When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously(同时的)about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen.
During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts.
Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours.
There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author of Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond to the brain bias of their children. Since a girl’s brain is better organized to send and receive speech,we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply.
After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to .
| A.experience the happy time again |
| B.keep a close tie with her |
| C.recommend her a new scenic spot |
| D.remind her of something forgotten |
What does the author want to tell us most?
| A.Women' s brains are better organized for language and communication |
| B.Women love to talk because they are more sociable than men. |
| C.Men do not like talking because they rely more on facts. |
| D.Social conditioning is not the reason why women love talking. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A.Women Are Socially Trained to Talk |
| B.Talking Maintains Relationships |
| C.Women Love to Talk |
| D.Men Talk Differently from Women |
It all starts with a tree.In fact, it starts with several trees.Since the first modern guitars were made in northern Spain over 150 years ago, crafts persons have known the wood to be used is important in making a guitar.
Every guitar is made of several different kinds of wood.Each piece is carefully chosen and then cut to fit the part of the guitar for which it is designed.The most important part of a guitar is the soundboard--the piece of wood with a large hole that lies under the strings(弦,线).Guitar makers are careful to make the soundboard just the right shape and thickness.Then they fix stripes(长条)of wood across the inside in a special pattern, which helps strengthen the soundboard and improves the tone of the guitar.
Wood for the curvy (弯曲的) sides of the guitar must be soaked (浸湿) in water and bent over a hot iron pipe.When all the pieces of the guitar are ready, they are carefully stuck together with glue.Special woodworking tools are used to shape and smooth the neck of the guitar.The craftsperson must make sure that the neck is perfectly centered over the soundboard.
Then it is time to use varnish(亮光漆).This brings out the beauty of the wood.Varnish also improves the sound of the guitar but too much varnish makes the guitar sound flat and dull.
Finally guitar strings are attached and tightened to make just the right musical tones.Then it’s time to play a song.(273 words)The best title for this passage may be _____.
| A.How to Make a Guitar | B.What a Guitar Is Made of |
| C.How to Play the Guitar | D.Where to Find the Best Guitar |
In order to make the soundboard strong, _____.
| A.people tie strings to the top of it |
| B.stripes are stuck across the inside of wood |
| C.a large hole is made in it |
| D.several pieces of wood are glued together |
Which of the following doesn’t affect the sound of a guitar?
| A.Soundboard | B.strings | C.neck | D.color |
What will happen to the guitar if too much varnish is used to the wood?
| A.The beauty of the wood can’t be seen clearly. |
| B.The sound of the guitar will be flat and dull. |
| C.The tone of the guitar will be improved |
| D.A guitar will become thin |
A friend and I were standing in line at the grocery store the other day, and I was telling her how lazy my children were.I had come in from work that morning, and like most times, my house was wrecked.
“I believe children nowadays are just out for what they can get.They can never help keep our house clean.” I said, feeling unhappy.
“Do you know how happy you are?” a woman behind us asked.“I would love to go home and find my house a mess.I wouldn’t mind my floor being dirty.Nor would I mind the dirty clothes being piled high.I wouldn’t even mind anyone talking about my dirty home.I would love it.I would love to kick my way through the house just to get to my kids and be able to hug them, kiss them and tell them how much I love them.You see, my two children were killed in an accident. My house stays clean; my clothes stay put up; the dishes are done.”
“There are no fingerprints on my walls.There are no sounds of arguing, either.So you see, you are very lucky.I would give anything to be going through what you are now! How I’d love to be able to hold my kids, wipe away their tears and share their dreams! I wouldn’t care how my house looked.I would be happy just to have them.”
Now if you come into my house and see a big mess, you can think bad thoughts if you want, but I feel greatly blessed.(268 words)The writer was complaining about her children to her friend because they ____.
| A.would go out without permission | B.couldn’t keep the house clean |
| C.made her look dirty and bad | D.were too lazy to hug or kiss her |
My house was wrecked in the first paragraph means my house _____.
| A.was very dirty | B.was broken into |
| C.needed to be painted | D.looked beautiful |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A.Children shouldn’t be left home alone. |
| B.A mother lost her children in an accident. |
| C.People should be thankful for what life gives. |
| D.A mother complained about the mess at her house. |
Have fun with Stamp collecting...Join the Collectors Club today!If you enjoy learning all about stamps, then the Royal Mail’s Collectors Club is for you.Join the club and discover the fascinating world of stamps.There are over 70,000 members and it is one of the biggest clubs of its kind in the country.
Become a member today and you will receive lots of wonderful stamp collecting goodies...
●A Starter pack...
And every two months...
●Collectors Club magazine
●Collectors Corner supplement
And every year...
●A new Stamp Calendar
●A set of Album Pages
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It won’t cost you much to experience the fun of stamp collecting.
