Without plant, people could not live. We eat plants. We breathe the oxygen（氧气）that plants produce. And we need plants for another reason: we need them for their beauty.
Imagine a world with no plants. Imagine no flowers with their sweet smells, their beautiful colors and their lovely shapes. Imagine when the wind blows, not being able to hear the leaves in the trees or watch the branches sway（摇摆）from side to side.
Everywhere people need the beauty of plants. That is why we have parks full of trees and flowers. That is why people always try to design houses with room for some grass and a garden.
Do you talk to your plants? Do you give them love and attention?
Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, writers of a book called THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS, tell of an experiment in which two seeds were planted in different places. While the plants were growing, one plant was given love and hopeful ideas. The other plant was given only hopeless ideas. After six months, the loved plant was bigger. Under the earth it had more and longer roots; above the earth, it had a thicker stem (茎) and more leaves. According to the passage, which of the following is right?
| A．If there are no flowers, there will be no sweet smells. |
| B．Without plants, we can’t hear the wind. |
| C．We plant trees to watch the branches sway from side to side. |
| D．We need plants not only for food and oxygen but also for their beauty. |
In the experiment, the plants were________.
| A．of different kinds | B．talked to in two different ways |
| C．both given love and attention | D．grown in the same place |
At the end of six months,________.
| A．one plant had longer roots than the other and had a thicker stem |
| B．one plant had longer roots while the other had a thicker stem |
| C．the plants were of the same size |
| D．one plant had a thicker stem while the other plant had more leaves |
The experiment has proved（证明） that________-.
| A．we should talk to plants and give them love |
| B．without plants people could not live |
| C．we should grow as many plants as possible |
| D．plants need plenty of water, sunshine and attention |
We hear with our ears, right? Yes, but scientists have known for years that we also hear with our eyes. In a study published in 1976, researchers found that people combined both auditory cues(听力提示) and visual ones，like mouth and face movements, when they heard speech.
A new study that looks at a different set of sensory cues adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests such combination is natural. In a paper, Bryan Gick and Donald Derrick report that people can hear with their skin.
The researchers had volunteers listen to spoken syllables. Meanwhile, they connected the volunteers to a device that would blow a tiny puff (气流) of air onto the skin of their hands or necks. The syllables included “ba” and “pa”, which produce brief puffs from the mouth when spoken, and “da” and “ta,” which do not produce puffs. They found that when listeners heard “da” or “ta” while a puff of air was blown onto their skin, they considered the sounds as “ba” or “pa”.
Dr. Gick said the findings were similar to those from the 1976 study, in which visual cues defeated auditory ones — volunteers listened to one syllable but thought it another because they were watching a video of mouth movements corresponding to the second syllable. In his study，he said，cues from sens
ory receivers on the skin defeate
d the ears as well. “Our skin is doing the hearing for us,” he said.
Dr. Gick noted that it would normally be rare that someone actually sensed a puff of air produced by another, although people might occasionally sense their own puffs. “What’s so persuasive about this particular effect,” he added. “is that people are picking up on this information that they don’t know they are using.” That supports the idea that combining different sensory cues is natural.
Dr. Gick said the finding also suggested that other sensory cues might be at work in speech perception(知觉) — that, as he put it, “we are these fantastic perception machines that take in all the information available to us and combine it faultlessly.”“Da” or “ta” were considered as “ba” or “pa” when __________.
| A．they were spoken quickly |
| B．puffs of air were blown onto the listener’s skin |
| C．they were pronounced using a special device |
| D．they were made with face movements |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Humans combine different sensory cues through experience. |
| B．Dr. Gick’s new study is more important than the one in 1976. |
| C．People sometimes can sense their own puffs when speaking |
| D．Only auditory and visual cues are at work in speech perception. |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．We Can Hear with Our Skin |
| B．Our Visual Cues Is Doing the Hearing for Us |
| C．Facial Expressions Are Important |
| D．We Are Fantastic Machines |
One of the most wonderful things about having a positive attitude is that it can touch many people in the course of everyday life.
Recently I stopped by a store to get a newspaper and a bottle of juice. The young woman at the check-out counter said, “That’ll be three dollars in all please.” And as I reached into my wallet，the thought occurred to me that a newspaper and a bottle of juice didn’t quite make it to three dollars.
When I looked up to get a “re-quote”(重说一遍), she had a big smile on her face and said，“I got to get my tip in there somehow!” I laughed when I knew what she mean
t. She then glanced down at the paper I was buying and said, “I’m sick and tired of all the negative material on the front pages. I want to read some good news for a change.” She then said, “In fact, I think someone should publish a Good News newspaper —a paper with wonderful, inspirational stories about people overcoming difficulties and doing good things for others. I’d buy one every day!” She then thanked me for coming in and said, “Maybe we’ll get lucky tomorrow; maybe we’ll get some good news!” We both laughed，and I thought: she just made my day.
The following day after work I dropped by the same store again to pick up bottled water and a newspaper, but a different young lady was behind the counter. As I checked out I said, “Good afternoon”, and handed her my money. She said nothing，and didn’t smile or make a gesture. She just handed me my change and said in a bored voice, “Next!”
