【推荐1】Antique, idol, dialogue, geography, grammar, architect, economy, encyclopedia, telephone, microscope... all these common English words have something in common: they originate from Greek. To this list, we could add thousands more words, some common and others less so. Clearly, the Greek language has had an important influence on the English language.

According to one survey, more than 150,000 words of English are of Greek origin. These include technical and scientific terms but also more common words like those above.

Words that starts with ‘ph-’ are usually of Greek origin, for example: philosophy, physical, photo, phrase, philanthropy.

Many English words are formed of parts of words that originate from the Greek language, including the following examples:

phobia (fear of), as in arachnophobia — the fear of spiders
micro (small), as in microscopic — so small it’s hard to see
demos (people), as in democracy — government by the people

Greek mythology has been very influential in Western culture, particularly its art and literature. Unsurprisingly, some common expressions in English come from these ancient myths and beliefs.

“To have an ‘Achilles’ heel” means “to have a weakness”. Achilles was a Greek hero and central character in Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad. He was only weak at his heel. Example sentence: I’m trying to eat more healthily, but chocolate is my Achilles’ heel.

The ‘Midas touch’ is another common expression from Greek mythology. Describing a near-magical ability to succeed at anything one attempts, the expression originates from a story of King Midas, who is remembered for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold. Example sentence: My brother’s business is so successful; he really has the Midas touch!

An idiom which has its roots in ancient Greece is ‘crocodile tears’. The phrase might come from the popular ancient belief that crocodiles weep while eating their victims. In fact, crocodiles do lubricate their eyes by means of their tear ducts, usually when their eyes start to dry out after being out of the water for a long time. However, the behavior is also thought to happen when crocodiles feed. It’s used in English to describe expressions of sadness that are insincere.

1. Why are so many English words listed at the beginning of the passage?

A．To prove that they have much in common.	B．To show the Greek influence on English.
C．To attract the readers’ attention to their origin.	D．To present the popularity of the Greek language.

2. Which kind of the following people express their fake feelings according to the text?

A．People with crocodile tears.	B．People with Midas touch.
C．People with a phobia.	D．People who have Achilles’ heel.

3. What has great influence on western art and literature according to the text?

A．Words with Greek origins.	B．The forms of the words.
C．Greek myths.	D．Ancient Greek Kings and heroes.

4. How is the passage developed?

A．In chronological order.	B．By listing examples.
C．By comparison.	D．Through cause and effect.

【推荐1】A lot of people ask this question: “Why is body language so important?” Studies have shown that in the process of communication, non-verbal expression has 65% to 93% more influence than actual text. This means that “how to say” is more important than “what to say”. Of course, this does not mean that you don’t need to do preparation for your interviews, nor does it mean that you can take any short cuts. On the contrary, this means that you have more things to pay attention to and prepare for.

In the real workplace, body language is much more important than you think. Without proper body language, you may find yourself trapped in a circle where you can’t integrate with the external environment, not to mention the difficulties in the absence of body language in the workplace.

“People can often make inferences from actions, and the results of these inferences directly affect lives: for example, who will be employed and who will be promoted.” Academician Amy Cuddy said in a TV talk show. She also said that “Our body language will also affect our perception of ourselves. When you try to make more authoritative actions, your brain will inadvertently receive signals and actually create an idea that you are more authoritative, so that you have more confidence in yourself.”

Therefore, before interviews or important meetings, try not to lean on any object or have a hunched back. Instead, you should try to keep your body relaxed. You can even stand with a relatively authoritative posture-of course, you may need to do these things in the bathroom or places where no one could see you.

Body language plays a crucial role in your job interviews, careers, and everyday life. Paying attention to body language could make strong impacts on your behavior, which could help you achieve better results. So, every time you are nervous or feel that you can’t do it, stretch your body, smile, and tell yourself “Fake it till you become it!”

1. What can be inferred from paragraph one?

A．Your success depends on your body language.

B．Your body language exposes your hiding meanings.

C．Your body language is a shortcut to your success.

D．Your body language is born with the ability.

2. What does Amy Cuddy mostly agree with?

A．A person with good body language can be directly employed.

B．A person’s actions can have an influence on his results.

C．A person’s body language can improve his confidence.

D．A person’s brain can decide the types of body language.

