Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend on your age.
Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists. In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception(观察力) of some people, using pictures of some orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25.
The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time.
Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles. Here’s where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles — making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles — so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle.
When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren’t fooled — they were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time.
As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle. As a result, they’re more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick.Doherty and his team of scientists did an experiment to evaluate .
| A．children’s and adults’ eye-sight |
| B．people’s ability to see accurately |
| C．children’s and adults’ brains |
| D．the influence of people’s age |
When asked to find the larger circle, .
| A．children at 6 got it wrong 79 % of the time with no gray ones around |
| B．only adults over 18 got it right 95% of the time with gray ones around |
| C．children at 4 got it right about 79 % of the time with gray ones around |
| D．adults got it right most of the time with gray ones around |
According to the passage, we can know that .
| A．a smaller orange circle appears bigger on a white background |
| B．an orange circle appears bigger than a gray one of the same size |
| C．a circle surrounded by other circles looks bigger than its real size |
| D．a circle surrounded by bigger ones looks smaller than its real size |
Visual context may work when children get older than .
| A．4 | B．6 | C．10 | D．18 |
Why are younger children not fooled?
| A．Because they are smarter than older children and adults. |
| B．Because older people are influenced by their experience. |
| C．Because people’s eyes become weaker as they grow older. |
| D．Because their brain can hardly notice related things together. |
The trip to the United State opened my eyes to the fact that there are a lot of similarities as well as differences between American youth and French youth.
The first difference is in appearance. Going around in the U.S., I found that American youth do not really care about their appearance. In the morning, they choose something in their closet and wear it with another thing, often of different colors and styles, without wondering whether their choices make them look strange. The reason behind this is that they don’t care what people look like, but are just interested in their ideas. I think it’s great, but it also causes problems. Since they don’t care about their appearance, they don’t really care about their weight. Often they get fat without realizing it.
There are differences in relationships too. When the American youth fall in love, they don’t really think of the future. Also, there are differences in the rules concerning behavior that is allowed. In some respects, the French are more accepting. For example, in America it is generally unacceptable to make physical display of love. Lovers, actually, can’t kiss or hold each other everywhere they want. People think that not showing love in public places is a way to respect others. On the contrary, the French youth can do almost everything they want.
As for other types of relationships, there are also big differences. Americans act differently from French people in front of unknown people. When an American girl, for example, arrives in front of people she has never met before, she will talk with them, trying to create a kind of tie between her and this new circle of people. The French girls will just think about rather than really do this kind of thing because they are too shy and lacking in self-confidence.
To finish, I noticed that in American classes, when pupils want to say or ask something, they just do it. In general, they don’t really care how the others will judge them. In France, it’s not the same case. If somebody wants to ask something, he/she will think about it before speaking up. I appreciate the freedom in Americans’ behavior, ideas, and ways of expressing themselves.The underlined word “respects” in the third paragraph probably means____.
| A．approaches | B．aspects | C．honors | D．means |
When American youth fall in love with each other, they _________.
| A．will not hold each other |
| B．will rarely display their love in public |
| C．will always think about their future |
| D．will kiss wherever they like |
It can be inferred from the passage that French youth may think more about ______.
| A．their relationship’s future | B．their public images |
| C．their physical displays | D．their lover’s ideas |
The passage is mainly about the______ between American youth and French youth.
| A．differences | B．friendship | C．similarities | D．relationships |
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have given $500,000 to help the town of Joplin —a town near the Mississippi River, where Pitt’s mother went to school recover from a huge tornado (龙卷风)that struck on May 22, 2011.
The couple made the donation through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation on Thursday to help rebuild the town of Joplin after about 30% of the buildings were destroyed by the tornado. Over 150 people were killed.
“The Joplin community faces great challenges ahead,” said Brad. "Having spent most of my childhood there, I know these people to be hardworking, humble and especially resilient.