It hit me right between the eyes. Two people, the same age; one had made me feel great, while the other had made me feel that I had inconvenienced her by showing up.
The choices we make and attitudes we show influence lives every day in positive or negative ways…our peers, our friends，and even strangers we’ve never met before and will never meet again. So every morning you should ask yourself：“Who do I want to be today—‘The Grouch’(好抱怨的人) or ‘The Good News Girl?” Your answer will go a long way toward determining the quality of your life and that of those around you. From the first salesgirl’s words we know that __________.
| A．she was sick and tired of people with bad manners |
| B．she didn’t like the bad news in the newspaper |
| C．she liked reading all kinds of stories |
| D．she thought it was boring to sell newspapers |
After the author bought the newspaper the first day，he _________.
| A．had a sad day |
| B．kept thinking about what the girl had said |
| C．read the newspaper carefully |
| D．was in a pleasant mood all day |
The other salesgirl’s attitude towards the author the next day was __________.
| A．humorous | B．enthusiastic | C．cold | D．positive |
The author learned from his experience that __________.
| A．a Good News newspaper would be very popular |
| B．a positive attitude creates warmth and happiness |
| C．good relationships matter a lot |
| D．he needed to change the quality of his life |
It was a Sunday morning, and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib(肋骨) might have pierced(穿透) a lung....”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy... I am so sorry....”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay.”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said, “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because ______.
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father. |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning. |
| C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident. |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital. |
The reason why the author’s father said he
forgot everything about that day is that___.
| A．he had a poor memory | B．he didn’t want to forgive his son |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son | D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly. |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words. |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident. |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things. |
While I was in 9th grade, I built a circuit (电路装置) for the traffic system of our city. After getting the first prize. I got this valuable advice from my father; “Do whatever interests you, and don’t let the work challenge you, make sure you are challenging that work.”
I have always preferred the projects which are challenging and related to real life problems. I clearly remember building a shipping program several years ago. I divided the whole project into several small sections. When I understood it clearly, used my brainstorming skill on it, and gave some basic ideas. Then I asked my professor for help before jumping into coding (编码). At first, I did not know how to ask questions correctly and always asked the question “How do I do it?” As I kept working and discussed with my professor, I became more comfortable and those “how ”questions soon turned into “what if I do this and that” types of questions.
It took me four days to write the code. The desire to solve the problem kept me sleepless all nights brainstorming in even greater details. Every time I saw my program running smoothly, I exploded with joy. I st
ill remember the last day of my work. I was getting some problem and didn’t know what to do. At that moment, a man came in to clean. He has headphones, and he was dancing while cleaning the room. Seeing this, I burst out laughing. That moment calmed me. I regained energy and interest and started to work again, and soon I fixed the problem.
My success in the project proved that breaking up a large problem into small parts could help find a possible solution. Discussing the problem with others was also very beneficial. Now I have gained the confidence to attempt any kind of project.According to the passage, the writer was interested in .
| A．developing traffic systems | B．doing challenging projects |
| C．winning great prizes | D．writing different codes |
The writer a
sked the question “how do I do it” at first because .
| A．he had no clear idea about his program | B．he was too shy to express himself |
| C．he wanted to be understood easily | D．he preferred this kind of question |
We learn from the passage that the writer’s shipping program .
| A．would benefit people a lot | B．was done together with others |
| C．was difficult and needed patience | D．cost much money and energy |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Do It Yourself | B．No Pains, No Gains |
| C．Learning with interest | D．Practice Makes Perfect |
Depend on yourself. Parents can help you. Teachers can help you. But all these only help you to help yourself.
There have been many great men in history. But many of them were very poor when they were young, and had no uncles, aunts or friends to help them. Schools were few and not very good.
They could not depend upon them for education. They saw how it was, and set to work with all their strength to know something. They worked their own way till they became well-known. One of the most famous teachers in England used to tell his pupils, “I cannot make worthy men of you, but I can help make men of yourselves.”
Some young men do not try their best to make themselves valuable to society. They can never gain achievements unless they see their weak points and keep improving themselves. They are nothing now and will be nothing as long as they live, unless they accept the advice of their parents and teachers, and depend on their own efforts.Which of the following titles fits this passage best?
| A．How to Become Famous | B．What Helps to Make a Good Teacher |
| C．Men Must Help Each Other | D．Depend on Your O wn Efforts |
Many great men succeeded because_________.
| A．they were anxious to become rich |
| B．they had received good education |
| C．they had made great efforts to learn and work |
| D．they wanted very much to become well-known |
If young people depend on their own efforts, _________.
| A．they are more likely to succeed in their lives |
| B．they are sure to be famous in the world |
| C．they will need no advice from their parents and teachers |
| D．they will be nothing as long as they live |
From this passage we can see that the writer_________.
| A．is a man with a strong will |
| B．shows great respect for teachers |
| C．is in favour of those who struggle for success |
| D．feels it important to accept the advice of others |