My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word “shmily” in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving “shmily” around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged “shmily” with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. “Shmily” was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. There was no end to the places where “shmily” would pop up. Little notes with “shmily” were found on car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were put inside shoes and left under pillows. “Shmily” was written in the dust upon the mantel(壁炉架)and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents’ house as the furniture.
It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents’ game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love --- one that is pure and enduring (持久的). However, I never doubted my grandparents’ relationship. It was based on passionate(热情的)affection which not everyone is lucky enough to experience.
But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents’ life: my grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.
“Shmily.” It was written in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother’s funeral bouquet (花束). As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother’s coffin and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came: S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You.According to the passage, where may the word “shmily” be found?
a.in the flour containers
b.on the mirror
c.on the sheet of toilet paper
d.on pillows
e.on the furniture
A.a, b | B.b, c | C.a, d | D.b, e |
The first paragraph is mainly about ________.
A.what the word “shmily” means |
B.how the author’s grandparents played their special game |
C.how the author appreciated her grandparents’ game |
D.how the author’s grandparents cared for each other |
The underlined phrase “pop up” in Paragraph 1 means ________.
A.appear | B.change | C.survive | D.work |
According to the passage, the author _________.
A.thought the game was meaningless |
B.believes everyone can experience true love |
C.doubted the existence of true love at first |
D.sometimes left “shmily” around the house |
Grandpa tried to make Grandma comfortable by _______.
A.singing songs to her every day |
B.painting the room yellow |
C.encouraging her to go outside |
D.helping her take a hot shower every day |
An “apple polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment. It is not exactly a bribe(贿赂),but is close to it.
All sorts of people are apple polishers, including politicians and people in high offices ── just about everybody. Oliver Cromwell, the great English leader, offered many gifts to win the support of George Fox and his party, but failed.
There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing” ── “soft-soaping” or “butter-up”. A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”. Another that is just as effective is flattery, giving someone high praise ── telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how talented and wise he is.
Endless are the ways of flattery. Who does not love or hear it ? Only an unusual man can resist the thrill of being told how wonderful he is. In truth, flattery is good medicine for most of us, who gets so little of it.
We need it to be more sure of ourselves. It cannot hurt unless we get carried away by it. But we just lap it up for its food value and nourishment, as a cat laps up milk, then we can still remain true to ourselves.
Sometimes, however, flattery will get you nothing from one who has had too much of it. A good example is the famous 12th century legend of King Canute of Denmark and England. The king got tired of listening to the endless sickening flattery of his courtiers(朝臣).They overpraised him to the skies, as a man of limitless power.
He decided to teach them a lesson. He took them to the seashore and sat down. Then he ordered the waves to stop coming in. The tide was too busy to listen to him. The king was satisfied. This might show his followers how weak his power was and how empty their flattery.Which of the following activities has nothing to do with “apple-polishing” ?
A.A boy tells his girlfriend how pretty she looks |
B.An employee tells his boss how good he is at management |
C.A knight(骑士)is said to be of limitless power by his followers |
D.A teacher praised his students for their talent and wisdom. |
Which of the following statement about flattery is TRUE according to the author ?
A.Too much flattery can carry us away |
B.Flattery is too empty to do people any good |
C.Flattery can get nothing but excessive(过度的)pride |
D.Flattery is one of the ways to apple-polish people. |
King Canute of Denmark and England took his followers to the seashore because __________.
A.he was sick of his normal |
B.he disliked being overpraised any more |
C.he wanted them to realize how wise he was |
D.he wanted them to see how weak he was as a king |
The author thinks that flattery can do good to those who _________.
A.are really excellent |
B.lack confidence |
C.are politicians or in high offices |
D.think highly of themselves |
On October 23, 2011, David Pologruto, a high school physics teacher, was stabbed (刺) by his smart student Jason Haffizulla. Jason got straight A’s and was determined to study medicine at Harvard, yet this was his downfall. His physics teacher gave Jason a B, a mark Jason believed would undermine (损害) his entrance to Harvard. After receiving his B, Jason took a butcher knife to school and stabbed his physics teacher.
How can someone as smart as Jason do something so dumb? Studies show there is little or no correlation between IQ and emotional intelligence.
