1 . A conversation is a meeting of two unique minds, and every person has something of value to share. Then what are the secrets of adding value to our daily casual conversations?

    1    

It’s easy to see when someone is only excited about hearing his own voice and it makes you doubt whether he’s listening to anyone else’s thoughts. If you have something valuable say, five minutes of listening won’t change that. What the other person says may not only change your original thoughts.     2    .

Ask a few questions

Another way to add value to a conversation is to ask questions.     3    . Questions don’t have to be smart. If someone told you about his new dog, something as simple as “How have the kids reacted?” can allow him to spend an extra minute explaining what the change has meant to him.

Offer proper suggestions

This is a step a lot of people miss.     4    . For example, if the other person mentions an ability or connection you have but isn’t sure how he could make use of it, feel free to offer suggestions about how you could see it playing out. As you start focusing on how you can add value to others, you’ll begin to build deep, lasting relationships.

Ask what you can do to help

There are two sides to this coin. You’ll immediately stand out in a crowd if you offer to help someone. But make sure you’re truly able to deliver on your promise. You’ll build a valuable relationship if you offer to help and follow through.

    5    . But it takes time to create good conversational habits. Pick one tip from the list and focus on practicing it in your daily conversations. You’ll never regret the time you take to create habits that bring value and meaning to your conversations with others.

A．It also can make your talk more valuable.

B．Don’t get too absorbed in “your moment”.

C．As you ask questions, keep the key points in mind.

D．Valuable conversations lead to meaningful relationships.

E．Ask at least one question before moving on to a new topic.

F．They will remember that you made the effort to help them.

G．But it’s very important in adding value to the conversation.

2 . How to Deal With Stress

Life can be stressful；sometimes you'll have to deal with ongoing stress positively. It is important to recognize the causes.     1     .

Get enough sleep.

Give your body the sleep it wants, and your stress levels will take a nosedive （下降）. Sleep is a mechanism by which your body recovers and restores its energy reserves.     2    , your body will use stress to keep you active and alert in the absence of stored energy.

Exercise regularly.

Targeted exercise goes a long way towards freeing your body of stress hormones and increasing your endorphin（内啡肽） levels.     3    . By doing so, you can keep your body healthy as a natural outlet（释放） for your stress. You should notice the difference.

    4    .

Although you could technically consider yoga your daily exercise, practicing the deep stretches and slow body movements will help you to clear your mind. Meditating while practicing gentle yoga will double the relaxation effect to ease your stress.

Learn to relax.

Relaxing your body, by whatever natural means, is a great way to reduce stress. Don't expect your stress to immediately disappear；it can take time. In most cases, try not to fix on the stress itself while you're relaxing. Think of something quiet and peaceful or think of nothing in particular.    5    .

A．Clear your mind

B．Practice yoga and meditation

C．If you're not getting enough sleep

D．If you are feeling much too pressured

E．Take steps to deal with the root of the problem

F．Set aside time during your busy day to exercise

G．Let your body tell your mind that everything is okay.

3 . In addition to a list of benefits for a healthy gut, yogurt may greatly reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. A recent study in the American Journal of Hypertension found that men who eat at least two servings of yogurt per week had a 21 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and risk among women dropped by 17%.

A team of scientists at Boston University's School of Medicine studied more than 740,000 individuals who had previously suffered from high blood pressure. Using health questionnaires administered over the last 30 years, the scientists measured yogurt intake and weighed it against heart-related health problems such as heart attack or stroke.

In a press release, one of the study's authors showed that the team behind the report had initially wanted to see if fermented dairy products could aid poor cardiovascular health. The study shows a relationship between yogurt and heart health—but it's not yet clear whether eating yogurt actually reduces risk, or that overall healthier people tend to eat more yogurt, so more research will have to be done.

Still, recent studies have found health benefits of a variety of probiotic and dairy foods, including the super-food kefir which significantly boosts gut health. And recent scientific research has found heart-healthy benefits from eating small amounts of cheese every day.

While the researchers didn't target a particular variety of yogurt, it's important to recognize that yogurt brands greatly vary in the dairy aisle, and some are better for you than others. It's clear that yogurt can be a great addition to your diet due to probiotics, calcium levels, and a healthy source of fat.

Regardless of which kind you choose to pick up, this new evidence could finally be the final bit of buzz to get you to include yogurt as your daily diet. Added bonus? There's a way you can try a lot of different yogurts for free this month, too.

1. What can we know about yogurt?

A．Its greater influence on men than women.

B．The same influence on women and men.

C．The only benefit to people with cardiovascular disease.

