1 . It always seemed like having traditions was a good thing. They create
The kids were excited as we pulled the freshly
Our hearts seemed to
Years later when my daughter Darla was home from college she
Then during the laughter Darla suddenly got very
Then I
My daughter taught me life’s very important
| A．wonders | B．imaginations | C．memories | D．interests |
| A．took over | B．put out | C．turned down | D．set up |
| A．cut | B．bought | C．grown | D．decorated |
| A．unless | B．before | C．while | D．though |
| A．whisper | B．swing | C．talk | D．dance |
| A．amazement | B．curiosity | C．excitement | D．anxiety |
| A． admire | B． treasure | C．evaluate | D．explore |
| A． hesitated | B．refused | C．pretended | D． offered |
| A．disappointed | B．regretful | C．grateful | D． puzzled |
| A．lasting | B．unique | C． unusual | D． pleasant |
| A．feature | B．schedule | C．celebration | D． souvenir |
| A． serious | B．depressed | C．annoyed | D．quiet |
| A．language | B．shape | C．image | D．expression |
| A．casually | B．shyly | C．humorously | D．gently |
| A．ever | B．yet | C．never | D．just |
| A．explained | B．realized | C．admitted | D．remembered |
| A．comfort | B．hurt | C．understand | D．express |
| A．silently | B．roughly | C．gradually | D．unfairly |
| A．patience | B．desire | C．love | D．determination |
| A．knowledge | B．inspiration | C．technique | D．lesson |
2 . Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience，researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调).
One of the study's authors，Nina Kraus，said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”.This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs，Dr. Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin(普通话)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages，pitch plays a central role. A singlesyllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study，the researchers looked at 20 nonChinese speaking volunteers，half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie，the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings:squint，bewilder and rice. The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study，Patrick C.M.Wong，said it might work both ways. It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.
1. When learning Chinese，a foreigner will find ________.| A．he has a difficult time learning music at the same time |
| B．he has an easier time learning music at the same time |
| C．it is hard to master the tones required to speak and understand |
| D．it is easy to use the brain to help him discover changes in pitch |
| A．Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music. |
| B．Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain. |
| C．Because music training might help people with language study. |
| D．Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music. |
| A．created | B．spelled | C．seemed | D．pronounced |
| A．Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter than English Speakers |
| B．Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study |
| C．Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning |
| D．Schools Need to Develop Music Programs |
3 . Very few of us become fluent in another language by studying it in high school.
I made a (an)
After I was
While I’d always considered myself as a quick
Now, a couple of
But most of all, I’ve learned that it really is never too late to learn something new.
1.| A．effort | B．offer | C．mistake | D．appointment |
| A．disgusting | B．pointless | C．cheerful | D．simple |
| A．worst | B．hardest | C．least | D．best |
| A．stay | B．improve | C．decline | D．disappear |
| A．dropped in at | B．took part in | C．paid attention to | D．signed up for |
| A．tested | B．expected | C．requested | D．forced |
| A．advanced | B．middle | C．special | D．introductory |
| A．bothered | B．struck | C．moved | D．scared |
| A．ever | B．even | C．also | D．still |
| A．listener | B．trainer | C．learner | D．interviewer |
| A．absorbed | B．prepared | C．employed | D．noticed |
| A．come back | B．turn up | C．break off | D．slip away |
| A．passages | B．words | C．meanings | D．tips |
| A．months | B．weeks | C．years | D．days |
| A．conversation | B．quarrel | C．speech | D．presentation |
| A．arrange | B．show | C．accomplish | D．trust |
| A．courage | B．time | C．money | D．chance |
| A．mutual | B．renewed | C．poor | D．familiar |
| A．hardly | B．occasionally | C．suddenly | D．completely |
| A．listening | B．relaxing | C．thinking | D．doubting |
4 . Procrastinators (拖延症患者)，take note: If you’ve tried building self-control and you’re still putting things off, maybe you need to try something different. One new approach: Check your mood.
Often, procrastinators attempt to avoid the anxiety or worry aroused by a tough task with activities aimed at repairing their mood, such as checking Facebook or taking a nap. But the pattern, which researchers call “giving in to feel good,” makes procrastinators feel worse later, when they face the consequences of missing a deadline or making a last-minute effort, says Timothy Pychyl, an associate professor of psychology at Carleton University.
Increasingly, psychologists and time-management consultants are focusing on a new strategy: helping procrastinators see how attempts at mood repair are destroying their efforts and learn to control their emotions in more productive ways.
The new approach is based on several studies in the past two years showing that negative emotions can damage attempts at self-control. It fills a gap among established time-management methods, which stress behavioral changes such as adopting a new organizing system or doing exercises to build willpower.
