Withoutplant,peoplecouldnotliv-优题课

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For a long time being happy was considered something that just happened, and there was nothing special to do about it. Now we know that getting along with ourselves and with other people is something that we can work at. It is possible to act in such a way that other people will like us better. One way is being unselfish, not wanting everything our own way or demanding the best share of everything, including the attention of our friends. Another way is to look for good points, not bad ones in other people, it is surprising how successful this treasure hunt can be.
You don't have to be spineless（懦弱）in order to be popular. In fact，you will be liked and respected if you are not afraid to stand up for your rights. But do it politely and pleasantly. Being friendly and polite to your own group, to older people, to strangers and especially to those who do not look important or do not interest you is one way to develop a good character.
You can not expect to be perfect, and so you must learn not to be too unhappy when you make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, and no one is to be blamed unless he refuses to learn from them. Many young people become discouraged when they recognize in themselves qualities that they do not like--selfishness, laziness and other unpleasant qualities. Just remember that we all have some of these faults and have to fight against them.
At the same time, it is important to remember that, while you are probably no worse than others, chances are you are not much better, either. The surest way to be happy is to think yourself above other people.
When something is wrong, it is good sense to try to make it right. Perhaps you don't like a teacher or a classmate. Try to see why, and look at yourself, too, to be sure that you are not doing something to make that person dislike you. In time, things may turn out all right if you just keep trying to be pleasant and polite. If things do not turn out all right, then you will simply have to learn to get along the best you can with the situation, without thinking too much about it. Worrying never helps in a situation you can't change.
41. One of the two ways the author suggested for us to get along well with others is______
A. to draw attention of our friend
B. to demand the best share of everything
C. to look for treasure in order to be successful
D. to pay more attention to other people's good points
42. According to the passage, if one wants to be popular one needs to
A. be polite and friendly B. give up some fights
C. avoid arguing with other people D. be ready to change his/her character
43. The passage shows that there is no perfect person but someone should be blamed if he______
A. makes a big mistake
B. is selfish and lazy
C. does not draw a lesson from his own fault
D. is very unhappy about his unpleasant quality
44. The passage implies that in order to be a happy person, one should consider oneself______
A. no better than others
B. not the same as others
C. as having something better than others
D. as having better chances than others
45. The purpose for the writer to write the passage is to ______
A. train you to be perfect
B. show you the way to be happy
C. tell you how to act when you dislike a person
D. teach you how to be popular among our friends

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As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can bear depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial (经理的)responsibilities, others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between “flight or fight” and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Since we can’t remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.
36. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because _______.
A. they regard working as their greatest enjoyment
B. they believe that work is superior to relaxation
C. they are traveling fast all the time
D. they are becoming busier with their work than ever before
37. According to the author, the most important character for a good manager is his ______.
A. strong will to hold out （顶住）stress
B. knowing the art of relaxation
C. high sense of responsibility
D. having control over performance
38. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress.
B. Stress is always harmful to people’s health
C. It's easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.
D. Different people can bear different amount of stress.
39. In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to _____.
A. “expose ourselves to stress”
B. “find ways to deal with stress”
C. “remove stress from our lives”
D. “establish links between diseases and stress”
40. According to the author, the right attitude toward stress is _____.
A. to avoid it B. to try to cope（应付） with it
C. to regard it as a vital motivation D. to find some relaxation

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Ⅲ阅读（共两节。满分40分）
第一节阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分, 满分30分）
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as Mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk”, he said, “is for Elizabeth” 。
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me, she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional”. But she lived “on the surface”.
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.
My hope turned to disappointment, the little interest, finally, peace — it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work, I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside — a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my desk, in any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
31. The writer began to love her mother’s desk _______.
A. after Mother died B. before she became a writer
C. when she was a childD. when Mother gave it to her
32. The passage shows about _______.
A. Mother wrote her daughter in careful words
B. Mother cared much about her daughter in words
C. Mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done
D. Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter
33. The word “gulf” in the 4th paragraph means _______.
A. part of the sea going far in land
B. free talks between mother and daughter
C. different ideas between the mother and daughter
D. deep understanding between the old and the young
34. What did Mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness?
A. She had never received the letter.
B. She read the letter again and again till she died.
C. For years, she often talked about the letter.
D. She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in her life.
35. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. My letter to Mother B. Mother and children
C. My Mother’s Desk D. Talks between Mother and Me

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Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷尔蒙) , U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(怀孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects,” Kinsley said.
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic changes to the brain.”
51. How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?
A. They know it by experimenting on rats. B. Many women say so.
C. Some researchers have told them. D. They know it through their own experience.
52. What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?
A. Old rats. B. Animals. C. Baby rats. D. Grown-up rats.
53. What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?
A. Estrogen. B. Taking care of children.
C. More exercise. D. The hormones of pregnancy.
54. “It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?
A. The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans.
B. The experiments on the rats are very important for animals.
C. The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans.
D. The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals.
55. Which title is the best for this passage?
A. Do You Want to Be Smarter? B. An Important Study
C. Mysterious Hormones D. Motherhood Makes Women Smarter

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Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes-khaki pants and sports shirt-to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday (but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
46. David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because _______.
A. he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt
B. he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time
C. he couldn’t stand a clean appearance
D. he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes
47. The reason why David Smith wears casual clothes now is that _______.
A. they make him feel at ease when working
B. he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes
C. he looks handsome in casual clothes
D. he no longer works for any company
48. Which of the following statements cannot be inferred from the passage?
A. All the employers in the U. S. show their approval for casual office wear.
B. Comfortable clothes increase employees’ productivity.
C. A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.
D. Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.
49. According to this passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago.
B. “Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.
C.Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s.
D. Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.
50. In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned in the passage except ___.
A. saving employees’ money B. making employees more attractive
C. improving employees’ motivation D. making employees happier