Most people say “yes” much more readily than “no”.
A friend is moving house this weekend and would like some help, and you agree. But, what you really wanted was a couple of quiet days relaxing at home. Or a roommate spends the entire weekends playing video games and wants to borrow your homework for “reference”. But, you’ve just finished it after taking a whole day to work hard.
Many people say “yes” to these kinds of requests. They tend not to consider their own interests and feelings, and are often angry with themselves afterwards.
Saying “no” requires courage and considerable practice, in fact, according to psychologists.
“Everyone wants to be liked,” says Gabriele Steinki, a German psychologist. “Saying ‘no’ risks losing the affection of the person asking the favor or even a job.”
The result is that many people say “yes” just for keeping the peace. But experts say this is regrettable. Anyone should have the right to say “no”.
In fact, rejecting a request can even help to strengthen a relationship because it expresses a true feeling.
But, for people used to agreeing to every request, changing can be a long and uncomfortable learning process.
Most people believe that “If I say ‘no’, I'll lose the affection of the person. But the affection is important to me.” This way of thinking can be replaced by this: “If he only likes me because I always do what suits him , then the price of his affection is too high in the long term.”
Steinki says the key is talking to the other person to find a mutual (相互的) solution. “One heeds to present the situation from one’s own point of view, and to suggest how the situation can be dealt with to the advantage of both parties. The other person must have the feeling that his interests are being considered.”
When the refusal is not accepted, Steinki advises giving the reasons calmly again until the person gets the message.Most people say “yes” much more readily than “no” because ________.
| A．they don’t care about their own interests and feelings |
| B．they don’t know they will regret afterwards |
| C．they have already been used to saying “yes” |
| D．they care more about others’ affection |
In the opinion of experts, _________ .
| A．people need a lot of practice to say “no” |
| B．people should say “yes” to keep the peace |
| C．saying “no” means losing a job |
| D．people have the right to be liked |
According to the writer, what should you do if you want to refuse the other person’s request?
| A．Just say you can’t help him. |
| B．Say sorry to him. |
| C．Refuse him clearly. |
| D．Talk to the other person to find a mutual way. |
According to the writer, what should you do if your refusal is not accepted?
| A．Say yes to him. |
| B．Repeat your reason for his acceptance |
| C．Just go away |
| D．Say no to him |
What is the best title of the passage?
A. You Need Courage To Say “No”
B. “Yes” More Than “No”
C Anyone Has The Right To Say “No”
D. It’s Hard To Say “No”
People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word “mouth.”
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.”Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.
Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.In what kind of situation will a person say “Do not bad mouth me.” ?
| A．When he feels down. | B．When he feels regretful. |
| C．When he is spoken ill of. | D．When he feels innocent. |
If a person feels sorry for what he has said, he might say “.”
| A．Do not bad mouth me |
| B．I really put my foot in my mouth this time |
| C．Do not put words in my mouth |
| D．Stop mouthing off |
If a person lives from hand to mouth, it implies.
| A．he is badly – off | B．he is hard – working |
| C．he is well – off | D．he has enough to eat |
By saying, “I have been running my mouth long enough”, the speaker means “”.
| A．I have run a long way | B．I have been a mouthy person |
| C．I have learned a lot | D．I have talked too much |
New rules will let millions of Americans know where more of their food comes from．The law is known as COOL—Country of Origin Labeling．
American Congress first passed the law in 2002．Stores have had to label seafood by country of origin since 2005．But industry pressure delayed other requirements until last week．
Products that must now be labeled include fresh fruits and vegetables, muscle meats and some kinds of nuts．But the rules are complex, and many foods are excluded．For example, organ meats are free to be labeled．So are processed foods, including cooked or smoked food．
The United States has imported more and more food in recent years to save money and expand choices．Country-of-origin labeling has become more common lately but has still been limited in many stores．
Food safety is one reason why some shoppers pay close attention to where foods came from．For example, when a large number of people recently got sick from salmonella（沙门菌病）, officials blamed peppers from Mexico．Yet the last big food scare involved spinach （菠菜） grown in California．But labeling is also a way for people to know they are getting what they want．Some want to buy local foods or foods from a particular country．
The country-of-origin labeling law gives stores 30 days to correct any violations that are found．Stores and suppliers that are found to be deliberately violating the law could be fined 1000 dollars per violation．Federal inspectors are not to take action to enforce the law for six months to give time for an education campaign．
Some food safety activists say they are generally pleased with the law．They call it a good step that will give people more useful information．Why has more and more food been imported to the United States in recent years?
| A．Because it is economical and provides people with more choices． |
| B．Because the United States is short of food supply． |
| C．Because Americans need more and more food recently． |
| D．Because foreign food is of higher quality than native food． |
What’s the regulation in the new rules?
