A man made a nice talking machine（机器）.It could weigh people’s weight .The man wanted to try the machine before he could make a lot of machines.
He put the machine into the waiting room of a station. There were always lots of people in and out.
The first one who used the machine was an Indian woman. She stood on the machine, the machine thought for a few seconds to decide which language to speak. “Good morning, Madam.” it said in Indian. “Your weight is 72 kilograms. That’s three kilograms more .If you eat more fruit and vegetables, you will be soon all right. Please have a nice day.”
The second one to use the machine was a Chinese girl .She stood on the machine and waited to hear her weight. “Good morning, Miss.” the machine said in Chinese. “Your weight is 45 kilograms. It’s all right for your age. Keep eating what you eat every day. Please have a nice day.”
The third one to use the machine was a very fat American woman. She thought for a long time to stand on the machine. The machine spoke quickly in English, “Good morning. Will one of you get off?”The machine in this passage could _______ .
| A．weigh and talk to people |
| B．tell people what they should eat |
| C．speak all kinds of languages |
| D．make people laugh |
The man put his first machine _______ .
| A．in the station |
| B．in a train |
| C．in the doctor’s waiting room |
| D．in the women’s room |
The machine told the Indian woman _______ .
| A．she was a little lighter |
| B．she was a little heavier |
| C．it couldn’t speak Indian |
| D．to eat what she wanted to eat |
How was the American woman?
| A．She was healthy. | B．She liked thinking. |
| C．She was too heavy. | D．The machine didn’t like her. |
I will always remember my mother’s last few days in this world.
On February 14th, 2000, my class went on a field trip to the beach. I had so much fun. When we returned to school, my teacher told me to go to the headmaster’s office. When 1 got into the office, 1 saw a police officer. Suddenly I realized something was wrong. The police officer told what had happened and we went to pick my sister up. After that, we went to the hospital and waited. Time went slowly. Finally, we got to see our mother. It was terrible.
On the next day, the headmaster came and told my two teachers what had happened. I was taking a test that day. I knew it had something to do with my mother. I kept thinking that she either died or had gotten better. How I wished that she had gotten better. When my teacher took me outside, my sister ran up to me .She started crying, “She’s gone. Teresa, mommy’s gone. She’s dead.” I couldn’t believe it. We Jumped into the car and drove straight to the hospital. Most of my family were there. We went inside her hospital bedroom. We all stayed around her bed without any noise. The silence was terrible. I knew I had to say goodbye.
Today when I look back, I still miss my mother very much, but I know that I will live. My mother was a strong mother, who had the biggest heart. My mother was an angel walking on the earth. I will always remember her as living. When someone is asked who their hero is, they usually say someone famous, like Michael Jordan or Britney 5pears. When someone asks me who my hero is, I tell them, my mother. My mother lives every day. That is what makes her a true hero.Where was the writer when she learned her mother was very ill?
| A．On the beach. |
| B．At the hospital. |
| C．At school. |
| D．At home. |
Who brought the writer the bad news that her mother was ill?
| A．Her sister. | B．The headmaster. |
| C．Her teacher. | D．The police officer. |
What did the headmaster tell the two teachers on the next day?
| A．Her mother had been very ill. |
| B．Her mother had been dead. |
| C．Her mother had gotten better. |
| D．Her sister came to see her. |
From the last paragraph of the passage we know that_____.
| A．the writer is afraid of her mother. |
| B．the writer is proud of her mother |
| C．the writer feels sad about her mother |
| D．the writer feels sorry for her mother |
The writer thinks her mother is a_____ woman.
| A．famous | B．free | C．rich | D．great |
Malls are popular places for Americans to go. Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called “mall rats（老鼠）”. Mall rats shop until they drop in the hundreds of stores.
People like malls for many reasons. They feel safe because malls have police stations. Parking is usually free, and the weather inside is always fine. The newest malls have beautiful rest places with waterfalls and large green trees.
The largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America in Minnesota. It covers 4. 2 million square feet（英尺）. It has 350 stores, eight night clubs, and a large park! There are parking spaces for 12,750 cars. About 750,000 people shop there every week.
The first indoor mall in the United States was built in 1965 in Edina Minnesota. People love doing all their shopping in one place. More malls are built around the country. Now malls are like town centers where people come to do many things. They shop, of course, they also eat in food courts（广场）that have food from all over the world. They see films at theaters. Some people even get their exercise by doing the new sport of “mall walking”. Others go to malls to meet friends.
