Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can
remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, “In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence”. Given that this is the case, why aren’t students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn’t in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution: stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or slid should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words, name-calling, and accusation only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy for conflict resolution: listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker’s position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. This doesn’t mean trying to figure out what’s wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn’t, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn’t mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, “64% of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75% of the teachers reported an increase in student cooperation; and 92% of the students felt better about themselves”. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.This article is mainly about .
| A．the lives of school children |
| B．the cause of arguments in schools |
| C．how to deal with school conflicts |
| D．how to analyze youth violence |
From Paragraph 2 we can learn that .
| A．violence is more likely to occur at lunchtime |
| B．the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight |
| C．students tend to lose their temper easily |
| D．a small conflict can lead to violence |
Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?
| A．To make clear what the real issue is |
| B．To get ready to try new things. |
| C．To find out who is to blame |
| D．To figure out how to stop the shouting match. |
After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that .
| A．more teachers felt better about themselves in schools |
| B．there was a decrease in classroom violence |
| C．there was less student cooperation in the classroom |
| D．the teacher-student relationship greatly improved |
The writer’s purpose for writing this article is to .
| A．complain about problems in school education |
| B．teach students different strategies for school life |
| C．advocate teaching conflict management in schools |
| D．inform teachers of the latest studies on school violence |
They baby is just one day old and has not yet left hospital. She is quiet but alert （警觉）. Twenty centimeters from her face researchers have placed a white card with two black spots on it. She stares at it carefully. A researcher removes the card and replaces it by another, this time with the spots differently spaced. As the cards change from one to the other, her gaze（凝视） starts to lose its focus — until a third, with three black spots, is presented. Her gaze returns: she looks at it for twice as long as she did at the previous card. Can she tell that the number two is different from three, just 24 hours after coming into the world?
Or do newborns simply prefer more to fewer? The same experiment, but with three spots shown before two, shows the same return of interest when the number of spots changes. Perhaps it is just the newness? When slightly older babies were shown cards with pictures of objects (a comb, a key, an orange and so on), changing the number of objects had an effect separate from changing the objects themselves. Could it be the pattern that two things make, as opposed to three? No again. Babies paid more attention to squares moving randomly on a screen when their number changed from two to three, or three to two. The effect even crosses between senses. Babies who were repeatedly shown two spots became more excited when they then heard three drumbeats than when they heard just two; likewise （同样地） when the researchers started with drumbeats and moved to spots.The experiment described in Paragraph 1 is related to the baby’s__.
| A．sense of hearing | B．sense of sight |
| C．sense of touch | D．sense of smell |
Babies are sensitive to the change in______.
| A．the size of cards | B．the colour of pictures |
| C．the shape of patterns | D．the number of objects |
Why did the researchers test the babies with drumbeats?
| A．To reduce the difficulty of the experiment. |
| B．To see how babies recognize sounds. |
| C．To carry their experiment further. |
| D．To keep the babies’ interest. |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．Science fiction. | B．Children’s literature. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A science report. |
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York，So I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing （揭露） the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts. Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A．Their flight had been delayed. |
| B．They had early bookings. |
| C．They took a later flight. |
| D．Their flight had been cancelled. |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She is very strict with her children. |
| B．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| C．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A．She's a media person. | B．She's a housewife. |
| C．She's a teacher. | D．She's a businesswoman. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to expose bad tricks. |
| B．How to reserve airline seats. |
| C．How to spend money wisely. |
| D．How to make a business deal. |
The National Gallery
Description:
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance
Layout:
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th- to 15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci,Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titan and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18th- to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours:
The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm (Fridays 10am to 9pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There:
Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8-minute walk).In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?
| A．The 13th. | B．The 17th. |
| C．The 18th. | D．The 20th. |
Where are Leonardo da Vinci’s works shown?
| A．In the East Wing. | B．In the main West Wing. |
| C．In the Sainsbury Wing. | D．In the North Wing. |
Which underground station is closest to the National Gallery?
| A．Embankment. | B．Leicester Square. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Charing Cross. |
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958. He was born in Gary, Indiana. He was the seventh child out of nine children in his family. Michael was often physically abused (虐待) by his father, beaten up and also verbally （口头地） abused. But Michael also owed his success to his father’s being strict.
Michael was always an entertainer（艺人）. Even when he just joined school, he would perform in front of friends and classmates. Michael started his professional music career at the age of 11, as a member of the Jackson Five.
He’s well-known for increasing the popularity of MTV through his music videos. Before this, music videos were made just to promote the albums （专辑）. But Michael’s videos managed to change that in videos being made as an art, and for big business. Some of the music videos that are good examples of this fact are Beat It, Billie Jean, and Thriller. Through these works of his, the world got caught onto the idea of music videos and dedicated music video channels.
Michael enthralled his fans and audiences with his style of singing, dressing, and his complex dance moves, especially the “Moonwalk”. The moonwalk is something that people from every part of the globe loved and try to copy People have also done mass moonwalks all around to show their love towards him.
Michael Jackson supported 39 charities （慈善机构）. Through his work and various foundations, he raised and gave millions toward charity, much more than any other showman. He had great love for children, especially the poor ones, and he felt children were the next best thing after God.
Michael planed to start a 50-concert tour in July 2009. Sadly, on 25th June, 2009, Michael passed away at home. Michael Jackson was a great performer, showman, and entertainer, besides the good human and charitable person that he was. It’s very unlikely that there will ever be another entertainer like Michael Jackson ever again.Which of the following topics is Not described about Michael Jackson in the passage?
| A．Childhood | B．Personal life |
| C．Music career | D．Charity |
According to the passage, Michael Jackson ________.
A. lived a happy life as a child
B. fell in love with music at 11
C. loved performing at school
C. was grateful to his father since his childhoodThe underlined word “enthralled” in Paragraph 4 most probably means _________.
| A．encouraged | B．developed |
| C．attracted | D．puzzled |
The purpose of the passage is to ________.
| A．call on readers to learn from Michael Jackson |
| B．show love and respect for Michael Jackson |
| C．prove Michael Jackson is a great person |
| D．offer readers some facts about Michael Jackson |
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized(强调)the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be surprised . Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought , perhaps this is not an proper topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic. “ So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was stopped again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it ?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, ‘You don’t say.’actually means ‘really’! It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I know how foolish I had been. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.At first, on hearing “You don’t say”, I thought the foreigner meant____.
| A．He was not interested in the topic |
| B．He was only interested in the Great Wall |
| C．I had talked too much |
| D．I had to stop talking |
The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means____.
| A．interesting | B．important |
| C．terrible | D．unlucky |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall. |
| B．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it. |
| C．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide. |
| D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth (值得) visiting. |
After the Englishman explained the idiom, _____.
| A．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool. |
| B．The Englishman became a real fool. |
| C．I felt very foolish |
| D．I became more careful in everything. |