Have you ever wondered what goes through your mind when you choose where to sit in a new classroom? Or in a waiting room full of strangers? Or on a bus? Researchers have found out some interesting facts.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, we prefer to sit closer to people like ourselves. Girls sit by girls and boys sit by boys. Adults sit together and young people choose another young person to sit near. But it goes further than this. We even choose to sit near someone who looks like us. People with glasses are more likely to sit near other people with glasses. People with long hair sit closer to other people with long hair.
We seem to believe that people with similar habits or hobbies will share similar attitude and we are more likely to be accepted by people like ourselves or even, we think we may be safer with people who look like us. Sometimes that’s true but it's a pity if we always stick to the same people, the same group. The danger in always staying in our comfort zone (舒适区)is that we just recycle the same opinions, the same tastes and the same ideas. We lose the chance to learn something new, find out about interesting things, hear funny stories and discover difference.
When we always stick to the same people, how can we ever break down the barriers which prevent us from getting to know people with different ideas? And how can we avoid the ignorance (无知),which too often leads to prejudice (偏见) and even fear? If instead you want to live in a society that opens to changes and new things and different opinions, be the cat among the pigeons.
Move out of your comfort zone. Go and sit next to someone different. And don't just sit there in silence. Say hello. Ask a question. Start a conversation. That’s how we make friends. That’s how we learn about people. That’s how we open our minds to new ideas. That's how we live an exciting life.From the passage, we know that people prefer sitting by someone who
A.is like themselves |
B.has a sense of humor |
C.is open-minded |
D.lives an exciting life |
People like staying in their comfort zone because they may
A. remain comfortable and special |
B. be accepted easily and feel safe |
C. find out more interesting things |
D.discover differences among themselves |
What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To tell us just to be ourselves in social life. |
B.To introduce ways to learn about the world. |
C.To explain how people communicate with others. |
D.To encourage us to meet people of different kinds. |
Confucius was born on September 28,551 BC.Chinese regard Confucius as the greatest thinker and also the greatest teacher.He had about 3,000 students.For more that 2,000 years,Confucius’s ideas have been around in people’s everyday life.Now they have gone far into east and south Asia.People can still hear them today.
Why are his ideas so popular? Because they help a 1ot in everyday life.Confucius said young people should take care of the old.People should give up thinking of themselves and work for others.As a great teacher,Confucius said all should go to school if they could.Confucius was born on_________. ’
A.September 28,551 AD | B.September 28,551 BC |
C.December 28,551 BC | D.December 28,551 AD |
Confucius’ideas have gone far into_________.
A.east and south Asia | B.north and west Asia |
C.east and south Africa | D.north and west Affica |
Confucius thought _________ .
A.young people needn’t take care of the old |
B.people should think of themselves |
C.people should work for others |
D.all the people could go to school |
What do people think of Confucius?
A.The greatest leader and teacher. |
B.The greatest thinker and teacher. |
C.The greatest leader and thinker. |
D.The greatest doctor and teacher. |
What’s the passage mainly about?
A.All should go to schoo1. |
B.The old and the young. |
C.Work for others. |
D.Confucius and his ideas. |
Tom is a little boy ,and he is only seven years old. One day he went to the cinema. It is the first time for him to do that. He bought a ticket and then went in. But after two or three minutes he came out, bought a second ticket and went in again. After a few minutes he came out again and bought a third ticket. Two or three minutes later he came out and asked for another ticket. Then the girl in the ticket office asked him,“Why do you buy so many tickets? How many friends do you meet?”Tom answered,“ No, I have no friend here. But a big boy always stops me at the door and tears(撕)my ticket to pieces.”Tom wanted to buy____when the girl asked him.
A.the second ticket | B.the third ticket |
C.the fourth ticket | D.the fifth ticket |
The big boy stopped Tom at the door because__________.
A.it was the big boy’s job |
B.the big boy didn’t like Tom |
C. the big boy didn’t know Tom |
D.Tom didn’t buy tickets at all |
The big boy was__________ at the cinema.
A.a bookseller | B.a policeman |
C.a shopkeeper | D.a worker |
From the story we know__________.
A.the little boy had a lot of money |
B.the little boy knew nothing about the cinema |
C.The big boy wasn’t friendly to Tom |
D.the girl wanted to get more money |
Which of the following is Not true in the passage?
A.Tom bought the tickets for himself. |
B.Tom didn’t go to the cinema before. |
C.Tom was too young to make friends |
D.Tom had no friend at the cinema. |
Computer games are very popular. It is natural for people to want to win, so playing against a computer or against a friend on the computer can be difficult to stop. “ Just one more game” often turns into another game, then another.