“The locally based Community Foundation of the Ozarks will be working shoulder to shoulder with these Joplin citizens for long to rebuild their lives. We, too, hope to further help with these rebuilding efforts.”
“Last year 42 million people worldwide were hurt by natural disasters,” added Angelina. “So often, these disasters seem far away; but now, the need is right here at home for thousands of people. Our hearts go out to the families in Joplin who have lost so much.”
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks was founded in 1973 and has since grown to include 43 branch community foundations. The Foundation’s task is to improve the quality of life in the Missouri Ozarks area through resource development, community grant making, working together, and public leadership.
“We had a call in the first day or two afterward from an organization representing them,” said Brian Fogle, president of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. "They made several calls afterwards, but we learned that they made a donation.Where did the disaster most probably happen?
| A．in Britain | B．in the USA | C．in Australia | D．in China |
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donated $500,000 after the disaster_______.
| A．by post | B．in the flesh |
| C．through a foundation | D．through the local Red Cross |
The best title for the passage is______.
| A．A disaster by a huge tornado in Joplin |
| B．Rebuilding efforts after the disaster |
| C．The Community Foundation of the Ozarks |
| D．A donation from the Pitts |
Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself.
The expression to be in hot water is a very old expression. Hot water was used five hundred years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle.
That no longer happens. But we still get in hot water. When we are in hot water, we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble—serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother, if he walks in the house with dirty shoes.
Beingin deep water is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position.
To keep your head above water is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job.
Water over the dam is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.
Another common expression to hold water, is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes from a way of testing the condition of a container.; If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes.
Throwing cold water also is an expression that deals with ideas or suggestions. It means to not like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because the old one has some problems. But your wife throws cold water on the idea, because she says a new car costs too much.If Robert says he is in deep water, we may guess_________.
| A．he is swimming under the water |
| B．he is tired of changing shoes |
| C．he nearly breaks a law |
| D．he faces a difficult choice |
What can you say to your friend Jane, who is troubled by a mistake she has made?
| A．Keep your head above water. |
| B．Throw cold water. |
| C．It is water over the dam. |
| D．It can hold water. |
If your argument doesn’t hold water, then it is _________.
| A．weak | B．convincing | C．logical | D．disappointing |
The passage explains the origins of the following expressions EXCEPT_________.
| A．to be in hot water |
| B．to keep your head above water |
| C．water over the dam |
| D．to hold water |
It has been more than twenty years since pioneering British computer programmer, Sir Tim Berners Lee, created the World Wide Web. But could he have ever imagined how much the web would change our lives? And would he approve of how some British students are taking advantage of his invention?
Universities and exam boards around the UK are becoming increasingly concerned with the rising number of cases of plagiarism, many of which are facilitated (助长) by the Internet access.
In the UK most school and university students complete coursework throughout the academic year which contributes toward their final mark. In many cases coursework makes up the main part of the qualification. Since coursework is completed in the students’ own time it cannot be monitored by teachers in the same way as an exam.
Derec Stockley, director of examinations in the UK, explains, “Plagiarism affects coursework more than anything else, and in the cases that come to our attention, more and more are linked to the Internet.”
At a university level recent reports suggest that plagiarism has evolved from separate cases of individual cheating to systematic and even commercial operation. Students can now pay for bespoke essays to be written for them by experts.
It is estimated that the market in online plagiarism is now worth 200 million pounds a year. Every month more and more websites offering to write student’s essays for them appear on the Internet.
