1 . Kailash knows the thought of public speaking is enough to send many people into a cold sweat-he’s been there. He made his first public speaking in Year 4 at a time when his confidence had been broken down by a bully(霸凌者). He still gets scared thinking about it today because he had to go in front of the whole class and recite a poem that made no sense whatsoever.
By Year 5, Kailash started to hone his skills with the help of his father so that he could run for school captain in Year 6, but he was very shy and he couldn’t speak very well. So he started to practise and practise. That’s a good point for kids-they don’t apply for leadership positions because they are nervous, even though they’d make great leaders.
Kailash went on to score the role of vice-captain, despite his speech not going to plan. He made a joke but he made it so poorly that they laughed at him, not at the joke. But he said making mistakes is a key part of the public speaking learning. Things like that happen and it’s OK. You have to have the confidence to be OK with that and the resilience(弹性)to get back up.
Kailash, who counts a 4000-strong Sydney Opera House crowd and a community-based TEDx event among his public speaking credits, said public speaking skills have huge benefits in day-to-day life, from interacting with teachers to going for a job interview. Public speaking teaches young people to be comfortable in themselves. So it teaches you about self-esteem, to accept who you are. Making eye contact and smiling to connect with your audience are other key steps in pulling off public speaking, along with wearing something that makes you feel comfortable and confident.
1. What does the underlined word “hone” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Test. | B．Review. | C．Perform. | D．Exercise. |
| A．He made it. | B．He failed in it. |
| C．He gave it up halfway. | D．He missed it. |
| A．Conservative. | B．Skeptical. | C．Oppositional | D．Tolerant. |
| A．The benefits of public speaking. |
| B．The importance of eye contact and smiling. |
| C．Kailash’s achievements in public speaking. |
| D．The comfort and confidence suitable clothes bring. |
2 . Belly fat（stomach fat） has long been thought to be especially bad for your heart, but now, a new study adds more evidence to the idea that it may also be bad for your brain.
The study, from the United Kingdom, found that people who were overweight and had a high waist — to — hip ratio （a measure of belly fat） had slightly lower brain volumes （容量），on average, compared with people who were just over weight or had a healthy weight. Specifically, belly fat was connected with lower volumes of gray matter, the brain tissue （组织）that contains nerve cells.
“Our research looked at a large group of people and found obesity （肥胖）,specifically around the middle， may be linked with brain shrinkage （萎缩），” lead study author Mark Hamer, a professor at Loughborough University, said in a statement.
Lower brain volume， or brain shrinkage， has been linked with a higher risk of memory recession， which leads to being forgetful.
The new findings, published on Jan. 9 in the journal Neurology ， suggested that the combination of obesity （as measured by body mass index, or BMI） and a high waist—to—hip ratio may cause brain shrinkage.
However, the study found only a connection between belly fat and lower brain volume, but couldn't prove that belly fat actually caused brain shrinkage. It could be that people with lower volumes of gray matter in certain brain areas are at a higher risk of obesity. Future studies are needed to find out the causes for the connection.
1. What can we infer about belly fat from the new study?| A．Belly fat may have a bad influence on our brain. |
| B．Belly fat can help increase brain volumes. |
| C．Belly fat affects people's diet. |
| D．Belly fat is bad for our eyes. |
| A．A tall and thin man. |
| B．A man with too much belly fat. |
| C．A short and thin man. |
| D．A man with normal body weight. |
| A．Going ahead. | B．Getting poor. |
| C．Getting active. | D．Going around. |
| A．The real cause of getting obesity. |
| B．The danger of getting too much fat. |
| C．The bad effect caused by belly fat and brain shrinkage. |
| D．The reasons for the connection between belly fat and brain shrinkage. |
3 . Recently I’ve had two good roles on television. But when I was just getting started in theater work 17 years ago, I never thought I’d make it. Back then I was recovering from surgery and had been off work for six months. Even worse, as a single mother with three youngsters, I had no place to live in. I felt hopeless.
One Sunday morning I saw actor Robert Young on the television talking about his faith: Believe yourself! If we confidently take that first step, well take the next, until we reach our goal.
The first step was scary. After I went working part-time, I looked for an apartment. The ones I saw were either too expensive, or I couldn’t raise my children in them. I knew a house, not an apartment, was more suitable for me. However, after seeing several houses, my confidence was shaken. I found two seemed right, but when I was about to make an offer, someone else had ordered.
I remembered a saying, “When one door closes, a better one opens.” I wouldn’t just sit staring at the closed one but got up and struggled on. In a real estate (房地产) agent, I found a small house with proper price. To buy it, I had to borrow $ 3,000 for a down payment and get a mortgage (按揭). Common sense argued that a mortgage for a single mother working part-time was impossible. But I had enough self-confidence without following common sense.
After getting the house, my new self-confidence grew. Later , when I began filling small parts in television productions, that self-confidence showed. I'd always played the role as the director wanted. Now I find myself freer to interpret (演绎) it.
Self-confidence has made it through life. Trouble can be scary at first, but each time I take that step, I believe I will win the next.
1. How did the author feel when entering television industry at first?| A．Hopeful. | B．Embarrassed. | C．Pessimistic. | D．Aggressive. |
| A．To show the value of self-confidence. |
| B．To share her different life experiences. |
| C．To introduce her toughest part of life. |
| D．To tell us her ways to get over difficulty. |
| A．Her sense of confidence. | B．The difficulty in her life. |
| C．The director’s good direction. | D．Her success in her first attempt. |
| A．Appear on the Stage | B．Struggle with Life |
| C．Stick to Your Plan | D．Believe in Yourself |
4 . If you want to find a book for your children, here are some books that you can choose from.
