Mini Book Excerpts（节选）
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it… The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J. D. Salinger：A Life by Kenneth Slawenski（Random House,$27）Mystery（疑案小说）
“You’re a smart boy. Benny’s death was no accident, and you’re the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it ? ”The boy was staring stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Ammika,“ Did you …You recognized the man in the car, didn’t you?”
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers,“ Maybe,” he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund（Atria Books, $25. 99）
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class：Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give ,and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers, some who they don’t want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won’t. Some mothers love so their daughters won’t.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna （Riverhead Books,$15）
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times!’s “amusement cycling”is the most fun you can have, legally, in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half to that within a day’s drive of most cities?
Happy And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle（Ecco,$14. 99）. If the readers want to know about the life of Salinger , they should buy the book published by .
| A．Ecco | B．Atria Books | C．Riverhead Books | D．Random House |
. The book Happy And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for .
| A．young children | B．Disney World workers |
| C．middle school teachers | D．parents with young children |
. Which book describes women with characters of their own?
A. Happy And Other Bad Thoughts
B. J. D. Salinger: A Life
C. You Are Free
D. Red Wolf After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that .
| A．the boy helped arrest the murderer |
| B．Benny died of an accident |
| C．the murderer got away with the crime |
| D．Ammika carried out the crime |
A euphemism (from the Greek words eu—well and pheme—speak) is a word or expression that is used when people want to find a polite or less direct way of talking about difficult or embarrassing topics like death or the bodily functions.Most people，for example，would find it very difficult to say in plain language that they have arranged for their sick old dog to be killed.They would soften the pain by saying：We had Ruby put down or We had Ruby put to sleep.Many people prefer to call someone plain than ugly，or cuddly rather than fat.
Euphemisms are an important part of every language，but it seems that English has an evergrowing number of them.The nonnative speaker not only has to make sense of the euphemisms he hears，he also has to learn which euphemisms are appropriate in any particular situation.He might be aware that his American friend needs to use the toilet when she asks where the bathroom (or restroom，or comfort station) is，but he is less likely to guess that his English friend has the same need when he says he has to see a man about a dog.He might have learned，for example，that in the family way is a euphemism for pregnant.If，however，he says to his boss，“Congratulations！I hear your wife is in the family way，” he would be using an expression that is too familiar for the circumstances.
Schools are full of euphemisms.At Frankfurt International School，for example，the special lessons given to students who are having difficulties in their school subjects are called Study Center (in the middle school) and Academic Workshop (in the high school)．Teachers rightly do not want to upset students or parents by being too frank or straightforward，and usually choose a softer word or expression to convey the same message.According to the passage，people use euphemisms in order to________.
| A．make themselves understood |
| B．avoid embarrassment |
| C．to sound straightforward |
| D．attract attention |
A person who is described as plain and cuddly is in fact________.
| A．tall and handsome | B．pretty and slim |
| C．ugly but tall | D．ugly and fat |
When an English lady says she has to see a man about a dog，she might want to________.
| A．have her old dog killed | B．see an ugly friend |
| C．go to the toilet | D．see a pregnant woman |
The main purpose of Paragraph 2 is to________.
| A．stress that euphemisms are an important part of every language |
| B．inform readers that English has an evergrowing number of euphemisms |
| C．suggest nonnative speakers use euphemisms as often as possible |
| D．warn English learners to be careful about the meaning and use of euphemisms |
At Frankfurt International School，the students who receive lessons in Study Center________.
| A．have poor grades in the subjects |
| B．do well in school |
| C．work hard at their lessons |
| D．prefer to learn more |
Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness，happiness，goodness，and selfrespect？The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized (把……归类) as “honor” help you create this life of good feelings.
Here’s an example to show how honorable actions create happiness.
Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item.If we keep silent，and profit from the clerk’s mistake，we would drive home with a sense of sneaky (暗中的) excitement.Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune.On the other hand，if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item，the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty.We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.
Then，what is it to do with our sense of happiness?
In the first case，where we don’t tell the clerk，a couple of things would happen.Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief.In the process，we would lose some peace of mind and selfrespect.We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted，since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends.We damage our own reputations by telling others.In contrast，bringing_the_error_to_the__clerk’s__attention causes different things to happen.Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable.Upon leaving the store，we feel honorable and our selfrespect is increased.Whenever we take honorable actions we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.
There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions.Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions.Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence.And it’s easy to think and act honorably again when we’re happy.While the positive cycle can be difficult to start，once it’s started，it’s easy to continue.Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind，which is important for our happiness.According to the passage，the positive action in the example contributes to our________.
| A．selfrespect | B．financial rewards |
| C．advertising ability | D．friendly relationship |
The author thinks that keeping silent about the uncharged item is equal to________.
| A．lying | B．stealing |
| C．cheating | D．advertising |
The underlined phrase “bringing the error to the clerk’s attention” means________.
| A．telling the truth to the clerk |
| B．offering advice to the clerk |
| C．asking the clerk to be more attentive |
| D．reminding the clerk of the charged items |
How will we feel if we let the clerk know the mistake?
