It’s a Friday night. Your girl friends are out at a bar and your boyfriend is playing soccer with his mates. Two text messages later, you’re eating pizza and watching action movies with three guy friends. Perfect.
“Guy friends” have the potential to enrich your life in ways that female friends and boyfriends just can’t. For starters, they provide an insider’s perspective on how men think, feel and behave. When dealing with male relatives, coworkers and even boyfriends, another man’s point of view can be incredibly useful. Three hours spent analyzing a situation in a café with your girlfriends can’t compete with a quick chat to a guy friend.
Many women find that time spent with male friends can be a liberating and somewhat refreshing break from spending time with the girls. Without the judgmental gaze of other females, there is less pressure to dress up and compete for attention.
Traditionally, girl-guy friendships are seen as hard to maintain. Most relationships between males and females that we come across in our day-to-day lives, whether in movies or books, are romantic by nature. These cultural images make girl-guy friendships seem impossible.
Yet in reality, as gender roles loosen and equality becomes a norm in the workplace, it has become much more common for platonic friendships to blossom.
“The belief that men and women can’t be friends comes from another era in which women were at home and men were in the workplace, and the only way they could get together was for romance,” explains psychologist Linda Sapadin to Psychology Today magazine. “Now they work together and share sports interests and socialize together.”
“My boyfriend has met all of my guy friends so he’s quite accepting of me hanging out with them,” says Nellie. “Because we’ve been dating so long, there’s a level of trust where he knows I will make the right decision when choosing who to be friends with.
“He understands that the kind of time that I spend differs between guys and girls. When I’m out with the girls, we’re gossiping or talking about clothes but when I’m spending time with the guys, it’s different. I think their carefree and ‘whatever goes’ attitude can sometimes be exactly what I need.” What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Platonic friendship can be fun and liberating. |
| B．Platonic friendship can take the place of boy-or-girl friendship. |
| C．Man friendship is far more exciting than woman friendship. |
| D．Both man friendship and woman friendship are necessary forgirls. |
In writer’s opinion, girl-guy friendships_________
| A．are hard to maintain in modern society. |
| B．are impossible for most boys and girls. |
| C．are quite reasonable and thought highly of by most people. |
| D．are quite interesting and accepted by more and more and moregirls. |
Why did people think men and women can’t be friends in the past?
| A．Becausemen were at home and women were in the workplace. |
| B．Becauseboth men and women are too shy to make friends. |
| C．Because they were hard to keep in touch and only bymarrying cantheystay in touch with each other. |
| D．Becausewomen were at home and men were in the workplace, and the only way they could get together was for friendship. |
According to what Nellie said, _______
| A．Her boyfriend enjoys she and her guy friend stay together. |
| B．When I’m out with the boys, we’re not gossiping or talking about clothes. |
| C．Sometimes whatmy guy friends giveisjustwhatI need. |
| D．My boyfriend trusts me so heaccepts my decision. |
Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.
A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to official data. Crosswalks can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) advises that next year States increase by nearly 15% the amount of time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears.
FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive.
Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5, 449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006,.But among those in 2006,471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says. Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Among 100 pedestrian deaths there were 21 people younger than 70. |
| B．Old people are more likely to meet with accidents in crosswalks. |
| C．Traffic accidents killed more old people than young people. |
| D．About seven traffic accidents happened per hour. |
What is FHWA’s suggestion to States?
| A．Fixing more traffic lights. |
| B．Providing more crosswalks. |
| C．Giving pedestrians more time to cross streets. |
| D．Increasing the time before the orange lights appear. |
What’s the cause of the crosswalk safety problem according to the text?
| A．There’re many cars and buses on the road. | B．Pedestrians are careless. |
| C．Crosswalks are more crowded than before. | D．Drivers don’t give way. |
The report from NHTSA suggests that .
| A．fewer people were injured in crosswalks |
| B．crosswalk safety has greatly improved |
| C．much has been done to reduce traffic accidents |
| D．pedestrian deaths in crosswalks remain a serious problem |
Friend,
The recent success of children’s books has made the general public aware that there’s a huge market out there.