Barclay Littlewood, owner of Degree Essays UK employs 3,500 specialist writers and charges between 120 pounds and 4,000 pounds per essay. However, Mr. Littlewood refutes the accusation that he is helping students to cheat.What dose the underlined word “plagiarism” in Paragraph 2 mean in the passage?
| A．problems of the Internet | B．cheating |
| C．learning pressure | D．coursework |
Which of the following statements is mentioned by the author?
| A．There will be no problem if online plagiarism is a systematic and commercial operation. |
| B．With the help of online plagiarism, students can write more creative coursework. |
| C．The Internet seems to have contributed much to the problem of online plagiarism. |
| D．Teachers should lay more emphasis on exams than coursework. |
It can be inferred from the text that the author seems to _____.
| A．blame Sir Tim Berners Lee for having created the World Wide Web |
| B．have studied the problem of online plagiarism for nearly 20 years |
| C．be in favour of Littlewood’s defence against the accusation of him |
| D．worry about the quality of students’ coursework influenced by the World Wide Web |
The paragraph following the passage will most probably be about_____.
| A．Mr. Littlewood’s defence against those who accused him of his website |
| B．different people’s opinions on plagiarism |
| C．how students use the website of Mr. Littlewood |
| D．the author’s opinions of Mr. Littlewood |
Can you understand the beginning of this article?
“My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & 3 kds FTF.”
The Scottish teacher who received it in class had no idea what the girl who wrote it meant. The essay was written in a form of English used in cell phone text messages. Text messages (also called SMS2) through cell phones became very popular in the late 1990s. At first, mobile phone companies thought that text messaging would be a good way to send messages to customers, but customers quickly began to use the text messaging service to send messages to each other. Teenagers in particular enjoyed using text messaging, and they began to create a new language for messages called texting.
A text message is limited to 160 characters, including letters, spaces, and numbers, so messages must be kept short. In addition, typing on the small keypad of a cell phone is difficult, so it’s common to make words shorter. In texting, a single letter or number can represent a word, like “r” for “are,” “u” for “you,” and “2” for “to.” Several letters can also represent a phrase, like “lol” for “laughing out loud.” Another characteristic of texting is the leaving out of letters in a word, like spelling “please” as “pls.”
Some parents and teachers worry that texting will make children bad spellers and bad writers. The student who wrote the essay at the top of this page said writing that way was more comfortable for her. (The essay said, “My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three kids face to face.”)
Not everyone agrees that texting is a bad thing. Some experts say languages always evolve, and this is just another way for English to change. Other people believe texting will disappear soon. New technology for voice messages may soon make text messages a thing of the past.What is the writer’s opinion of text messaging?
| A．It is fun and easy to do. |
| B．It is not bad for children. |
| C．It will make children bad writers. |
| D．The writer does not give an opinion. |
Which way of texting is NOT described in the passage?
| A．Using phrases to represent essays |
| B．Using numbers to represent words |
| C．Using letters to represent phrases |
| D．Using letters to represent words |
Which of the following was most probably the title of the student’s essay?
| A．My Gr8 Tchr | B．CU in LA | C．My GF | D．My Smmr Hols |
Why do some people think that texting is bad?
| A．It has been replaced by voice message |
| B．It’s too difficult to type. |
| C．Teenagers won’t learn to write correctly. |
| D．It’s not comfortable. |
Why aren’t some people worried about the effect of texting?
| A．Not many people use texting. |
| B．Spelling in English is too difficult. |
| C．Teenagers quickly become bored with texting. |
| D．Texting will disappear because of new technology. |
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 flowers in bloom; follow the flight 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 forms 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. |
“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.
The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships.
Love story
In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.
With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."
Great epic
The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.
When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.
Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.
Biggest of all time
The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.
| A．the novel Gone with the Wind | B．"tomorrow is another day" |
| C．the movie Gone with the Wind | D．the Academy Award |
The text is written mainly to _______.
| A．celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell |
| B．introduce how the film was directed and filmed |
| C．throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind" |
| D．inspire people to struggle the economic downturn |
It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.
| A．optimistic and lucky | B．childish and realistic |
| C．caring and stubborn | D．strong-minded and persistent |
The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.
| A．prove that the background of the movie touched viewers |
| B．describe how popular the movie was at that time |
| C．point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment |
| D．tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then. |
Several years ago, I had a huge falling out with one of my best friends. So huge, in fact, that now I can’t even remember what happened.
