Music not only gives you something to sing and dance to, but also can make you feel happier. Scientists say that music can help to relax people’s mind and even help to relieve（痛苦） pain. How does music work its magic? It is the fact that music can adjust(调节) our mood（心情）. Recently, there is a scientific research toback up what we have always known about music. The studies have shown that when people are excited or happy they are more helpful. The opposite (相反的情况)happens when people feel aggressive（好斗的） or under stress. The use of music can influence how helpful people can be.
Dr. Adrian North made a study with 256 university students.Half the group took exercise
in the gymnasium listening to music which can bring happiness and the other half exercised
to aggressive music. When leaving the gym, the students were asked to hand out flyers（传单） in support of the local disabled athlete’s foundation（残疾运动员基金会）.
The results showed that nearly half of the group that listened to happy music were willing to (愿意) hand out flyers. But less than 20% in the group that heard the aggressive music were willing to do so. This study suggests that our choice of music can influence our willingness to cooperate(合作). While a study also shows that productivity (生产效率) can be increased with the right choice of background music in the workplace. As music stimulates(刺激)worker’s mind, job satisfaction is often positively influenced. Other studies have shown that workers who are in a good mood have more job satisfaction than those in a bad mood.
These studies show that music can have a powerful influence on a person’s ability to cooperate. Moods have a direct influence(直接影响) on cooperation and job satisfaction. These factors also have a direct relationship to the success of a business.
Rita stepped into the cool, moving water. She pushed a black inner tube in front of her. She had a worried look on her face because she had never floated down a river before.
“Let me hold your tube while you climb on,” said her father. He smiled at her. “There’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s a great day to be in the river, isn’t it?”
Rita looked out across the water. People were floating by on tubes. Some talked and laughed as they floated easily down the river. Others leaned back with hats pulled over their faces. None of them looked terrified.
“We’ll stay together,” said Rita’s father. “I’ll hold on to your rope.”
“Will we go very fast?” Rita asked.
“No,” said Dad. “We’ll move slowly for a while, and then it will get a little faster near the river’s bend. Don’t worry, Rita. You’ll be fine.”
Rita looked at her tube. It gently moved up and down in the water. She saw a girl of her own age float by. The girl seemed to be having fun. Suddenly Rita’s worries disappeared.
“I’m ready to climb on and ride, Dad,” she said.The underlined word “floated” in the reading means “________”.
A. 漂浮 B. 乘坐 C. 划船What is Rita’s problem in this story?
A. She doesn’t like to be in cool water.
B. She is afraid to try something new.
C. She is worried that she will get sunburned .What’s the weather like in the story?
A. Cloudy.B. Rainy. C. Sunny.Which of these happened last in the story?
A. Rita pushed her black tube.
B. Rita saw a girl of her own age.
C. Rita stepped into the water.What’s the best title for this passage?
A. Rita’s Ride.
B. Rita’s Trip.
C. Rita’s Visit.
I was in line waiting to pay. A little boy in the front was buying some clothes.
I noticed that the little boy was paying mostly with change (零钱). It seemed that he had broken his pig bank (猪形储蓄罐) to do this shopping. However, the cashier told him he was $ 8.00 short after counting his money.
It was clear that the boy had already used all the money. The lady in front of me said, “Well, I could pay half of that.” I told the boy that I could pay the other half. We dug into our handbags. However, both of us only had ten-dollar bills (纸币). Other shoppers began digging into their pockets to find some change. It was amazing and touching as all these strangers seemed to react (反应) with the same mind. All wanted to be of help. Within minutes the cashier said, “I have too much money.” The cashier didn’t need our ten-dollar bills. Then the lady in front of me said, “Wait! I didn’t even get a chance to give anything!”
I smiled at her and said, “You did your share, because it was your idea and you started all this.” The little boy smiled and thanked us. I was left with a good feeling. I saw the love and goodness of others all around me. The woman in front of me smiled and said, “It sure feels good to give, doesn’t it?” I smiled back and said, “Yes!”What is this passage mainly about?
| A．Love and goodness. | B．Culture and tradition. |
| C．Friendship and honesty. | D．Communication and understanding. |
How much were the clothes that the boy wanted to buy?
| A．$ 8.00. | B．Ten dollars. |
| C．All his money. | D．All his money and another $ 8.00. |
Why did the writer and the woman both feel glad?
| A．Because the boy had saved some money. |
| B．Because they both didn’t need to give anything. |
| C．Because the cashier didn’t look down on the boy. |
| D．Because all the shoppers around were willing to help the boy. |
What does the underlined word “touching” most probably mean?
| A．令人感动的 | B．令人难过的 |
| C．令人失望的 | D．令人害怕的 |
What’s the correct order of the following events?
a. The cashier got enough money for the boy’s clothes.
b. The cashier counted the boy’s money.
c. The shoppers looked for some change in their pockets.
d. The boy went to the line to pay.
| A．b, a, c, d | B．b, c, a, d | C．d, b, c, a | D．c, d, b, a |
China and the Netherlands (荷兰) are long-time friends. The Netherlands is more than 41,500 square kilometres in area. It is a bit larger than the size of Taiwan, China.
The Netherlands is rich in culture and art. It is home of many great artists, for example, Vincent van Gogh. Besides fine art, the Netherlands is also called the country of tulips (郁金香). It has the world’s largest tulip garden: Keukenhof garden.
Dutch people are very hard-working. There’s a saying: “God made the Earth, but the Dutch made Holland.” More than a quarter of the country is below sea level. So Dutch people build many dams (水坝) to protect the country from flooding. They have created almost one sixth of the country from seas and rivers!
Did you know?
◆ Rubber ducks are popular around the world. Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman created it in 2007. The yellow duck is 26 metres high.
◆ Wooden clogs (木底鞋) are traditional shoes in the Netherlands. They make good gifts for tourists.
◆ In the Netherlands, it is impolite to start eating at once. Dutch people will sometimes say “delicious” before eating.
◆ Like the UK, the Netherlands also has
kings and queens.Taiwan, China is than the Netherlands in area.
| A．a bit smaller | B．much larger | C．much smaller | D．a little larger |
Paragraph 3 mainly tells us about .
| A．hard-working Dutch people |
| B．culture in the Netherlands |
| C．Dutch artists |
| D．size of the Netherlands |
What is not talked about in the reading?
| A．Table manners. | B．Artists. | C．Weather. | D．Tulips. |
About of the Netherlands is created from the seas and rivers.
| A．16% | B．25% | C．60% | D．75% |
Which is NOT TRUE about the Netherlands?
| A．China and the Netherlands have been neighouring countries for a long time. |
| B．Keukenhof garden is famous for tulips. |
| C．The Dutch may give foreign friends wooden clogs as small presents. |
| D．In the Netherlands, it’s good manners to praise (称赞) the food before eating. |
根据短文内容, 选出五个句子填入文中空缺处, 使短文内容完整正确。答案E用“AB”表示，答案F用“CD”表示。（共5小题，计5分）
We were standing at the top of a church not far from my home. .
“Look down,” Father said. I tried and saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the streets to the square. “See, Elsa,” Father said. “ If you can’t get where you want to go by one road, try another.”
Earlier that day, I asked Mother to do something about what we had for lunch at school. When I turned to Father for help, he brought me to the church.
At school the next day, I filled a bottle with the soup for our lunch and took it home. I told the cook to pour the soup in a plate and bring it to Mother. She drank it and cried out, “What’s the matter with the soup today?” , and Mother said that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day .
Now I really understood why Father had taken me to the church. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every way to my goal.
| A. There is more than one way to the square. B. We had a good time. C. I at once told her what I had done D. I didn’t know why. E. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. F. But she didn’t think the food was as bad as I said. |
Does this ever happen to you? Someone introduces you to a friend, you hear his or her name, and then two minutes later, you forget it. Or you go to the same restaurant every day and the owner always says “Hello” to you but you can never remember her name. If this happens, you are typical — actually most people have the problem remembering names.
Here are some ways that can help people remember names.
※Repeat the person’s name loud at least three times while you talk together. For example, instead of saying “Nice to meet you.” say “Nice to meet you, Jack (for Sue or whatever the person’s name is).” Instead of saying “Where do you live?” you can say “Where do you live, Jack?”
※Introduce the person by name to someone else right away.
※Write the name down (with a little information about the person) as soon as possible.
There are other ways which may seem a little strange. However, try them.
※Think of a story using the person’s name. For example, think to yourself, “Jack has a nice jacket.” Imagine Jack in a nice jacket.
※Think of a rhyme（押韵）for the person’s name. For example, think to yourself, “Jack would look nice in black.” Imagine Jack wearing black clothes.
All these ways have one thing in common. You must pay attention to the people you meet. You can’t just meet someone, nod your head, say hello, and walk away. Remembering names takes work and practice.
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B”表示。 Few people have problems remembering others’ names.
The word “typical” probably means “common”.
It may seem unusual to help remember a name by making up a story with it.
If you want to remember names easily, you must talk politely to the people you meet.
This passage mainly tells us how to get on well with others.