阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
For some minutes, all was quiet in the street. Then from across the street someone came walking.
It looked like a man of middle height, dressed in a big raincoat, a soft hat and rubber-soled boots or shoes, and making little sound while walking. No one was in sight. It was a street with two rows of about fifty small houses and there were three lamps on either side. The lamp nearest to the child’s house could be seen clearly, but the others were almost hidden by the smoky air. A car passed the end of the street and its lights showed faintly,but clearly enough to show the smooth skin of a woman’s face. The car disappeared as the woman, wrapped up in her coat, reached the doorway of the child’s house. She put a key in the lock quickly, pushed the door open and stepped inside, then closed the door without looking round. She began to breathe hard.
She leaned against the door for a moment, then straightened up as if with an effort, and walked towards the door of the front room, the passage leading to the kitchen, and the narrow staircase. She hesitated outside the door, then went up the stairs quickly but with hardly a sound. There was enough light from the narrow hall to show the four doors leading off a small landing(楼梯平台). She pushed each door open in turn and shone a torch inside, and the light fell upon beds, walls, furniture, a bathroom hand-basin, a mirror which flashed brightness back; but this was not what the woman was looking for. She turned away and went downstairs, and hesitated again at the foot of the stairs, then turned towards the kitchen. Clearly there was nothing there, or in the small washroom that she wanted. Two rooms remained; the front room and a smaller one next to it. She opened the front room door. After a moment, she saw the child’s bed and the child.
The lights of the car passing the end of the street showed that ______.
A.a woman was driving the car |
B.someone was standing by a street lamp. |
C.a man and a woman were walking up the street. |
D.a woman was walking by herself up the street. |
After the woman closed the front door, she ___________.
A.looked round quickly |
B.started breathing again |
C.rested before moving |
D.walked straight towards the front door |
When she was upstairs, the woman _______.
A.saw that there was a wash-basin in each room |
B.noticed a mirror which she was looking for |
C.found a torch in one of the rooms |
D.opened four different doors |
Once she was in the house, the woman behaved as if what she was looking for _______.
A.might be in the kitchen |
B.was more likely to be upstairs |
C.would be easily seen by the light from the hall |
D.would look frightening to a child |
At the age of ten I could not figure out what this Elvis Presley guy had that the rest of us boys did not have.I mean,he had a head,two arms and two legs,just like the rest of us.About nine o’clock on Saturday morning I decided to ask Eugene Correthers,one of the older boys,what it was that made this Elvis guy so special.He told me that it was Elvis’wavy hair and the way he moved his body.
About half an hour later all the boys in the orphanage(孤儿院)were called to the main dining-room and told we were all going to downtown Jacksonville,Florida to get a new pair of Buster Brown shoes and a haircut.That is when I got this big idea,which hit me like a ton of bricks. If the Elvis hair cut was the big secret,then that’s what I was going to get.
A11 the way to town I told everybody, including the matron(女管家)from the orphanage who was taking us to town,that I was going to look just like Elvis Presley and that I would learn to move around just like he did and that I would be rich and famous one day, just like him.
When I got my new Buster Brown shoes, I could hardly wait for my new hair cut and now that I had my new Busier Brown shoes I would be very happy to go back to the orphanage and practice being like Elvis.
We finally arrived at the big barber shop,where they cut our hair for free because we were orphans(孤儿).I looked at the barber and said,“I want an Elvis hair cut. Can you make my hair like Elvis?”I asked him,with a big smile on my face.“Let's just see what we can do for you,little man,”he said.I was so happy when he started to cut my hair.Just as he started to cut my hair, the matron signed for him to come over to where she was standing.She whispered something into his ear and then he shook his head,like he was telling her“No”.Then he told me they were not allowed to give us Elvis hair cuts.Then I saw my hair falling onto the floor.
In the author’s eyes,Elvis Presley was_________.
A.disgusting | B.admirable |
C.ambitious | D.dynamic |
From the passage,we can know that______________.
A.Buster Brown was more appealing than Elvis Presley |
B.An Elvis hair cut cost the orphans a lot of money |
C.The matron did not want the boy to have an Elvis hair cut |
D.The barber was unwilling to give the boy an Elvis hair cut |
We can learn from the underlined sentence that the boy was______.
A.excited to have an Elvis hair cut |
B.worried to think about the secret |
C.anxious to remove the ton of bricks |
D.careful to seize the chance |
How would the boy probably feel when he walked out of the barber shop?
