Our first winter in Canada was the happiest we have ever experienced. We were living in the countryside then and had just arrived from Hong Kong that autumn.
One evening in mid December snow began to fall. When we looked out of the window and saw that it was snowing, we all cheered. It was the first snow we had ever seen and we were excited. We could hardly wait for the snow to stop so that we could go out to play. Next morning when we woke up, it was still snowing. We switched on the radio and learned that more than ten inches of snow had fallen during the night and that since the roads were blocked（堵塞） there would be no school that day. We jumped up and down for joy and begged mother to let us go outside to play in the snow. She said we could go out after breakfast if we dressed ourselves warmly and promised to come back as soon as we felt cold.
When we went out, the snow had almost stopped. The roads, paths, gardens, and playing grounds were all hidden under a white blanket of soft snow. It was the most beautiful sight we had ever seen. Just then, we saw some neighbors’ children coming out to play. We ran over to join them. Together we built a snowman and a snow house. After that, we took turns sliding down a hill on a large piece of card-board. We were having so much fun when supper time came. Mother almost had to force us to go in and eat.
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
| A．they knew they would have no school the next day |
| B．it was the first time they had seen snow |
| C．they knew that winter had come |
| D．they liked cold weather |
| A．their teacher were sure that children liked snow |
| B．they wanted to play on the snow field |
| C．heavy snow blocked the roads |
| D．their mother allowed them to play outside |
| A．immediately allowed them to go out |
| B．refused to let them go outside |
| C．told them to switch on the radio |
| D．told them to wait until after breakfast |
| A．a snowman and a cardboard house of their own |
| B．a snowman and a snow house for themselves to live in |
| C．a snowman and a snow house with their neighbors’ children |
| D．a white blanket on the roads |
A study of more than five million books, both fiction and non-fiction, has found a marked decline in the use of emotional words over time. The researchers form the University of Bristol used Google Ngram Viewer, a facility for finding the frequency of terms in scanned books, to search for more than 600 particular words identified as representing anger, dislike, fear, joy, sadness and surprise.
They found that almost all of the categories showed a drop in these “mood words” over time. Only in the category of fear was there an increase in usage.
“It is a steady and continuous decrease,” said Dr Alberto Acerbi. He assumed that the result might be explained by a change in the position occupied by literature, in a crowded media landscape. “One thing could be that in parallel to books the 20th century saw the start of other media. Maybe these media — movies, radio, drama, had more emotional content than books.”
Although both joy and sadness followed the general downwards trend, the research, published in the journal PLOS One, found that they also exhibited another interesting behaviour：the ratio (比率) between the two varied greatly, apparently mirroring historical events.
During the Roaring Twenties the joy-to-sadness ratio reached a peak that would not occur again until before the recent financial crash. But the ratio plunged at the height of the Second World War. Nevertheless, the researchers held a reserved opinion about their claim that their result reflected wider social trends. In the paper, they even argue that the reverse could be true.
“It has been suggested, for example, that it was the suppression (压抑) of desire in ordinary Elizabethan English life that increased demand for writing ‘filled with romance and sex’… perhaps,” they conclude, “songs and books may not reflect the real population any more than catwalk models reflect the average body.”
The word "decline" (paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to_________.
| A．increase | B．rise | C．decrease | D．change |
A study of more than five million books indicated a decrease in “mood words” over time except_______.
| A．in the use of the words of historical events |
| B．in the category of fear |
| C．in the category of literature |
| D．in the category of joy |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．A study of emotional words. |
| B．A study about vocabulary in literature. |
| C．Reasons for the use of emotional words decreases in literature. |
| D．A study on increase in the category of fear. |
“Don't worry if you have problems!” It is easy to say until you are in the midst of a really big one. The only people who don't have troubles are gathered in little neighborhoods. Most communities have at least one. We call them cemeteries. If you're breathing, you have difficulties. It's the way of life. And believe it or not, most of your problems may actually be good for you! Let me explain.
Maybe you have heard the Great Barrier Reef, stretching some 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. Tour guides regularly take visitors to view the reef.
On one tour, a traveler asked the guide an interesting question. "I notice that the lagoon (泻湖) side of the reef looks pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colorful," the traveler observed. Why is this?
The guide gave an interesting answer, "The coral around the lagoon side is in still water, with no challenge for its survival. It dies early. The coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind, waves and storms. It has to fight for its survival every day. As it is challenged and tested, it changes and adapts. It grows healthy. It grows strong. And it reproduces."
Then he added, “That's the way it is with every living organism.”
That's how it is with people. Challenged and tested, we come alive! Like coral pounded by the sea, we grow. Physical demands can cause us to grow stronger. Mental and emotional stress can produce tough-mindedness and resiliency. Spiritual testing can produce strength of character and faithfulness. So, you have problems? No problem! Just tell yourself, "There I grow again!"
