Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are over concerned with their own appearance and actions. Worrisome thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: what kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?
It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. Adperson’s self concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives. Shy people ,have low self-esteem(自尊), are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need reassurance（再保证，放心） that they are doing “the right thing”. Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior(自卑).They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise . A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one:” You’re just saying that to make me feel good .I know it's not true.” It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful. Can shyness be completely got rid of ,or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination. It is important for people to accept their weaknesses as well as their strengths, for example, not fair for them to label themselves inferior because they have to be realistic. Living on the impossible leads to absence of inferiority. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves. the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and fulfilling life.The first paragraph is mainly about ________.
| A．the thoughts of shy people |
| B．the cause of shyness |
| C．the effect of shyness on people |
| D．the questions in the minds of shy people |
According to the wirter, self-awareness is _________.
| A．harmful to people | B．a weak point of shy people |
| C．the cause of unhappiness | D．a good characteristic |
What is the shy people's reaction to praise?
| A．They are pleased by it | B．They feel it is not true |
| C．They are very sensitive to it | D．They feel they are worthy of it |
We can learn from the passage that shyness can _________.
| A．help us to live up to our full development |
| B．enable us to understand ourselves better |
| C．block our chances for a successful life |
| D．have nothing to do with lack of self esteem |
During my elementary school years, I used to compare my mom with my best friend Tiffany's mom.
Tiffany's mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food. Her mom allowed her to do anything she liked. I really admired Tiffany. My mom didn't give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave myself. I was annoyed with her.
Whenever I didn't get what I wanted, I would complain to my mom, Tiffany's mom would give her that! I wish she were my mom. Every time, my mom would calmly say "Poor Tiffany". I couldn't understand her. "She shouldn't be feeling sorry for Tiffany!" I thought. "She should be feeling sorry for me."
One day, I couldn't help saying to Mom, "Poor Tiffany? Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her?" I burst into tears. My mom sat down next to me and said softly. "Yes, I do feel sorry for her. I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught."
I looked up at her. "What are you talking about?"
Mom said with care, "One day she will really want something. Maybe she'll find out that she can't have it. Her mother won't always be around to give her money, and what's more, money can't buy everything."
She continued, "I have taught you valuable lessons by not giving you everything you want. You'll know how to look for bargains and save money, but she won't. You'll understand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won't. When Tiffany is a grown woman, she'll wake up one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you've got. Life lessons are more important than modern clothes and delicious food."
It took some time, but I eventually understood my mom's words. Now I am a happy and successful woman.During the author's elementary school years, she __________.
| A．wished that her mom were as good as Tiffany's |
| B．went to school with Tiffany every day |
| C．usually compared her lesson with Tiffany's |
| D．sometimes gave lots of money to Tiffany |
Why did the author's mom always say "Poor Tiffany"?
| A．She felt sorry for Tiffany because Tiffany was poor. |
| B．She wanted to tell a lie to comfort the author. |
| C．She thought that Tiffany was spoiled by her mother. |
| D．She told the author this and wanted her to help Tiffany. |
What do we learn about the author's mother?
| A．She was strict and taught the author to be independent. |
| B．She cared for other people's children more than her own. |
| C．She thought that life lessons were as important as money. |
| D．She was so poor that she couldn't give the author much money. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The author was quite annoyed with her mother in the past. |
| B．The author's mother felt sorry for Tiffany. |
| C．Tiffany's mother took the author's mother's advice. |
| D．The author is thankful to her mother now. |
THERE is an old saying: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It means that you shouldn’t build your first impression of someone on his or her looks alone. But according to a new study, the famous sayingmight not be correct after all. A group of US scientists have found that the first impression we have of someone else is actually right most of the time.
In the study, scientists asked participants to look at a photograph of a person and make a quick judgment about him or her. A month later, the participant and the person in the photo were introduced, and scientists were shocked to find that their judgments oftenmatch those that they had made originally.
It’s true that simply looking at someone won’t provide you with as much information.But, according to scientists, when makinga first impression, people rely more on their instincts (直觉) than on logic (逻辑).“They focus on how that person makes them feel,” Paul Eastwick of the University of Texas told Live Science. “It is very hard to get a sense of this information when simply viewing a profile(简介).As soon as one sees another person, an impression is formed and what we see can sometimes dominate what we know.”
Of course, no one can be right about everything and your instincts can go wrong sometimes. But even if it is proven to be wrong, once people form an opinion about someone, they have a hard time getting over that opinion later on.
The findings help explain why people always tidy themselves up before meeting guests or doing job interviews.
“Their face constantlyremindsus of that firstimpression,” said Rule. People may learn more about another person over time once they get close to each other, but first impressions remain very important and seem difficult to forget.What did the US scientists of the University of Texas find out in their recent study?
| A．It’s unwise to judge a book by its cover. |
| B．It’s better to judge by logic than by instincts. |
| C．First impressions tend to last more often than not. |
| D．Profiles provide more information than you have imagined. |
The underlined word “dominate” is closest in meaning to .
| A．determine | B．change |
| C．cover | D．acquire |
We can conclude from the article that ______.
