What’s in name? Well, apparently, our general happiness. Psychologists say that what we are called has a direct connection with our happiness.
Those called Judy and Joshua are the happiest, while Lynn or Ben is likely to be the unhappiest, according to research. Psychologist Dr David Holmes found that this can cause the association(联想) that others make with the name. Hearing the name Judy may make them think of actress Judi Dench or TV presenter Judy Finnigan, and people who are considered good-natured and happy. On the other hand, people think Paulines are unhappy because of the character Pauline Fowler from the TV programme East Enders. The research claims that this association influences the person with the name and so their personality is shaped to fit in. Dr David Holmes said, “This also has some relation with the original meaning of the name, for example, the original meaning of Judy is ‘praised’.”
Certain names also work well in certain aspects of life. In the workplace Richard and Judy are the happiest, while those called Ruth and Carly are the happiest in relationships. At the other end of the scale the unhappiest workers are Stuart and Liz, with the unhappiest in relationships being Frank and Harriet.
Dr Holmes said, “The relation we have with certain names, particularly important namesakes (同名者), also shapes how we see ourselves and so may have an effect on our confidence. Names are like product brands in having a powerful effect on attitudes and should therefore be chosen with care.”
“Other names are connected with being brave, outgoing or serious. Therefore, many celebrities change their names to ones which reflect these characteristic. This, in turn, influences parents when they choose names for their babies,” said Dr Holmes, “while names connected with ordinary people are rarely chosen for their babies.”What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．How to choose a good name for babies. |
| B．The relation between names and happiness. |
| C．How to have a name connected with celebrities. |
| D．The relation between names and success. |
According to the passage, which of the following names are better?
| A．Joshua and Ben. | B．Pauline and Frank. |
| C．Richard and Stuart. | D．Ruth and Joshua. |
The author may continue the passage with _________.
| A．names and product brands |
| B．famous people’s names |
| C．names and personality |
| D．parents’ choices of baby names |
Which of the following is connected with names according to the passage?
| A．Personality and self-confidence. | B．Self-confidence and position. |
| C．Position and characteristic. | D．Personality and appearance. |
A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself，and your other writing．It can unshroud your knowledge，and create an ongoing relationship with your readers．A good blog is more than just a marketing tool；it’s also an expression of your personality．
An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more．Post elections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak．If you write nonfiction(写实文学)，show people what they can achieve，and give them a few steps to get them started．
Give tips，information and advice about the subjects you cover．For example，something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this．Your writing tips can also be included，as well as interesting，strange or funny things you discovered during your research．Whenever you contact an expert，ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use．You may also give background information about your stories and locations
Give details of coming posts on your blog，so people can watch out for you，or come and meet you．Personal news will help people feel better connected to you．Include photos of objects and locations in your writing，famous people you meet，the views from your window， and your favorite things—with a note about where they come from and what they mean to you．Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better，know the subject better，or anything else you think they might find useful，inspiring or entertaining．
If you only occasionally post things on your blog，people have a tendency to forget you．As a writer you shouldn’t ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with——and your readers will love you for it．Which is the best title for the text?
| A．What to Blog about? | B．How to Start a Blog? |
| C．Why to Launch a Blog? | D．How to Make Website Attractive? |
The underlined word “unshroud” in the first paragraph means_________．
| A．put on | B．turn up |
| C．show off | D．write down |
Personal news on your blog_______________．
| A．can make people watch out for you |
| B．can make people easily get in touch with you |
| C．helps to leave your privacy known |
| D．helps you improve your writing |
What does the author suggest for keeping a blog?