In the past nine years, I’ve seen her twice, and each time we’ve been polite but distant. And that troubles me because we were once inseparable. I’d like nothing more than to go back nine years, and continue our friendship. But how? How do you reconnect with friends you’ve lost throughout the years?
Linking to your past
The desire to reconnect with lost friends isn’t unusual. Why? Because friends link us to the past. “Friends from years ago are custodians (监护人) of our past,” says Sandy Sheehy.
Although you can share information about your past with friends you’ve met recently, you don’t have a shared history with them. So you wind up only telling them about your past, rather than sharing it with them.
But many people never try to reconnect. Women especially have trouble taking the first step. Shyness or fear that the other person doesn’t want to reconnect often stops many women. And that shouldn’t be. Your friends probably want to be in touch with you as much as you want to be in touch with them.
Searching for friends
Fortunately, finding lost friends isn’t as difficult as it once was, thanks to tools like the Internet. Our experts offer these suggestions for locating contact information:
Search Internet sites designed to locate people like classmates.com and switchboard.com.
Contact your high school or college alumni (校友) office to request current address information.
Surf online yellow pages. Check current phone records from your friend’s hometown.
Network with other friends who might have known your friend.
Get in touch with any of her relatives, if you know where they live. If you know where she works, find the company’s website and search the directory of personnel.What is the subject discussed in the passage?
| A．How to make new friends. |
| B．How to rebuild friendship. |
| C．How to develop healthy friendship. |
| D．How to keep in touch with friends. |
The underlined sentence “friends from years ago are custodians of our past” in Paragraph 3 means _____.
| A．years ago old friends kept something for us |
| B．in the past old friends took care of us |
| C．old friends are part of our life history |
| D．old friends know what wrongs we did |
What makes us unwilling to reconnect old friends?
| A．Lack of money. | B．Busy time. | C．Regret and shame. | D．Fear and shyness. |
How can we make contact with the lost friends?
| A．By asking other friends of the information on your lost friends. |
| B．By searching your friends’ telephone number on the Net. |
| C．By asking the local post office about your friends’ new address. |
| D．By putting an advertisement in your friends’ local town. |
Researchers found that walking around with a forced smile and fake (假的) happiness simply leads to people feeling unhappier. So, putting a brave face on your sadness could be harmful. The research also found that women suffered more than men when pretending to be happy.
Dr. Brent Scott, who led the study, said employers should take note because forcing workers to smile when dealing with the public can result in bad outcomes. He said, “Smiling for the sake of smiling can lead to emotional tiredness, and that’s bad for the organization.” He also said the research showed customer-service workers who had “fake smiles” throughout the day fell into a bad mood and didn’t want to work, so their productivity dropped.
The study is one of the first of its kind to examine emotional expressions over a period of time and compare the different effects on men and women. Dr. Scott’s team examined the effects of “surface acting”, or fake smiling, compared to “deep acting”, or making people smile by thinking of peasant memories.
Dr. Scott said, “Women were harmed more by surface acting, meaning their moods worsened even more than men’s. However, they were helped more by deep acting, which means their moods improved more by thinking of pleasant memories. ”
According to Dr. Scott, women tend to suffer more when pretending to be happy because they are expected to be more emotionally expressive than men. Therefore, forcing a smile while feeling down is more likely to go against their normal behavior and cause more harmful feelings.
Although deep acting can improve moods a little in the short term, Dr. Scott says, it’s not a long-term solution to feeling unhappy. “There have been some suggestions that if you do this over a long period you start to feel unreal. You’re trying to develop positive emotions, but at the end of the day you may not feel like yourself any more.”According to the passage, Dr. Scott’s study ______.
| A．is supported by some big employers in the USA |
| B．is meaningful as there haven’t been many similar ones |
| C．examined more women than men for a long time |
| D．aimed to make the employees more productive |
Women suffer more from fake happiness mainly because ______.
