. Please make check payable to Night Shelter. What kind of people are these organizations designed for?
| A．Homeless and sick children |
| B．Less fortunate members of our society |
| C．Hungry people who have no beds to sleep in |
| D．Friendly members of our society to help others |
If you like children and you could offer a happy family to a homeless child, you may contact _____.
| A．Street Food | B．The Night Shelter |
| C．Littleton Children’s Home | D．Children’s Hospice |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．There are too many social problems in this society. |
| B．People are very poor during the time of giving. |
| C．To offer help is just an excuse for these organizations to collect money. |
| D．There are many organizations trying to solve social problems. |
The green turtle is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Under the U．S. Endangered Species Act of 1973, the green turtle was listed as threatened except for the breeding populations in Florida and on the Pacific coast of Mexico, where it is listed as endangered.
Green turtles continue to be caught for money by humans, and the destruction and loss of nesting and foraging(觅食)sites is a serious problem. Humans have already caused the decrease of large green turtle populations, including those that once nested in Bermuda and Cayman Islands. The situation of green turtle populations is difficult to determine because of our lack of knowledge about their life cycles. The number of nests in Florida appears to be increasing, but we don’t know whether this is due to an increase in the number of nests or because we have started to monitor(监控)nesting beaches more closely.
The green turtle is the largest hardshelled sea turtle. Adults of this species commonly reach 100 cm in length and 150 kg in mass. The average size of a female nesting in Florida is 101.5 cm straight in length, with an average body mass of 136 kg.
Growth rates of green turtles have not been measured under natural conditions. Green turtles grow slowly.
In the southern Bahamas, green turtles grow from 30 to 75 cm in 17 years, and according to Bjorndal and Bolten, growth rates decrease with increasing length. Growth rates measured in green turtles from Florida and Puerto Rico fall within the range of growth rates measured in the southern Bahamas. Based on growth rate studies of wild green turtles, the researchers Balazs, Frazer and Ehrhart estimate the age of sexual maturity(成熟)can range anywhere from 20 to 50 years.The main idea of the passage is to tell us________.
| A．something about an endangered animal |
| B．how green turtles got extinct |
| C．how heavy a green turtle is |
| D．how long a green turtle can live |
Which of the following is NOT a reason why green turtles are endangered?
| A．Humans catch them to get profit. |
| B．They lose their nests. |
| C．They have fewer places to find food. |
| D．People like to keep them as pets. |
According to the passage, the green turtle________.
| A．can reach 100 cm in length in 17 years |
| B．lives in the sea and grows very slowly |
| C．lives only in Florida and on the Pacific coast of Mexico |
| D．can grow from 30 to 75 cm in 17 years in southern Florida |
Why is it hard for us to know the number of green turtles?
| A．Because it is difficult for us to be close to them. |
| B．Because we have limited knowledge about them. |
| C．Because we haven’t measured their growth rates. |
| D．Because they grow too slowly. |
When I was three years old, my parents discovered I was totally deaf. But instead of sending me to a school for the deaf, they decided to “mainstream” me. All of my peers and teachers world have normal hearing.
I was the only deaf child at Blue Creel Elementary School. From almost the first day there, the other kids made fun of me mainly because of my hearing aid and the way I talked. And I also had difficulty with most of my school work.
When the other kids made fun of me, I was sure that I was a bad person. I saw myself as a boy who wasn’t smart enough to keep up with the class.
Mrs. Jordan, my 5th grade teacher, changed all of that with a simple three-word phrase.
One morning, she asked the class a question. I read her lips from my front-row seat and immediately raised my hand because I was sure I had the right answer. But when she called on me, I was afraid. Here was an opportunity to impress the powerful teacher and show her I was worthy of her love. Maybe even impress my classmates a little. I didn’t want to blow it. despite my fears, I took a deep breath and answered Mrs. Jordan’s question.
I will never forget what happened next. Mrs. Jordan enthusiastically slammed （跺动）her right foot on the floor and turned her tight hand around in full circle until it pointed directly at me. With sparking eyes and a wide smile she cried, “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”
For the first time in my young life, I was a star. I sat a little taller in my chair.
From that day forward, my grades and speech improved greatly. My popularity among my peers increased. It was all because Mrs. Jordan believed in me and wasn’t afraid to express it. “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”What does the underlined word “mainstream”(in Para 1) mean?
| A．Encourage a disabled child to live a normal life. |
| B．Include a disabled child in an ordinary class. |
| C．Treat a disabled child with respect. |
| D．Teach a disabled child at home. |
It can be inferred that when entering Blue Creek Elementary School, the writer.
| A．was not clever | B．could not focus on his study |
| C．lacked confidence | D．got along well with other kids |
When the writer answered Mrs. Jordan’s question, he.
| A．trembled with fear | B．stayed calm |
| C．was nervous | D．was excited |
From his experience, the writer may conclude that.
| A．the right words could change someone’s life |
| B．each of us has the courage to be great |
| C．all great heroes made mistakes |
| D．each day is a lucky day |
A team of US psychologists have found that talking to another person for ten minutes a day helps with memory.
"Socializing is just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in boosting memory and intellectual performance," Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, said in a statement.
In one investigation, they analyzed data on 3610 people, aged 24 to 96.
They found that the higher their level of social interaction (交流), the better their cognitive (认知的) functioning. Social interaction includes getting together or having phone chats with relatives, freinds and neighbors.
In another experiment, the researchers conducted lab tests on 76 college students, aged 18 to 21, to evaluate how social interactions and intellectual exercises affected the results of memory and mental performance tests.
The students were divided into three groups: the social interaction group had a discussion of a social issue for 10 minutes before taking the tests; the intellectual activities group completed three tasks (including a reading comprehension exercise and a crossword puzzle) before the tests; and a control group (对照组) watched a 10-minute clip (电源片段) of the Seinfeld television show.
"We found that short-term social interaction lasting for just 10 minutes improved participants’ intellectual performance as much as engaging in so-called ’intellectual’ activities for the same amount of time," Ybarra said.
The study was expected to be published in the February issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.The underlined word "boosting" in the second paragraph can be replaced by ______.
| A．improving | B．decreasing | C．preventing | D．training |
Which is not included in social interaction?
| A．Having a talk with a neighbor. | B．Attending a birthday party. |
| C．Watching TV at home alone. | D．Calling your classmates |
What’s the purpose of the experiment on 76 college students?
| A．To judge the effect of social interaction on memory and intelligence. |
| B．To find out what is real social interaction. |
| C．To learn how much time is needed for social interaction. |
| D．To show the function of people’s cognition. |
Which of the following questions may be asked in the social interaction group in the experiment?
| A．What does the author want to show us? |
| B．Do you like living in a big city or a small one? |
| C．Which word can be used to fill in the blank? |
| D．What is the main idea of the second paragraph? |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Intellectual exercises improve memory. |
| B．Different people have different ways of communication |
| C．Communicating with others keeps you healthy. |
| D．Social interaction makes you smart |