3. What does the author recommend before interviews?

A．Practising standing straightly.	B．Hiding things in the bathrooms.
C．Exposing your weakness.	D．Leaning on a desk.

4. What can replace the underlined word in the last paragraph?

A．Equal.

B．Amazing.

C．Positive.

D．Important.

【推荐2】根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有多余选项。

Every day, in hundreds of ordinary situations, actions speak far louder than words. We talk with our mouth, but we communicate with our facial expressions, our tone of voice and our whole body.

    1    When we can read what others are saying unconsciously, we can deal with things — at work and at home before they become problems.

By understanding how to use body language, you can communicate more effectively. Here is how:     2    Throughout the day, notice details about the way you speak, gesture and move. When standing, keep your shoulders straight, your body open and your weight balanced on both feet.

Work on your handshake.    3    The handshake most likely to show confidence is firm and dry, with strong but not too much pressure.

Use eye contact. Eye contact is very important in forming an impression of someone. You should have the ability to keep direct eye contact if you want to be taken seriously. But some people feel uncomfortable when it is too strong.    4    

Be yourself. Nonverbal (非言语的) messages come from deep inside you, from your own sense of self-respect. If you are comfortable with yourself, it shows.    5    They always give others a deep impression.

A．Use hand gestures carefully.

B．Pay attention to your body-talk.

C．A mirror can be useful to examine facial expressions.

D．People who know who they are have a relaxed way of talking and moving.

E．In the business world, the handshake shows important messages about power.

F．Understanding body language is one of the most useful skills you can develop.

G．To avoid this problem, change your focus so that you look at somewhere between the eyes and the chin.

【推荐3】Language is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. Without language, culture would not be possible.     1     Body movement, eye contact, gesture, and facial expression are other forms of language we call nonverbal communication. Body language makes up the largest part of our nonverbal communication. According to Social Anthropologist, Edward T. Hall, in a normal conversation between two persons, less than 15% of social meaning is transmitted (传达) by words.

    2     And people have different gestures to convey their expressions. However, nonverbal communication, like traffic, is not random (随意的); it has a purpose.     3     Learning the different common rules of body language in different cultures is very useful for us to understand each other better.

People coming from the same culture share common understanding by using the same body language such as eye management, facial expressions, gestures, and body movements. But in different cultures nonverbal communication takes on different patterns. For example, “arms”, which are used little by Nordics during a conversation, are an important element in one’s communicative weaponry (武器) in Italy, Spain, and South America. In Africa, standing in a too “open” fashion, means that your posture might be inappropriate.     4     In cultures such as America, where you often stand with your feet shoulder-length apart, arms at your side, standing in this fashion might be interpreted as being shy and insecure.     5    

A．If you know how to communicate with people from different countries.

B．In these cultures, one should stand with feet pressed together and hands interlaced in front of the body.

C．Different cultures have different ways of using nonverbal communication.

D．Language is not the only way to express our ideas and feelings.

E．And there are common rules to guide its flow.

F．So you should first learn about their body language before you travel to other countries.

G．Misuse of body language can be unpleasant.

【推荐1】It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth（收费站）. “I'm paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me,” she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare.”

It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend's refrigerator: “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” The phrase impressed her so much that she copied it down.

Judy Foreman spotted the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. “I thought it was beautiful,” she said, explaining why she'd taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, “like a message from above.” Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, admitting that though she liked it, she didn't know where it came from or what it really meant.

Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days.

"Here's the idea," Anne says. "Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly." Her fantasies include painting the classrooms of shabby schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, "Kindness can build on itself as much as violence can."

The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours!

1. Why did Natalie Smith pay for the six cars behind her?

A．She knew the car drivers well.

B．She wanted to show kindness.

C．She hoped to please others.

D．She had seven tickets.

2. Judy Foreman copied down the phrase because she_______________.

A．thought it was beautifully written

B．wanted to know what it really meant

C．decided to write it on a warehouse wall

D．wanted her husband to put it up in the classroom

3. Who came up with the phrase according to the passage?

A．Judy Foreman.	B．Natalie Smith.
C．Alice Johnson.	D．Anne Herbert.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．People should practice random kindness to those in need.

B．People who receive kindness are likely to offer it to others.

C．People should practice random kindness to strangers they meet.