A.Delighted. | B.Guilty. |
C.Self-satisfied. | D.Depressed. |
Decision-thinking is not unlike poker—it often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think and what you think they think you think. The mental process is similar. Naturally, this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are, by any standards, good thinkers.
The great mathematician John von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory. In particular , he showed that all games fall into two classes : there are what he called games of “ perfect information ” , games like chess where the players can’t hide anything or play tricks : they don’t win by chance , but by means of logic and skills . Then there are games of “imperfect information”, like poker, in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another.
One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of “perfect information”. Quite the reverse, business, polities, life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information. Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors, which would even puzzle the best poker players. But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance, and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess, not poker.
The subject discussed in this text is __________.
A.the process of reaching decisions |
B.the difference between poker and chess. |
C.the secret of making good business plans |
D.the value of information in winning games |
An important factor in a game of imperfect information is __________.
A.rules | B.luck | C.time | D.ideas |
Which of the following can be used in place of “Quite the reverse ” in Paragraph 3 ?
A.Quite right. | B.True enough. |
C.Most unlikely. | D.Just the opposite. |
In the writer’s opinion, when making business decisions one should _________.
A.put perfect information before imperfect information |
B.accept the existence of unknown factors |
C.regard business as a game of chess |
D.mix known and unknown factors |
Myth: If you cut your hair, it will grow long faster.
Truth: That’s not true. “Your hair isn’t like a lawn or a rosebush, where cutting can stimulate fresh growth,” says Phillip Kingsley. The length of your hair is genetically determined. When it reaches a certain length, it stops growing. When you clear up the dead split ends, this make your hair look healthier, but not necessarily longer.
Myth: If you skip meals, you lose weight fast.
Truth: There’s no truth in this advice. Not only will you lose weight by starving yourself, but according to Carol Ann Rinzler, this may actually cause you to gain weight. Rinzler reasons that missing a meal causes your metabolism(新陈代谢) to slow down so that you burn food more slowly. This only makes you feel hungrier and by the time you finally do reach the table you will probably eat more food. Strange as it may seem, studies show that eating several small meals and snacks throughout the day is a more healthy way to lose pounds.
Myth: If you swallow gum,it will stay inside your stomach for seven years.
Truth: Actually, it takes just a few days for gum to make its exit---not seven years, says NeiIzenberg, M. D., editor of Kids Health Organization. But because gum is made of the same thing as rubber, it cannot be fully digested in your stomach--- so if you gum up the works on a regular basis, you might find yourself in a sticky situation.
Myth: The best way to stop a nosebleed is to lift your head back.
Truth: Now that’s bad advice. Bloody noses are caused by broken blood vessels, so while lifting your head back might stop the fluid from rushing out of your nose, it won’t stop the bleeding; you’ll just end up swallowing lots of blood. Your best bet? “Rest quietly. Don’t poke or pick, and the blood will naturally clot (凝结) within a minute or two”. Suggests Dr. Izenberg.
The length of your hair is determined by ________
A.cutting it often | B.your gene |
C.the food you eat | D.clearing up the dead split ends |
According to Carol Ann Rinzler, skipping meals will __________.
A.help you lose weight fast |
B.help you lose weight slowly |
C.cause you to become fatter |
D.make you burning food more quickly |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Gum cannot be fully digested in the stomach |
B.Gum can stay inside your stomach for seven years if you swallow it |
C.Gum can leave your stomach after you swallow in a few days later |
D.If you often swallow gum, you might find yourself in a sticky situation |
DEAR Daughter,
We have not seen you for a while now, so I thought we might check in. Did you fall off the edge of the Earth? Your mother worries, you know, and I am just curious. Well, I am more than curious. I feel abandoned.
Apparently you’ve dumped us for your career. I can understand that, because you’ve always had a wonderful work ethic (道德).
Look, obviously your long absence has confused us. As we go about our daily routines, your mother and I are distracted – both by your absence and our pride in your career. The other day, I entered my work password into the microwave, then stood there cursing it for not working. And I was so off my game (状态差) that I actually used that cholesterol-free mayo (不含胆固醇的蛋黄酱) your mother insisted on buying in an effort to drive me from the house.
Listen, a lot has happened since you’ve been away. Abraham Lincoln was shot. We had two more children – a princess, now 23; a boy, now 12.
Yesterday I bought a very clean 2001 Camaro car from an older woman. Your mother is not happy about this. She says it is the kind of muscle car driven by ex-convicts (有犯罪前科的人) when they examine your house at 2 am.
