We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up(分开) with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim, as a friend, really feel good about it?” “And was Paul friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, these thoughts can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it is too late.
Why do we go wrong with our friends, or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meanings. And if we do not really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words. When someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog!” Is he really on your side? If he says, “You’re a lucky guy!” That is being friendly. But “a lucky dog”? There is a bit of envy (嫉妒) in those words. What he may be saying is that he does not think you deserve (应得) your luck.
“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another phrase（短语） that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem. But this phrase contains the thought that your problem is not at all important.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Is what he says shown by the tone of voice? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save your another mistake. When the writer thinks of some of the things that happened between him and his friends, he .
| A．feels happy, thinking how nice his friends are to him |
| B．feels he might not have understood his friend’s true feelings |
| C．thinks it a mistake to have broken up with his girl friend |
| D．is sorry that his friends let him down |
When the writer talks about the saying, “You’re a lucky dog!”, he is saying that .
| A．the speaker is just friendly |
| B．this sentence suggests the same as “You’re a lucky guy!” |
| C．the word “dog” should not be used to apply to（运用到） people. |
| D．sometimes the words show that the speaker is a bit envious. |
This passage tries to tell you how to .
| A．avoid mistakes about money and friends |
| B．get an idea of friendly people |
| C．avoid mistakes in understanding what people tell you |
| D．keep people friendly without trusting them |
The writer suggests that should be trusted.
| A．everybody | B．nobody | C．all the people | D．not all the people |
Once there was a young woman who didn’t like her job. Everyday when she came home from work, she told her husband how terrible her day had been, how tiring the work and how unreasonable her boss. “Leave that job,” her husband told her.
“Oh, I will,” she said. “But not yet. I have too many friends there for me to leave.” And so she remained unhappy at work until the years became decades and her children had children. “Leave that job,” her grandchildren told her. “Oh, I will,” she said. “But not yet. There are only seven more years until I reach thirty years of service and can retire. So I can’t just yet.”
I know this woman. And her story reminds me of an old dog half asleep on the porch of a general store, moaning and groaning in the sun. “Why is your dog acting that way?” a customer asked the store owner. “Oh,” answered the man. “He’s lying on a nail.” “Well, why doesn’t he move?” “Because it’s not hurting him bad enough.”
That’s true for people, too. We convince ourselves the pain is not bad enough to leave the workplace we know. But we’re wrong. Prolonged work pain is continuing. Some work pain damages our self-esteem, kills our passion or destroys our dreams.
Wilbur Wright once commented, “We could hardly wait to get up in the morning. I know that exhilarating feeling of being so passionate about something I was working on that I couldn’t wait to get back to work. And people who are winning at working know that kind of passion, too.”
They get excited about work. They offer their unique gifts and talents eagerly. And when things don’t change as they sometimes will, they refuse to let environment hijack(劫持) their self-esteem, passion or dreams.The woman complained to her husband every day because.
| A．she didn’t have enough money to support her family |
| B．her boss criticized her for what she had done |
| C．she was not satisfied with her job at all |
| D．her work was difficult and her boss was cruel |
From the second paragraph we can know that the woman.
| A．liked making friends with others |
| B．loved all of her children very much |
| C．left her tiring job at last |
| D．did exactly the same job all along |
The underlined word “Prolonged” (in Paragraph 4) means.
| A．lasting | B．slight | C．serious | D．hard |
People who are getting along well with their work .
| A．have to get up early every day |
| B．are not willing to go to work |
| C．need more unique gifts and talents |
| D．are likely to change with the situation |
Breathe, wave and smile. Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement(毕业典礼).
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron cap and gown(方帽长袍).
Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(对美国的忠孝宣誓).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, “Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever.”
Then came the core (核心) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.What’s the article mainly about?
| A．An American high school’s graduation ceremony |
| B．The opening ceremony of a sports meeting. |
| C．A presentation of college diplomas. |
| D．A US college’s farewell party. |
Which of the following statements about the author is FALSE?
| A．She was one of the graduates. |
| B．She was a foreign exchange student. |
| C．She was excited to receive her diploma. |
| D．She felt it great to be at the ceremony. |
The right order of the following events is_____________.
a. Diplomas were presented to graduates.
b. Students gave farewell speeches.
c. The US national anthem was played.
d. The principal gave a short, warm speech.
e. Seniors went into the stadium.
| A．b,c,a,d,e | B．c,d,b,e,a | C．d,b,e,a,c | D．e,d,c,b,a |
From the text, we can conclude that_______.
| A．a diploma ensures a good job |
| B．a diploma guarantees a bright future |
| C．the commencement symbolizes the beginning of a new stage in life |
| D．everyone felt excited at the presentation of the diploma |
Hot words on the Internet don’t stay hot for long. “Geili” and “fuyun”, last year’s biggest linguistic innovations, are practically prehistoric in Internet terms. What’s buzzing now is “hold steady”
The term comes from a segment (片段) on the Taiwanese TV show University which features Miss Lin(Xie Yilin) giving a lecture on how to behave like a fashion queen at parties or on the bus. The extremely funny lecture is mainly an over-the-top mockery(嘲笑) of the fashion world, but Miss Lin makes a point: We need to hold steady in pressure-filled or embarrassing situations.
Holding steady, Internet slang for “staying poised”, is one of the qualities the public has been looking for lately as pressures on marriage, work and money can easily drive people crazy. The quality was demonstrated by a girl named Su Miaoling this year. The contestant in the TV singing competition Super Girl carried herself with an air of confidence on stage and kept her cool when others got anxious. “I like your poise(淡定). Very few contestants on this stage can keep calm like you do,” said one of the show’s judges, Hu Haiquan, to Su. Internet users dubbed Su “Sister Poise”.