Remember: A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.Who has no problems according to the passage?
| A．The persons who are very famous. |
| B．The persons who have much money. |
| C．The persons who have been born. |
| D．The persons who are living in the cemeteries. |
In the writer's opinion, ________.
| A．problems bring us much trouble |
| B．problems have two sides, good or bad |
| C．we should try to stay away from any trouble |
| D．the fewer things we do, the less trouble we'll meet |
The reason why lagoon side of the reef has no life is _______.
| A．it hasn't got any sunlight |
| B．it has less energy than others |
| C．it never faces any challenge and tests |
| D．it has no work to do every day |
After reading this passage, we should ________.
| A．regard any problem as challenge |
| B．learn from the lagoon side |
| C．worry your problem |
| D．enter into cemeteries |
Many songs, poems, and books have been written on love’s strong effect on people. The state of being in love has even been compared to being sick or mad. A study by Professor Semir Zeki of University College London has found that love does affect people’s brains by making them feel great.
Zeki studied young men and women who had recently fallen in love. He found that, when they were looking at photos of their loved ones, there was heightened activity in four areas of their brains. These areas deal with emotions, and one of them, in particular, is known to respond to drugs that cause feelings of great joy and excitement.
Interestingly, the study also found a lack of activity in two other areas of the brain when the volunteers looked at their lovers’ photographs. One of these areas is linked to feelings of sadness, while the other is often active in people suffering from depression. It seems love really can be uplifting.
The state of being in love, according to some scientists, may actually be good for your health. Although scientists know that being in love can make a person feel great, the exact influence of love on a person’s health is harder to determine. However, scientists say that people do need love in order to live healthy lives.
According to Dr. Thomas Lewis, people need to be in relationships because that is how we are designed. He says the brain can only maintain(保持) the overall stability of a person’s immune(免疫) system, bodily rhythms, and heart if it receives input(输入) from outside the body in the form of emotional connections with others.
Professor Antonio Damasio has a similar view. He says that love enriches a person’s imagination and creativity, and makes a person’s body work better. He also believes that love can even improve the body’s ability to fight against disease. Damasio’s wise words of advice are “ Choose love and you will live longer.”The main idea of this passage is __________.
| A．love can really cause people active |
| B．love has effect on songs and books |
| C．love is linked with emotion |
| D．love is what we need |
What does the underlined word “uplifting” mean? It means __________.
| A．inspiring | B．available | C．cold | D．mad |
From the passage we know__________.
| A．People write songs, poems and books to say love is the sweetest thing |
| B．nobody but Professor Semir Zeki has found love does affect people’s brains |
| C．being in love sometimes may make someone act as if he/ she were mad |
| D．love causes heightened activity in all areas of a person’s brains |
Which of the following statements is not true?
| A．Some scientists have the idea that love does good to people. |
| B．It is possible for scientists to decide how much influence love can give people. |
| C．People are born to be in need of getting on touch with each other. |
| D．A person’s health depends on partly on emotional connections with others. |
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| A．they lack confidence |
| B．they do exercise alone |
| C．they are under great pressure |
| D．they don’t get enough exercise |
From the text, we can learn that if you join the gym, _______ .
| A．you’ll lose weight safely but slowly |
| B．you’ll struggle with workout routines |
| C．you’ll be advised to pay attention to nutrition |
| D．you’ll be advised to have nothing in between workouts |
How much do a couple have to pay if they join the gym today?
| A．$800. | B．$500. | C．$900. | D．$1,000. |
This text is most probably taken from a ________ .
| A．newspaper | B．magazine |
| C．website | D．textbook |
No matter how well you understand a foreign language, misunderstanding still exists between native speakers and you. Here is such an example.
Three young Frenchmen were travelling in Britain. Though they had taken a few English lessons before their holiday, they were often in trouble because of their misunderstanding of English. One day they talked about their misfortunes (不幸) together.
The first Frenchman said, “I once heard someone shout ‘Look out’, I put my head out of a window and a bucket (一桶) of water fell on me.”
The second Frenchman said, “I was once in a ship and heard the captain shouted, ‘All hands on decks (甲板)’ I put my hands on the deck and someone walked on them.”
The third Frenchman said, “I once called early on an English friend and the maid (女佣) who came to the door said, ‘He’s not up yet’ When I went again for him, she said, ‘He’s not down yet’. I said, ‘If he’s not up and he’s not down, where is he?’ She said, ‘He’s still upstairs now. When I told you he was not up I meant he had not got up yet, so he has not come downstairs by now’ ”Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Misunderstanding of English |
| B．Three Young Frenchmen |
| C．Misfortunes of Three Frenchmen |
| D．A Few English Lessons |
When someone is calling “look out” to you，he probably wants you to ______.
| A．put your head out of the window | B．go away |
| C．receive a bucket of water | D．be careful |
The sentence “All hands on decks” may mean ______.
| A．you should put your hands on the deck |
| B．everyone should get ready |
| C．someone walks over one’s hands |
| D．someone is making fun of a foreigner |