In response, I tell her it was the car of my dreams (when I was 18). So that’s where your long absence has left us. Your long absence is not so bad, though we miss your roaring laughter ... the way your cheeks flush (晕红) when you eat Thai food. How you always march too hard into the house, like a Scotsman stepping on snakes.
Each evening, your mother now waits by the window the way she did when you used to step off the bus in first grade, your hair full of rubber bands.
Bet that drove you crazy even then, her running out on the porch (门廊) like you’d just returned from a month-long journey to the moon.
Look, parents are not easy people.
But should the urge ever hit you, feel free to stop by some time. Our house is your house. Our hearts are yours too.
And your mother is still waiting by the window.
Love, Dad
The author entered his work password into the microwave because __________.
A.all kinds of passwords made him confused |
B.he was thinking too much about his work |
C.he was affected by his daughter’s long absence |
D.he was getting old and he had forgotten how to use the microwave |
The author describes his and his wife’s current situation by __________.
A.comparing the past and present |
B.talking about history and his dream |
C.listing changes they have made to their routines |
D.detailing strange things they have started doing |
With the last six paragraphs, the author is trying to __________.
A.describe what kind of person his daughter is |
B.show how much he and his wife care about their daughter |
C.show how annoyed his daughter must feel about her mother |
D.remind his daughter of the problems they had |
From the article, we can conclude that the author is __________.
A.humorous | B.inspiring | C.serious | D.patient |
A mental professor walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired(询问): "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Different answers called out from the audience.
She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb(无知觉的) and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
She continued, "The stress and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed--incapable of doing anything."
It's important to remember to let go of your stress. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!
Comments
Aye Chan Aung---October 27, 2015 at 11:37 am
Short but valuable! It has clearly taught me how to deal with stress.
Nelson Malicdem--October 28, 2015 at 8:23 pm
Wow! Thanks to the author and to the one who submitted this article. I am experiencing a challenge, as I read this it gives me peace. What exactly is in the article is what I am doing. My burden actually paralyzes me without my knowing it. I should put down the glass of water that I'm holding. Thank you so much!
The professor tells a lesson by ________.
A.asking a surprising question |
B.giving proper examples |
C.imagining a situation |
D.making a comparison(比较) |
From what the professor says, we can know a small problem _________.
A.can result in a complete failure |
B.is seldom taken seriously |
C.can cause much stress |
D.seldom causes real problems |
From the two comments, we can know that ________.
A.Nelson Malicdem expresses thanks to the professor |
B.Nelson Malicdem thinks the story is meaningful |
C.Aye Chan Aung is suffering from heavy stress |
D.Aye Chan Aung complains the story is too short |
Where can we most probably read the passage?
A.On a health website. |
B.On a high school website. |
C.In a magazine for teenagers. |
D.In a textbook about mental health. |
I am an English dictionary. I can still remember the day my ex-owner bought me. He had stood in front of the shelf for around half an hour before finally picking me. Originally, he chose my neighbor. But because she had some ink on the cover, he put her down and chose me instead.
I may sound arrogant (傲慢的) . But please forgive me. I am so proud of my vocabulary. With 100,000 entries and 300,000 examples, I think no scholar can be more knowledgeable than me. My only weakness is that I can’t speak. But that is not my fault. I was not designed to speak in the first place. My ex-owner was supposed to read the phonetic symbols (音标) clearly printed beside each word, which were also my selling point. I should have been respected but have ended up lying next to a piece of used toilet paper inside the rubbish bin.
It is all because of the electronic dictionary. He is the bad guy because he takes advantage of my one weakness. And I just don’t understand why he can be so slim. He also has about 100,000entries but 450,000 examples! But I know this was not the reason why my ex-owner was attracted, for he was not a very diligent (勤奋的) student and seldom read the examples listed. The main reason was that the bad guy had so many games in him. My ex-owner always pretended to be working hard while actually he was playing games.
My ex-owner put me on his bookshelf because of my awesome English name “Advanced English Dictionary”. He wanted people to think that he was an advanced learner. I wanted to tell him that it would be better if he hid the comic books standing next to me. But, you know, I can’t speak. I stood there for years. I was so bored. So I talked to the comic book next to me. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have talked to him because I was educated and he was not. But who else could I choose? He told me that my ex-owner had read him once only and then put him there. I was upset because he had never read me from page one to page 1,000. Was I not a better book than the comic book? I wanted to challenge his honesty but before I did so, he was thrown away.