Computer games do have their advantages. They are excellent for training hand-eye coordination(协调).Surgeons(外科医生)who play computer games as children are often more skilled. Computer games can also be great for teaching students. The students are open to learning while playing. They can study for longer than a teacher would be able to teach. Students can also learn at their own speed and not feel pressure to match classmates. And with computers you can practise a task as many times as you like. The more you do this, the better you will get, until you can do it perfectly.
But like anything else in life, things should be balanced. Too much time on the computer can hurt your eyes. Regular breaks are needed. If students cannot stop playing computer games, they won’t do as well in other areas in their life---not just school work, but in developing important social skills such as how to talk with people and how to work with others as part of a team. And if they are no longer taking regular exercise, their health will become worse.
Computer games have their place, but people must also remember it is important to have a balanced lifestyle.
Topic |
Computer games |
They They are great for teaching students as |
|
Disadvantages |
1. It does great 2.When students are too |
Conclusion |
People should achieve a |
Millions of British people have ditched the traditional “thank you” and took the place of it with the less formal “cheers”, according to a survey.
Although the common person will say “thank you” nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to add a “cheers” or “ta” where it’s needed to show they are fashionable.
One in twenty now say “nice one” instead, while the younger are more likely to offer a “cool” than a “thank you”. “Merci”, “fab” and even “gracias” were also listed as common phrases to use, as “much appreciated(感激)”.
One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal “thank you” was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly won’t say thank you if they are in a bad mood. Most people stated that saying thank you was something that their parents trained them. A huge 70 percent of those questioned will say thank you to a person’s face without even meaning it, while one fifth avoid(避免)saying it when they know they should.
It seems our friends and family get the stress of our bad manners. Half of them admit (承认) they’re not good at thanking those closest to them. Many of them explain that they don’t say thank you because their family “already know I’m grateful”.
When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people.
One third will still send a handwritten thank-you note---but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they tried to send one.
A quarter of British people say “thank you” with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent bake a cake.
It follows that 85 percent of people will be angry because of not getting the gratitude (感激)they feel they should receive.Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _______.
A.when they are in good mood |
B.completely out of habit |
C.when they feel truly grateful |
D.purely out of politeness |
The underlined word “ditched” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.
A.gave up | B.used |
C.shared | D.knew |
It can be learned from the passage that _______.
A.different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable |
B.people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays |
C.a thank-you note is still appreciated by most people |
D.people in a bad mood never say “thank you” |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them. |
B.About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should. |
C.Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude. |
D.Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members. |
Most people will tell you that they can’t work without a cup of coffee in the morning. Research has shown that a cup of coffee does give a person slight excitement.
Legend said that Kaldi, an Ethiopian, found his goats happier while enjoying coffee plants. Curiously, he tasted the leaves and began to dance around. Whether the Legend was true or not, the discovery of coffee dates back to 800A. D. Soon Arabians were roasting coffee beans. Muslims were drinking coffee to stay awake by 1000 A.D. A merchant from Venice introduced coffee to Europe in 1615. By 1696, the Dutch started growing the coffee bush in Java. By 1723, coffee plants were introduced to the Americans. Today, coffee is the most popular drink in the world.
Caffeine is the major chemical in coffee. It blocks(阻止) adenosine, a chemical that makes you sleepy. People can get a pick-me-up or stimulation(刺激) from the drink. The stimulation does not last long. Caffeine poisoning can occur if more than 400 milligrams of caffeine is drunk in a short period, which is about four to five cups of coffee. Caffeine will also cause sleep difficulty, so it should not be drunk before bed.
Caffeine has many advantages. Studies have shown that it helps improve some skills in elderly women. Women who drank three cups of coffee daily scored higher on memory tests than women who drank one cup of coffee. According to newser.com, one cup of coffee a day protects the brain. Coffee also can help people keep away from many diseases according to webmd.com.
Large amounts of coffee can cause nervousness, worries and a fast heartbeat. However, if you mix coffee with milk, it’s fine. Caffeine can be addictive like any drug. The more you drink, the more you depend on it. For some people, just one cup of coffee a day is OK.Who found the most popular drink in the world according to the Legend?
A.An Ethiopian. | B.Arabians. |
C.Muslims. | D.The Dutch. |
When was the coffee introduced to Europe?
A.In the 1710s. | B.In the 1610s. |
C.In the 1690s. | D.In the 1720s. |
From the third paragraph we can learn ___________.
A.caffeine can make people sleepy |
B.adenosine can make people awake |
C.about four to five cups of coffee will cause sleep difficulty |
D.coffee is considered harmful if it is taken in a large amount |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us ___________.
A.the importance of coffee | B.the good effects of coffee |
C.the bad effects of coffee | D.the development of coffee |
If you like drinking coffee, you had better_______.
A.drink it before bed | B.give up this bad habit |
C.drink one cup of coffee a day | D.drink more coffee than milk |