Researchers have come up with a playbook of strategies to help procrastinators turn mood repair to their advantage. Some are tried-and-true classics: Dr. Pychyl advises procrastinators to just get started, and make the doorstep for getting started quite low. “Procrastinators are more likely to put the technique to use when they understand how mood repair works,” says Dr. Pychyl, author of a 2013 book, “Solving the Procrastination Puzzle.” He adds,“A real motive power comes from doing what we intend to do—the things that are important to us.”
He also advises procrastinators to practice “time travel”—projecting themselves into the future to imagine the good feelings they will have after finishing a task, or the bad ones they will have if they don’t. This cures procrastinators’ tendency to get so stuck in present anxieties and worries that they fail to think about the future.
Another mood-repair strategy, self-forgiveness, is aimed at dismissing the self-blame. University freshmen who forgave themselves for procrastinating on studying for the first exam in a course procrastinated less on the next exam, according to a recent study led by Michael Wohl, an associate professor of psychology at Carleton.
Thomas Flint learned about the technique by reading research on self-control, including studies by Dr. Sirois and Dr. Pychyl. He put it to use after his family moved recently to a new house. Instead of beating himself up for failing to unpack all the boxes gathered in his garage right away, Mr. Flint decided to forgive himself and start with a single step. I’d say, "OK, I’m going to take an hour, with a goal of getting the TV set up, and that's it, he says; then he watched a TV show as a reward. Allowing himself to do the task in stages, he says, is “a victory.”
1. What does Timothy Pychyl mean by mentioning the “giving in to feel good” practice in Paragraph 2?| A．It probably does more harm than good. |
| B．It prevents procrastinators from giving up. |
| C．It helps procrastinators meet the deadline. |
| D．It effectively drives away anxiety and worry. |
| A．Sticking to one’s intention. |
| B．Doing things that really matter. |
| C．Getting started from a low doorstep. |
| D．Learning important techniques of mood repair. |
| A．To make their future plan more practical. |
| B．To accelerate the speed of finishing the task. |
| C．To stop people from worrying about their travel. |
| D．To free people from the present negative emotions. |
| A．Self-blame prevents students from putting things off. |
| B．Procrastinators are still able to get good scores in exams. |
| C．University freshmen can get rid of procrastination easily. |
| D．Self-forgiveness is an effective way to cure procrastination. |
5 . Coca-Cola is probably the most famous brand in the world, and in some areas you can even access it easier than clean drinkable water. Although the company is trying to present itself as a health-conscious company, you can’t really say that drinking cola is healthy for you. Still, we all drink cola, some more and some less, and we tell ourselves that it’s all okay as long as we don’t overdo it. However, Coca-Cola has other functions besides drinking.
Cola removes the tarnish (暗锈) from old pennies. Got some old rusty (生锈的) pennies? Don’t worry! Put them inside a glass of cola and let them rest for a while. When you get them out, you’ll have shiny pennies that will look as if they were coined a couple of days ago. If you couldn’t clean those pennies with industrial acids (酸), just buy a can of cola and let it do its magic!
You can remove gum from your hair with cola. If you’ve got gum stuck in your hair and don’t know a better way to get it out, don’t worry, you won’t have to cut it. Just pour some cola into a bowl and dip the part of your hair with gum on it inside. Leave it for a couple of minutes and then simply wipe off the gum.
You can make an exploding fountain (喷泉). You probably know about this one. You can make an exploding fountain by putting a mint (薄荷糖) inside a two-liter bottle. Then move away from the bottle and get ready for a Coca-Cola explosion (爆炸). This is a fun thing to do, but it is also a warning — don’t eat a mint and drink cola at the same time, because a similar thing could happen to your stomach.
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 imply?| A．The expense of Coca-Cola is low. | B．Coca-Cola enjoys great popularity. |
| C．Coca-Cola is safe for people to drink. | D．Coca-Cola is harder to get than drinkable water. |
| A．Make pennies shiny. | B．Destroy the gum. |
| C．Improve people’s hair. | D．Take the place of acids. |
| A．It can cause harm to our stomach. |
| B．It might make our stomach smaller. |
| C．Mints with cola will produce heat. |
| D．The mint will release poisonous substances (有毒物质). |
| A．The major ingredients (原料) of Coca-Cola. |
| B．Why we can’t drink Coca-Cola too often. |
| C．Some of the strangest uses of Coca-Cola. |
| D．Why Coca-Cola is popular among the young. |
6 . Love your parents
Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling （满意的）part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents.
Respect them more and cherish（珍惜）these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, journal about your feelings, or talk to a friend.
Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes.
Keep company with them. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them.
Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. .
| A．There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example. |
| B．Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. |
| C．Tell them you love them every morning. |
| D．Forgiveness is the key. |
| E．Parents will turn express their love to you. |
| F．After this, share your feelings with your parents. |
| G．Please remember parents are as important as friends. |
7 . These people are studying English. However, they are now facing some problems.
I am Pablo. I work 50 hours a week as a taxi driver, so I talk to people all day. They understand me, but I know I make a lot of mistakes. No one corrects me. My vocabulary is strong. Grammar is my problem. I'm trying to change little by little. For example, I don't use the past tense (时态). I always say, “I drive him to the office this morning” instead of “I drove him to the office this morning”. |
My name is Maria Luisa. I'm teaching myself English, and I'm good at grammar. However, it's really difficult to find ways to practice English. I live in an area where everyone speaks my language. My neighbors and friends speak Spanish. I can speak Spanish in the supermarket and at the post office. |
I am Li Ping. I understand the grammar and the readings in my class and I think my writing is good, but I'm very nervous when I speak English. I don't want to make any mistakes because I'm afraid people will think that I'm stupid. Also, my pronunciation isn't good. When I speak, people often say, “What? Say that again”. |
I am Yoshi. I have been in the United States for one year. I'm studying hard and I know grammar well, but the vocabulary is very difficult. When I listen, I don't understand many of the words. When I try to read, there are three or four new words in every sentence. I feel discouraged. |
| A．Pablo. | B．Maria Luisa. | C．Li Ping. | D．Yoshi. |
| A．Try to have a wide vocabulary. | B．Develop a good knowledge of grammar. |
| C．Read as many English books as possible. | D．Make friends with Englishspeaking people. |
| A．She can't pronounce words in English correctly. | B．She speaks at a very fast speed. |
| C．Her grammar is terrible. | D．Her voice is very low. |
8 . My folks bought their first house in the early 1940s after Dad got a better job in Marquette, Michigan. We lived just inside the city limits in what was still a rural area.
In the spring of 1948, when I was 6 years old, my parents bought a calf (小牛) to replace our cow, which had been killed the year before. So one day we drove to a local farm and returned with a white and brown calf we named Tubby.
We didn’t own a truck, so Tubby rode home in the backseat of Dad’s car with my 9-year-old brother, Steve and me. As you can imagine, the trip was a lot of fun for us kids.
Later that summer, Mom thought it would be cute to take a picture of me sitting on Tubby’s back. All went well until the flashlight of the camera sent Tubby charging off on a run, with me holding on for dear life and my heart pulled to my throat.
I lasted for about 30 feet before I hit the ground. Mom was quick enough to shoot a follow-up picture, so we had photos of me both on and off Tubby!
When summer had passed, the day arrived for poor Tubby to fill our freezer (冰柜). I must have been somewhere else with my mom on the fateful (决定性的) day, because I have no memory of what happened. All I knew was that the barn (畜棚) was empty, and that we had plenty of meat for dinners.
I hadn’t lived on the farm like my mother, so I didn’t understand that what had happened to Tubby was not unusual. Livestock (家畜) aren’t meant to be pets, and most farm kids know and accept the truth.
Whenever we had beef for dinner, I would tearfully ask, “Is this Tubby?” This went on for a couple of months until Dad had enough and declared, “No more cows!” That made me feel better about poor Tubby.
1. Why did the parents buy Tubby?| A．To raise it for meat. | B．To produce enough milk for the kids. |
| C．To keep the kids company. | D．To have Tubby help with farm work. |
| A．The writer witnessed Tubby killed. |
| B．The writer felt happy to see the freezer filled with meat. |
| C．The writer’s mother thought it natural to kill Tubby for meat. |
| D．The writer felt excited on Tubby’s back when it was running off. |
| A．Sad. | B．Thankful. | C．Moved. | D．Hopeless. |
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
1. Why was the bike so important to the couple?
| A．The man’s job was bike racing. | B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. | D．They used it for work and daily life. |
| A．the couple worked 60 hours a week. | B．people were busy before Christmas |
| C．the stranger brought over the bike | D．life was hard for the young family. |
| A．From radio broadcasts. | B．From a newspaper. |
| C．From TV news. | D．From a stranger. |
| A．Strangers are usually of little help. | B．One should take care of their bike. |
| C．News reports make people famous. | D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”
“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will（遗嘱）,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”
“Yes, I see. I’ll do that,” said the young man.
1. Hobbs wanted to borrow money to _______.
| A．study abroad | B．work abroad | C．pay off the debts | D．learn to paint pictures |
| A．Surprised. | B．Frightened | C．Satisfied. | D．Excited. |
| A．planned to have a happy life for a few days | B．decided to give up his work in the factory |
| C．was to give a dinner to his friends | D．had no idea what to do |
| A．tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it |
| B．read his uncle’s will |
| C．buy some pictures |
| D．tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money |