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs
The CIA is on a task to find an equation （方程式），which could destroy the world if the bad people get it. For help，they turn to Charlie, a 12-year-old girl who is as smart as Albert Einstein. Children who like exciting mysteries will enjoy reading this book.
AstroNuts by Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg
In AstroNuts , the Earth has been destroyed by humans for thousands of years. Four animals set out from Mount Rushmore， the main office of NASA. Their task is to find a new planet fit for human life. Finally, they discover one： Plant Planet. The story's topic is simple： Don't harm the planet. Readers who love science fiction （科幻小说）will enjoy AstroNuts.
Stargazing by Jen Wang
Christine hears that Moon, who is new in town, is the kind of kid who beats people up for fun. But Moon and her mum come to live with Christine's family, and the two kids become best friends. Moon even shares a big secret with Christine. Stargazing is based on Jen Wang's experiences as a child. The story is about the power of friendship.
Roll with It by Jamie Sumner
Roll with It is a story about a 12-year-old girl named Ellie. She has difficulty walking on her own and uses a wheelchair. When Ellie and her mum move to another state to take care of Ellie's grandpa, she must learn to deal with a new school and new friendships. This book is a must-read for everyone. It's a heartwarming story that really shows the value of family.
1. Which of the following encourages readers to protect the Earth?| A．Stargazing. |
| B．AstroNuts. |
| C．Roll with It. |
| D．Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation. |
| A．It mainly discusses animals' stories. |
| B．It includes much scientific knowledge. |
| C．It is mainly about how to make friends. |
| D．It is connected with the author's own experiences. |
| A．She doesn't want to go to another state. |
| B．She has trouble communicating with others. |
| C．She is carefully looked after by her grandpa. |
| D．She has to solve problems faced in a new place. |
Be careful what you say around your dog．It might understand more than you think．
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany．The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child．Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee．
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects．Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back．In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right．As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words．
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew．The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before．
The correct object was chosen in seven out of ten tests, suggesting that the dog had worked
out the answer by process of elimination（排除法）．A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive．
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog．For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed （品种）known for its mental abilities．In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months．
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say．Even if they do, they can't talk back．Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then．You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
1. From paragraph 2 we know that __________．
| A．animals are as clever as human beings |
| B．chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills |
| C．dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees |
| D．dogs have similar learning abilities as 3-year-old children |
| A．Rico is smart enough to get all commands right |
| B．Rico can recognize different things including toys |
| C．Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics |
| D．Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them |
| A．Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training． |
| B．The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities． |
| C．The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects． |
| D．Rico is born to understand its owner's commands． |
| A．To train your dog． | B．To talk to your dog． |
| C．To be careful with your dog． | D．To be friendly to your dog． |
When Albert was five years old, his father gave him a compass. Albert was filled with wonder when he discovered that the compass needle always pointed in the same direction ---- the north. He asked his father and his uncle what caused the needle to move. Their answers were difficult for Albert to understand. Yet he spent a lot of time thinking about them. He said later that he felt something must be hidden behind things.
Albert didn’t like school. The German schools of that time were not pleasant. Students couldn’t ask questions. Albert said he felt as if he were in prison..
One day Albert told his uncle Jacob how much he hated school, especially mathematics. His uncle told him to solve mathematical problems by pretending to be a policeman. “You are looking for someone,” he said, “but you don’t know who he is. Call him X. Find him by using your mathematical tools.”
Albert learned to love mathematics. He was studying the complex mathematics of calculus while all his friends were still studying simple mathematics. Instead of playing with his friends he thought about things such as “What would happen if people could travel at the speed of his light?”
Albert wanted to teach mathematics and physics. He graduated with honors, but it was a pity that he could not get a teaching job.
1. According to Paragraph 2, we can learn that Albert Einstein ________.
| A．was interested in the compass |
| B．wanted to be a great scientist |
| C．was not clever enough |
| D．didn’t like thinking by himself |
| A．He couldn’t play with his friends there |
| B．Students were not allowed to ask questions. |
| C．The schools were like prisons at that time |
| D．He had to learn mathematics that he didn’t like. |
| A．Useful | B．Difficult | C．Boring | D．Interesting |
| A．Einstein became a mathematics teacher after graduation |
| B．Einstein gradually loved mathematics with his uncle’s help. |
| C．Einstein’s uncle was a policeman. |
| D．Einstein liked playing with other children. |
I’m a Senior Ⅰ study in a middle school. This term, my favorite teacher, Miss Mao, no longer teaches us. I want to see her, but I’m afraid that she no longer likes me and I don’t want to trouble her. I really miss her. What should I do?
Tian Yan
Dear Tian Yan,
It’s bad luck that you have lost your favorite teacher. But if she is still in your school, nothing can stop you going to see her. When she isn’t busy, ask her if she minds having a quick chat. You can then tell her she was your favorite teacher—everyone is happy to know that they are liked!
If she has left the school, it will be more difficult to meet her. It will be hard, but remember people always come and go in their lives. We can’t rely on them to be with us all the time.
You may be sad to say goodbye to her, but we can remember and learn from her. Think of her best qualities.
You could also try looking for similar qualities in your other teachers. Study hard and give your new teacher a chance. In time, you might start to see that he or she has different qualities to learn from.
Finally, you can not completely rely on other people to get you through your studies, or even your life.
Editor
1. The letters are from ________.| A．book | B．newspaper | C．poster | D．advertisement |
| A．Find a time to see Miss Mao | B．Have a short chat with Miss Mao |
| C．Tell Miss Mao she likes her | D．Keep quiet about the thing |
| A．completely by their favorite teachers |
| B．completely by their favorite classmates |
| C．mainly by their parents |
| D．mainly by themselves |
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. |
