Havingoneofthosedays—orweeks

Attitude isn’t quite everything when it comes to being successful, but attitude plays a part in every stage of your life. A poor attitude gets more people fired than any other single factor, and a good attitude gets people jobs and helps them keep those jobs more than any other factor.
Your attitude affects many people, from your family to the stranger on the street corner. Your attitude is particularly important when you face seemingly hopeless situations. Losing a job or friend because of a poor attitude is unfortunate.
You can find at least two ways to look at everything. A pessimist looks for difficulty in the opportunity, while an optimist looks for opportunity in the difficulty. A poet of long ago put the difference between optimism and pessimism this way: Two men looked out from prison bars – one saw mud; the other saw stars.
Unfortunately, many people look only at the problem and not at the opportunity that lies within the problem. Many employees complain about the difficulty of their jobs, for example, not realizing that if the job were simple, the employer would hire someone with less ability at a lower wage. A small coin can hide even the sun if you hold the coin close enough to your eye. So when you get too close to your problems, to think objectively about them, try to keep in mind how your vision can be obstructed. Take a step back, and look at the situation from a new angle.
You can’t do anything to change the fact that a problem exists, but you can do a great deal to find the opportunity within that problem. You’re guaranteed a better tomorrow by doing your best today and developing a plan of action for the tomorrows that lie ahead. Just remember to maintain a positive mental attitude.
45．What does the author mean by saying the first sentence in Paragraph 1?
A．If you have a good attitude, you will be successful.
B．Your attitude has nothing to do with your success.
C．Your attitude makes a great influence on your life.
D．Your success is very important to your life.
46．The author mentions the example of many employees in Paragraph 4 to tell people to ______.
A．look for problem in the opportunity
B．look for opportunity in the problem
C．ignore the problem
D．make their jobs easy to do
47．In Paragraph 3, the author shows us ______.
A．two ways to look at everything
B．the ways to look for opportunity
C．the ways to look out from prison bars
D．the definition of pessimist and optimist
48．The underlined word “obstructed” in the passage probably means ______.
A．improved B．shared C．changed D．blocked

The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all around you and that it proves down upon you．Air pressure is a wonderful force．When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body．The air all around you does the same．However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this．The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere．This layer surrounds the Earth, extending to about five kilometers above the Earth's surface．
The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home．But make sure that you are supervised, because you will need to use matches．
What you need
·A hard-boiled egg without the shell
·A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg
·A piece of paper
·A match
Method
1）Check that the paper will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle．
2）Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle．
3）Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle．
4）Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle．
Result
Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle．Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment．But be careful when you handle matches．
Why it happened
As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen （air）in the bottle．The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside．This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle．The air pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle．The outside air presses against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! That proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it．
72．Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment?
A．The bottle could break．
B．You need to light the paper with a match．
C．The egg needs to be shelled．
D．The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle．
73．In the experiment, the burning inside the bottle can__．
A．equalize the air pressure inside and outside
B．make a seal in the neck of the bottle
C．finish up the oxygen inside the bottle
D．produce more oxygen inside the bottle
74．How did the egg put into the bottle?
A．The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in．
B．It became salt without the shell．
C．The neck of the bottle was wide enough．
D．The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle．
75．The experiment is carried out to prove ____．
A．water pushes on your body when you swim underwater
B．the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere
C．the pressure of air around us has a powerful force
D．the air pressure is not equalized around us

Preparing for the Next Job Market
The latest spike in the unemployment rate is being felt across the board ?in 98 percent of metropolitan areas, in high-wage and low-wage jobs, among young and old, women and men, but especially men．
This landscape means that young Americans who are trying to plan their futures right now have some hard choices．Do they go to college and take on debt without hope of getting a job? And what about high school students? Do they have any chance of securing a job without a college degree? Perhaps the education system needs to react to this rapidly moving economic crisis．
In our current economic collapse, the connection between education and employment could not be more different than it was during the Depression．Education must now hold center stage, not because of an enemy abroad but because of the global economy．The jobs of the future will demand levels of education, particularly skills in mathematics, technology and science, which exceed those now taught in high school．
A healthy society should strive for full employment．In our times, that goal cannot be realized, or even approximated by creating jobs for the unskilled．The long-term prospect for economic recovery depends on the extent to which we improve our educational system．And this is where America is now at its weakest．
Our high schools produce graduates who do not write well enough, have limited reasoning skills and are unable to use the tools of mathematics．Their command of science is far inferior to that of their counterparts in other nations．And all too many young people drop out．We may still have the best university system, but it benefits only a minority．
We will need more engineers, scientists and service providers, particularly in the health professions, with a quality of education that cannot be obtained in the current system．Radical change, not reform, is called for．
What should be done? First, high school should be cut short and end when students are 16．Second, a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills that the economy needs should be created．Third, access to four-year colleges should be expanded, giving more Americans the chance to acquire the deep learning that makes breakthroughs in technology possible．Fourth, we need to recruit more public school teachers and train them better, particularly in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, so that our children can be prepared to compete．
68．Nowadays, students graduating from high school____．
A．write well enough
B．have limitless reasoning skills
C．can't use the tools of mathematics
D．command science as much as their counterparts in other nations
69．What should we do to improve the quality of education?
A．Students shouldn't study in high school until 16．
B．We should create a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills the economy needs．
C．We should limit access to four-year colleges．
D．We ought to recruit more private school teachers and train them better．
70．What does the word "collapse" in the third paragraph mean?
A．success B．failure C．development D．booming
71．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Young Americans planning their futures have difficult choices．
B．Education must hold center stage due to the global economy．
C．The best university system benefits a majority．
D．A health society should struggle for full employment．

Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually lasts only a few minutes or a few hours．This kind of loneliness is not serious．In fact, it is quite normal．For some people, though, loneliness can last for years．Now researchers say there are three different kinds of loneliness．
The first kind of loneliness is temporary．This is the most common type．It usually disappears quickly and does not need any special attention．
The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result of a certain situation, for example, a family problem, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place．Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year．
The third kind of loneliness is the most severe．Unlike the second type, chronic （长期的） loneliness usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause．People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and being close to others．Unfortunately, many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition．
Psychologists agree that one important factor in loneliness is a person's social contacts, such as friends, family members, co-workers, etc．We depend on various people for different reasons．For instance, our families give us emotional support, our parents and teachers give us guidance, and our friends share interests and activities．However, psychologists have found that, though lonely people have many social contacts, they sometimes feel they should have more．They question then" own popularity．
Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons: they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease．While temporary and situational loneliness can be a normal and healthy part of life, chronic loneliness can be a very sad and sometimes dangerous condition．
64．Which of the following can be the cause of situational loneliness?
A．Sleeplessness． B．Changing work．
C．Heart disease． D．Social contacts．
65．The underlined word "it" in the last sentence of the third paragraph refers to _____ ．
A．headaches B．situational loneliness
C．sleeplessness D．temporary loneliness
66．How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?
A．Just ignore it． B．Talk to friends．
C．Go to see a doctor． D．Ask your teachers for guidance．
67．What can we learn from the passage?
A．People feel lonely in a certain situation．
B．There are only three types of loneliness in our life．
C．Loneliness doesn't affect people much．
D．Scientists have found ways to help habitually lonely people．

I was born and raised in Hong Kong．For the past six years, I've been living in the United States．I work as a salesgirl in a large department store．Right now I'm going through a difficult period of my life which is hard for me to talk about．
A few months ago, I went to Hong Kong for a visit．It was the first time I'd gone back there since coming to the United States．I was eager to see my parents, my brothers, my sisters and my friends．
I really got a shock when I arrived．Hong Kong was not the same city as I left six years ago．Things had changed so much that I didn't recognize parts of it．My primary school was gone．The houses on the street where I used to live had been torn down and replaced by office buildings．
The shock from the physical changes in the city, however, was nothing compares to the confusion and hurt I soon began to feel in my parents' home．My family greeted warmly when I arrived．While my mother was busy preparing a special dinner in my honor, the rest of the family eagerly asked me questions about my life in the United States．I felt happy that day and for a couple of days after, but then I began to feel that something was wrong．I noticed that my family, especially my mother, would sometimes glance at me in a strange way when I was speaking．They gradually became less warm and friendly towards me, I became uncomfortable and confused as to why they were behaving that day．
I decided to talk to my mother．She asked me, "Have you forgotten your Chinese way?" I asked her what she meant．She asked, "You've forgotten the place of women in a Chinese home．You talk when you should remain silent．You speak on matters that of concern only to men．You speak openly of your inner feelings and desires．That's not the way of a Chinese woman．We keep our thoughts and feelings to ourselves．
60．"I was born and raised in Hong Kong．Here raise means______．
A．bring up B．stay C．become higher D．live
61．What shocked the author most during her visit in Hong Kong?
A．The physical changes in Hong Kong．
B．Her primary school didn't exist any longer．
C．She couldn't recognize parts of Hong Kong．
D．The confusion and hurt she experienced in her parents' home．
62．Why did the author's family become less warm and friendly towards her?
A．She had forgotten her role as a woman．
B．She didn't follow the Chinese custom about how a woman should behave at home．
C．She spoke of her inner feelings and desires directly．
D．She talked about matters that were not concerned with women．
63．The best title for this passage is _______．
A．My Trip in Hong Kong B．The Changes in Hong Kong
C．Caught Between Two Cultures D．The Chinese Way

A．Doing nothing about it	B．Exercising and enjoying music.
C．Writing down negative thoughts	D．Talking about it with neighbors.

A．It helps remove bad mood.	B．It brings us a new technique.
C．It is not complicated to do so.	D．It is an area to be easily controlled.

A．shows what happens around you	B．does not energize you
C．reminds you of eating and drinking	D．produces a calming effect

A．Energy Level and Stress	B．How to Beat a Bad Mood
C．Bad Mood and Our Life	D．How to Control Your Feeling