“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder that more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint（抱怨）about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的）rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more help if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
| A．People can tell good from bad behavior. |
| B．Radar is able to observe human behavior. |
| C．People care little about their behavior. |
| D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior. |
Some people are less willing to deal with humans because
| A．they are becoming less patient |
| B．they are growing too independent |
| C．they have to handle many important messages |
| D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward. |
The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is
| A．Ridiculous | B．disgusting | C．acceptable | D．reasonable |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．We should applaud good behavior. |
| B．Technology can never be blamed |
| C．We should keep pointing out mistakes. |
| D．Technology will take over lives one day. |
Key West, Florida is a wonderful place to spend a vacation. It is a truly charming and fun city for the whole family. And of course you will get the good weather of Florida, with which you have plenty of time to enjoy the outdoor activities.
Key West is the most southern city in the continental USA. That is why their sunsets are so amazing. The sun is brighter there at sunset than anywhere else. It’s so beautiful that everyone gathers every evening at Mallory Dock to watch it. And there you will see jugglers (玩杂耍的人) and musicians entertaining in the streets.
The houses surrounded by trees and flowers are lovely in Key West, and many are restored and absolutely charming. There are too many hotels, inns, guest houses and restaurants to talk about. They all look great and their prices change according to seasons, and you can find something to suit every pocketbook and every taste.
At the seaport you will see various boats. It’s very interesting. The city is rich in history and was home to Ernest Hemingway. Harry Truman chose it for his winter White House. There are so many public transportation—taxis, tour trains, trolleys, bikes—and you can even walk if you choose. There are beautiful coral reefs. The deep reefs are farther off shore and are best visited with an experienced guide. However, there are shallow reefs close in where snorkelers (潜水者) can explore to their heart’s content. At Key West Marine Park you can do some good snorkeling. In Key West you can go diving, fishing and do all sorts of water sports.
The problem with Key West is that no one ever wants to leave. Be sure to take your camera with you because you will want to snap (拍摄) everything you see. And whatever you do, be sure to take in the sunset because it is nothing like anything you have ever seen.What will certainly happen when visitors come to Key West?
| A．They are sure to have trouble finding a suitable restaurant. |
| B．They are sure to watch the sunset in the evening. |
| C．They are sure to take your trains. |
| D．They are sure to come across storms. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Key West lies in the north of the continental USA.
B. Private cars can be seen here and there in Key West.
C. Visitors can do all kinds of water sports in Key West.
D. The environment of Key West is very beautiful.From the last paragraph we know that __________.
| A．there are many problems in travelling in Key West. |
| B．everything in Key West is worth taking photos. |
| C．every traveler wants to leave Key West as soon as possible. |
| D．one can visit deep reefs alone in Key West. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Key West, Florida: A great vacation city |
| B．Key West, Florida: A charming and fun city |
| C．Key West, Florida: A beautiful sunset |
| D．Key West, Florida: A most southern city |
Do you want to be productive at work or at home? Here's what you should do.
1. Cut off television
I used to tell myself that I needed a break. So, when the kids slept I turned on the cable and watched whatever program that caught my fancy. Often, I found myself not watching, just channel-surfing. And I didn’t end up watching a full program. I decided one day to just give up on TV as it made me sleep late and woke up tired.
If you want to be productive, cut off TV. You are better off reading a book. Without TV, I have managed to finish many books which I have bought but never read.
2. Limit Internet use
The other big distraction that can make you sleep late is the Internet. Probably because you will be checking your emails, updating your blog, watching YouTube, etc. Try limiting the use of it at home, or switch it to the morning session.
Nowadays, I check all my personal emails early in the morning. When I get into work, I find myself less tempted to check personal emails.
3. Know your priorities(优先考虑的事)
Really, it is all about the choices you make and the priorities you have. If you know it is competitive out there in the world, how can you be a better worker than the person who is also aiming for the position above you?
