A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly，courteous and helpful most Americans were to them．To be fair，this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians，and should best be considered North American．There are，of course，exceptions．Small-minded officials，rude waiters，and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US．Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment．For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence．
Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another．Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion，and brought news of the outside world．The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality．
Someone traveling alone，if hungry，injured，or ill，often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement．It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers．It reflected the harshness of daily life： if you didn‘t take in the stranger and take care of him，there was no one else who would．And someday，remember，you might be in the same situation．Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler．Yet，the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US，especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails．“I was just traveling through，got talking with this American，and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner—amazing．” Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon，but are not always understood properly．
In the eyes of visitors from the outside world，___________．
| A．rude taxi drivers are rarely seen in the US |
| B．small-minded officials deserve a serious comment |
| C．Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors |
| D．most Americans are ready to offer help |
It could be inferred from the last paragraph that ___________．
| A．culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship |
| B．courteous convention and individual interest are interrelated |
| C．various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends |
| D．social interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions |
Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers ___________．
| A．to improve their hard life |
| B．in view of their long-distance travel |
| C．to add some flavor to their own daily life |
| D．out of a charitable impulse |
The tradition of hospitality to strangers ___________．
| A．tends to be superficial and artificial |
| B．is generally well kept up in the united States |
| C．is always understood properly |
| D．has something to do with the busy tourist trails |
What’s the author’s attitudes toward the American‘s friendliness？
| A．Favorable． | B．Unfavorable． |
| C．Indifferent． | D．Neutral． |
Miguel’s co-workers don’t quite understand him. One day he is smiling and friendly, a real team player. The next day, he is cross, getting angry over minor things, especially when asked to improve one of his designs.
Identifying your personality characteristics is the first step in developing a good attitude. Are you a positive, confident person or are you shy and reserved? Do you face problems, looking for solutions, or do you feel someone to blame? Characteristics define you. They help you succeed, or they hold you back.
Self-awareness, or understanding the factors that make up your personality, is an important step towards happiness, and happiness is the key characteristic of a good attitude. To become self-aware is to be aware of both your good and bad characteristics.
What are the characteristics that people compliment(恭维) on you? Are you dependable”, “responsible” or “solid”? Pay attention to the compliment because they are a confirmation of your strongest characteristics. You can use these characteristics to create an even better image.
People form opinions about you. Whether they are right or wrong doesn’t enter the question. You, however, can change their opinions by demonstrating the personality characteristics and attitudes that match the way you want to be viewed. In becoming self-aware, understanding how others see you is an important step. This can be painful; but if you are brave enough to try it, it can be an excellent growth experience.
Change is not easy, especially when it has to do with your behaviors. You should break the behavior change into small steps because small steps are easier to achieve and more likely to last. The change will be permanent if you want to change for yourself.
73．The purpose for writing this passage is to__________.
A．help you to get along well with others
B．give you advice on how to be happy
C．help you to get rid of our bad behaviors
D．help you to develop a good personality
74．You should be self-aware because___________.
A．it may help you on the way to success
B．it is a matter of failure or success
C．it will surely make you happy and successful
D．it helps you to create a better mage
75．What may be talked about after this passage?
A．Detailed steps of changing your behaviors
B．Why it is important to improve yourself
C．Why it is hard to change your personality
D．Tips in how to get along well with others
Struggling in the US? Move to China!
I graduated from the university with a degree of civil engineering. It is a good field but my heart was not in it. I wanted to be an actor or work in the entertainment industry…living a creative life. My choice of civil engineering was really a mistake but I realized too late. As soon as I graduated, I moved straight to Los Angeles—the home of the film and television industry!
For three years, I tried to get a job in that field. I often worked as an extra in movies and TV shows—standing in the background while actors are in the foreground. This was fun for a while, but I wanted a real acting job, where I was speaking! Sadly, in Los Angeles, there is too much competition. Every race and age is represented: old, young, black, white, Asian and thousands of blondish-red haired Midwestern types like me. Being an extra couldn’t make enough money for me to live in Los Angeles. I had to do something else for money.
After three years of trying, I gave up my dream of being an actor and started a different career. I then tried network-marketing, but in the end, that failed. Seven years after graduating college, I was still in debt, still searching for a satisfactory life. I decided to go back to civil engineering.
However, I was starting to get very disappointed with my life. Why is life not like what I expected? I expected to have made a lot of money, gotten married, with a house and nice cars, kids, time freedom, etc. Millions of people lead lives with their dreams shelved, existing but not really living. I want my life to be different, more satisfactory, more alive. America was not providing that for me…
In addition, America was too expensive—always worrying about money was a headache. I wanted a life filled with adventure, romance, friendships, successes, and dreams realized.
…
I decided to move to China.
69．How can we describe the writer’s attitude toward life?
A．Practical B．Passive C．Disappointed D．Positive
70．What does the underlined sentence mean?
A．A lot of people are living but they are not enjoying their life.
B．A lot of people are living with dreams though their life is not that enjoyable.
C．A lot of people give up their dreams and yet are living a good life.
