“Tear them apart!” “Kill the fool!” “Murder the referee(裁判)!”
These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made,they may seem innocent(无辜的,天真无邪的) enough. But let's not kid ourselves.They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real violence. Books have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain meanings may cause us to react in ways quite foreign(陌生的) to what we consider to be our usual behavior. I see the term “opponent” as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent” is “enemy”, or “one who opposes your interests.” Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. I remember an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player's request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player went away to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then screamed, “Are they wet enough now?”
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the effect that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reacting to his opponent's intentional and illegal blocking by hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which differs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated(提升)the game to the level where it belongs, setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term “opponent” with “associate” could be a good way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term “associate” is “friend” or “companion.” You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “associate” rather than “opponent”.What did the handball player do when he was not allowed to change his gloves?
| A.He refused to continue the game. |
| B.He angrily hit the referee with a ball. |
| C.He insisted that the referee was unfair. |
| D.He wet his gloves by rubbing them across his T-shirt. |
According to the passage, players in a game may ______.
| A.throw the ball at the opponent illegally blocking their way |
| B.keep on screaming and shouting throughout the game |
| C.1ie down on the ground as an act of protection |
| D.kick the ball across the court with force |
What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
| A.The player's eagerness to win. |
| B.The player's bad behavior. |
| C.The player's attitudes towards the game. |
| D.The player's totally different behavior on and off the court. |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A.Players should be educated to respect referees on the court. |
| B.Replacing the present terms on the court can help reduce violence. |
| C.Raising the referee's sense of responsibility can help reduce violence. |
| D.Changing the attitude of players on the sports field can help reduce violence. |
I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s a lady here my size!” The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darry Kramer. How are you?” He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?” “Yes, I have a son,” I answered. “Why are you so little?” he asked. “It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand and left.
My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf (侏儒). Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids joked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.
But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.
I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have--a great family, nice friends.”
It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.Why did the mother apologize to the author?
| A.Because the boy studied the author from head to toe. |
| B.Because the boy laughed at the author. |
| C.Because they boy said the author was shorter than him. |
| D.Because the mother thought the boy’s words had hurt the author. |
When did the author realize that she was too short?
| A.When she grew up. |
| B.When she began to go to school. |
| C.When she was 47 years old. |
| D.When she met the boy in the supermarket. |
Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word “diminished”?
| A.doubted | B.decreased |
| C.remained | D.improved |
Which is NOT true about the author according to the passage?
| A.She suffered lots of discrimination when growing up. |
| B.She is grateful for what she has. |
| C.She doesn’t see herself different. |
| D.She thinks people should be treated equally. |
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Better Life
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Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues
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Product Description: News China Magazine is the English edition of China Newsweek. The magazine covers the latest Chinese domestic news in politics, business, society, environment, culture, sports and travels, etc. It is the first comprehensive news magazine for readers interested in China.What do we know about Apple Seeds?
| A.You can receive it every month if you purchase it. |
| B.The soft cover enables it to be read and kept long. |
| C.It offers the biggest discount among all the magazines. |
| D.The magazine is going to surprise you for many years. |
Better Life can help you in .
| A.beautifying your house |
| B.finding interesting stories for your kids |
| C.ordering food from restaurants |
| D.learning about sports and travels |
What kind of people may buy News China?
| A.People who have an interest in personal lifestyle of the Chinese. |
| B.People who have a strong sense of humor and love to laugh. |
| C.People who are interested in news around the world. |
| D.People who want to learn about China’s politics, business and culture. |
Which magazine may best help relieve your work stress?
| A.Apple Seeds | B.Better Life |
| C.Humor Times | D.News China |
When I was 11, I threw a glance into Dad’s lunch box and made the unexpected discovery that my mother still showed her love towards my father. The evidence, a napkin resting on top of the sandwiches packed in wax paper, was certain “Love you!” she had written on the napkin. “Meat loaf for supper!”
Mom penned all kinds of messages to Dad on those paper napkins, and he saved a whole pile of them. What embarrassed me as a kid has become a precious memory of my parents.
It also started my own brand of lunch box notes. When my kids were young, I’d glue little drawings on their lunches. Lots of sketches (素描) of our dog, Max, along with smiling flowers. When they were teenagers, I’d copy words of wisdom from great people, Einstein, for example, or Bruce Springsteen. Then, my kids grew up making their own handwritten notes. And my husband writes me love notes on recycled paper, because he’s all about being green.
Friends who know about my lunch box notes eagerly share stories of their own family traditions. So many focus on food. Maura’s mom always drew hearts on the shells of hard-boiled eggs. Melinda wrote messages on her kids’ bananas.
We’re into the third generation of lunch box notes in our home. Whenever my 3-year-old grandson, Clayton, spends the night, he knows his lunch is going to have a napkin note from Grandma in the morning. Last week, I drew a picture of me, waving widely and shouting his name. He took one look at it and screamed, “Where’s Grandpa?” I added a man in a clean shirt. “You forgot his tie,” he said. I quickly drew a line of stripes (条纹) down the front of the shirt. Clayton smiled. “Grandpa,” he whispered, running his fingers across the napkin. “It’s you!”When the author first saw Dad’s lunch box notes, she felt ______.
| A.moved | B.nervous |
| C.awkward | D.proud |
What did the author put in the lunch boxes when her kids were in their teens?
| A.Words of love. |
| B.Famous words of wisdom. |
| C.Pictures of their pet and flowers. |
| D.Eggs painted with hearts. |
It can be inferred that ________.
| A.the author’s husband is an environmentalist. |
| B.the author’s children dislike making lunch box notes. |
| C.the author’s grandson likes drawing pictures on napkins. |
| D.the author’s friends all had their brand of lunch box notes. |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of "early bilinguals" who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language," said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. "Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的),"he said. "You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. "Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world," explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is ______.
| A.science on learning a second language |
| B.man’s ability of learning a second language |
| C.1anguage can help brain power |
| D.1anguage learning and maths study |
In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to ______.
| A.say language is also a kind of physical labor |
| B.prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C.to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D.make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
The underlined word “bilingual'’ probably means ______.
| A.a researcher on language learning |
| B.a person who is good at learning foreign languages |
| C.a person who can speak two languages |
| D.an active language learner |
As you grow older, you’ll be faced with some challenging decisions--like whether to cut class or try cigarettes. Making decisions on your own is hard enough, but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder. People who are your age, like your classmates, are called peers. When they try to influence how you act, to get you to do something, it’s called peer pressure.
Peers can have a positive influence on each other. Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system. Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone’s reading it. These are examples of how peers positively influence each other.
Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways. For example, a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them; your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass him the ball.
It is tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure, but you can do it. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do.
You’ve probably had a parent or teacher advising you to “choose your friends wisely.” Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this. If you choose friends who don’t cut class, smoke cigarettes, or lie to their parents, then you probably won’t do these things either, even if other kids do.
If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle, talk to someone you trust. Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake or two.For whom is the passage most probably written?
| A.Students. | B.Parents. |
| C.Teachers. | D.Doctors. |
In the last three paragraphs, the author mainly_____.
| A.explains why friendship is so important |
| B.gives advice on how to deal with peer pressure |
| C.discusses how peers influence us |
| D.shows how to make more good friends |
Which of following may help handle peer pressure?
| A.Spending more time with classmates. |
| B.Taking up more relaxing hobbies. |
| C.Choosing friends with no bad habits. |
| D.Helping others who are in trouble. |
What is the topic of the passage?
| A.Friendship | B.Making decisions |
| C.Self-confidence | D.Peer pressure |