My teachers suggested that I see a speech specialist (专家) in school.
I never really gave much thought to my speech. If other people understood what I was saying, then that was good enough. I didn’t mind repeating myself many times.
Before testing me, the speech specialist asked me what I thought of having good speech. I told her I thought it was not important.
“Well, when you are in an interview for a job, and they don’t know what you are saying, what are they going to say to you? Nice meeting you, bye,” she said.
Maybe good speech was important. I took part in 20-minute classes each week with the specialist.
After she tested me, she told me that I spoke too fast, and didn’t give enough eye contact (眼神交流). I learned that when I made eye contact with someone, it meant that I was talking to that person, and I could also see what he or she thought about what I was saying.
When my first speech class started, I found that I had been speaking too fast to be understood. Every time I spoke too fast, the specialist stopped me and told me to start again. At first, I got stopped after almost every other sentence. After a while, I felt my speech slow down. I wasn’t sure if people could understand me better, but my friends stopped asking me to repeat myself.
Speech is an important skill to have. If you do have good speech, that’s a good thing, but if you don’t have it, it is never too late to improve. The article is probably taken from .
| A．a newspaper | B．an advertisement |
| C．a detective story | D．a science book |
What did the writer think of having good speech before the classes?
| A．It was very useful. | B．It was nothing important. |
| C．It was impossible. | D．It was good for interviewing. |
What were the writer’s problems when he was speaking?
a. He spoke too quickly.
b. He never stopped once he started talking.
c. He seldom kept eye contact with people.
d. He didn’t give others time to ask questions.
| A．a, b | B．b, c | C．a, c | D．b, d |
From the sentence “but my friends stopped asking me to repeat myself,” we know that _____.
| A．the writer’s friends couldn’t understand him |
| B．the writer still couldn’t make eye contact |
| C．the writer improved a lot |
| D．the writer didn’t slow down |
Through the passage, the writer wants to tell us that _____.
| A．seeing a speech specialist is necessary |
| B．speech is an important skill to have |
| C．good speech can help you make friends |
| D．good speech gets good affect |
Social customs and ways of behaving change．Things which were considered impolite many years ago are now acceptable．Just a few years ago，it was considered impolite behavior for a man to smoke on street．No man who thought of himself as being a gentleman would make a fool of himself by smoking when a lady was in a room．
Customs also differ from country to country．Does a man walk on the left or the right of a woman in your country? Or doesn’t it matter? What about table manners? Should you use both hands when you are eating? Should you leave one in your lap，or on the table?
The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also share a large number of social customs．For example，in both America and England people shake hands when they meet each other for the first time．Also Englishmen will open a door for a woman or offer their seat to a woman，and so will most Americans. While waiting in line, Englishmen will never push their way to the front. Neither do Americans. Promptness is important both in England and in America．That is，if a dinner invitation is for 7 o’clock，the dinner guest either arrives close to that time or calls up to explain his delay．
The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make other people feel uncomfortable——especially if they are your guests．There is an old story about a man who gave a formal dinner party. When the food was served，one of the guests started to eat his peas with a knife．The other guests were amused or shocked，but the host calmly picked up his knife and began eating in the same way．It would have been bad manners to make his guest feel foolish or uncomfortable．According to Paragraph1,____________________________.
| A．Customs differ from country to country. |
| B．Some customs considered impolite in the past are accepted by people now. |
| C．Gentlemen like to smoke in front of women. |
| D．Smoking on streets were considered polite behaviors in the past. |
If one has accepted a dinner invitation, what should he do if he can’t arrive on time?
| A．He should find an excuse. |
| B．He should ask for excuse. |
| C．He should say “sorry”. |
| D．He should telephone to explain his being late. |
The Americans and the British also share a large number of social customs except(除了)___________.
| A．shaking hands when meeting for the first time |
| B．offering their seat to a woman |
| C．waiting in line |
| D．being late for dinner |
According to the passage, the best host______________.
| A．tries his best to make his guests feel comfortable |
| B．makes his guests feel excited |
| C．tries to avoid being foolish to his guests |
| D．tries to behave the same as the guests |
Some people like to collect stamps. Others prefer posters or coins. But Pinky Bhutia is different. She collects children. In her mountain village, in Sikkim, she is known as the wonderful young woman who adopts(领养) all the children she can.