| A．Stores have to label food by its producing date from now on． |
| B．The country-of-origin labeling has to be marked on more food． |
| C．Stores have to label seafood by country of origin． |
| D．Labeling of food should include more useful information． |
The new rules of the country-of-origin labeling law will come into effect ______．
| A．right now | B．in a month |
| C．in three months | D．in half a year |
Consumers are more concerned about where foods came from because ______．
| A．they are curious about the country of the food origin |
| B．they are particular about the tastes of the food |
| C．they are concerned about food safety and want to get what they want |
| D．most of the shoppers are food safety activists themselves |
People say teenagers are no good．They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower．And at least some of the time those things are true．But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too．
I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral（葬礼）．I didn’t expect the event to affect me．Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved．
Then her teenage grandson stepped forward．With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten．Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me．She never failed to see light in any situation．When our family dog would literally attact her, what would Nana say? ‘Oh, what beautiful markings that dog has．’ That was Nana．
“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city．But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for Grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling．“That was Nana’s way．”
Through a muffled sob, he continued．“Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to brag．”
Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage．She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life．That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner．”
There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time．The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled．
When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest ally and est friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ritual．He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults．He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death．
All over again we felt those powerful losses crisscrossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to a beloved grandparent, you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself．And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away．From the boy’s speech, we know his grandmother ____________．
| A．was a weak woman living in the shadow of his grandpa |
| B．liked dogs very much even if they often attacked her |
| C．could see everything around her though she was old |
| D．had great influence over the boy when she was alive |
According to the first paragraph, _____________．
| A．young people should keep quiet before the public |
| B．people don’t think highly of the teenagers |
| C．people shouldn’t forget the young people |
| D．young people are living a hard life |
The writer wanted to tell the readers ____________．
| A．the young people were too weak to face the fact |
| B．the young people had to learn to control themselves |
| C．the adults could learn something valuable from the young |
| D．the adults should teach the young how to deal with the death |
We can infer from the passage that the boy ___________．
| A．was filled with sadness and gave up finishing his talk |
| B．was always very good at expressing himself |
| C．practiced a lot in order to give a moving speech |
| D．had great difficulty in accepting the loss of Nana |
Nowadays, millions of lonely singles are now going online instead．The World Wide Web is quickly becoming the world’s most popular matchmaker（媒人）．
Singles are flocking（涌向）to the Internet mainly because their busy lifestyles leave them little time to look for a significant other．Using dating sites（约会网址）is quick and convenient．Many singles say the regular dating scene has just led them from one bad experience to another and are ready to try something else．Dating sites also make it easy to avoid someone you are not interested in．In the real world, however, ignoring someone you don’t like can be difficult．
Despite all the advantages, online dating also presents its own set of problems．People aren’t always those who they declare to be in their online description．Safety is another concern．You are just likely to find a criminal online as you are Mr．Or Miss Right．
Online dating experts recommend following a few safety tips:
Guard your personal information．Never give out your personal information online．This includes your last name, phone number, home address and place of work．
Watch for red flags．Do any of the people you are chatting with make disrespectful comments? Do they try to control you? Do they give false information about themselves? If so, forget them!
Meet in a safe place．When meeting someone in person, choose a public location with other people around．
Following these tips and you might be able to find the person of your dreams．The underlined words in the second paragraph “a significant other” mean “________”．
| A．a true friend | B．a matchmaker | C．a marriage partner | D．a happy family |
According to the passage, many lonely singles don’t appreciate the regular dating scene because it is
_________．
| A．unpopular | B．troublesome |
| C．convenient | D．forgettable |
From this passage, we can infer that ____________．
| A．there are mostly homely and unemployed people online |
| B．the police had better find criminals online |
| C．we can find love only through the dating sites |
| D．following safety tips ensures a safe online dating experience. |
Which of the following is NOT a suitable place for meeting someone you get to know through the Internet for the first time?
| A．At his / her house． | B．At the museum． |
| C．At McDonald’s． | D．At the bookstore． |
Students and Technology in the Classroom
I love my Blackberry—it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me．I also love my laptop computer，as it holds all of my writing and thoughts．Despite this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices（设备） and truly communicate with others．
On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers．My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas．Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule —no laptops, iPads, phones, etc．When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy．
Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology．There’s a bit of truth to that．Some students assume that I am anti-technology．There’s no truth in that at all．I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students．
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations and truly engage complex ideas．Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas．I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas．I want them to push each other to think differently and to make connections between the course material and the class discussion．
I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create．Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom．
I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I’m sticking to my plan．A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up．Some of the students in the history class were unhappy with______．
| A．the course material | B．others’ misuse of technology |
| C．discussion topics | D．the author’s class regulations |
The underlined word “engage” in Para．4 probably means ______．
| A．explore | B．accept | C．change | D．reject |
According to the author, the use of technology in the classroom may ____．
| A．keep students from doing independent thinking |
| B．encourage students to have in-depth conversations |
| C．help students to better understand complex themes |
| D．affect students’ concentration on course evaluation |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author ______．
| A．is quite stubborn |
| B．will give up teaching history |
| C．will change his teaching plan soon |
| D．values technology-free dialogues in his class |