During my early university years, I regarded myself as an intelligent guy. I got good marks in mathematics, physics, and other subjects. I thought such skills would surely give me a bright future. After one year of study with decent marks, I began to see two major classes of students. The first category of students turned up to few lectures, partied every weekend, enjoyed a great social life, and did minimal work to pass courses. The second category of students were intelligent and hard workers who got good grades and were very focused on their studies. Surely would these intelligent and hard-working students find the great jobs before the other lazier class of students?
Not so. Students are often shocked upon graduation that their qualifications are not as important as they once thought. Graduates enter the workforce only to realize that co-workers hate them and less intelligent people are the ones receiving promotions.
Educational skills are useless in some industries when interpersonal skills are absent. You can have great ideas, theories, and solve complex problems, but if you cannot effectively communicate in a persuasive and exciting manner by relating to your fellow humans, you will face an uphill battle in whatever challenges you encounter. It’s not that people dislike you because of your intelligence; it’s that people dislike you because you’re rude and not understanding. The intelligent person with poor communication skills is insensitive or unaware of others’ emotions.Jason Haffizulla stabbed his physics teacher because .
A.he was unfairly treated by his teacher |
B.he was disappointed with his downfall |
C.he was not smart enough at studies |
D.he got a worse mark than usual |
We can infer from the third paragraph that the author in his early university years.
A.didn’t think communication skills were as important as intelligence |
B.didn’t work hard |
C.belonged to the first category of students |
D.could keep a balance between social life and studies |
Intelligent people are hated because .
A.they can solve more complex problems |
B.they can’t settle the challenges they meet |
C.they are envied for their intelligence |
D.they are not understanding enough |
The main purpose of the text is to tell us .
A.the relationship between IQ and emotional intelligence |
B.what kind of students can succeed in college |
C.smart people may have poorer communication skills |
D.intelligent students will meet more challenges at work |
According to a new study by Israel researchers from University of Haifa, posting blogs to express feelings and emotions is therapeutic for children aged 13-17. Psychology professors Meyran Boniel-Nissim and Azy Barak have found that a teenager writing a publicly-viewed blog on the Internet is more effective for relieving stress rather than keeping a private diary. The study, published in the journal Psychological Services, supports that expressing oneself through writing can be therapeutic.
To conduct the research, Boniel-Nissim and Barak randomly selected Israeli high school students who displayed a certain degree of stress. The teenagers were then divided into six groups. Two groups were asked to post blogs twice a week about their social difficulties, but only one of them was asked to open the blogs for comments. The next set of groups were also asked to blog twice a week to post about whatever was going on in their mind, again with one group allowing comments. The two control groups were asked to keep an old-fashioned private diary.
The researchers then collected the blog posts and diaries to discuss the adolescents’ emotional and social position. From the research, they saw that the greatest improvement in mood was with the bloggers who wrote about their personal troubles and allowed people to interact with their posts. The research also noted that the comments were mostly positive and constructive. Boniel-Nissim and Barak said that the commentators’ interactions helped the bloggers while they were distressed. The conclusive research noted that expressing yourself on the Internet not only let others know what was personally going on with you, but also helped you figure out some things about yourself too.The underlined word “therapeutic” in Paragraph 1 can be best explained as “”.
A.attractive to teens |
B.addictive for children |
C.making people feel calm and relaxed |
D.able to be easily hurt |
______________were selected for the research.
A.Those who blogged regularly. |
B.Those who suffered from stress. |
C.Those who had never blogged before. |
D.Those who had poor social skills. |
The research shows that teens benefit most when .
A.they blog and allow comments |
B.they discuss their study on the blog |
C.they keep a traditional diary |
D.they comment on someone else’s blog |
We can infer from the last paragraph that blogging ___________.
A.should not always be opened to comments |
B.is most useful in improving one’s mood |
C.is not an effective way to express one’s feelings |
D.can help students see their problems better |
I have had the privilege of meeting some very interesting people over the years. Some of these people made a great impact on my life, my views and personal philosophy. Others I met had the opposite effect because they represented attitudes, behavior and beliefs that were directly opposed to my views on life and my feelings about the value of all people.
One such person I met was a woman in her late seventies. She had been an active woman, raised a family and had engaged in helping others, and developed her own crafts to sell at selected craft shows throughout the year.
