In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events. They appreciated the tricky point that any major change can be stressful. Bad events like "serious illness of a family member" were high on the list, but so were some helpful life-changing events like marriage.
When you take the Holmes-Rahe test you must remember that the score does not show how you deal with stress ---it only shows how much you have to deal with. And we now know that the way you deal with these events dramatically affects your chances of staying healthy. By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe. And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports. Somehow the research got boiled down to a memorable message. Women's magazines ran titles like "Stress causes illness".
If you want to stay physically and mentally healthy the articles said avoid stressful events. But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow. Even if stressful events are dangerous, many — like the death of a loved one — are impossible to avoid. Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription for staying away from chances as well as trouble. Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move. The idea that all stress makes you sick also takes no notice of a lot of what we know about people. It supposes we’re not active in the face of the difficult situation. But what about human ability and creativity? Many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental strength than they had before. We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom and physical and mental pressure.The result of Holmes-Rahe’s medical research tells us _________.
| A.the way you deal with major events may cause stress |
| B.what should be done to avoid stress |
| C.what kind of event would cause stress |
| D.how to deal with sudden changes in life |
The score of the Holmes-Rahe test shows ______.
| A.how you can deal with life-changing events |
| B.how helpful events can change your life |
| C.how stressful a major event can be |
| D.how much pressure you are unde |
Why is “such simplistic advice” impossible to follow according to the author?
| A.No one can stay on the same job for long. |
| B.No prescription is effective in reducing stress. |
| C.People are sure to get married. |
| D.You could reduce stress by doing nothing. |
According to the passage people who have experienced ups and downs may become _______.
| A.nervous when faced with difficulties |
| B.physically and mentally tired |
| C.more able to deal with difficulties |
| D.cold toward what happens to them |
Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control your behavior, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you’re easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive (不坦率的) person. You worry a lot and you're always easily upset. You usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up (卷曲), you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you're often very careful. You're shy and you don't normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You're easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don't often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it upsets people.According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality_______.
| A.only in a normal night |
| B.only when you go to sleep |
| C.only when you refuse to show yourself to the world |
| D.only when you change sleeping position |
Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach?
| A.He or she is careful not to make others angry. |
| B.He or she doesn't want to stick to his or her opinion. |
| C.He or she can't be successful in any business. |
| D.He or she likes to bring others happiness. |
Maybe you don't want to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up. Why?
| A.He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you. |
| B.He or she is rarely ready to help you. |
| C.He or she prefers staying at home to going out. |
| D.He or she wouldn't like to get help from you. |
It appears that the writer thinks highly of the person who sleeps on one side because _______.
| A.he or she always shows sympathy (同情) for people |
| B.he or she is confident, but not stubborn (固执的) |
| C.he or she has more strengths than weaknesses |
| D.he or she often considers upsetting people |
Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studied for the test or who the true winners of a game were.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help on the next test---unless the person cheats again.
People lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and may be at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they’re busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending time studying. Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating, even when there seems to be a good reason for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before the day and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with you parents about how to balance swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions(解决办法) together. Talking about these problems and working them out will feel better than cheating.The author thinks that when kids cheat in class, ______.
| A.it is unfair to other people. | B.it does harm to their health. |
| C.teachers should punish them. | D.teachers shouldn’t stop them at once. |
Some students like cheating mainly because______.
| A.the material in the test is very difficult. |
| B.they want to do better than the others. |
| C.cheating can make hard things seem very easy. |
| D.they have little time to study their lessons. |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us______.
| A.some kids can’t pass the test without cheating |
| B.why kids cheat in the test. |
| C.cheating isn’t a good idea. |
| D.some kids don’t spend the time studying. |
We can learn from the passage _______.
| A.cheaters are often thought highly of |
| B.people show no respect for those who cheat. |
| C.parents whose kids cheat are often in trouble. |
| D.kids cheat in the test because of swim practice. |
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true.
Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time. _______, our world is becoming much smaller.
| A.Because of the rise in pollution |
| B.Thanks to science development |
| C.Because the earth is being polluted day and night |
| D.Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year |
Hundreds of years ago, life was __________ it is today.
| A.much easier than | B.as easy as |
| C.much harder than | D.as hard as |
Pollution comes in many ways. We can even hear it. Here “it” means _______.
| A.rubbish(垃圾) | B.noise pollution |
| C.air pollution | D.water pollution |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A.Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. |
| B.The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does. |
| C.The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
| D.If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2. |
The expression “Go for it!” is a way of encouraging someone to try something.
“Go for it!” means you should not worry about failure or be too careful. You should take a chance, be brave, and act firmly.
“Go for it!” gets name from football. Not football as it is played in most countries such as England, Egypt or Japan, but the kind of football played in the United States and Canada.
One of the most exciting times in football comes when a team has failed, after three attempts, to move the ball forward ten yards. The team must make a critical decision.
The conservative choice is to kick the ball and accept temporary defeat in order to gain a good position for your team the next time it gets the ball. The more exciting choice, however, is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed.
In the nineteen eighties, people began using this expression in many kinds of situations to encourage someone to act bravely.
There is no guarantee(保证) that the action you “Go for it!” will succeed. But that is the chance you take when you decide to go for it. You put your fears behind. You choose courage over safety. You hold your breath and go for it.The expression “Go for it!” comes from______.
| A.English football | B.Egyptian football |
| C.Japanese football | D.American football |
According to the passage, when we decide to go for it, we only consider______.
| A.safety | B.action |
| C.result | D.situation |
In which of the following situations should we use the expression nowadays?
| A.We decide to avoid trouble or danger for the future. |
| B.We try to improve our English for better education. |
| C.We need to make a quick decision at the last moment. |
| D.We have to make a choice between success and failure. |
Most people think the first pies were made by early Romans. They may have learned about pie making from the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in"reeds (芦苇叶)", which were used for the purpose of holding the filling (馅 ), and were not eaten.
The Romans spread the word about pies around Europe and the word"pie"became a popular word in the 14th century. The first pie recipe (食谱) was also published by the Romans.
Pies first appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The early pies were mostly meat pies. There was actually more crust(皮)than filling. Often these pies were made from fowl ( 家禽) and the fowl's legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies were probably first made in the 1500s. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I made the first cherry pie.
Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early settlers cooked their pies in long narrow pans. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts were often not eaten, but simply used to hold the filling during baking(烘焙).
Over the years, pie has become what it is today --- "the most traditional American dessert". Pie has become so much a part of American culture that we now often use the phrase "as American as apple pie".Which people might probably first grasp the skill to make pies?
| A.The Romans. | B.The Greeks. |
| C.The Englishmen. | D.The Americans. |
Which of the following is NOT true about pies?
| A.English settlers brought pies to America. |
| B.Early Romans ate not only pies but also the crusts. |
| C.The Romans first published pie recipe. |
| D.The word “pie ” became popular because of the Romans` efforts. |
What can best show pies have become part of American culture?
| A.Americans use long narrow pans to cook pies. |
| B.People use "as American as apple pie" to show something about American characteristics. |
| C.Americans don't eat crusts but use them to hold the filling during baking. |
| D.Pies are the most traditional American dessert. |
The best title of this passage is "______________".
| A.The History of Pies | B.Pies, the Delicious Food |
| C.Pies, American Dessert | D.How to Make Pies |