| A．first impressions never go wrong |
| B．it’s difficult to change a wrong first impression |
| C．it takes a long time to form a first impression |
| D．first impressions are easy to change after people know each other better |
| Museum of the Moving Image (MMI) (Monday Closed) As the best museum in New York City and with a balance of hands-on（实际操作的）activities and information, it’s the rare bird that can entertain and educate people of different ages. It’s a perfect destination for a family trip of a couple of hours. Pros--Excellent movie screenings. Easy subway access. Cons--Difficult to reach by car. |
| New York Hall of Science (NYHS) (Monday Closed) Being New York City’s only hands-on science and technology center, it is an interactive science museum focusing on its audience of children. It has the most hands-on exhibits in an NYC museum, and it’s a fun destination for ages 5 and up. Older folks might take great interest in the NASA rockets outside the museum, but don’t bother unless you’ve kids to keep you company. Pros--Cool interactive science exhibits, the rockets. Cons--Hard to reach by public transportation. |
| Queens County Farm Museum (QCFM) ( Year-round 7days a week ) It is an actual farm in New York City and home to animals your kids can feed and a yard full of a climbing plant whose fruit can be made into wine. Good chance to meet sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and cows! The animals are mostly readily accessible to visitors. And the museum sells food for young hands willing to get licked by sheep and goats. Pros--Outdoor fun. Cons--Expensive festivals, long bus ride, no subway. |
| Queens Museum of Art (QMA) ( Monday and Tuesday Closed) Opened in 1972 to serve as a cultural center for the borough(行政区), it exhibits art by local and international artists. Its best exhibits are on the two World’s Fairs, and of course, the Panorama of New York City, a giant, highly detailed diorama(透景画) of all five New York City boroughs. Pros--The Panorama, great gift shop. Easy subway access. Cons--Not much for kids. |
The least likely choice for 5-year-old Jack to make among the museums is __________.
| A．QMA | B．NYHS | C．MMI | D．QCFM |
According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．All the museums mentioned above lie in New York City. |
| B．No other museum in New York City is better than MMI. |
| C．NYHS has the most hands-on activities in America. |
| D．Lucky visitors can see grapes in one of the museums. |
In which museum can you enjoy outdoor fun?
A. MMI. B. QCFM. C. NYHS. D. QMA.
The time of year a baby is born can shape what profession they will embark on in later life, a new study has suggested. Being born in a certain month appears to indicate the possibility of what job a person will end up with, the study by the Office for National Statistics found.
Researchers have uncovered that the month in which babies are born could also affect everything from intelligence to length of life. A child born in December is more likely to become a dentist while someone whose birthday falls in January will tend to a debt collector, they found.
A February birth appears to increase the chances of being an artist while March babies appear to go on to become pilots. Meanwhile, April and May are said to have a fairly even spread of professions, births in the summer months mean a much lower chance of becoming a high-earning football player, doctor or dentist. The study was gained by researchers who analyzed the birth months of people in 19 separate occupations using information from the last census (人口普查), the Daily Mail reported. Although these trends may be difficult to explain, relations between birth months and specific health problems have a scientific basis.
Spring babies are at greater risk of illnesses including schizophrenia(精神分裂症), Alzheimer’s disease(早老性痴呆病), asthma(哮喘) and autism(自闭症). They may also be less clever than classmates born in other parts of the year.What does the underlined phrase “embark on” refer to?
| A．land on | B．keep in touch with |
| C．be engaged in | D．break from |
According to the researchers, a child born in March is likely to become_______.
| A．a debt collector | B．a pilot |
| C．a dentist | D．an artist |
We can learn from the text that______.
| A．the month babies are born could only affect his intelligence and length of life |
| B．People born in the summer months are more likely to get highly paid |
| C．Spring babies may have the bigger chance to get ill |
| D．the choice of profession for April and May is very narrow |
What can be included from the passage?
| A．There exist connections between birth date and occupations |
| B．The fate has been already decided when people are born |
| C．People born in Autumn would be more successful than those born in Spring |
| D．The time of year one is born decides which specific health problems one has |
As long as I can remember, I've always loved to draw. But my interest in drawing wasn't encouraged very much. Growing up in the 1950s, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, boys were supposed to be athletic. Certain peer pressures encouraged little fingers to learn how to hold footballs rather than crayons.
My early love for drawing developed into a love for telling stories through pictures. Stories began as fragments (片段) of pictures in my mind. I created a story by posing questions to myself. I called it the “what if” and “what then” approach. For example, for my book The Polar Express, I started out by thinking “What if a boy gets on that train? Where does he go？”
From the time I come up with the idea, write and illustrate the book, and deliver it to the printer, it takes about seven months. First, I begin thinking of the idea. Then I imagine the pictures and the story. A good picture book should have events that are visually arresting. I first consider scenes that are exciting to look at and then my challenge is to weave a story around those pictures. The next step is putting the illustrations and story down on paper.
When you first look at my illustrations, you see ordinary, everyday things. But if you look closer, things might not seem quite so simple. When I'm writing a book, I always try to create something strange or puzzling in each picture. By using artistic strategies, I can give the drawing a kind of mysterious quality.
All of my books are picture books, so they are generally thought of as books for children. But when I make them, I think of the books as being for everybody — for people of all ages. When I was a kid, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, but now I'm really glad I became an artist and a storyteller.Why does the author mention The Polar Express?
| A．To tell us an interesting story. |
| B．To introduce his famous work. |
| C．To make up a sentence with “what if”． |
| D．To show us how he designed his book. |
The underlined word “arresting” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
| A．frightening | B．interesting |
| C．satisfying | D．worrying |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
| A．He did well when he was at school. |
| B．He only wrote something for children. |
| C．He tried his best to meet the readers' taste. |
| D．He regretted not working hard at drawing. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Telling Stories by Drawing |
| B．“What if” and “What Then” |
| C．How to Tell Interesting Stories |
| D．Working as a Famous Storyteller |