D．People who receive kindness are likely to pay it back to the giver.

【推荐2】My mum is about to have a spinal (脊柱的) operation. The operation is relatively minor, but does carry a risk of paralysis (瘫痪). Friends and family have reacted to this news by talking in such pessimistic terms that Mum has come to label this kind of talk as “psychological theft’’. It occurs when other people increase your anxiety rather than provide comfort.

Last week Mum went to the post office and ran into Geoff who works for the local school.“How are you?” he asked. “Not great.” she replied. “ I’ve been having some trouble with my back and I’m going to need an operation.” “Oh, the back is the most dangerous place to operate on!” he responded. My mum had that and she was in terrible pain. “Make sure you get all your affairs in order before you go under the knife — it takes months to get over it!” Geoff was out of kindness. He’d given his own mother’s story to show sympathy. However, Mum only heard pain, danger, knife, and months.

In the past few weeks, Mum’s mates and colleagues have told her stories about how their Auntie Trisha, who had just received an operation was left speechless after hearing that she required a rapid follow-up operation; and how their neighbour, who had only a minor operation, never walked again .

It’s really not that difficult to think of alternative things they could have said that would be equally true, but more beneficial to hear. “The specialists in our hospitals are among the best in the world. It’s amazing what they can do these days!”— that’s a good one. “You’re going to feel much better afterwards.”— that’ s another.

I’m not suggesting patients should be sheltered from the reality of the risks they’re taking. But if the decision to have an operation can’t really be avoided, what’s the purpose of emphasizing the drawbacks (弊端)? It’s just common sense to say: “Get well soon, and how can I help? ”

1. What does “psychological theft” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Psychological disorder.

B．The negative comments.

C．The comforting words.

D．Physical disability.

2. How might the author’s mum have felt after hearing what Geoff said?

A．Sympathetic.

B．Relieved.

C．Worried.

D．Moved.

3. What lesson does the author want to teach us?

A．Treat patients with admiration.

B．Communicate more with other patients.

C．Be well-prepared for unavoidable operations.

D．Find an appropriate way to comfort patients.

【推荐3】One summer night, a boy felt himself lifted from bed by his father. Dazed with sleep, he saw stars flashing across the heavens. “What is it?” the child whispered. “Shooting stars. They come every year in August.” Decades have passed, but I remember that night still, because I was the fortunate boy whose father believed a new experience was more important than an unbroken night’s sleep.

Some parents like my father have the gift of opening doors for their children. This art of adding dimensions to a child brings the reward: the marvelous moment when the spark bursts into a flame that will burn brightly on its own one day. At a Golf Association tournament, a ten-year-old girl played creditably. “How long have you been interested in golf?” someone asked. “I got it for my ninth birthday,” she said. “Your father gave you a set of clubs?” “No,” she said, “he gave me golf.”

I have a friend, a psychiatrist, who says there are two types of people: those who think of life as a privilege and those who think of it as a problem. The first type is enthusiastic and energetic. The other type is suspicious and self-centered. And he adds, “Tell me about your childhood and I can tell you which type you are likely to be.”

The real purpose, then, of trying to open doors for children is to build eager and outgoing attitudes, which is the most valuable legacy we can pass on to the next generation. But why don’t we work harder at it? Probably because sometimes we don’t have the awareness or the selflessness or the energy. And yet, for those of us who care what becomes of our children, the challenge is always there but the opportunities also come repeatedly. Many years have passed since that night. And next year, when August comes with its shooting stars, my son will be seven.

1. What do the underlined words “adding dimensions to” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Setting an example for.	B．Broadening the horizons of.
C．Providing attentive care for.	D．Narrowing the possibilities of.

2. Why does the author mention the girl in Paragraph 2?

A．To show parental impact on children’s passion.

B．To suggest hobbies always start from the small.

C．To highlight the importance of diverse experiences.

D．To prove true passion usually arises from the reward.

3. What will the author’s psychiatrist friend agree with?

A．One’s personality is related to childhood experiences.

B．Childhood experience determines adult happiness.

C．Parenting styles requires professional guidance.

D．Stability in upbringing builds confidence.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The author is always addicted to shooting stars.

B．It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to motivate kids.

C．The author will go to see shooting stars with his son.

D．It is impossible to unlock kids’ potential without eagerness.