| A．Posting things on your blog once in a while. |
| B．Adding new stories to it every day． |
| C．Filling it with attractive things frequently． |
| D．Loving it as your life． |
Matthew Henson-Arctic Explorer
In 1880，fourteen-year-old Matthew Henson loved to hear sailors tell tales of their exciting 1ives at sea．The travel，the adventure，the danger，and the steady pay were all attracting young Henson．One day，he found a job as a cabin boy off a beautiful ship called the Katie Hinds．For the next five years．Henson sailed around the world．With the help of the ship’s captain and other members of the crew．Henson learned mathematics，navigation，history，geography，and many other subjects．By the time he left the Katie Hinds in 1885，Henson was well educated and had become an excellent seaman．
Unable to find work anywhere else，Henson took a job in a hat shop in Washington，D．C．One day in 1887，a man came in to buy a hat．The man，Robert Peary，asked the owner if he knew anyone with experience at sea．Peary would soon travel to South America for the U．S．government．He needed experienced men to accompany him．The shop owner knew about his young employee’s skills and experience on ocean journeys，so he introduced Peary to Henson．
Using his map-reading and sailing skills，Henson proved himself to be a worthy and smart seaman．Peary soon made Henson his assistant，and they became close friends．One day Peary told Henson about his real dream：to be the first man to stand on“the top of the world"at the North Pole．He asked Henson to help him make his dream come true．Over the next five years，the two explorers made two trips together to the Arctic．However，they were not able to reach the pole either time．The cold，wind，and ice were worse than either of them had ever imagined．
In 1908，Peary and Henson were ready to make their final attempt at reaching the North Pole．Both men were over forty years old．The years of hardship in the arctic cold had made them suffer a lot．This would be their last chance．With four Inuit guides，they made a mad rush straight across the ice toward the po1e．Peary’s feet were injured and he had to be pulled on a dogsled．In April 1909．Henson’s instruments showed they were standing at the North Pole．Together Henson and Peary planted the American flag in the snow．
In later years，Robert Peary and Henson were greatly honored for their achievements．Today，the two friends and fellow explorers lie in heroes’ graves not far apart in the Arlington National Cemetery．In paragraph 1，the author shows how Henson became________．
| A．a skilled seaman |
| B．a highly educated captain |
| C．employed in a restaurant |
| D．interested in helping others |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us__________．
| A．how Matthew Henson met Robert Peary |
| B．why Matthew Henson went to the hat shop |
| C．why Matthew Henson stopped working on the Katie Hinds |
| D．how Robert Peary knew that Matthew Henson had sea experience |
On their trip to the North Pole，Henson and Peary could best be compared to___________.
| A．hunters running after wolves |
| B．generals seeking power over another country |
| C．soldiers going to war to fight for their freedom |
| D．fighters performing a task in an unknown land |
The information presented in this passage is mainly organized_________．
| A．by cause and effect |
| B．by comparing and contrasting |
| C．in the order that the events happened |
| D．with main ideas and supporting examples |
It was such an extremely freezing day that I decided to get a cup of hot drinking first after work．As my colleague，Ricky，and I were making our way to a coffee shop，I noticed an old gentleman rather poorly dressed sitting on a bench nearby．Obviously he was frozen，seemingly one of the homeless or someone like that．
We joined the 1ine and waited to be served．Ricky handed the server a twenty-dollar bill， ordered three cups of hot coffee，and gestured the server to give one to the old gentleman outside on the bench as a favour．The server looked at Ricky，a little perplexed，without full comprehension of the request．Afterwards，there was a wonderful exchange between the server and the old man in need of some attention．I only wish I had taken a photo of the smiles on the both faces.
As I was thinking about this event later on，I wondered to myself why Ricky didn’t perform this act of kindness himself．I suspected that deep down in his heart he was hoping that this act of kindness might inspire others to do something for this old man as well．Absolutely beautiful!
There are many ways of thinking when we meet someone as the old man in need of kindness and attention．Perhaps he needs a little helping hand and thank God for my colleague who inspired the others to goodness as well．Oh，by the way，the last words Ricky told the server were，“There go I，but for the Grace of God．”What was the author’s impression of the old gentleman?
| A．He was a greedy man． |
| B．He took on a sign of poor manners. |
| C．He was in poor health． |
| D．He needed some kind of human care. |
Why didn't Ricky give the favour to the old gentleman himself?
| A．He didn’t know the old gentleman． |
| B．He was too shy to speak to strangers． |
| C．He tried to influence others to be kind． |
| D．He feared the old man would refuse his help． |
What the author really thinks absolutely beautiful is that_________.
