Our interpersonal skills have a great effect on success in our daily lives. This appears not only in the workplace where we can make more money or enjoy our job more, but also shows itself in marriage, raising a family and the ability to reach goals in almost every area of life. Interpersonal skills come into play when our flight is cancelled and we need to make other arrangements. They come into play when a marriage is threatened by financial challenges or infidelity(不忠).
Our communication skills even matter when we are in traffic and we need to make a decision about how to respond to other drivers. Communicating with others becomes inseparable from having a good day, or a bad day not only in how we begin communication, but in how we react to the communications of others who are having a difficult time.
It can make a difference in saving a marriage or getting a divorce, celebrating a rise or getting fired, and even having your eggs cooked as the way you like at the local restaurant. Many wise men and women have stressed the importance of dealing with others in a skillful manner.
Getting feedback(反馈意见) from others can be of great value in improving our interpersonal communication skills. Often, however, others are not skilled at giving feedback. When we get negative results, they rarely include the details we need in order to improve our interpersonal skills.
Since life improves so much with greater communication skills, getting feedback and an opportunity to improve would be not only life-saving for pilots, but labor-saving for the rest of us. Contact Alice Aspen March for a free consultation today and see how you might improve your communication skills, or learn more about The Attention Factor.Which of the following can greatly influence our success in our daily life according to the passage?
| A．The education we receive. |
| B．The skills of making a decision. |
| C．The nationality of our friends. |
| D．Our interpersonal skills. |
What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
| A．Family members |
| B．Interpersonal skills. |
| C．Husband and wife |
| D．Challenges of lack of money. |
Why does the author mention “traffic” and “other drivers” in the second paragraph?
| A．Just to call our attention |
| B．To tell us the importance of communication skills. |
| C．To lead us to think of a sad scene |
| D．To help us not to forget traffic is very important. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Getting feedback from others can be valueless in improving our interpersonal skills. |
| B．Even if we have good communication skills, we will surely not be able to improve our life. |
| C．If we pay enough money, we can get some advice from Alice Aspen March. |
| D．Many wise people think communicating with others needs skills. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．The Attention Factor |
| B．The Problems of Marriage |
| C．Interpersonal Skills |
| D．The Relationship between Our Feelings and Traffic |
Beginning college is exciting: new ideas to explore, new challenges to meet and many decisions to make．Your future begins here．
However，you will find college life is different from your previous school environment．Many of us can be easily overwhelmed（压垮）by the details of running a well-balanced life．While some of us may have the know-how, I guess there are more of us who can benefit from learning about the experiences of others who have walked the college halls before you．
The following you may find of use about life on campus．
* Plan well．There are so many new things to do at a new college or university．Give yourself time to make new friends and become familiar with the campus, but don’t forget why you are there．Give some time for social activities and manage your time wisely．
* If you don’t have a “system” for planning your time now （like a day timer, a computer data book）, get one．Most of all, don’t depend on your memory．
* Don’t miss the guidelines．The restrictions, rules and regulations of all kinds can usually be found in your student handbook．Consider them well-balanced food for thought．What dates are important? What pieces of paper need to be handed in? What can/ can’t you do in class? What can/ can’t you do in your student residence（住处）? Who has right for what? What do you need to complete to graduate?
* Write the word “STUDY” on the walls of our bedroom and bathroom, and maybe it will help to write it on a piece of paper and stick it on the telephone, TV and the kitchen table．Consider this—you are paying thousands of dollars for your courses．You pay every time you have to repeat or replace a course．
* Build your identity．This is the time for you to decide what to do and what not to do．Take as much time as you need to explore new ideas．Do not be afraid of the beyond．This is learning to make good choices．What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To offer advice on college life． |
| B．To explain why college life is exciting． |
| C．To describe the importance of college life． |
| D．To persuade you to go to college． |
According to the passage, why is it exciting to begin college life?
