Dear God,
This is Charles. I’m twelve. I’m typing this letter. Sometimes it’s hard for me to write. It’s a disease called dysgraphia. I also have learning disabilities, but my IQ was tested at 140.
I could never hold a pencil in the right way. My brain doesn’t sense what my hand is doing. I can feel the pencil, but the message doesn’t get through right. I have to hold the pencil tighter so that my brain knows I have it in my hand.
It’s much easier for me to explain things by talking than writing. There are so many things I can picture in my mind, but my hands just can’t draw it the way I see it.
It’s OK. I’m not complaining. I’m really doing fine. You see, you gave me a wonderful mind and a great sense of humor. I’m great at figuring things out, and I love to debate. We have some great discussions in class, and that’s where I really shine.
I want to be a lawyer when I grow up. I know I’d be good at it. You have told me that you made me special. You make me believe that you will see me through, and that you have plans for me to give me a future and hope. My parents want to help me, so they buy me a laptop. My teacher is the best this year! I am allowed to do a lot of my work on the computer.
Life’s hard sometimes, but I accept the challenge. Thanks for loving me. Thanks for everything.
CharlesThe second paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．the details of his disease |
| B．his feelings about the disease |
| C．how to prevent the disease |
| D．how he holds a pencil in the right way |
The boy wanted to be a lawyer because of the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．he loved to debate |
| B．he was good at explaining things |
| C．he had a great sense of humor |
| D．lawyers don’t have to depend on writing |
The boy wrote the letter in order to ______.
| A．complain about his disease |
| B．show his gratefulness |
| C．show others that he was clever |
| D．talk about his life |
At a few minutes past five, Dave noted that the blanket of darkness was lifting. He was just able to make out the heavier masses that eventually appeared as the familiar trees that lined the road at the base of the hill. The upper reaches of the sky showed lighter shades of gray.
Dave got out of bed quietly and dressed quickly. He mixed a spoonful of instant chocolate into a glass of cold water, and his impatience forced him to finish the drink in gulps.
As he walked down toward the lake, Dave paused to reach for the fishing pole and gear box on the bench where he had left them the night before.
By the time where he reached the small boat, a thick white mist（雾气）had spread over the surface of the water. He stepped into the boat, sat down, and rowed out of the weed beds that lined the edge of the shore.
The outer fringe（边缘）of the lake disappeared as the boat moved forward noiselessly. All he could see was the enveloping whiteness. He could not tell where the boat and the surrounding air met the surface of the lake.
Dave rowed steadily ahead, relying on a mental picture of the surroundings. Then the mist began to rise, slowly. It soon rested inches above the still surface of the lake. The heavy silence was now being broken by the fish breaking through the surface as they leaped out of the water for low-flying insects.
The magic time had arrived. Dave raised his pole. Dawn was broken. He was excited with expectancy.Dave got up early in the morning to .
| A．enjoy the scene of the lake | B．seek adventure at the lake |
| C．go fishing in the lake | D．take a walk by the lake |
According to the story, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Dave broke the quietness of the lake. |
| B．Dave was familiar with the surroundings. |
| C．Dave took a picture of the lake with him. |
| D．Dave forgot the fishing pole at the beginning. |
The underlined word “It” in Paragraph 6 refers to .
| A．fish | B．boat | C．silence | D．mist |
What can we learn from the end of the story?
| A．Dave was hopeful of catching a lot of fish. |
| B．Dave wished the weather would be better. |
| C．Dave was happy that dawn was broken. |
| D．Dave expected someone else would come. |
Bad behavior is something that most people don’t want to tolerate. However, we have had to tolerate it more and more with each passing year. There seems to be no concern for other people’s feelings; nor do we seem to care about other people’s property. We live in an age where saying what is on our minds has priority over any harm that it might do.
There are ways to deal with bad behavior in modern times, though. Too many of us let bad behavior go because we don’t want to rock the boat. This is the time that you should rock the boat and rock it hard. Let people know that you expect it to change. That is the key to dealing with bad behavior. If it continues, take the proper action for the situation you are in. If you have developed the habit of bad behavior, take a hard look at it and then change it. You can’t expect others to behave well if you aren’t willing to look at your own bad behavior and change it.
If you don’t have control over anything in a situation, just walk away from it and move on to something that you do have control over. You needn’t feel ashamed of that. Besides, you must stand firm in what you believe. You can’t control what other people do, but you can control what you do about it. You can’t go wrong if you stand firm in what you believe. Understanding your responsibility is also important. Don’t try to take on the responsibility for other people’s behavior. Take care of what you have to and do it in the way you know it should be done. The rest will take care of itself.