I give up. My pages are absorbing waste water. There is no way people will use me again. Suddenly, I want to talk to the comic book. Would he talk to me if we met?
Why does the dictionary think that the electronic dictionary is the “bad guy”?
A.I t contains more words and examples. |
B.It can actually pronounce the words. |
C.It has a smaller size. |
D.It has many games. |
The dictionary thinks that its ex-owner put it on the bookshelf because he ______.
A.thought that it could match the comic books |
B.wanted his friends to study English |
C.just wanted to show off |
D.had to use it sometimes |
What was the dictionary’s attitude toward the comic book standing next to it?
A.It wanted to make friends with him. |
B.It respected him. |
C.It envied him. |
D.It hated him. |
Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A.A Dictionary Is Replaced with an Electronic One |
B.Students Seldom Use Dictionaries |
C.A Dictionary and a Comic Book |
D.The Experience of a Dictionary |
The pounding(重击声)was driving Edward crazy. A new neighbor had just moved into the apartment below him. The newcomer was deaf, or seemed to be, because he played his stereoloud enough for the whole building to hear.
On the first day he heard the stereo rocking over, Edward marched downstairs and politely told the newcomer that his stereo was too loud. He asked the new tenant to turn the volume down and keep it down as long as he lived in the building. The tenant appeared surprised and embarrassed, and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was that loud.”
So, Edward returned upstairs, feeling good, because he had taken a stand and politely let the newcomer know that loud music was not going to be tolerated. The next day all was quiet, and Edward continued to be pleased with himself. The following day, Edward thought it must be Fourth of July, because a marching band was playing on his street. In fact, it was the new neighbor who was playing his music loud again.
Edward was not one to repeat himself, feeling that each time you repeated yourself, you diminished the value of your words. So, he did what he always did with rude neighbors-grinand bear it. Eventually, they would move away. What else are you going to do?
In Los Angles a year ago, a woman had complained to her upstairs neighbor that he was playing his drums too loud and too often. The drummer repeatedly ignored her. One day the woman walked upstairs and shot the drummer in the head and his girlfriend in the chest. The woman was sentenced to prison for 20 years.
The dead drummer won’t bother anyone with his drums, but the woman might be wishing now that she had learned to grin and bear it. If she were still living in her apartment, she could always move. When you’re in prison, you don’t have that option.
The man living below where Edward lived was .
A.a deaf man | B.the owner of the house |
C.a tenant | D.an old neighbor |
What did Edward always do with rude neighbors?
A.Grinning and bearing it. |
B.Persuading them to stop repeatedly. |
C.Shouting them to dead. |
D.Moving away from the rude neighbors. |
The woman killed her neighbor because .
A.he ignored her advice repeatedly |
B.she could not stand his playing the guitar too loud |
C.she could not put up with him any longer |
D.he played the drums too often |
The author writes the last paragraph to prove that .
A.being in prison means the loss of freedom |
B.grinning and bearing it is the best policy |
C.Edward should follow the example of the woman |
D.the woman was right to kill her neighbor |
“Keep your eyes on the ball.” That is good advice when you are on the playing field, and good advice for everyday life. “Keep your mind on what’s important,” is the way I’d put it. But people are funny. They think too much about the details.
I had a secretary once. She was very hardworking. I ran a school and people used to call up to enroll(登记) for courses. Berry used to get angry at the phone. “If they keep on ringing, I’ll never get my typing done!” she’d shout.
People just don’t see the big picture. One evening, after leaving work, I was sitting next to a man on the train. I was feeling tired. My eyes fell on the paper he had spread out in front of him. You know how you feel to read over someone’s shoulder?
I read the page and leaned back. I guessed I was waiting for him to turn it. After a while, I realized—he wasn’t turning the page. He just kept on reading.
Now if you knew the page he was reading, you’d know that there weren’t many words on the page to read anyway. The layout(版面) was mostly pictures. So I turned to the man and said,” You know, you really read very slowly.”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “Well,” I told him, “I read the page in about a minute, and you have taken about ten. And you are still reading. You know,” I went on “If you learned to read faster, you could get more reading done.” He remained silent for a minute or two. “If I read too fast, my paper wouldn’t last me to my station.”
The writer wasn’t satisfied with his secretary because ___.
A.she didn’t put first thing first |
B.she was too busy |
C.she was easy to get angry |
D.she couldn’t finish her work on time |
The man read newspaper in order to___.