And there’s a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children’s books bought each year …plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers.
Who are these needed writers? They’re ordinary folks like you and me.
But am I good enough?
I was once where you might be now，My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn’t know where to turn for help.
Then, I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing aptitude（潜能），and it turned out to be the inspiration I needed.
The promise that paid off
The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you, if you show basic writing ability:
You will complete at least one manuscript（手稿）suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course.
I really didn’t expect any publication before I finished the course, but that happened. I sold three stories. And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute.
Since graduation, I have authored 34 nationally published children’s books and over 300 stories and articles.
Free test and brochure
We offer a free aptitude test and will send you a copy of our brochure describing our recognized home-study courses on the basis of one-on-one training.
Realize you writing dream today. There’s nothing sadder than a dream delayed until it fades forever.
Sincerely,
Kristi
Kristi Holl, Instructor
Institute of Children’s LiteratureFrom the first three paragraphs, we learn that .
| A．children’s books are usually bestsellers |
| B．publishers are making $3 billion each year |
| C．magazines for teenagers have drawn public attention |
| D．there is a growing need for writers of children’s books |
When finishing the course, you are promised to .
| A．be a successful publisher | B．become a confident editor |
| C．finish one work suitable for publication | D．get one story or article published |
Kristi Holl mentions her experience mainly to .
| A．prove she is a good instructor | B．promote the writing program |
| C．give advice on course preparation | D．show she sold more stories than articles |
Moral science is taught as a subject in most schools but with little effect. Perhaps part of the problem lies in the fact that morality is not a science, strictly speaking. It is too much of a social phenomenon, and also has too much of the personal and subjective things mixed within. Besides, morality itself changes with generations, so it is impossible to be printed in a normal textbook.
I remember sitting through forty minutes of moral lessons, which told stories about little children who never told lies and were rewarded for their goodness. It had little effect and left no impression on me, though.
If moral science has to be taught as a subject in schools, it needs a participatory approach. When you tell a child about moral, you also have to deal with social norms( 社会规范) and cultural differences. You have to explain that morality can be subjective, and be able to co-exist in society. You will probably have to refer to the morals at the present time.
The best way to tell a child how to live is to show him what is valued. If a child likes his friend, you have to make the child think about why. Once the child notices and recognizes goodness in others, he or she is likely to develop it as well.
In fact, children learn most of their morals by watching people around them. They absorb behaviour patterns from teachers and older students. They watch to see what is rewarded and who is punished. They learn on the sports field and through social work. Moral science lessons should simply consist of letting them live and interact, and watch you support correct values and reward good behaviour.Which is NOT the reason that moral science is taught in schools with little effect?
| A．Morality doesn’t belong to a science |
| B．Morality is more like a social phenomenon. |
| C．Different generations have different moral ideas. |
| D．Morality can’t be written down in textbooks. |
The author describes his own experience of learning moral lessons in order to .
| A．explain that telling lies is not moral for little children |
| B．advise that people should be rewarded for their goodness |
| C．prove that moral lessons in schools have little effect |
| D．show that he has no impression of moral science |
When you tell a child about morals, you should .
| A．teach him to share personal moral ideas with others |
| B．tell him about social norms and cultural differences |
| C．explain that nobody can influence his moral ideas |
| D．say that the morals at the present time will be changed |
What is the last paragraph mainly about?
| A．The best way of teaching children about morals. |
| B．The value of teachers setting a good example. |
| C．The influence of people’s behavior on morals. |
| D．The importance of rewarding good behavior. |
As kids, my friends and I spent a lot of time out in the woods．“The woods” was our part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse．If I went to a friends house and found him not at home, his mother might say, “Oh, he’s out in the woods, ” with a tone（语气） of airy acceptance．It is similar to the tone people sometimes use nowadays to tell me that someone I’m looking for is on the golf course or at the gym, or even “away from his desk．” For us ten-year-olds, “being out in the woods” was just an excuse to do whatever we feel like for a while．
We sometimes told ourselves that what we were doing in the woods was exploring（探索）．Exploring was a more popular idea back then than it is today．History seemed to be mostly about explorers．Our explorations, though, seemed to have less system than the historic kind: something usually came up along the way．Say we stayed in the woods, throwing rocks, shooting frogs, picking blackberries, digging in what we were briefly persuaded was an Indian burial mound．
Often we got “lost” and had to climb a tree to find out where we were．If you read a story in which someone does that successfully, be skeptical: the topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight, and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees．There were four or five trees that we visited regularly—tall beeches, easy to climb and comfortable to sit in．
It was in a tree, too, that our days of fooling around in the woods came to an end．By then some of us had reached seventh grade and had begun the rough ride of adolescence（青春期）．In March, the month when we usually took to the woods again after winter, two friends and I set out to go exploring．We climbed a tree, and all of a sudden it occurred to all three of us at the same time that we really were rather big to be up in a tree．Soon there would be the spring dances on Friday evenings in the high school cafeteria．The author and his friends were often out in the woods to _______．
| A．spend their free time | B．play golf and other sports |
| C．avoid doing their schoolwork | D．keep away from their parents |
What can we infer from Paragraph 2 ?
| A．The activities in the woods were well planned． |
| B．Human history is not the result of exploration． |
| C．Exploration should be a systematic activity． |
| D．The author explored in the woods aimlessly． |
The underlined word “skeptical” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______．
| A．calm | B．doubtful | C．serious | D．optimistic |
How does the author feel about his childhood?
| A．Happy but short． | B．Lonely but memorable． |
| C．Boring and meaningless． | D．Long and unforgettable． |
Volunteers, as an essential part of a successful world exposition, are a major channel for the public to participate in, serve and share the world exposition and a means to showcase the image of the host country and city．The following information is about the volunteer for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China．
I．Basic Requirements for Volunteers
● Be willing to participate in voluntary services of Expo 2010;
● Age limit: Expo Site volunteers must be born before April 30, 1992 and Expo City Voluntary Service Station volunteers beforeApril 30, 1994;
● Obey the laws and regulations of the PRC;
● Be able to participate in training and relevant activities before the opening of Expo 2010;
● Possess necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position;
● Be in good health to meet the requirements of corresponding voluntary positions．
II．Further Information for Volunteers
● Source
Residents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, and foreigners can all apply to be the volunteers．
● Signup methods
Applicants may log in onto the official websites for online signup．They may also consult or connect with the Expo Volunteer Stations．
● Time
May 1 - December 31, 2009
Ⅲ．Volunteer Training
Volunteer training includes general training, special training and position training．General training is carried out through internet, while special training and position training are provided through classroom lectures and field practice．
IV．Volunteer Types
● Expo Site volunteers refer to those offering voluntary services to visitors and the Organizer in the Expo Site, mainly including information, visitor flow management, reception, translation and interpretation, assistance for the disabled, and assistance in media service, event and conference organization and．volunteer management．
● Information booth volunteers are stationed in the Expo's information booths at key transportation centers, commercial outlets, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels and cultural event places outside the Expo Site．They offer services including information, translation, interpretation and even first aid．If you were born in April 1993, where can you be a volunteer?
| A．In the Expo City． | B．In the host country． |
| C．In the Expo Site． | D．In Chinese mainland |
Which of the training will be done on the Internet?
| A．Position training． | B．General training． |
| C．Classroom training． | D．Special training． |
Which of the following service is offered by information booth volunteers?
| A．Visitor flow management． | B．Helping the disabled |
| C．Assistance in media service． | D．Emergency First aid． |