D．The only benefit to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

2. Which of the following best explains “boosts” underlined in Paragraph 4?

A．Reduces.

B．Improves.

C．Harms.

D．Resists.

3. In which column of a newspaper can we most probably read the passage?

A．Education.

B．Culture.

C．Entertainment.

D．Health.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．How Did Scientists Measure the Benefits of Yogurt?

B．Why Could Yogurt Lower Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke?

C．Eating Yogurt Could Lower Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

D．Eating Yogurt Is Very Necessary for Old People and Younger Children

4 . Sharks aren't the scariest things in the ocean for scientists who dive to work. Powerful currents, created where the ocean floor drops away, can be just as deadly. “You can get sucked down by the pressure within minutes, ” notes Marcel Jaspars. He's a chemist who once saved himself from such a current. He came across it while taking photos of a sea sponge near Indonesia, in Southeast Asia. Luckily, he inflated his dive vest in time. He was able to float to the surface and escape the potentially deadly current.

Diving has risks. But the scientists who work underwater are trained to deal with these dangers. For Jaspars, the rewards of research and underwater adventure are greater than the risks. He searches for unusual chemicals made by ocean life. Then he analyzes them for components that might serve as medicines for people.

The sea may seem like a strange place to look for new drugs. But organisms （生物体）in the ocean have had to adapt to a tough environment. Some of the chemicals they make for survival might help people, too. More than 50 years ago, scientists discovered a new anti-cancer drug in a sea sponge. Since then, researchers have been hunting the seas for more of such useful natural products.

With the help of underwater robots and small submarines（潜水艇），Jaspars and other scientists are searching the seas— from the shallow to the oceans' great depths. Their goal: finding chemicals made by marine life for use in one day treating human disease.

Now Jaspars directs the Marine Biodiscovery Center. It's at the University of Aberdeen， in Scotland. There he focuses on microbes （微生物）living in very cold environments, such as the Arctic Ocean. “It's too cold and deep to dive there,” he says. So scientists on research ships pull up buckets of mud from the seafloor. Later, they send him small samples of what they've pulled up.

1. Why is Jaspars' experience mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To advise ways of surviving in the sea.

B．To explain his ability and luck in the sea.

C．To show the danger of deadly current to divers.

D．To tell us the value of his underwater adventure.

2. What does the author think of Jaspars' research and underwater adventure?

A．Secure.	B．Unique.
C．Unbearable.	D．Rewarding.

3. What's the purpose of Jaspars' searching the seas?

A．To find chemicals for new medicines.

B．To study all kinds of ocean creatures.

C．To be trained to deal with ocean dangers.

D．To look for new medicines for marine life.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．The risks of searching the seas

B．Risky diving for new medicines

C．The most dangerous things in the sea

D．Jaspars, a chemist inventing medicines

5 . Dragon Boat Festival abroad

The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu, is marked on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Similar festivals abroad include Tango no Sekku in Japan and the Gangneung Danoje Festival in South Korea.

1. Japan

Originally, the Duanwu Festival was called Tango no Sekku in Japan and celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar. However, the festival became a Children's Day, which was designated as a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948. It is celebrated for children’s personalities and their happiness.

2. South Korea

Falling on the May 5 in the Chinese lunar calendar—the day of China's Dragon Boat Festival, South Korea's Gangneung Danoje has the longest history among Korean local festivals and its main purpose is to honour the guardian spirit of a mountain that protects the town, pray for peace among the town and its families as well as farming prosperity.

Festival celebrations consist of shamanistic rituals, folk dances and songs, oral narrative poetry and various popular pastimes. The Nanjang market is another festival element, where local products and handicrafts are sold and contests, games and circus performances take place.

3. Other countries

Nowadays, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in some Western countries with activities such as dragon boat racing and eating zongzi.

Participants compete on the water during the fourth Steveston Dragon Boat Festival held at Richmond, Canada, Aug 24, 2013.

1. What is Tango no Sekku celebrated for?

A．The dragon boat racing.

B．The origin of the festival.

C．Children’s characters and their joy.

D．Remembering a famous person like Quyuan.

2. What can be done during Gangneung Danoje?

A．Writing poetry.	B．Dancing and singing
C．Making a handicraft	D．Playing circus performances

3. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To show history of Dragon Boat Festival.

B．To discuss the meaning of Dragon Boat Festivals.

C．To compare different Dragon Boat Festivals.

D．To introduce Dragon Boat Festivals abroad.

6 . Once there was a farmer with a wife and two sons. He became quite________through hardworking. He wanted his children to have a(n)________life, so he and his wife did all the work and________made them do anything.