Pinky was 14 when she adopted her first child, a Nepali baby girl, whose patents passed away. Pinky’s parents did not mind. Pinky left school and started working full time because she had a baby to feed. Today , she has twelve adopted children, and two sons from her marriage.
Pinky is about 30 years old and she comes from a common family. If you passed her on the street, you wouldn’t give her a second look. She lives in a brown mud-washed(泥刷的) house. There is a vegetable garden outside. Red hens with noisy chicks run all over the garden looking for food.
If you ask her why she provides a home to so many kids, she smiles shyly. But her eyes are serious. “I know what it is to be poor and hungry.” As a child, her only dream was to eat a full meal, and her favorite amusement was watching people with shoes and imagining what it felt like. By adopting poor and homeless children she is making sure that they never feel that hopeless.
Pinky feels very proud when she sees her children happy and bright, Her oldest baby, Aarita Rai, is now 20 years old, Then, there is 19-year-old Nimbe who came to Pinky because her mother was unable to look after her. She started to work in a government office two years ago. Ten-year-old Bhim and 14-year-old Kumar came to Pinky five years ago, after their father’s death. They started living on a patch of land given by Pinky and grew vegetables for sale.
“I like children. It’s not one more mouth to feed but one more soul saved,” Pinky says.After Pinky adopted her first child, she______________.
| A．began to raise some chickens |
| B．didn’t go to school anymore |
| C．asked her parents for help |
| D．left her mountain village |
By adopting those poor and homeless children, Pinky wants to ______________.
| A．teach them to grow vegetables | B．offer them good jobs |
| C．make sure they live in hope | D．help them become rich |
Whic of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Pinky likes collecting coins and posters. |
| B．Bhim and Kumar are from the same family. |
| C．People in Pinky’s village have no shoes to wear. |
| D．Sartita Rai works in a government office. |
We can infer from the passage that Pinky is a ________ person.
| A．kind | B．strict | C．bright | D．careful |
There are a few wonderful island countries in the world that are definitely worth visiting. Summer is coming and it’s time to start planning your vacation.
Malta
Malta is a beautiful southern European country in the Mediterranean Sea, which has a rich history and culture. There are amazing sky-high cliffs(悬崖) to climb, great temples to explore, , and lots of wonderful places to go diving. In fact, there are plenty of interesting things to see and to do in Malta and this island country has something for everyone.
Fiji
Fiji is a wonderful island that has plenty of surprises for any adventurous(爱冒险的) traveler. There is one of the world’s best surf scenes, and many people travel to Fiji yearly to ride the great waves. Well, if surfing is not for you and you love sitting on the beach and relaxing or hiking, seeing breathtaking waterfalls, Fiji is certainly the best island country to visit.
Greece
Greece is a beautiful country, known for its long history and its clean beaches. Mykonos island, Santorini island, Crete island, Corfu island are among the best Greek islands to visit. If you’re interested in history, there are many historical sites you can visit in Greece.
Maldives
Not only is the Maldives one of the most beautiful island countries, it is also one of the most popular honeymoon destinations. There is a beautiful ocean, with fascinating beaches and luxury resorts. If you are looking for the best honeymoon destination, the Maldives will be perfect for you.
In Malta, you can______________ .
| A．see breathtaking waterfalls | B．climb sky-high cliffs |
| C．ride the great waves | D．visit historical sites |
Which of the following islands is not among the best Greek islands to visit?
| A．Crete island | B．Corfu island |
| C．Mykonos island | D．Cuba island |
If a newly-married couple are looking for the best honeymoon destination, they will choose__________
| A．Malta | B．Fiji |
| C．Greece | D．Maldives |
Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything—tutors (家庭教师), cards, special learning centers—in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic (天主教的) school.