| A．We’ll be very excited. |
| B．We’ll feel unfortunate. |
| C．We’ll have a sense of honor. |
| D．We’ll feel sorry for the clerk. |
Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
| A．How to Live Truthfully |
| B．Importance of Peacefulness |
| C．Ways of Gaining Selfrespect |
| D．Happiness through Honorable Actions |
Since we are social beings，the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships.One strength of the human conditions is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful (有压力的) conditions.Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties.Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems.People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties.Studies over types of illnesses，from depression to heart disease，show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness，and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways.First，friends，relatives and coworkers may let us know that they value us.Our selfrespect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties.Second，other people often provide us with informational support.They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them.Third，we typically find social companionship supportive.Taking part in freetime activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移注意力) us from our worries and troubles.Finally，other people may give us instrumental support—money aid，material resources，and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems.Interpersonal relationships are important because they can________.
| A．deal with life changes |
| B．smooth away daily problems |
| C．make people live more easily |
| D．cure types of illnesses |
The researches show that people’s physical and mental health________.
| A．has much to do with the amount of support they get from others |
| B．lies in the social medical care systems which support them |
| C．depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles |
| D．is related to their courage for dealing with major life changes. |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “cushions”？
| A．takes place of | B．makes up of |
| C．lessens the effect of | D．gets rid of |
Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work in spare time is an example of________.
| A．instrumental support |
| B．informational support |
| C．social companionship |
| D．the strengthening of selfrespect |
What is the subject discussed in the text?
| A．Effects of stressful conditions. |
| B．Kinds of social support. |
| C．Ways to deal with stress. |
| D．Interpersonal relationships. |
It seems hard to watch someone yawn（打哈欠） and not to yawn ourselves. Even reading about yawning can make you do it. Now, a new study has found why yawning has such a powerful force.
Yawning when others yawn, the study suggests, is a sign of pity and a form of social connection. Kids don’t develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four, the study found. Kids with autism (自闭症) are less likely to catch yawns. In the most serious cases, they never do. Yawning might help doctors to see whether the children are developing rightly. The work could also lead to a better understanding of the ways that people communicate and connect.
“Emotional infection seems to be a born thing that connects us together,” said Molly Helt, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Connecticut. “Yawning may be part of that.” Inspiration for her study came when she tried to get her own autistic son to clear his ears on an airplane. She repeatedly yawned at him, hoping he would yawn back. He never did.
“The fact that autistic kids don’t do it might mean they’re really missing out on that emotional connection with people around them, ” she said. “The biggest thing people try to figure out after birth is how we become humans and understand that humans have minds that are different from others’," she added. "Autistic people never seem to understand that.”
Like infectious （有感染力的）laughter and crying, scientists have found that yawning is a shared experience that promotes social connection. Helt said it could fight stress after a period of being nervous and spread a feeling of calm through a group.According to the first two paragraphs, what does the new study suggest?
| A．Yawning is a form of communication. |
| B．It is easy to stop yawning when you see others yawn. |
| C．Children follow others in yawning just after they are born. |
| D．Yawning has some mysterious force which is related to God. |
According to Molly Helt, _______.
| A．humans differ from animals because they communicate with others |
| B．yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans |
| C．emotions are infectious, but yawning is not |
| D．yawning helps clear ears on planes |
Which of the following is NOT true about yawning?
| A．It is natural to yawn back if people around you yawn. |
| B．Some kids are too young to yawn after others. |
| C．Yawning can be used to test children’s development. |
| D．Kids with autism yawn easily when others yawn. |
The author implies in the last paragraph that _______.
| A．yawning can make people feel relaxed |
| B．it is bad manners to yawn on some social occasions |
| C．the more you yawn, the happier you will be |
| D．yawning is different from infectious laughter and crying in theory |
Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen. More people are working harder than ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunch rooms. In almost all lines of work emphasis now falls on ever increasing output. Thus the “typical” Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart(对应的事物) of only a generation ago. He gains in creature comfort and ease of life. What he loses to some degree is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.
Some say that France has been Americanized. This is because the United States is a world symbol of the technological society and its consumer products. The so-called Americanization of France has its critics. They fear that “assembly line(装配线)life” will lead to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more graceful and leisurely (but less productive) old French style. What will happen, they ask, to taste, elegance, and the cultivation of the good things in life—joy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a walk by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local café?
Since the late 1950s life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit(追求) of material gains. Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students. They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by the achievements of this competitive culture. At times, they have reacted against the trend with considerable violence.
In spite of the critics, however, countless Frenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world. They find that the present life brings more rewards, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is preferable to the old.Which of the following is a feature of the old French way of life?
| A．Leisure, elegance, and efficiency. |
| B．Elegance, efficiency, and taste. |
| C．Leisure, elegance, and taste. |
| D．Efficiency, taste, and convenient. |
Which of the following is NOT true about Frenchmen?
| A．Many of them prefer the modern life style. |
| B．They actually enjoy working at the assembly line. |
| C．They are more concerned with money than before. |
| D．They are more competitive than the old generation. |
The passage suggests that_______.
| A．great changes have occurred in the life style of all Frenchmen |
| B．it’s now unlikely to see a Frenchman enjoying a walk by the river |
| C．the French are fed up with the smell of freshly picked apples |
| D．in pursuing material gains the French are suffering losses elsewhere |
The main idea of the passage is “_______”.
| A．Changes in the French Way of Life |
| B．Criticism of the New Life Style |
| C．The Americanization of France |
| D．Features of the New Way of Life |