In some malls, people can see a doctor and even go to the church. In other words, people can do just about everything in malls. Now people can live in their favorite shopping center in fact.Here “mall” means “ ”.
| A．a large park | B．a big church |
| C．a square | D．a shopping center |
The largest mall in the United States .
| A．was built in 1965 |
| B．has 12,750 cars in it |
| C．has 350 shops in it |
| D．can hold 750,000 people |
The writer .
| A．thinks malls make people’s life easier |
| B．likes to live in his favorite malls |
| C．is called “mall rats” by others |
| D．often goes to the church in malls |
It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers (祖先) had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frogs’ legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was to catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent to the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if (好像) the crops(庄稼) were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money they’d just had to buy pesticides (杀虫剂) and medicine. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized that what was happening. It was the frogs. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, soon there were more and more insects. They were doing harm to both crops and people.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evening they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of night now have a much deeper meaning.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．They needed money to buy medicine. |
| B．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| C．The frogs were easy money. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
| A．The crops didn’t do well. |
| B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visitors brought in disease. |
| D．The pesticides were overused. |
What can we learn from the last sentence of the passage?
| A．Good old days will never be forgotten. |
| B．Health is more important than money. |
| C．The harmony between man and nature is important. |
| D．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. |
Some people have a very poor sense of direction. Unluckily, I am one of them. I have visited a place many times but I may still get lost there the next time.
When I was a little girl, I never dared to ask strangers the way. And so I used to walk around in circles and hope that by chance I would get to the place I was going to.
Now, I am no longer too shy to ask people for directions, but I often receive helpless or even wrong information. So I try to avoid giving people wrong directions. If anyone ever asks me the way somewhere, I would say, “Sorry, I am a stranger here.”
Once on my way to work I was stopped by a man. He asked me if I could tell him the way to the Friendship Building. I gave him my usual reply. But just as I walked on only a few steps. I realized that he had asked the way to my office building. However, I had no time to turn back and look for him. I was rushing to meet with someone at my office and I didn’t want to keep him waiting.
When I just got to my office, the secretary(秘书) showed in the man who had asked me for directions. Imagine how embarrassed I was and how surprised he was when we saw each other at the first sight.The writer always refuses to give people directions because _____________.
| A．she is a stranger to the city |
| B．she doesn’t know the people |
| C．she has no time to help others |
| D．she’s afraid of giving wrong direction |
A man stopped the writer on the way to _____________.
| A．sell her something |
| B．ask her the time |
| C．make friends with her |
| D．ask for the direction |
The Friendship Building is the place where the writer ______________.
| A．lives | B．studies |
| C．works | D．teaches |
The words “embarrassed” in the paragraph means “___________”.
| A．尴尬 | B．困惑 |
| C．激动 | D．拮据 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The writer is too shy to give others directions. |
| B．The writer has a very poor sense of direction. |
| C．The writer never got lost when she was young. |
| D．The man was quite nervous when he saw the writer. |
Assertiveness is the ability to confidently express your opinions, feelings, attitudes, and rights, in a way that doesn't infringe（侵犯） the rights of others.
Many of us are taught that it is not nice to consider our own needs above those of others. If someone says or does something that we don't like, we should just be quiet and try to stay away from that person in the future.
Why is Assertiveness important?
If you don't know how to be assertive, you might experience:
•Depression - Anger, a sense of being helpless, hopeless, or of having no control over your life.
•Resentment - Anger at others for taking advantage of you.
•Frustration - Why did I allow that to happen?
Most people find it easier to be assertive in some situations than in others. This makes perfect sense. It's a lot easier to hold your ground with a stranger than with someone you love. But the more important the relationship is to you, the more ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ it is to be assertive. Assertive behavior leads to increased respect from others！
But before you decide to act assertively, you have to decide if you can live
with the results. Although assertive behavior usually will result in a positive
response (积极的回应)，some people might react differently.
How to be effectively（有效地） assertive:
•Use "I" statements. Keep the focus on the problem you're having. "I'd like to be able to tell my stories without interruption." instead of "You're always interrupting my stories ! "
•Use facts, not opinions. "Did you know that shirt has a hole?" instead of "You're not going out looking like THAT, are you?"
•Express ownership of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions. "I get angry when he breaks his promises. " instead of "He makes me angry. "
• Make clear and direct requirements. Don't invite the person to say no. "Will you please?" instead of 'Would you mind．．．?" or "Why don't you．．．?"
•Keep repeating your point. Use a low level and pleasant voice. Don't try to explain yourself.The writer probably agrees that____________.
| A．you should consider others' response before you act assertively |
| B．you should be assertive if you want to get good marks |
| C．assertiveness is the ability to infringe others' rights. |
| D．assertive behavior will bring you bad feelings |
The expression "hold yourｇround" probably means “_________________”
| A．reach an agreement |
| B．insist on your point |
| C．keep your word |
| D．keep on fighting |
Which of the following helps you to be effectively assertive?
| A．Explaining yourself in a soft and sweet voice. |
| B．Expressing ownership of others' thoughts. |
| C．Making requirements directly and clearly. |
| D．Using your opinions instead of facts. |