| A．an act of kindness could go widespread |
| B．a cup of coffee could warm the old man |
| C．the server was very kind to customers |
| D．Ricky had created good impressions |
They say there are three ways to experience the Grand Canyon；on foot，on mules(骡子)or by air．We chose the first．Waking up early，my husband and I and our three children couldn’t wait to get started．We decided to walk along a lovely path named Bright Angel Trail．
As we set out，I was shocked at how narrow the path was．And I couldn’t help noticing that the other tourists weren’t like us．They had heavy backpacks，water bottles，and hats．But as usual we were dressed．As the sun rose higher．Arizona’s famous heat seemed to roast us．There was no shade and our legs were aching．We decided to go back，with the girl on my back and the boys far behind．By the time we finally got back，our legs were like jelly．
The next day，after we’d had a long rest and a good breakfast，we were ready for another view of the Canyon—by air．After our last walk，this would be the easiest thing in the world．
We called to each other excitedly as the plane took off and circled around the Canyon．But the smiles on our faces disappeared as the pilot tossed(翻转)the plane around，pretending he was going to hit the ground．I shouted，“STOP，TAKE US BACK!”When we finally arrived back on land，once again our legs were like jelly．We hardly spoke as we drove back．
As I said，there are three ways to view the Grand Canyon．We never tried the mules，but personally I'd suggest a fourth buy yourself a good magazine like National Geographic．That way，you can see the Canyon，without fear or tiredness．Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?
| A．They made a careful preparation before the trip． |
| B．They children were more joyful than their parents． |
| C．Bright Angel Trail was not as lovely as they expected． |
| D．The narrow road prevented them from enjoying the view． |
The underlined expression“Our legs were like jelly”probably means_________.
| A．we were weak | B．we were unhappy |
| C．we were dissatisfied | D．we were disappointed |
Which of the following best describes their Canyon trip by air?
| A．It proved to be frightening． | B．It was more comfortable. |
| C．It turned out to be exciting． | D．It made each of them tired． |
We can infer from the passage that_________．
| A．experiencing the Canyon on mules would be the best way |
| B．one needs to dress less when visiting the Grand Canyon |
| C．the writer was not serious when she made the suggestion |
| D．the whole family narrowly escaped from the air accident |
“Eat local．” It’s one way to reduce human effect on the planet．Eating local means to try to buy and consume foods that are grown in places close to home．However, most of the food sold at supermarkets is not locally grown or produced．Trucks and planes deliver these foods from hundreds or thousands of miles away．During the transportation, greenhouse gases are produced, causing global warming．So the shorter the distance your foods must travel, the less the harm is done to the environment．
But how do you get local food if you live in a large city, hundreds of miles away from farms？Environmental health scientist Dickson Despommier and his students came up with the idea of a “vertical farm”．
A vertical farm is a glass-walled structure that could be built as tall as a skyscraper．Since the garden is built upwards, rather than outwards, it requires much less space than an ordinary farm．The world is quickly running out of room for ordinary farming．Vertical farms could be a key to this situation．Despommier imagines a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor．The walls of the building would be clear, to allow crops to get as much sunlight as possible．Depending on a city’s water resources, Despommier thinks hydroponic（水培） farming is another method for the vertical farm which needs no soil to grow plants．
Despommier says the hydroponic greenhouses would use a system that would use a city’s waste water and fill it with nutrition to make the crops grow．If this method works, it would provide food to a city and save millions of tons of water．
The idea of a vertical farm has attracted the attention of government officials around the world．Scott Stringer, a government official from New York City, thinks the city is suitable for the vertical farming．“Obviously we don’t have much land left for us,” Stringer said, “But the sky is the limit in Manhattan．”
Despommier admits that there is still a lot of work to do to make vertical farms a reality．“But I think vertical farming is an idea that can work in a big way．” he says．Why are people advised to eat local?
| A．Because it means convenience to people． |
| B．Because it can help people save a lot of money． |
| C．Because local food has more nutrition． |
| D．Because it is environmentally friendly． |
Which is one of the vertical farm’s benefits when compared with ordinary farming?
| A．It produces healthier food． |
| B．It does less harm to the cities． |
| C．It consumes more energy of the city． |
| D．It requires less transport costs． |
By saying “the sky is the limit in Manhattan”, Stringer means ________．
| A．people can make full use of vertical space of Manhattan |
| B．there is a limit for using empty land in Manhattan |
| C．the height of buildings in Manhattan is limited |
| D．Manhattan has a great potential for development |
What can we learn about the vertical farming in the passage?
| A．In a vertical farm, soil may not be needed to grow plants． |
| B．It has solved the problem of the food shortage in a big way． |
| C．It is a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor． |
| D．Crops are mainly grown in the rainwater in a vertical farm． |