| A．they usually turn up shy in public places |
| B．they should be more emotionally expressive |
| C．they are often treated in a terrible way |
| D．they like thinking of pleasant memories |
It is implied in the passage that deep acting _____.
| A．doesn’t have any effect on men |
| B．cannot improve our moods in any case |
| C．harms our feelings in the long run |
| D．pleases people by feeling like another person |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Fake smiling makes people unhappy. |
| B．Women shouldn’t be forced to smile. |
| C．An important suggestion for workers. |
| D．Why people don’t want to work. |
If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he’d better offer you more money to do so — or even double that depending on where you live now．That’s because Moscow has just been found to be the world’s most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting．
Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34．4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment．
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24．83, and an international newspaper $6．30, according to Mercer．By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger （汉堡包） is a steal at $4．80．
London takes the No．2 place, up from No．5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar．Mercer estimates （估算） London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days．Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No．5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly．
Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world’s most expensive cities．But both have fallen since last year’s study — New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago．San Francisco came in a distant third at No．54, down 20 places from a year earlier．
Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada’s most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide．In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No．21 worldwide．What do the underlined words “a steal” in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．an act of stealing | B．something delicious |
| C．something very cheap | D．an act of buying |
London has become the second most expensive city because of ______．
| A．the high cost of clothing |
| B．the stronger pound against the dollar |
| C．its expensive transportation |
| D．the high prices of fast food meals |
Which city is the third most expensive on the list?
| A．Tokyo． | B．Hong Kong． | C．Moscow． | D．Sydney． |
Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?
| A．New York． | B．Los Angeles． | C．San Francisco． | D．Toronto． |
Questionnaire(调查表，问卷)
Read the questions and answer YES or NO, then you will find out how good you are.
1. When you don 't understand something, you ask questions. □
2. You like listening to older people talk about the past. □
3. You think that you can learn something interesting from everyone around you. □
4. You are brave enough when you have to talk to people you don't know. □
5. You enjoy reading books about famous people. □
6. You always see and talk to different people. □
7. You are interested in learning new ways of doing things. □
8. You enjoy sharing experiences with friends and learning from people of all ages. □
9.You talk a lot about yourself. □
10. Even if you are often wrong, you make your own decisions. □
11.You hate teaching what you are good at: sports, technology, whatever. □
12.Your parents don't understand you, so you don't talk to them much. □
SCORE(打分数) NOW!
Score 2 points if you answer YES to each of the first 8 questions, and 0 if you choose NO.
Score 2 points if you answer NO to each of the last 4 questions, and 0 if you choose YES.
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18—24 You are friendly and open-minded. You make people feel important by listening to what they have to say. You'll probably succeed in learning al1 kinds of interesting things. Good for you!
10--16 Remember that every single person you know can teach you something. You will greatly make your life rich and colorful.
0- 8 About 400 years ago, a famous writer wrote, "No man is an island. "This is still useful today. Try to be more open and interested in people around you.If you say "YES" to all these questions , you'll get ____ points.
| A．12 | B．16 | C．20 | D．24 |
When you score 22 points, you are _____.
| A．shy and nervous | B．silent and serious |
| C．open and friendly | D．brave and strong |
"No man is an island." in the text probably means that _____.
| A．the famous writer was very clever |
| B．everything is the same as 400 years ago |
| C．you will feel happy if on an island |
| D．you can not live alone in the world |
Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you.
Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published in two thousand and nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs from culture to culture.
People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Less than ten percent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand.
Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before.
The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely to be in the first group. They would hide their feelings of insecurity if they were around other people's laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were more likely to try to avoid such situations if they felt they had been laughed at before.
Shy people often avoid situations that would force them into close contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others. They may have a disorder called gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek word. It means laughter. Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives.