After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn’t kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread (铺开) out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back to his room, without a word. In no time he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mom looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity (好奇心). She went to his room and asked, “Son, what was it? Was it the nuns (修女)?”
Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head, “No. ”
“Well then,” she asked again. “WHAT was it?”
Little Tommy looked at her and said, “Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed (钉) to the plus sign (加号), I knew they weren’t joking. ” Why did Tommy’s parents send him to a catholic school?
| A．Because he could eat well there. |
| B．Because he could earn more about nuns. |
| C．Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math. |
| D．Because his parents didn’t want him to learn math any more. |
Tommy’s mother felt surprised that his son _______.
| A．was still the same as usual |
| B．ate so much at dinner |
| C．kissed her hello after school |
| D．worked hard but said little |
“Hitting the books” means “_______” in Chinese.
| A．用功 | B．捶书 | C．发泄 | D．振作 |
The last sentence in the passage shows that _______.
| A．Tommy felt sorry for the mail |
| B．Tommy was afraid of being nailed |
| C．Tommy didn’t like the plus sign |
| D．Tommy liked playing jokes on others |
From the passage, we can infer (推断) that _______.
| A．teachers should be strict with their students |
| B．mistaking (误解) might do good sometimes |
| C．a catholic school is much better than other ones |
| D．nuns are good at helping children with their math |
The word, “photography”, was first used in 1839. It comes from the Greek words that mean “to write with light”. But photography could only give peoplestatic pictures. So scientists were trying hard to find ways to make pictures that can move. They made lots of experiments, but failed again and again. It was Eadweard Muybridge who finally succeeded. He was the first photographer to try this successfully. But how did he make it? It was an interesting story.
Back in 1872, people didn’t know exactly whether all four of a horse’s hooves (蹄) left the ground at the same time when it was running. A gentleman called Leland Stanford made a bet with his friend about it. Most people believed that a horse always had one hoof on the ground, or it would fall over. But Stanford didn’t think so.
At that time, it was hard to know who could win the bet, because a horse’s legs move so fast that it is impossible to tell just by looking. So they needed a way to record the movement of a running horse. Then Stanford offered $25,000 to the famous photographer, Muybridge, to help find the answer. In the beginning, Muybridge failed to get clear images, but he didn’t give up. He continued to improve his cameras. In 1878, after many experiments, he managed to get a sequence (连续) of 12 photos. One of them clearly showed that all four of the horse’s hooves were off the ground at the same time. And when the photos moved fast, people could see a horse running.
Though is usually considered as the person who created the first movie in 1889, it was the work of Eadweard Muybridge and the bet that led to Edison’s invention.The underlined word“static”in Paragraph 1 most probably means _______.
| A．pretty | B．dark | C．moving | D．still |
What did Leland Stanford make a bet with his friend about?
| A．Whose horse ran faster. |
| B．whether a horse would fall over while running. |
| C．whether it was possible for scientists to make moving pictures. |
| D．Whether a horse’s hooves all left the ground at the same time while running. |
Muybridge finally found the exact answer to the bet _______.
| A．next year. | B．at the same year. |
| C．after six years. | D．after seventeen years. |
Which is TRUE from the passage?
| A．The word, “photography” means to make pictures that can move from the Greek words . |
| B．Leland Stanford made a bet with Edison in 1872. |
| C．It is very easy for Muybridgea to record the movement of a running horse. |
| D．Stanford believed all four of the horse’s hooves were off the ground at the same time. |
The passage mainly tells us _______.
| A．that Thomas Edison created the first movie . |
| B．that Eadweard Muybridge created the first static pictures |
| C．how photography helped people know more about animals |
| D．how Eadweard Muybridge got pictures of motion (移动) successfully |