4. Rest early, rise early
Do you want to be productive? Rise early, read more books, have more energy, be more focused and set standards for others to catch up. It’s as simple as that.The passage aims to give advice on how to ________.
| A．balance our work and energy well |
| B．take care of our kids at home |
| C．divide time between work and family |
| D．compete against others for a better position |
What does the author mainly use to support her theory?
| A．Ancient wisdom. | B．Internet information |
| C．Popular beliefs. | D．Personal experience |
The author used to be in the habit of _________.
| A．watching her favorite TV programs with her kids |
| B．checking all her personal emails in the morning |
| C．changing channels frequently when watching TV |
| D．reading the books immediately after she bought them |
In the author’s opinion, ___________.
| A．our top priority at work is to get the leader’s attention |
| B．reading at night helps to make us more productive |
| C．it’s a waste of time to update our blogs very often |
| D．knowing priorities makes us more competitive at work |
Have you ever suddenly felt that someone you knew was in trouble—and was he? Have you ever dreamed something that came true later? Maybe you have ESP (超感觉知觉).
ESP stands for Extra Sensory Perception. It may be called a sixth sense. It seems to let people know about events before they happen, or events that are happening some distance away.
Here's an example. A woman was ironing clothes. Suddenly she screamed, "My father is dead! I saw him sitting in the chair!" Just then, a telegram came. The woman's father died of a heart attack. He died sitting in a chair.
There are thousands of stories like this one on record. Scientists are studying them to find out what's behind these strange mental messages. Here's another example—one of hundreds of dreams that have come true:
A man dreamed he was walking along a road when a horse and carriage came by. The driver said, "There's room for one more." The man felt the driver seemed dead, so he ran away. The next day, when the man was getting on a crowded bus, the bus driver said, "There's room for one more."
Then the man saw that the driver's face was the same face he had seen in the dream. He wouldn't get on the bus. As the bus drove off, it crashed and burst into flames. Everyone was killed!
Some people say stories like these are coincidences. Others, including some scientists, say that ESP is real. From studies of ESP, we may someday learn more about the human mind.According to the passage, the author believes that the sixth sense is_________.
| A．in existence | B．imaginative | C．not real | D．impossible |
By studying ESP, scientists may get to_________.
| A．learn how people tell lies |
| B．know more about human dreams |
| C．know more about human mind |
| D．learn how strange things happen |
In the last paragraph the underlined word "coincidences" probably means ____.
| A．things that may not happen |
| B．things that happen in a dream |
| C．things that must happen |
| D．things that happen by accident |
This article is mainly about_________.
| A．the human dream | B．the sixth sense |
| C．the human mind | D．a crowded bus |
One morning, a blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said, “I am blind. Please help me.” There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took out a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote something on it. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by could see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Are you the one who changed my sign this morning? May I know what you wrote?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth, I said what you said but in a different way.” What he had written was, “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was a blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. It reminded you to be thankful for what you have. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.We can learn from the text that the man helped the blind boy by __________.
| A．sitting together with him | B．rewriting the sign |
| C．teaching him some principles | D．raising money for him |
Why did the man come back that afternoon?
| A．To bring some food to the boy. |
| B．To explain to the boy why he had left. |
| C．To make sure the boy was still there. |
| D．To check if there were some changes. |
It can be inferred that the boy was ________ after he found out what the man had written.
| A．moved | B．amazed | C．excited | D．worried |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．We should help those who are in trouble. |
| B．We should value what we have in life. |
| C．We should respect people with disabilities. |
| D．We should use a wise way when helping others |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Are you truly happy? Do you ever know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness? 1. The following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life.
◆Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your moods will very likely increase if you are going after something you value.
◆Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. 2.
◆When something goes wrong, try to figure out a solution instead of being absorbed in self pity. Truly happy people don’t allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the circumstances back to their favor.
◆3. These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continuous happiness.
◆4. Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance, you will be subconsciously(下意识)putting yourself in a better mood.
◆Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. Find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you happy.
◆Keeping healthy is another way to achieve happiness. 5
| A．What makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy. |
| B．On the contrary, if you are around people who are happy, their emotional state will be infectious. |
| C．Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood. |
| D．These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves. |
E. Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy.
F. There are some tips in life that lead to happiness.
G. It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself.