1 . Knowing how to communicate well needs very personal attention between you and another human being. Is there a better way to learn how to communicate effectively? Yes, there is. Please follow the 3 basic steps below.
* Relax and breathe
Whether it's a business meeting or a first date, the first thing you must do in order to communicate is to relax.
When you relax, you are in control. You control your reactions and your reactions do not control you. Breathing is central to relaxation. Take a few deep breaths and your body will begin to be more at ease. This will help you apply what you already know about how to communicate well.
* Think and you will be prepared
Have you ever heard the old saying "think before you speak"? Well, it is true. By thinking ahead about how the conversation might flow, you will be better prepared, more at ease and more confident.
* Follow the flow of the conversation
If you are uncomfortable, being silent will only make it worse and make the other person uncomfortable as well. So when all else fails, follow through with small talk until a common topic appears.
A good way to keep a conversation going is to ask the other person questions. People love to talk about themselves and if you do this, they will leave the conversation, thinking very highly of you. Learning good communication skills is not something out of reach. If you make an effort, you will succeed.
1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?| A．How to Begin Your Conversation Effectively. |
| B．Preparation and Conversation. |
| C．Personal Attention and Communication. |
| D．How to Communicate with People You Meet. |
| A．to make a good preparation for the conversation. |
| B．to take as many deep breaths as possible. |
| C．to keep calm and relax yourself fully. |
| D．to follow the flow of the conversation. |
| A．Because it can help you keep excited and react quickly in the communication. |
| B．Because it will help you organize good sentences for your communication. |
| C．Because it can help you put your communication skills that you know into use. |
| D．Because no one likes to communicate with a nervous person. |
| A．talk small things until you find a topic you both like. |
| B．speak freely so as to run across the topic you like. |
| C．keep silent in order to give the chance of speaking to others. |
| D．ask questions which you are interested in. |
| A．You will be good at communication if you try. |
| B．Good communication skills can be learned if you try. |
| C．Not all people can learn good communication skills. |
| D．Communication skills can be improved easily. |
2 . We thought we had it all---a beautiful house, three healthy children and one more on the way, two cars, a couple of four-wheelers for entertainment---and we loved it. Then, the market turned and my husband’s job at a construction company was gone. The company was closing down for good.
We both started looking for jobs right away, but there weren’t any to be found. With each passing day we were getting increasingly worried and we continued to work together in order to pull our family through. The more we pulled together, the closer we got. I felt feelings of admiration for my husband that I hadn’t felt in years.
That’s why it was so hard for me to watch him blame himself for our present situation. I continually asked him to stop, but he seemed to want to punish himself for not having a job.
Finally, one afternoon I pulled him aside and said, “We have four healthy children. That's what's important. That makes you a rich man.” “But what if we lose the house? They’ll hate me---you’ll hate me,” he replied.
I smiled at him and put my hands on both sides of his face to make him look me in the eye.
“No matter where we live I will be happy---as long as I have you.” I smiled again. In all the struggling together I had found that deep love for him that I had on the day we said “I do”.
I could see his shoulders and neck relaxed. He held me close and we were able to talk and plan and dream together in a way that we hadn’t for quite some time. It was a turning point for us as a couple and a family.
We are still struggling for our better life, but I consider us well-off because we have something that money can’t buy and no one can take away from us.
1. The underlined sentence in the second paragraph means that ________.| A．they became closer as they struggled together |
| B．they hoped to find jobs in the same company |
| C．both of them had the courage to face difficulty |
| D．they were trying to make their relationship closer |
| A．She thought she should be blamed. |
| B．She thought he had tried his best. |
| C．She thought he would get a job someday. |
| D．She thought it would remind her of sad memories. |
| A．Bitter but quiet. | B．Comfortable and easy. |
| C．Hard but happy. | D．Well-off and relaxing. |
| A．We Have It All | B．We Find It Again |
| C．A Perfect Couple | D．A Hard Time |
3 . There are various reasons why people travel. Some tourists go to see battlefields or other historic remains. Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. Most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.
Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money for the sun because they have so little of it. People of cities like London, Copenhagen and Amsterdam spend much of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain. This is the reason why the Mediterrancan has always attracted them.
Every summer many people travel to Mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: sun! The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economics of Mediterranean countries. Italy’s 30,000 hotels are booked without a break every summer. And 13 million people camp on French beaches, parks and roadsides. About 37 million tourists visit there yearly, or one tourist for each person living in Spain.
But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can deal with. The Mediterrancan is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. None of these, however, is ruining anyone’s fun. Obviously, they don’t go there for clean water. They allow traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don’t even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, ifs still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin, London, or Olso.
1. Europeans travel mostly for the reason that ___________.| A．they are interested in different cultural and social customs |
| B．they want to see some famous historic sites |
| C．they would1 like to take pictures in front of famous places |
| D．they wish to escape from the cold and darkness |
| A．all the 37 million people living in Spain are tourists |
| B．there are a large number of tourists visiting Spain |
| C．every person living in Spain has to take care of a tourist |
| D．every family in Spain is visited by a tourist every year |
| A．Polluted water. | B．Crowded buses. | C．Rainy weather. | D．Traffic jams. |
| A．People travel for different reasons. | B．Travelling causes a lot of problems. |
| C．Northern Europeans travel for sun. | D．Europeans are fond of travelling. |
4 . It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind. As a result of medical accident, she was sightless. All she had to depend on was her husband Mark.
Mark was an air-force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. When she first lost sight, he decided to use every method to help his wife.
Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the us, but she was now too frightened to go to work by herself. Mark suggested taking the bus with us an each morning and evening.
For two weeks, Mark, in military uniform, took the bus with Susan to and from work each day, lie taught her to rely on her other senses, especially her hearing. He helped her make friends with the bus drivers who could watch out for her and save her a seat.
Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a taxi back to his office, although that meant he had to travel through the city. Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan would be able to take the bus on her own. He believed in her.
Finally. Susan decided that she was ready to start the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived. She said goodbye and, for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday-Each day on her own went perfectly.
On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was getting off the bus, the driver said," Miss, I sure envy you." Susan asked the driver why. "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the comer watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady," the bus driver said.
Tears of happiness poured down Susan’s cheeks. She was so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.
1. What does the underlined sentence probably mean?| A．Susan had lost her sight because of Mark’s gift. |
| B．A gift was more important than sight. |
| C．Mark’s deep love had given Susan great strength. |
| D．Mark’s love had made Susan recover from blindness. |
| A．Because he loved Susan very much and watched out for her safety. |
| B．Because Susan was not sure of herself and asked for his help. |
| C．Because he wanted to show others that he was a good husband. |
| D．Because he had nothing to do every morning after getting up. |
| A．Susan lost her sight in a car accident. |
| B．Susan lost her sight before she met Mark. |
| C．Susan went to work alone two weeks after her blindness. |
| D．Susan didn’t know the truth until the bus driver told her. |
| A．Love is Sight. | B．Love is Blind. |
| C．Never Say Die. | D．Husband and Wife. |
5 . We live in a world where it's often not easy to find someone to trust. A smiling person always inspires trust. Even economists consider that smiles are valuable.A smile may increase other people's trust by about 10%.
People may also smile when they are caught doing bad things.According to a study made by LaFrance and Hecht，this can in fact be to their own advantage.We have a tendency to be kinder towards those who make mistakes if they wear a smile while being caught.Even a guilty smile may help you get away pretty easily when you make mistakes.
We may also smile when we hear a piece of good news.In this case，women tend to smile more often than men.Smiling can also be a means of reducing the pain caused by a troubling situation.Even if we force ourselves to smile when we don't want to，this may be enough to lift our spirits just a little bit.
When we feel angry or anxious，our attention tends to narrow down.We can no longer see what's going on around us and we can only notice what is in front of us.But if we smile，we feel better and increase flexibility of our attention and the ability to think.Smiling can help us focus and understand better.
“Keep on smiling，and the world will smile with you.”One of the greatest social pleasure is to smile and be smiled to in return，especially because this comes like a natural thing.
People who smile often live longer.A study based on some pictures taken of some baseball players suggested that those who used to smile a lot survived about 7 years longer than those who did not smile very often.
1. The passage mainly talks about .| A．the benefits of smiling |
| B．the occasions when you smile |
| C．the ways of smiling |
| D．the reasons why people smile |
| A．admit their mistakes |
| B．show they are excited |
| C．avoid blame or punishment |
| D．prove they are kind |
| A．men seldom smile at a piece of good news |
| B．smiles can be helpful whatever the situation is |
| C．we should force ourselves to smile whenever it is |
| D．in general，men are more likely to smile than women |
| A．if we smile, it is hard to be smiled to |
| B．if we smile, others will smile to us in return |
| C．if we want to smile, the world will smile to us in time |
| D．if we smile sometimes, we will make the world full of smiles |
6 . Did you know that Albert Einstein could not speak until he was four years old, and could not read until he was seven? His parents and teachers worried about his mental (大脑的) ability.
Beethoven’s music teacher said about him, “As a composer (作曲家) he is hopeless.” What if this young boy had believed it?