When I met her for the first time, I couldn’t believe that she was in her late seventies — I would have placed her age more in her early sixties. After speaking with her for a short period, it was only then that the conversation seemed to turn to age. And, it wasn’t a conversation about the frailty (脆弱) of age, or the aches and pains, or about pleasures lost.
The conversation, instead, focused on her zest for life and all the things that she was in the planning stages of doing. And, what she was planning to do wasn’t about going to a seniors group so she and her husband could go on a bus tour. What she was planning was an excursion (旅行) to Europe, unaccompanied by any tour operator or taken around the usual sights by a local guide.
She really impressed me a lot because of her zest for life; for an uncompromising view of the future not in the least affected by her age; for the undying faith in knowing that there was a great deal of life yet to be discovered and experienced and yearning for each new image, discussion, smell, cultural uniqueness or experience. From the text we know_____________.
A.the woman had much sight-seeing around the world. |
B.the woman was willing to help others. |
C.the woman made great wealth by selling crafts. |
D.the woman talked a lot about her age. |
The old woman impressed the author because ______________.
A.she kept young in spite of her age |
B.she had experienced a lot in life |
C.she never gave in to the aches and pains in life |
D.she had a positive outlook on life |
What kind of tone does the author use to describe the woman?
A. Doubtful. C. Concerning. C. Sympathetic. D. Appreciative.The underlined word “zest” in the fourth paragraph probably means“_____________”.
A.enthusiasm | B.concept | C.view | D.satisfaction |
阅读下列材料,从所给的六个选项(A、B、C、D、E和F)中选出符合各段落大意的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。
A. Mothers and Fathers Play Differently
B. Mothers and Fathers Parent Differently
C. Mothers and Fathers Solve Problems Differently
D. Mothers and Fathers regulate Differently
E. Mothers and Fathers Communicate Differently
F. Fathers Push Limits; Mothers Encourage Security
The following are some of the most compelling ways mother and father involvement make a positive
difference in a child’s life. Children need mom’s softness as well as dad’s roughhousing.________ This difference provides an important diversity of experiences for children. Stanford psychologist Eleanor Maccoby explains mothers and fathers respond differently to infants. Mothers are more likely to provide warm, nurturing care for a crying infant. This diversity in itself provides children with a broader, richer experience of contrasting relational interactions—more so than for children who are raised by only one gender. Whether they realize it or not, children are learning at earliest age that men and women are different and have different ways of dealing with life, other adults and their children.
________ While both mothers and fathers are physical, fathers are physical in different ways. Fathers tickle more, they wrestle, and throw their children in the air. Fathers chase their children sometimes as playful, scary “monsters”. Mothers cuddle babies, and fathers bounce them. Fathers roughhouse while mothers are gentle. One style encourages independence while the other security. One study found 70 percent of father-infant games were more physical and action oriented while only 4 percent of mother-infant ones were like this.
________ Go to any playground and listen to the parents. Who is encouraging their kids to swing or climb just a little higher, ride their bike just a little faster, throw just a little harder? Who is yelling, “slow down, not so high, not so hard!” Of course, fathers encourage children to take chances and mothers protect and are more cautious. This difference can cause disagreements between mom and dad on what is best for the child. Either of these guiding styles by themselves can be unhealthy. Joined together, they keep each other in balance and help children remain safe while expanding their experiences and confidence.
________ A major study showed that when speaking to children, mothers and fathers are different. What fathers express tends to be more brief, directive, and to the point. It also makes greater use of subtle body language and facial expressions. Mothers tend to be more descriptive, personal and verbally encouraging. Children who do not have daily exposure to both will not learn how to understand and use both styles of conversation as they grow. These boys and girls will be at a disadvantage because they will experience these different ways of exchanging ideas in relationships with teachers, bosses and other authority figures.
________ As a famous saying goes, nothingcanbeaccomplishedwithoutregulationsorstandards. Fathers stress justice fairness and duty (based on rules), while mothers emphasize sympathy, care and help (based on relationship). Fathers tend to observe and enforce rules systematically and sternly, which teach children the objectivity and consequences of right and wrong. Mothers tend toward grace and sympathy in the midst of disobedience, which provides a sense of hopefulness. Either of these by themselves is not good, but if together, they create a healthy, proper balance.