A. take in information | B. enjoy pictures |
C. save time | D. kill time |
The writer thinks that people seem to need a sense of ___.
A.what to read first | B.how to read fast |
C.what is important | D.what is funny |
Why are so many people afraid to fail? Quite simply because we forget that failure is part of the human life and that every person has the right to fail. Every person is able to fight failure and finally succeed.
Most parents work hard at preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards(标准). When a child finishes making a table, the mother describes it as “perfect” even though it doesn’t stand still. Another way is to blame others. If John fails in science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.
There’s a problem with the two ways. It makes a child unprepared for life in the real world. Young children need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time, and that it’s possible to enjoy a game even when you don’t win. A child often feels terrible, of course, when he is not invited to a birthday party, or is not chosen into a football team. But parents should not say “It doesn’t matter.” quickly. The young should be allowed to experience failure and be helped to come out of it.
Failure never gives people pleasure. It hurts both adults and children. But it can be really good to your life when you learn to use it. You must learn to ask “Why did I fail?” Don’t blame anyone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong and how you can improve. If someone else can help, don’t be shy about asking them. Success just repeats what has been done. It is not as good a teacher as failure. You can learn how to give a good party from an unsuccessful one.
How do most parents prevent their children from failure?
A. They give them some presents. |
B. They don’t tell them that they have failed. |
C. They don’t blame others. |
D. They help them to come out of failure. |
Which of the following does a person need to learn when he fails?
A. It’s impossible to enjoy a game if he misses it. |
B. He is the worst of all. |
C. It’s natural not to win a game and no one can win all the time. |
D. His teammates are not good enough. |
Which would be the best title for the passage?[来.Com]
A. Learning from Failure |
B. Ways of Preventing Failure |
C. Reasons of Failure |
D. Getting Pleasure from Failure |
Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to new things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents.
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen, it is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone. It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own.
Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year. He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He says he wished he had traveled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person,” said the 30-year-old man.
Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”, which “makes you a more confident person that is ready to deal with anything”. He said, “The feeling of having overcome something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”
The great 19thcentury explorer John Muir once said, “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.”
Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?
A. Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone. |
B. It is more meaningful to travel in foreign countries. |
C. It is comfortable to travel around without a friend. |
D. Traveling abroad helps people to find new things. |
Traveling alone is challenging because ________.
A. you have to make things on your own |
B. it is hard for you to prove yourself to others |
C. you can only depend on yourself whatever happens |
D. it will finally build your character |
What can we infer about Chris Richardson?
A. He started traveling alone at an early age. |
B. He was once shot in the arm. |
C. He used to work as a salesman. |
D. His website inspires others a lot. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A. Travel Abroad | B. Travel Alone |
C. Travel Light | D. Travel Wide and Far |
People do not analyze(分析) every problem they meet. Sometimes they try to remember a solution from the last time they had a similar problem. They often accept the opinions or ideas of other people. Other times they begin to act without thinking. They try to find a solution by trial and error. However , when all these methods fail, the person with a problem has to start analyzing. There are six stages in solving a problem.
First the person must recognize that there is a problem. For example, Sam’s bicycle is broken, and he cannot ride it to class as he usually does. Sam must see that there is a problem with his bicycle.
Next the thinker must define the problem. Before Sam can repair his bicycle, he must find out the reason why it does not work. For instance, he must determine if the problem is with the gears(齿轮) ,the brakes, or the frame. He must make his problem more specific.
Now the person must look for information that will make the problem clearer and lead to possible solutions. For instance, suppose Sam decides that his bike does not work because there is something wrong with the gear wheels. At this time, he can look in his bicycle repair book and read about gears. He can talk to his friends at the bike shop. He can look at his gears carefully. After studying the problem, the person should have several suggestions for a possible solution. Take Sam as an illustration. His suggestions might be: put oil on the gear wheels; buy new gearwheels and replace the old ones; tighten or loosen the gear wheels.
Eventually one suggestion seems to be the solution to the problem. Sometimes the final idea comes very suddenly because the thinker suddenly sees something new or sees something in a new way. Sam, for example, suddenly sees that there is a piece of chewing gum between the gearwheels. He immediately realizes the solution to his problem: he must clean the gear wheels.
Finally the solution is tested. Sam cleans the gear wheels and finds that afterwards his bicycle works perfectly. In short, he has solved the problem.
What is the best title for this passage?
A.Six Stages for Repairing Sam’s Bicycle |
B.Possible Ways to Problem-solving |
C.Necessities of Problem Analysis |
D.Suggestions for Analyzing a Problem |
In analyzing a problem we should do all the following except __________.
A.recognize and define the problem |
B.look for information to make the problem clearer |
C.have suggestions for a possible solution |
D.find a solution by trial or mistake |
By referring to Sam’s broken bicycle, the author intends to _________.
A.illustrate the ways to repair his bicycle |
B.discuss the problems of his bicycle |
C.tell us how to solve a problem |
D.show us how to analyze a problem |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.People do not analyze the problem they meet. |
B.People often accept the opinions or ideas of other people. |
C.People may learn from their past experience. |
D.People can not solve some problems they meet. |
What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority(优先)over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical(合乎道义的)or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution(美国宪法).
According to the passage, persuasion means ________.
A.changing others’ point of view |
B.exercising power over other people |
C.getting other people to consider your point of view |
D.getting people to agree with you and do what you want |
The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.
A.fail | B.win | C.speak | D.listen |
The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.
A.unwelcome behavior | B.difficult to do well |
C.a danger to society | D.never successful |
The passage mainly discusses ________.
A.people’s different opinions towards persuasion |
B.the reasons why people persuade |
C.that persuasion is both good and bad |
D.that persuasion is important and it is all around us |
Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to new things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents.
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen, it is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone. It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own.
Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year. He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He says he wished he had traveled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person,” said the 30-year-old man.
Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”, which “makes you a more confident person that is ready to deal with anything”. He said, “The feeling of having overcome something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”
The great 19thcentury explorer John Muir once said, “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.”
Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?
A. Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone. |
B. It is more meaningful to travel in foreign countries. |
C. It is comfortable to travel around without a friend. |
D. Traveling abroad helps people to find new things. |
Traveling alone is challenging because ________.
A. you have to make things on your own |
B. it is hard for you to prove yourself to others |
C. you can only depend on yourself whatever happens |
D. it will finally build your character |
What can we infer about Chris Richardson?
A. He started traveling alone at an early age. |
B. He was once shot in the arm. |
C. He used to work as a salesman. |
D. His website inspires others a lot. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A. Travel Abroad | B. Travel Alone |
C. Travel Light | D. Travel Wide and Far |
Everyone wants to achieve true happiness in life. But the biggest factor holding most of us back is actually our ownselves. The Huffington Post released a list of seven mistakes we need to let go of in order to become happier people. Let’s take a look.
1.Placing too much emphasis on fulfillment (成就感)
Those who put a lot of pressure on themselves to be happy feel more lonely on a daily basis than those who do not, according to research conducted at the University of Denver, US.
2. Keeping it all in
Keeping it all together during tough times can hurt you. Crying is the body’s emotional response to outside triggers (诱因).By suppressing it, you may be damaging your mental and physical health.
3. Looking at your smart phone all the time
Connecting with others may be the key to happiness, but a recent University of Michigan study found that the more time participants spent on social networking sites, the less happy they felt.
4. Not moving
It’s no secret that a healthy lifestyle is a big part of happiness. Something as simple as a walk can help you increase your creativity and expose you to essential vitamins.
5. Not reflecting on the past
In a 2013 study on nostalgia (怀旧) and emotion, participants reported a higher sense of physiological comfort when they looked back on the past. Affection for heartwarming memories helps people relate their past experiences to the present in order to create a greater sense of meaning.
6. Resisting change
A study on the psychology of choices shows that the human brain naturally tries to avoid loss—but that resistance can cause stress. Whether it’s fear of the unknown or fear of losing what you currently have, the pressure to hold on to the present can harm your future life satisfaction.
7. Not being mindful
Setting aside time for meditation (沉思) allows your body to relax, cultivates an attitude of gratitude and lowers your stress level, according to researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, US.
What is the main purpose of the article?
A.To inform readers of the benefits of being happy. |
B.To explain why our happiness depends on our own actions. |
C.To point out the things we do that prevent us from being happy. |
D.To discuss some typical characteristics of happy people. |
The underlined word “suppressing” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to .
A.speaking of | B.holding back |
C.thinking about | D.taking no notice of |
According to the article, to be a happy person, it is important for us to .
A.set goals and achieve as much as we can |
B.avoid recalling the past |
C.do exercise in our spare time |
D.spend more time on social networking sites |
According to the article, meditation is helpful mainly because .
A.it increases our creativity |
B.it makes us less afraid of the unknown |
C.it helps us relax and thus reduce our stress |
D.it allows us to relate our past experiences to the present |
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