It was Monday, Mrs. Smith’s dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house.
Considering that there was no better way, Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it: “Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently: “Take this to the butcher（卖肉者）, and he’s going to give you your lunch today.”
Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher’s shop. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady’s handwriting and presently did as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up immediately.
At midday, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
The next day, the dog came again exactly at midday. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at the paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had thought of the dog as one of his customers.
However, the dog came again at four o’clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher’s more surprise, it came for the third time at six o’clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it!When Mrs. Smith’s dog was hungry, what did she give to the dog?
| A．some chicken |
| B．half a pound of meat |
| C．a hot dog |
| D．a piece of paper with some words on it |
Mrs. Smith treated her little dog quite __________.
| A．rudely | B．proudly |
| C．friendly | D．angrily |
From its experience, the dog found that __________.
| A．only the paper with Mrs. Smith’s words on it could bring it meat |
| B．a piece of paper could bring him half a pound of meat |
| C．the butcher would give the meat to it whenever he saw it |
| D．Mrs. Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher |
At the end of the story, you’ll find that __________.
| A．the dog was clever enough to write on the paper |
| B．the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog |
| C．the dog dared not go to the butcher’s any more |
| D．the butcher found himself cheated by the smart animal |
Happiness is associated with smiling. But do we always smile when we are happy?
During the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, Spanish researchers analyzed the facial expressions of 22 gold medal winners at the medal ceremonies. The researchers were surprised to see that these medal winners didn't smile very much. In fact, throughout the different medal ceremonies, they only smiled about 10% of the time. But during the brief moment when the gold medal was put around their neck, the medal winners grinned (露齿笑) about 70% of the time.
The researchers interviewed the winners they had watched to find out how they felt. All the winners interviewed said that they felt intensely(强烈的）happy throughout the ceremony.
Though they were profoundly（衷心地）happy, they didn't smile a great deal. The researchers concluded that smiling was not the automatic expression of happiness. The fact that the gold medal winners smiled much more when they were actually being given their medals could be explained because, according to the Spanish researchers, smiling was a form of communication between individuals. The happy athletes were smiling at the people who were giving them gold medals. Perhaps we can support the findings of the Spanish researchers by making some observations of our own behaviors. When we are all alone, for example, do we smile at ourselves when we are happy? Probably not very often. If someone greets us with a friendly smile, do we respond with a smile? Yes, we probably do. When a friend gives us a beautiful present, will we show our appreciation with a smile? Yes, of course. But if we a
re sitting alone watching television, do we smile at a commentator (讲解员
) who smiles at us?How much of the time did the gold medal winners smile during the medal ceremonies?
| A．10%. | B．70%. | C．22%. | D．92%. |
According to the passage, when did the athletes smile quite a lot?
| A．Throughout the medal ceremony. |
| B．When they were informed of their success. |
| C．When the gold medal was put around their neck. |
| D．When their national flag was raised. |
According to the passage, on which of the
following occasions would we most probably NOT smile?
| A．When we are sitting alone watching TV. |
| B．When someone greets us with a friendly smile. |
| C．When a friend gives us a beautiful present. |
| D．When we feel intensely happy. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．The gold m edal winners were too nervous that they would hardly smile at the medal ceremon ies. |
| B．People will always smile automatically when they feel happy. |
| C．Smiling is a way of communication. |
| D．When the gold medal was put around their neck, the gold medal winners were smiling at the audience but not at those who gave the medal. |
A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C．Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can yo
u help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．In a natural reflex （反应）, I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office.”
In an instant, I realized what I had done．I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．This incident re-awakened my belief in humility(谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment．
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S．at the age of 15．I started my new life with
two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother．Through the years,
I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many
other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer.
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见)．I remember a time, at age 17 ----- I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better．
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．We can learn from the first two paragraphs that __________ ．
A．the author regretted his act of prejudice |
| B．the blind woman needed the money badly |
| C．the author was as poor as the blind woman |
| D．the author was a native American |
According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably _____ ．
| A．rather hurt | B．very excited | C．deeply moved | D．greatly inspired |
According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should ________ ．
| A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled |
| B．try to experience different kinds of life |
| C．treat others equally with love and respect |
| D．think about one’s past as often as possible |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Learn from your past |
| B．How my dream comes true |
| C．A belief that will never change |
| D．A priceless lesson in the street |
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. but sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you built a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about US. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative serf-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!You need to build a positive self-image when you _________.
| A．dare to challenge yourself | B．feel it hard to change yourself |
| C．are unconfident about yourself | D．have a high opinion of yourself |
According to the passage, our serf-images _________.
| A．have positive effects | B．are probably untrue |
| C．are often changeable | D．have different functions |
How should you change your serf-image according to the passage?
| A．To keep a different image of others. | B．To make your life successful. |
| C．To understand your own world. | D．To change the way you think. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to prepare for your success. | B．How to face challenges in your life. |
| C．How to build a positive self-image. | D．How to develop your good qualities. |
Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent—child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue int0 adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.” The underlined word gulf in Para.3 most probably means _________.
| A．interest | B．distance | C．difference | D．separation |
Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?
| A．Parents help their children develop interests in more activities. |
| B．Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities. |
| C．Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs. |
| D．Parents share more interests with their children. |
By saying “today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side.” the author means that today’s parents _________.
| A．follow the trend of the change | B．can set a limit to the change |
| C．fail to take the change seriously | D．have little difficulty adjusting to the change |
The purpose of the passage is to _________.
| A．describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with |
| B．discuss the development of the parent—child relationship |
| C．suggest the ways to handle the parent—child relationship |
| D．compare today’s parent—child relationship with that in the past |
The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia. When people talk about it, you can hear a word invented in Japan, “DINK”, which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, the cost of a house is extremely high. A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $3000,000 (though prices have fallen). For a flat with one bedrooms, one dining-room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, the couple will pay about $900 a month. What’s more, if they want to have a child, the child’s education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5.000 a year. In such a situation, it’s difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working because they enjoy their jobs. However, if they want to have children, they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby, they expect women with babies to give up their jobs. In short, if they want to bring up children properly, both parents have to work, but it is hard for mothers to work. Indeed, women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word, Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible.What is the main problem being discussed in the passage?
| A．The small number of newborn babies. | B．The changing social situation of women. |
| C．The high prices of houses and education. | D．The necessary steps of Asian government. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．It is easy for a couple to afford a child in Asia. |
| B．The prices of in Asia are quite low now. |
| C．Fewer and fewer married women want to have a job. |
| D．The word “DINKS” appeared in an Asian country. |
To buy a flat and send a child to kindergarten, how much will a couple pay each year?
| A．85,000 | B．85,900 | C．$10.800 | D．$15.800 |
The writer seems to believe that Asian governments should ________.
| A．let women stay at home and have a baby | B．allow one of the parents to go out to work |
| C．care for the growing needs of women for job. | D．the companies that permit women to leave. |