Poise is also appreciated in Western culture as an essential quality of a well-mannered person. Each year, the National League of Junior Cotillions of the US releases a list of the Ten Best Mannered People. Kate Middleton made it onto the list in 2011 “for the poise and dignity with which she conducts herself in the public spotlight”. The Duchess of Cambridge was also acclaimed earlier this year for her remarkable poise at the royal wedding.
Good news for many, poise is not genetic----it can be acquired with a bit of effort. A personal growth guidance gives tips on how to stay poised. “Take a few deep breaths when you are facing a situation that tests your patience; practice yoga regularly to calm your nerves; use self-affirmation by saying ‘I choose to be calm in any situation’; write down your affirmation daily to imprint the goal,” reads the site.According to the passage, what does “hold steady” mean?
| A．well balanced | B．hold still |
| C．remain stable | D．keep calm |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Poise isn’t born with people, so it can be acquired. |
| B．Under different pressures, people hope to keep calm. |
| C．“Hold steady” comes from a lecture given by a fashion queen. |
| D．In western culture, holding steady is a quality of well-mannered people. |
Which of the following is NOT the way to hold steady?
| A．learn to use self-encouragement. |
| B．Write the goals to be achieved |
| C．Practice yoga regularly to calm your nerves. |
| D．Take deep breaths when facing difficult situations. |
The purpose of this passage is to_______.
| A．introduce the Internet hot term “hold steady” |
| B．tell funny stories about how to hold steady |
| C．demonstrate how to keep calm under pressure |
| D．give advice on how to keep cool in daily life |
On Sunday while I was having my own Father’s Day celebration, I thought about my dad a lot. By the time I called to tell him that I loved him, he had already gone to bed. So I wrote the following to show what my dad means to me.
About 28 years ago, my dad was a used car salesman. Every Thursday night, he would head off to Shreveport, LA for the auction（拍卖会）. Most of the time, I drove a car over there for him so he could sell it there.
One day, I was riding with my dad to Shreveport for the auction when he found a hitchhiker（搭车者）with a backpack. As soon as dad saw him, he pulled the car over and offered him a ride. Dad asked him his name and continued to talk to him about all sorts of things. I can’t recall why but he told dad a lot of terrible things that had occurred to him. I sat in the back seat and watched the scene with amazement. I could see that the hitchhiker changed his attitude as he could tell someone who was really listening to him.
We drove another forty-five minutes before we had to exit the interstate（州际公路）. We pulled over and dad told him to keep his head up and things would start looking up for him soon. He reached into his pocket and handed the hitchhiker a twenty-dollar bill and then a the-dollar bill.
We drove on and my dad did not say a single thing. I was still completely amazed by what I just witnessed. I was always told everyone to never pick up a hitchhiker and yet my dad did it every single time he saw one. I’m sure that it made that poor man’s day, probably a month to follow.
While reflecting upon that story, I learned a lot about my dad and life. I learned that if you come from a place of service or compassion, you can change people’s lives. Just one single kind act can change someone’s life. It never occurred to my dad about not stopping to help him.
This is the type of person my dad is. Thank you for setting such high standards for me to follow.
Dad, I love you. Happy Father’s Day!The author and his dad met a hitchhiker（搭车者）_______.
| A．when they were just warned not to pick up a stranger |
| B．on their way to Shreveport to sell a car |
| C．on their way to the west for a trip |
| D．when their car was running out of gas |
What do we learn about the hitchhiker from the passage?
| A．Something unpleasant occurred to him. |
| B．He was going to the auction. |
| C．At first he didn’t believe in the author. |
| D．It was he who bought the author’s car. |
How did the author feel about his dad’s behavior at that time?
| A．Angry | B．Appreciated | C．Surprised | D．Ashamed |
What did the author learn from his father?
| A．Just a single kind act can make a difference. |
| B．Try learning to be a good listener. |
| C．Set high standards for yourself in life. |
| D．Offering a ride to a stranger is dangerous. |
People who like their traveling have their reasons. They believe that traveling can help them expand their field of view, especially in the geographical and historical sense. They also think that touring will give them more chances to enjoy different kinds of food and experience new things that would never be brought by other activities. But those who dislike traveling also have some reasons.
Traveling, in my opinion, dose more good than harm. Most importantly, it broadened our mind. We can get in touch with other civilization（文明）, culture, customs and ideas.
Through history, most people traveled because of necessity —not for pleasure. People traveled just in order to remain alive. They searched for food to eat or places to live in. They sometimes ran away from enemies. This is not to say that no one ever traveled just for the fun of it. In ancient times, for example, rich Romans traveled all the way to Greece to take part in the Olympic Games, and festivals. Of course, some people decided to travel just out of curiosity. They wanted to find out what it looked like beyond the horizon（地平线）. Also business travel has been going on for centuries. Traders could not only make money but also learn to speak several languages and be introduced to different cultures.
So, traveling does enrich our mind and draw new ideas to us. There is no doubt that we can get much from it.How many reasons for traveling are mentioned in Paragraph 3?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
In the writer’s opinion, traveling can be _______.
| A．expensive | B．funny | C．helpful | D．tiring |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Different kinds of traveling. |
| B．Traveling enriches our mind. |
| C．Ways to enjoy yourself while traveling. |
| D．The advantages and disadvantages of traveling. |