Bad behavior is on the rise with more and more people behaving badly without having to pay any consequences. Worry about how you behave rather than how others behave. Pretty soon, it just may catch on.It can be inferred from Paragraph 1 that _____________.
| A．bad behavior is common today |
| B．bad behavior is sure to hurt people deeply |
| C．people behave badly because of carelessness |
| D．people are more understanding than before |
When dealing with people’s bad behavior, you are advised to ____________.
| A．fight it bravely whenever it happens |
| B．ignore it if it is beyond your control |
| C．let it go to avoid trouble |
| D．make people feel ashamed of their bad behavior |
Why do many people behave badly according to the passage?
| A．Because bad behavior is often ignored. |
| B．Because people are often influenced by others. |
| C．Because people aren’t punished for their bad behavior. |
| D．Because people haven’t realized its consequences. |
In the past, man did not have to think about protection of the environment. There were very few people on the earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.
Today things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue to do this, human life on the earth will not survive.
Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on land. Yet, we continue to use more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.
We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste is still put into rivers, but there are few laws to stop this.
We also know that if the population of the countries in the world is to rise at the present rate in a few years, there will not be enough food.
What can we do to solve these problems?
If we eat more vegetables and less meat, there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.
Our natural resources will last longer if we learn to recycle them.
The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.
Finally, if all of us think about the problem, we will have a better and cleaner planet in the future.This passage mainly tells us about ______.
| A．the problems we are facing today about environment and the ways to solve them |
| B．the unlimited natural resources in the world |
| C．our rivers are being polluted by waste from factories |
| D．the ways early man protected the environment |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．If we eat more vegetables, more food can be saved. |
| B．In the past, there was no need for people to think about environmental protection. |
| C．If we keep on cutting trees, forests will disappear. |
| D．We shouldn’t take more and more fish out of the sea, or there will soon be no fish left. |
What is implied (暗示) in the passage?
| A．Man is cleverer than any other animal. |
| B．Man will destroy himself if he doesn’t solve the problem. |
| C．Modern fishing methods are helpful in our fishing industry. |
| D．We should make more laws in order to survive. |
From the passage we can see that the world’s natural resources ______.
| A．will never be used up | B．are being polluted |
| C．are as plentiful as in the past | D．are being used up very quickly |
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships．One strength of the human condition is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances．Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties．Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily difficulties．People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties．Studies over a range of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people protect themselves from illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely．
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways．First, friends, relatives and coworkers may let us know that they value us．Our self respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties．Second, other people often provide us with informational support．They help us to explain and understand our problems and find solutions to them．Third, we typically find social companionship supportive．Engaging in leisure time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distract（转移…注意力）us from our worries and troubles．Finally, other people may give us important support—financial aid, material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us solve and deal with our problems．Research shows that people’s physical and mental health has much to do with.
| A．the social medical system |
| B．the amount of support they get from others |
| C．their strength for dealing with interpersonal ties |
| D．their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles |
The underlined word “cushions” probably means “”
| A．adds up to | B．decreases the effect of |
| C．gets rid of | D．lays the foundation for |
Social companionship is beneficial in that it
| A．helps strengthen our ties with relatives |
| B．enables us to get rid of our faults and mistakes |
| C．makes our leisure time activities more enjoyable |
| D．draws our attention away from our worries and troubles |
It often happens that a number of applicants with almost the same qualifications and experience all apply for the same position. In their educational background, special skills and work experience, there is little, if anything, to choose between half a dozen candidates. How then does the employer make a choice? Usually on the basis of an interview.
There are many arguments for and against the interview as a way of selection. The main argument against it is that it results in a wholly subjective decision. As often as not, employers do not choose the best candidate. They choose the candidate who makes a good first impression on them. Some employers, of course, reply to this argument by saying that they have become so experienced in interviewing staff that they are able to make a good assessment of each candidate’s likely performance. The main argument in favor of the interview is that an employer is concerned not only with a candidate’s ability, but with his or her suitable personality for the particular work situation. Many employers, for example, will overlook occasional mistakes from their secretary if she has a pleasant personality.
It is perhaps true to say, therefore, that the real purpose of an interview is not to assess the assessable aspects of each candidate but to make a guess at the things that are hard to measure, such as personality, character and social ability. Unfortunately, both for the employers and applicants for jobs, there are many people of great ability who simply do not interview well. There are also, of course, people who interview extremely well, but are later found to be very unsatisfactory employees. Candidates who interview well tend to be quietly confident, but never boastful（自夸的）, direct and straightforward in their questions and answers; cheerful and friendly, but never over-familiar; and sincerely enthusiastic and optimistic. Candidates who interview badly tend to be either very shy or over-confident. They either talk too little or never stop talking. They are either over polite or a bit rude.People argue over the interview mainly because they have.
| A．different purposes in the interview |
| B．different experiences in interviews |
| C．different standards of selection |
| D．different ways of selection |
The underlined word “subjective” means “based on one’srather than facts” ．
| A．personality | B．character | C．opinion | D．ability |
The purpose of the last paragraph is to indicate
| A．a link between success in interview and personality |
| B．connections between work abilities and personality |
| C．differences in interview experience |
| D．differences in personal behavior |
What is the author’s attitude towards the interview?
| A．He thinks it is a good way of selection |
| B．He doesn’t quite agree with it |
| C．He is neither for nor against it |
| D．It is not clear |