Making friend is a skill. Like most skills, it improves with practice. If you want to meet people and make friends, you must be willing（乐意） to take some action. You must first go where there are people. You won’t make friends staying home alone.
Join a club or group, talking with those who like the same things you do is much easier. Or join someone in some activity. Many people are nervous when talking to new people. After all, meeting strangers means facing the unknown. And it’s human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about the unknown.
Most of our fears about dealing with new people come from doubts about ourselves. We imagine other people are giving an opinion about us-finding us too tall or too short, too this or too that. But don’t forget that they must be feeling the same away. Try to accept(接受)yourself as you are, and try to put the other person at ease(不拘束). You’ll both feel more comfortable.
Try to keep self-confident(自信)even when you don’t feel that way when you enter a room full of strangers, such as a new classroom, walk tall(趾高气扬)and straight, look directly at other people and smile. If you see someone you’d like to speak to, say something. Don’t wait for the other person to start a conversation.
Just meeting someone new does not mean that you will make friends with that person-friendship is based on each other’s liking and “give and take”. They take time and efforts to develop. And there are things that keep a new friendship from growing.If you want to meet people and make friends, what should you do?
| A．Join a club or group. | B．Talk with those who like the same things. |
| C．Join someone in some activity. | D．All of the above(上面) |
In the sentence “After all, meeting strangers means facing the unknown.”, the word “unknown” means _____.
| A．without somebody knowing | B．without somebody liking |
| C．unfriendly | D．unpleasant |
How do you feel more comfortable when you are with new people?
| A．Shake hands with others |
| B．Accept yourself as you are, and put the other as ease |
| C．Don’t talk with those who don’t like. |
| D．Walk tall and straight. |
If you’d like to speak to someone, what should you do?
| A．You should wait until the person says something. |
| B．You should stay home alone. |
| C．You should cough until the person notices you. |
| D．You should say something at first. |
Friendship is based on______
| A．meeting for the first time | B．each other’s liking and “give and take” |
| C．keeping self-confident | D．facing the unknown |
We may know that there are four basic stages that human beings pass through when they enter and live in a new culture. This process, which helps us to deal with culture shock(文化冲击), is the way our head and our personality react to(对…做出反应) the strange new things we meet with when we move from one culture to another.
Culture begins with the “honeymoon stage”. This is the time when we first arrive in which everything about the new culture is strange and exciting. We see new things, hear new sounds and language, eat new kinds of food. This stage can last for quite a long time because we feel we are very excited.
Unluckily, the second stage can be more difficult. After we have got used to our new life, we can become very tired and begin to miss our homeland and our family, friends, pets. All the little problems in life seem to be much bigger and more disturbing when you face them in a foreign culture. This time of cultural adjustment(调整) can be very difficult and lead to pulling away from the new culture.
The third stage is called the “adjustment stage”. This is when you begin to realize that things are not so bad in the host culture. Your sense of humor usually becomes stronger and you realize that you are becoming stronger by learning to take care of yourself in the new place. Things are still difficult, but you are now a survivor!
The fourth stage can be called “at ease at last”. Now you feel quite comfortable in your new place. You can deal with most problems that you have. You may still have problems with the language, but you know you are strong enough to deal with them.
There is a fifth stage of culture shock which many people don’t know about. This is called
“reverse culture shock”. Surprisingly, this happens when you go back to your own culture and find that you have changed and that things there have changed while you have been away. Now you feel a little uncomfortable back home. Life is a struggle!How do you feel during the first stage of culture shock?
| A．Lonely and sad. | B．Bored and homesick. |
| C．Angry and impatient. | D．Happy and excited. |
How could the third stage be described?
| A．Adjustment. | B．Pulling away |
| C．Shock. | D．Anger. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Human beings would pass through four stages when they begin to live in a new culture. |
| B．Entering and living in a new culture is challenging(挑战). |
| C．It is much fun to live in a new culture. |
| D．Life in a new culture is a struggle. |
Six years ago, I walked into a local animal shelter（庇护所） on a cold, rainy day. Although my house was already full of cats and dogs, I still couldn’t help visiting the shelter. This time as I was walking down the row of pens full of barking dogs I noticed a small boy looking into one of them.
He had a malnourished（营养不良的） looking body and a bony face with a big nose sticking out of the middle of it. He was looking at a small, golden dog. Its bony ribs were showing and its thin tail was folded between its legs. It wasn’t begging for attention like the other puppies but was hiding in the corner instead. The boy looked up at me with sad eyes and asked what was wrong with it. “It was probably abused(虐待) and abandoned”（ 被遗弃的）, I said. “That is why it is so scared.”
The boy immediately turned to an older lady and said, “Grandma, I want this one.” The old woman smiled and walked to the front desk to fill out the adoption forms. I followed and asked about the boy. I found out that he’d had a hard start in life too. He had just gotten custody（监护权） of him after the state had taken him from his parents. She had hoped getting a dog would make it easier on him. I looked back at him, holding his scared little dog, and said a prayer for them both.
It was yesterday. I was driving down the road enjoying a gloriously sunny, spring day. Then in a green front yard I saw the boy. His teenage body was tall and strong. His nose no longer seemed big but fit well into his smiling face. He was throwing a ball to a healthy, happy dog with shining golden hair. His little act of love and kindness had indeed gone a long way. It had saved a dog’s life, cured his own heart, and given this middle-aged man fresh hope for us all.The writer entered the animal shelter because ____________ .
| A．he loves dogs and pets |
| B．it was too cold outside |
| C．he wanted to buy a dog |
| D．he wanted to see the boy |
. Why did the boy want to adopt（收养） the golden dog?
| A．Because the dog looked attractive. |
| B．Because his grandma also liked the dog. |
| C．Because they had something in common. |
| D．Because the author advised him to adopt it. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph ?
| A．The author is a kind-hearted old man. |
| B．The boy’s nose has become smaller than before. |
| C．The author enjoys watching people playing with dogs. |
| D．Both the boy and the dog are growing healthily and happily. |
With the development of science and technology, our daily life is becoming more colorful and more convenient (便利).
| An Underwater Hotel It looks like a spaceship but it is actually a picture of an underwater hotel. A company plans to build in the sea which is about 18 metres below the surface(表面).The whole building is underwater and you can get to it by swimming and diving. |
| Google Glass Google Glass is a pair of glasses with a battery(电池)hidden inside the frame(边框). It can perform many of the same tasks as smart phones. The glass has a hidden camera and a tiny screen. It is designed to take hands-free photos or videos of anything people are doing. |
| A New Kind of Shirt Hate washing clothes? You’re going to love this kind of shirt made by an American clothing company, Wool & Prince. This shirt can be worn for 100 straight days without washing! The Wool & Prince shirt never needs ironing(熨烫). |
| The Digital(数字) Library Can you imagine walking into a library and finding all books have turned into computers? The first bookless public library is planned to open in San Antonio, Texas. Computers will take the place of books soon. |
You needn’t use ______ when you take photos or video with Google Glass.
| A．a camera | B．a screen |
| C．a battery | D．your hand |
The digital Library tells us something about a library without ______.
| A．books | B．computers |
| C．bookshelves | D．reader |
Which one of the following can reduce our housework in our daily life?
| A．The underwater hotel | B．Google Glass |
| C．The Wool & Prince shirt | D．The digital library |
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s so-and-so’s mistake.” or “I know I’m late, but it’s not my mistake； the bus was late.” It is probably not your mistake, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop paying attention to whom to blame and start paying attention to how to improve the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming(克服) problems. For example, if you were late because the bus was late, maybe you need to leave home early. Or, you might call a taxi or call friends for help when in need. For another example, if your workmate causes you problems on the job for short of responsibility(责任心) or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or leave this person with some simple jobs. You should accept that the person is not reliable(可靠的) and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your workmate fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives； they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges(挑战) and chances to develop their own talents. So, stop paying attention to “whose mistake it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success. According to the passage, winners .
| A．have responsible and able workmates |
| B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| C．blame themselves rather than others |
| D．deal with problems rather than blame others |
When your workmate brings about a problem, you should .
| A．blame him for his lack of responsibility |
| B．find a better way to overcome the problem |
| C．tell him to find the cause of the problem |
| D．ask a more able workmate for help |
When problems happen, winners take them as .
| A．excuses for their mistakes |
| B．difficulties to greater power |
| C．chances for self-development |
| D．challenges to their workmates |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage？
| A．A Winner’s Secret | B．A Winner’s Problem |
| C．A Winner’s Chance | D．A Winner’s Achievement |
My parents quarreled a lot, and I was really worried about it. I didn’t know who I should talk with about how I was feeling. So I asked Mom to allow me to stay the night at my best friend’s house. Though I knew I wouldn’t tell her about my parents’ situation, I was looking forward to getting out of the house. I was packing up my things when suddenly the power (电) went out in the neighborhood. Mom came to tell me that I should stay with my grandpa until the power came back on.
I was really disappointed(失望的) because I felt that we did not have much to talk about. But I knew he would be frightened alone in the dark. I went to his room and told him that I’d stay with him until the power was restored(恢复). He was quite happy and said.
“Great chance.”
“What is?” I asked.
“To talk, you and I,” he said. “To hold a one-to-one little meeting about what we’re going to do with your mom and dad, and what we’re going to do with ourselves and the situation we are in now.”
“But we can’t do anything about it, Grandpa,” I said, surprised that here was someone with whom I could share my feelings and someone who was in the same “boat” as I was.
And that is how the most amazing friendship between my grandfather and me started. Sitting there in the dark, we talked about our feelings and fears of life from how fast things change to how they sometimes don’t change fast enough. That night, because the power went out, I found a new friend, with whom I could safely talk about all my fears and pains, whatever they may be.
Suddenly, the lights all came back on. “Well,” he said, “I guess that means you’ll want to go now. I really like our talk. I hope the power will go out every few nights!”Why was Grandpa happy to see the writer?
| A．Because he felt quite lonely. |
| B．Because he could discuss the problem with him. |
| C．Because he was afraid of darkness. |
| D．Because he had not seen him for a long time. |
In which order(顺序) did the story happen?
a. The lights came back on.
b. The writer went to his grandpa’s room and stayed with him.
c. The power in the neighbourhood suddenly went out.
d. The writer worried about the parents’ disagreement and wanted to leave his home.
e. The writer had a talk with his grandpa and started the most amazing friendship between them.
| A．d-b-e-c-a | B．a-b-e-c-d |
| C．c-d-b-e-a | D．d-c-b-e-a |
What can be inferred(推断) from the story?
| A．The lights would go out again. |
| B．The writer wanted to leave very much. |
| C．They would have more chats. |
| D．It would no longer be dark. |