When Thomas Edison was a young boy, his teachers said he was so stupid that he could never learn anything. He once said, “I remember I used to never be able to get along at school. I was always at the foot of my class ... My father thought I was stupid, and I almost decided that I was a stupid person.” What if young Thomas had believed what they said about him?
When the sculptor (雕刻家) Auguste Rodin was young, he had difficulty learning to read and write. Today, we may say he had a learning disability. His father said of him, “I have an idiot (白痴) for a son.” His uncle agreed. “He’s uneducable,” he said. What if Rodin had doubted his ability?
Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have no “good ideas”. Enrico Caruso was told by one music teacher, “You can’t sing. You have no voice at all.” And an editor told Louisa May Alcott that she was unable to write anything that would have popular attraction.
What if these people had listened and become discouraged? Where would our world be without the music of Beethoven, the art of Rodin or the ideas of Albert Einstein and Walt Disney? As Oscar Levant once said, “It’s not what you are but what you don’t become that hurts.”
You have great potential (潜力). When you believe in all you can be, rather than all you cannot become, you will find your place on earth.
1. How many successful people are mentioned as examples in the passage?| A．Six. | B．Seven. | C．Eight. | D．Nine. |
| A．When he was young, Thomas Edison always got good grades at school. |
| B．Levant thought Louisa May Alcott couldn’t write any popular works. |
| C．Only Auguste Rodin’s uncle regarded him a boy of learning ability. |
| D．Both Enrico Caruso and Beethoven achieved their dreams in music. |
| A．He is too stupid to be taught. | B．He is very clever. |
| C．He is different. | D．He is a late success. |
| A．Working Hard for Success | B．Having Dreams |
| C．Believing in Yourself | D．Self-challenging |
7 . Tom was a clever boy, but his parents were poor, so he had to work in his spare time and during his holidays to pay for his education. In spite of this, he managed to get to the university, but it was so expensive to study there that during the holiday he found it necessary to get two jobs at the same time so as to make enough money to pay for his studies.
One summer he managed to get a job in a butcher’s shop(肉店)during the day-time, and another in a hospital at night. In the shop, he learnt to cut meat quite nicely, so the butcher often left him to do all the serving while he went to the back room to do the accounts(账目). In the hospital, on the other hand, he was, of course, allowed to do the simplest jobs, like helping to lift people and to carry them from one part of the hospital to another. Both at the butcher’s shop and at the hospital, Tom had to wear white clothes.
One evening at the hospital, Tom had to carry a woman from her bed to the place where she was to have an operation. The woman was already feeling frightened at the thought of the operation before he came to get her, but when she saw Tom, that finished her. “No! No!” she cried．“Not my butcher! I won’t be operated on by my butcher!” and fainted away(昏厥).
1. Tom made enough money by ________.| A．doing two jobs |
| B．working in a butcher’s shop |
| C．cutting meat well |
| D．studying in the university |
| A．a butcher and a doctor |
| B．a manager and a doctor |
| C．an assistant |
| D．a manager |
| A．he was wearing white clothes |
| B．he was going to operate on her |
| C．he was now working in the hospital |
| D．he had sold meat to her |
| A．plunged her into deep sorrow |
| B．took all her strength and courage away |
| C．broke her heart |
| D．made her decide to have an operation |
8 . Smartphones, tablets and smart watches are banned at school for all children under 15 in France. Under the ban students are not able to use their phones at all during school hours, including meal breaks.
“I think it’s a good thing. School is not about being on your phone,” Paris mum Marie-Caroline Madeleine told AFP. “It’s hard with kids. You can’t control what they see and that’s one of the things that worries me as a parent.”
There is no law like this in Australia, but some Australian schools have banned phones. McKinnon Secondary School in Victoria introduced a total ban in February and Principal Pitsa Binnion said this has been a success. McKinnon students still have a Chromebook to use in every class for day-to-day learning but they're not allowed to use social media. Ms. Binnion said at first “teachers cheered and students moaned (抱怨),” but now they’re seeing the positives (优势). “They come to school and they’re not allowed to use phones at all during the school day, including lunch breaks,” she said.
“It’s been wonderful as for students communicating with each other at lunchtime and not looking at their screen,” Ms. Binnion said. She also leads by example and doesn’t use her mobile phone in school. “I think anyone can do it if we’ve done it.”
Not everyone agrees with the bans. Western Sydney University technology researcher Dr. Joanne Orlando wrote in online magazine The Conversation earlier this year that Australia should not ban phones in schools because it’s important to educate kids to live in the age they are raised in. “A good education for students today is knowing how to use technology to learn, communicate and work with ideas,” she wrote. “Banning students from using smartphones is a 1950s response to a 2020 state-of-play.”
1. Why did Madeleine welcome the ban?| A．Teachers find it hard to control kids. |
| B．Kids behave badly nowadays. |
| C．School is for studying. |
| D．Her kids depend too much on phones. |
| A．Students can now see the good of the ban. |
| B．Some teachers were against it at first. |
| C．Students can use their phones at lunch breaks. |
| D．Teachers have stopped using phones at school as well. |
| A．It will disconnect parents and kids. |
| B．It will cause kids to communicate less. |
| C．It will make education go back 60 years. |
| D．It will prevent kids being tech-minded. |
| A．Ms. Binnion doesn’t take her mobile phone to school. |
| B．Ms. Binnion forbids anyone to use mobile phones in school. |
| C．The students may follow Ms. Binnion, not using mobile phones in school. |
| D．The students are not allowed to use their phones on campus. |
9 . When I was a little girl, I remember that when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer, so we would have time for a conversation with each other. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.
I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning. And when I bought a house several years later, my dad painted it by himself in the fierce summer heat. All he asked was to talk to him, but I was too busy in those days.
Four years ago, my dad visited me. He spent many hours putting together a swing for my daughter. He asked me to have a talk with him, but I had to prepare for a trip that weekend.
One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had forgotten some things that we discussed lately. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Several hours later that day I received a call. My father was in the hospital. Immediately I bought a plane ticket and on my way I was thinking about all the occasions I missed to have a talk with my dad. By the time I arrived at the hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was he who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized how little I knew about my dad, his deepest thoughts and his dreams.
After his death I learned much more about him and even more about myself. All he ever wanted was my time. And now he has all my attention every single day.
1. When the author was a little girl, she .| A．was good at repairing things | B．liked playing with the hammer |
| C．often talked with her father | D．learned to take care of her family |
| A．She phoned her father every Sunday morning. |
| B．She received a call from her father every Sunday morning. |
| C．Her father bought her a house. |
| D．She often asked her father to talk with her. |
| A．Because her father was busy putting up a swing for her daughter. |
| B．Because she had got tired of talking with him. |
| C．Because she was busy planning a trip. |
| D．Because her father often forgot what they had once talked about. |
| A．The author found an excuse to forgive herself. |
| B．The author and her father were both busy. |
| C．The author complained about her father’s leave without saying goodbye. |
| D．The author regretted missing the talks with her father. |
10 . In 2012, an iPhone fell into my hands. This smart technology seemed like the entrance to only fun and positive things like chatting with friends and blogging.
However, seven years later, I had become horribly limited to it. Recent reports show that I’m not alone. According to a study, the average American spends five hours a day on smart devices (装置) and about 2.5 of those hours are spent on social, messaging, media and entertainment apps.
It’s hard to explain when the love and joy I felt for my iPhone turned into a dependency. I fell asleep to my phone every night and woke to it each morning. I checked the weather app every morning before I chose how to dress for the day. I used it to help me find my way through a city I should know well enough on my own. I updated my email box every time I picked my phone up.
Just like with any addiction, my phone dependency began to influence my life. While spending time with family, I’d stare into a small screen on my lap instead of being involved in communicating with my loved ones. At work, my productivity levels dropped. And then, my four-year relationship came to an end. Eventually, I was left with years of memories and a mobile phone that couldn’t provide enjoyable company across a dinner table, share in the joys of experiencing a concert or kiss me goodnight before bed.
Now, I move through life with more purpose and intention. I’ve cut back on carelessly giving away my limited time and attention to my phone. Instead, I focus my efforts on being as present as possible. Truly training the mind to stay present is a long and challenging road, but it’s important to start somewhere.
I hope you’ll take a deep look at your own phone habits and reevaluate how important a role you are letting it play in your life. Whether or not you’ve reached a place in your life where your screen time feels problematic, there’s no harm in mindfully giving your current practices some thought.
1. What does the author mean by saying “I’m not alone” underlined in Paragraph 2?| A．He takes his iPhone for company. |
| B．He has many friends around him. |
| C．There’re many Americans like him. |
| D．Blogging brings him great pleasure. |
| A．was quite confused about some apps |
| B．became hopelessly addicted to his iPhone |
| C．was afraid of spending more time on his iPhone |
| D．never dressed himself by checking the weather app |
| A．Why the author’s productivity levels dropped. |
| B．Why the author finally had phone dependency. |
| C．How the author bravely corrected his mistakes. |
| D．How the author’s life was negatively affected. |
| A．Persuade people to live a no-phone life. |
| B．Advise people to use their phones reasonably. |
| C．Inspire people to consider their roles in life again. |
| D．Urge people to devote their spare time to screens. |