D．A lot of people don’t have dreams, nor do they want to live either.
71．What did the writer do before he finally decided to move to China?
A．Engineer→extra→marketing→engineer
B．Extra→marketing→engineer
C．Engineer→extra→marketing
D．Extra→engineer→marketing
72．What can we infer from the passage?
A．Life is easier in the US.
B．Life in China is not easy.
C．There is always somewhere in the world where you can enjoy life.
D．More Americans will move to China.
Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son: suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut.” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. ”She used to cuddle up with me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds. “ In fact, parents are first on the list.” Said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years.” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.
65．“The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son________.
A．is always busy with his studies
B．doesn’t want to be disturbed
C．keeps himself away from his parents
D．begins to dislike his parents
66．What troubles Tina and Mark most is that_______
A．their daughter isn’t as lovely as before
B．they can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly
C．they don’t know what to say to their daughter
D．their daughter talks with them only when she needs help
67．Which of the following best explains ”the wall of silence” in the last paragraph?
A．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends.
B．Teenagers do not want to understand their parents.
C．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents.
D．Teenagers talk little about their own lives.
68．What can be learned from the passage?
A．Parents are unhappy with their growing children.
B．Parents have suitable ways to talk with their teenagers.
C．Parents should be patient with their silent teenagers.
D．Parent should try to understand their teenagers.
“Lately, I have been feeling very stressed and easily lose my temper at people around me,” said Susan Huang. Her troubles are typical of someone her age, according to a survey by the Chinese Academy of Science’s Psychology Institute. In 2000, the institute’s researchers began surveying close to 8,000 people nationwide. People were studied in relation to the pressures they felt during periods of transition.
The results of the survey were released last week, and they make for the interesting reading. For example, people used to take for granted that the older they were, the more pressure they felt.
But, surprisingly, the results have shown that young people in their twenties are the most stressed. This is because young people are forming their values at a time when Chinese society is undergoing great changes, explained Chen Long, a member of the survey team.
“Society is changing and neither their parents nor their teachers can teach them enough to know how to cope with it,” Chen said. Some of them get anxious from the overwhelming amount of information in the wired world, Chen added.
Another problem is that the economic reforms have forced people to develop a more competitive attitude. Those surveyors said they felt more pressure from heavier work-loads, increased peer competition, and greater responsibilities.
Medical disputes and business activities increasingly find their way into people’s free time and simply add to their stress, the survey showed.
Then there is the pressure to achieve more also weighing heavily on people. This is particularly true for those with higher education. Those people really want to acquire new knowledge and use their ability to get ahead and get more out of society.
The researchers hope their survey will throw some light on the state of mental health among the Chinese during this period of major economic and political reforms.
61．Which of the following is one of the reasons for the pressures people felt?
A．people are forming their values.
B．Chinese society is not undergoing a period of transition.
C．The economic reforms have forced young people to develop a more competitive attitude.
D．People with higher education really want to achieve more.
62．What does the underlined word “they” refer to?
A．People getting stressed. B．The results of the survey.
C．Periods of transition. D．The researchers.
63．According to Huang, people with pressure are likely to ____.
A．form their values B．achieve more out of society
C．lose their temper D．make for interesting reading
64．The purpose of the author in writing this article is to ____.
A．share the state of people with pressure
B．tell us how to deal better with pressure
C．advise people to develop an active attitude to life
D．attract more attention to people’s mental health
How did Ancient People Tell Time?
Natural ways of keeping time．
In ancient time, people had to use the sun and the moon to tell time. They got up when the sun came up and worked in the fields until the sun went down．
Man-made things
The sand c1ock is made of two glass balls joined by a narrow neck．The
top ball was filled with sand．The sand slowly moved through the neck into the bottom ball．People knew how much time had passed when all the sand had fallen to the bottom ball．
People also made the water clock．They made a small hole near the bottom of a pot．Then they filled the pot with water．Markings inside the pot showed how much time passed as the water dripped(滴)out of the hole．
Nature’s C1ocks in Living Things
Animals’ Body Clock
Animals do not need clocks to know time．They have a way of telling time by their bodies．Birds know when to fly to warmer places before winter．some animals know when to keep more food for the cold winter months．Some fish know when it is time to move up the river and lay eggs．
Plants have their own clocks
Plants also have their own clocks to keep time．Plants know when to open flowers or when to drop their leaves．
The Body Clock in Human Beings
People also have their own body clocks．When we get used to our lives，our body clocks can be very accurate．It can tell us when it is time to wake up．It can also tell us when to eat or to go to sleep.
68．How could an ancient farmer know when to go back home from the field in the daytime?
A．By looking at the stars． B．By looking at the moon．
C．By looking at the sun． D．By feeling whether tired or not．
69．In what way is the sand clock the same as the water clock in telling time?
A．Both of them have a neck． B．Both of them have two glass balls．
C．Both of them can be used only once． D．Both of them give the time by quantity．
70．What is the best title for the whole passage?
A．Man—made clocks B．Nature’s clocks C．Time and clock D．How people keep time