In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another purpose of the study was to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people in forty-two different languages. The findings appeared in the scientific journal Humor.People in Finland don’t believe other people are making fun of them if _________________.
| A．they suddenly start to laugh. |
| B．they keep on laughing |
| C．they laugh in their presence |
| D．they stop laughing suddenly. |
What’s FALSE of the study led by a team from the University of Zurich?
| A．They wanted to study the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. |
| B．They wanted to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. |
| C．They did such a survey in order to prevent people from being laughed at in public. |
| D．They surveyed more than 22 thousand people coming from different cultures. |
The passage is likely to occur in _______________.
| A．an advertisement | B．a science magazine |
| C．a science fiction | D．a storybook |
According to the passage, people who suffer from gelotophobia ______________________.
| A．care more about being laughed at by others |
| B．shouldn’t hide their feelings of insecurity |
| C．should avoid having close contact with other people |
| D．will lead a happy life so long as they care |
"If I rest, I rust"——would be an excellent motto for those who are troubled by the slightest bit of idleness．Even the most hard-working person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his abilities to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, eventually, cannot do the work required of them．
Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must- keep their ability polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agriculture—every department of human endeavor．
Industry keeps the key bright that opens the treasury of achievement．If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist．The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer．
Labor defeats all—not inconstant, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, persistent, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose．So industry is the price of noble and enduring success．What may be the meaning of the underlined word "rust" in the 1st paragraph?
| A．生锈 | B．成长 | C．进步 | D．快乐 |
Why does a hardworking person even use the motto? Because ______．
| A．he wants to remind himself that he is a hardworking man． |
| B．he wants to remind himself to rest from time to time |
| C．he is afraid that he may idle |
| D．he feels he can do the work required of them． |
By saying "Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their ability polished by constant use", the author means_______．
| A．great men keep their ability polished |
| B．those who use their ability constantly would attain the great height |
| C．those who want to get great achievements must practice their ability constantly |
| D．great men polish their ability to reach their height |
The main point of the 3rd paragraph is that ______
| A．industry is more important than agriculture． |
| B．giving some examples of how industry works in achieving great success． |
| C．what industry really means here |
| D．industry can keep the keys bright |
There is a new type of small advertisement becoming increasingly common in newspaper classified columns．It is sometimes placed among “situations vacant”, although it does not offer anyone a job, and sometimes it appears among “situations wanted”, although it is not placed by someone looking for a job, either．What it does is to offer help in applying for a job．
“Contact us before writing your application”, or “Make use of our long experience in preparing your curriculum vitae or job history”, is how it is usually expressed．The growth and apparent success of such a specialized service is, of course, a reflection on the current high levels of unemployment．It is also an indication of the growing importance of the CV, with the suggestion that it may now qualify as an art form in its own right．
There was a time when job seekers simply wrote letters of application．“Just put down your name, address, age and whether you have passed any exams”, was about the average level of advice offered to young people applying for their first jobs when I left school．The letter was really just for openers, it was explained, everything else could and should be saved for the interview．And in those days of full employment the technique worked．The letter proved that you could write and were available for work．Your eager face and intelligent replies did the rest．
There is no doubt, however, that it is increasing number of applicants with university education at all points in the process of engaging staff that has led to the greater importance of the CV．The new type of advertisement which is appearing in newspaper column ．
| A．informs job hunters of the opportunities available |
| B．informs employers of the people available for work |
| C．divides available jobs into various types |
| D．promises to offer useful advice to those looking for employment |
Nowadays a demand for this specialized type of service has been created because .
| A．there are so many people out of work |
| B．there are so many toplevel jobs available |
| C．there is a lack of jobs available for artistic people |
| D．the CV is considered to be a work of art |
In the past it was expected that first job hunters would ．
| A．write an initial letter giving their life history |
| B．keep any detailed information until they obtained an interview |
| C．have no qualifications other than being able to read and write |
| D．pass some exams before applying for a job |
The CV has become such an important document because ．
| A．there has been an increase in the number of applicants with degrees |
| B．there has been an increase in the number of jobs advertised |
| C．jobs are becoming much more complicated nowadays |
| D．the other processes of applying for jobs are more difficult to do |
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