Collectors Club Starter Pack
1.100 used stamps and hinges
2.The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting
3.The latest Collectors Club magazine (packed with news and views about stamps, quizzes and competitions, all in colour)
4.Album pages
5.Badge and stickers
6.Membership card
7.Royal Mail Stamp Calendar.
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View a Flash presentation about our club (3.51MB)Which of the following is NOT included in a starter pack?
| A.One hundred used stamps and hinges and album pages. |
| B.The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting and badge and stickers. |
| C.The latest Collectors Club magazine and membership card. |
| D.Royal Mail Stamp Calendar and Collectors Corner supplement. |
This advertisement is written for people who want to_______.
| A.make money through collecting stamps |
| B.develop stamp collection as a hobby |
| C.get something free from the club |
| D.find out where the club is located |
From the advertisement we can learn_____.
| A.Collectors Club is among the biggest clubs in this country |
| B.how much you must pay to become a member of the club |
| C.today is the last day for stamp collectors to join the club |
| D.members may receive a set of album pages every month |
Where is this advertisement most probably found?
| A.In a newspaper. | B.On a web page. |
| C.In a magazine. | D.On a TV program. |
A new study has found that the best way to make yourself feel happier is to think of something good that happened to you the day before.
Volunteers who were asked to remember a pleasant event from past 24 hours began to feel happier right away.Other activities such as saying “Thank you” and smiling also made volunteers feel happier, but not as much.
Professor Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University planned the study.He got 26,000 people to go online to try out a few different activities to make them feel happier.They were told to be nice, remember a pleasant event from the day before, give thanks or smile for 15 seconds twice a day.The volunteers did these activities for one week.
The result showed that thinking about one good thing that had happened the day before worked the best for making people happier.(146 words)The text may probably be taken from _____.
| A.a personal anecdote(轶事) | B.sports news |
| C.a history novel | D.brief news |
Volunteers who _____ began to feel happier right away.
| A.thought of something good that happened the day before |
| B.were asked to remember a pleasant event from the past 24 hours |
| C.did other activities like saying “thank you” and smiling |
| D.went online to try out a few different activities |
From the text we know that Richard Wiseman is a(an) _____.
| A.worker | B.artist | C.professor | D.director |
The best title may probably be _____.
| A.Thinking about yesterday’s happiness to be happy today |
| B.Making a study to make people happier and younger |
| C.Letting out a secret to live a longer life |
| D.Doing experiments to make people happier |
Our spiritual intelligence quotient (精神智商), or SQ, helps us understand ourselves, and live fuller, happier lives.
Though we're all born with SQ, most of us don’t even realize that we have it.Fortunately, you don't have to sign up for classes to learn how to improve your SQ.Here are some simple steps that can lead you to this new level of understanding.
Sit Quietly.The process of developing spiritual intelligence begins with solitude (独处) and silence.To tune in to your spirit, you have to turn down the volume (强度) in your busy, noisy, complicated life and force yourself to do nothing at all.Start small by creating islands for silence in your day.In the car, instead of listening to the music, use the time to think.At work, shut the door to your office between meetings, take a few breaths and let them out very, very slowly.Enjoy the stillness in your home after the kids are finally in bed.
Step Outside. For many people, nature sets their spirit free.Go outside to watch a beautiful sunset.If you are walking with the dog, take the time to admire flower in bloom; follow the light of a bird and watch clouds float overhead.
Ask Questions of Yourself.Ask open-ended questions, such as "What am I feeling? What are my choices? Where am I heading?"
But don't expect an answer to arrive through some supernatural form of e-mail."Rarely do I get an immediate answer to my question," says Reverend Joan Carter, a Presbyterian minister in Sausalito, California.“But later that day I suddenly find myself thinking about a problem in a perspective(角度) I never considered before.”
Trust Your Spirit.While most of us rely on gut(本能的) feeling to realize danger, spiritual intelligence pushes us, not away from, but towards some action that will lead to a greater good.The passage is mainly about.
| A.what your SQ is and in what way it can benefit our life |
| B.what your SQ is and in what way it can be improved |
| C.the relationship between your SQ and your life |
| D.advantages and disadvantages of SQ |
The underlined phrase "to tune in to your spirit" in the third paragraph probably means to _____.
| A.get your spirit relaxed | B.keep up your spirit |
| C.keep seated quietly | D.change your spirit |
From the passage, we can know that the most important thing to improve your SQ is.
| A.a peaceful mind | B.deep thought |
| C.spare time and hobbies | D.good spirits |
According to the passage, which of the following is True?
| A.Not everyone has SQ. |
| B.You have to go to classes to learn how to improve your SQ. |
| C.SQ leads us to take wrong actions. |
| D.SQ can benefit our life. |