| A．Because you will have more freedom at college． |
| B．Because you will no longer be afraid of the beyond． |
| C．Because you prepare for your future career and life there． |
| D．Because professors there will provide you with many new ideas． |
The underlined word “know-how” refers to ．
| A．an understanding of how things are going at college |
| B．practical knowledge about how to behave and what to do at college |
| C．college halls where rules and regulations are presented |
| D．an environment completely different from the one you’re used to |
According to the passage, college students ________ ．
| A．needn’t learn from those who went to college before them |
| B．spend as much time as possible on social activities |
| C．should know what they have fought for on campus |
| D．are supposed to repeat or replace at least one course |
Britons Learn to Forgive
LEEDS, England ─ A Leeds University psychology （心理学） professor is teaching a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies．
“The hatred we hold within us is a cancer,” Professor Ken Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease．
More than 70 people have become members in Hart’s first 20-week workshop in London ─ a course he says is the first of its kind in the world．
These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory．They realize their bitterness is a poison they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, said Canadian-born Hart．
The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with an adviser every fortnight．
The course, ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hatred in these people．“People have lots of negative attitudes towards forgiveness,” he said, “People confuse forgiveness with forgetting．Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one．”
Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed．
“The main idea is to give you guidelines on how to look at various kinds of angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitudes towards the person you are angry with,” said Norman Claringbull, a senior expert on the forgiveness project．
Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people “want to get free of the past”．From this passage we know that _________．
| A．high blood pressure and heart disease are caused by hatred |
| B．high blood pressure can only be cured by psychology professors |
| C．without hatred, people will have less trouble connected with blood pressure and heart |
| D．people who suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease must have many enemies |
In Hart’s first 20-week workshop, people there can ________．
| A．meet their enemies | B．change their attitudes towards bitterness |
| C．enjoy the professor’s speech | D．learn how to quarrel with others |
If you are a member in Hart’s workshop, you’ll ________．
| A．pay much money to Hart | B．go to the workshop every night |
| C．attend a gathering twice a month | D．pour out everything stored in your mind |
The author wrote this passage in order to ________．
| A．persuade us to go to Hart’s workshop |
| B．tell us the news about Hart’s workshop |
| C．tell us how to run a workshop like Hart’s |
| D．help us to look at various kinds of angers |
It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night．The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently．
My father realised it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him．I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same．I' m so glad I did．
On the way to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape．After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea．As we got on board, we noticed two big humps （脊背） in the distance．
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby．We couldn't believe it — there aren't any whales along the coast here．The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive．
The little baby whale —actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move．The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools （漩涡） and waves．"She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said．At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently．With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water．Then it swam up right beside its mum．They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction．We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel．Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe -- and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes．Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance．
In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half．That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day．Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea．The author says "I' m so glad I did．" （ in Para．2） because _________．
| A．he witnessed the whole process of fishing |
| B．he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea |
| C．he experienced the rescue of the whales |
| D．he spent the weekend with his family |
The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________．
| A．she had stayed in the polluted water for too long |
| B．the whirlpools she had made were not big enough |
| C．she had no other whales around to turn to for help |
| D．the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction |
What is the theme of the story?
| A．Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness． |
| B．Fishing provides excitement for children． |
| C．It's necessary to live in harmony with animals． |
| D．It's vital to protect the whale in the ocean． |
The speaker, a teacher from a community college, addressed a sympathetic(赞同的) audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs.” He described the inadequacies of his students, all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level. I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how this grade 9 level had been established.
My topic is not standards nor its decline(降低). What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.
My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following it is inevitable. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies (缺陷). But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.
The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults the language of the young always seems inadequate.
Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not perceived(察觉) as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar(特有的) to today’syoung people, it naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. Otherwise, young people would not commit offenses against the language. The speaker the author mentioned in the passage believed that _____.
| A．the language of the younger generation is usually inferior(差的) to that of the older generation |
| B．the students had a poor command of English because they didn’t work hard enough |
| C．he was an excellent language teacher because he had been teaching English for sixteen years |
| D．English teachers should be held responsible for the students’ poor command of English |
In the author’s opinion, the speaker ______.
| A．gave a correct judgment of the English level of the students |
| B．had exaggerated(夸大) the language problems of the students |
| C．was right in saying that English teachers were not doing their jobs |
| D．could think and speak intelligently |
The author’s attitude towards the speaker’s remarks is ______.
| A．neutral | B．positive | C．critical | D．compromising |
It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
| A．it is justifiable(有理由的) to include English as a school subject |
| B．the author disagrees with the speaker over the standard of English at Grade 9 level |
| C．English language teaching is by no means an easy job |
| D．language improvement needs time and effort |
In the passage the author argues that ______.
| A．it is unfair to blame the English teachers for the language deficiencies of the students |
| B．young people would not commit offences against the language if the teachers did their jobs properly |
| C．to eliminate(消除) language deficiencies one must have sensitive eyes and ears |
| D．to improve the standard of English requires the effort of several generations |
Wind is the great maker of waves. There are exceptions, such as the tidal(潮汐的) waves sometimes produced by earthquakes under the sea. But the waves most of us know are produced by winds blowing over the sea.
Now before constructing an imaginary life history of a typical wave, we need to know certain physical things about it. A wave has height, from trough (low point) to crest (high Point). It has length－the distance from this crest to that of the following wave. The period of the wave means the time it takes for succeeding crests to pass a fixed point. None of these things stays the same－for all depend upon the wind, upon the depth of the water and many other matters.
The water that makes up a wave does not advance with it across the sea. Each drop of water turns around in a little circle with the passing of the wave, but returns very nearly to its original position. And it is fortunate that this is so. For if the huge masses of water that make up a wave actually moved across the sea, sailing would be impossible.
If we want to find the speed of a wave, we may use the following way:
Speed =" wavelength" × frequency
Here, wavelength is the distance between two high points (crests), frequency means the number of cycles per second.
What causes waves?
| A．Earthquakes and nothing else. | B．Only wind. |
| C．Wind causes most waves. | D．Wind causes some waves. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The water of a wave moves away across the sea. |
| B．The water of a wave remains almost at the same place. |
| C．The water of a wave goes with the passing of the wave. |
| D．The length of a wave means the distance from the top of a wave to the bottom. |
The speed of Wave 1 is 100 cm/s, frequency 10. The frequency of Wave 2 is 300, while its speed is twice that of Wave 1. Which of the following is right?
| A．The wavelengths of the two are equal. |
| B．The wavelength of Wave 1 is 10 times longer than that of Wave 2. |
| C．The wavelength of Wave 2 is longer than that of Wave 1. |
| D．The wavelength of Wave 1 is longer than that of Wave 2. |