After some time, his wife died and________he didn’t want his children to________, so he did the field labor and all the housework. But as time went on, he became old and________, and started to worry about his________when he died.

So he thought about this for a long time and he________his sons and said, “Look, my inheritance (遗产) to you is a lot of gold. I’ve________all my gold in the fields, so it’s up to you to plough (耕作) them and________the gold.”

And he called his neighbors and said, “I’m going to________and my children don’t know how to________themselves. So please cook for them until they can take care of themselves.”

So the neighbors provided them with________for some time.

Certainly the brothers didn’t want to be robbed of the________so they did the digging themselves. They________one field after another and after they had dug all the fields, they found no gold.

So the brothers sat down and one________the other, “Do you think our father________us?”

But the other brother said, “No, I think our father was saying that the________is a golden profession. And if we dig up all the________we can become rich.”

So like all the other________, they sowed wheat in the fields they had dug and became very rich in the end.

1.

A．rich

B．strong

C．clever

D．busy

2.

A．hard

B．easy

C．different

D．ordinary

3.

A．always

B．often

C．never

D．sometimes

4.

A．also

B．thus

C．ever

D．still

5.

A．work

B．move

C．study

D．play

6.

A．healthy

B．sick

C．foolish

D．wise

7.

A．brothers

B．friends

C．children

D．relatives

8.

A．showed

B．taught

C．visited

D．called

9.

A．lost

B．hidden

C．planted

D．put

10.

A．harvest

B．find

C．buy

D．use

11.

A．leave

B．travel

C．die

D．disappear

12.

A．look at

B．look out

C．look after

D．look for

13.

A．relief

B．money

C．water

D．food

14.

A．gold

B．silver

C．oil

D．coal

15.

A．dug

B．piled

C．operated

D．searched

16.

A．advised

B．asked

C．followed

D．doubted

17.

A．loved

B．cared

C．understood

D．cheated

18.

A．gardening

B．fishing

C．building

D．farming

19.

A．roots

B．stones

C．fields

D．pipes

20.

A．farmers

B．workers

C．fishers

D．builders

7 . I’m one of the tallest members of my class, always bending at the back of the line to avoid sticking out. I especially ________ to hear people say, “Ruthie! Look how tall you’re getting!” ________ my grandfather would always tell me, “Stand straight and tall,” Later I understood his advice was about more than just ________ .

My grandfather grew up in war-torn Europe. When German soldiers ________ his hometown, the beautiful city of Tarnow, Poland, he fought for his country’s ________. “Stand straight, stand tall,” meant something else back then.

After the ________ , he boarded a boat for America, arriving in Manhattan. All alone in a new country, he was frightened about his ________. Still, he marched head-on into the ________ streets of New York. Soon he met other European immigrants, each of them ________ to find his or her own way. If they could do it, ________couldn’t he? “Stand straight, stand tall,” he would ________ himself.

Thanks to the help of a loyal and trusting friend, my grandfather acquired a ________ store on Canal Street. He once told me how ________ he was on that first day of work. He was not only trying to learn this tough________business, but also a new language.

To his ________, the men in the community offered their help and advice. Within months, my grandfather was ________diamonds and pearls as if he’d been doing it his whole life.

I ________my grandfather more than anyone else in my childhood. And ________I was afraid of something, he would tell me stories of his life. Listening to my grandfather’s remarkable experiences have______the way I view my own life. His advice tells me to be________of who I am.

“Stand straight, stand tall,” my grandfather told me. And I do.

1.

A．hated

B．frightened

C．doubted

D．loved

2.

A．And

B．So

C．While

D．But

3.

A．height

B．life

C．length

D．attitude

4.

A．entered

B．occupied

C．owned

D．passed

5.

A．democracy

B．fate

C．freedom

D．equality

6.

A．war

B．conflict

C．incident

D．battle

7.

A．reality

B．future

C．family

D．safety

8.

A．wide

B．busy

C．wealthy

D．clean

9.

A．fighting

B．imagining

C．dreaming

D．trying

10.

A．why

B．how

C．what

D．where

11.

A．comfort

B．conduct

C．remind

D．persuade

12.

A．grocery

B．gold

C．jewelry

D．clothes

13.

A．excited

B．nervous

C．cheerful

D．homesick

14.

A．traditional

B．new

C．difficult

D．profitable

15.

A．mind

B．taste

C．joy

D．surprise

16.

A．exchanging

B．producing

C．advertising

D．selling

17.

A．appreciated

B．depended

C．followed

D．trusted

18.

A．whatever

B．whenever

C．however

D．wherever

19.

A．changed

B．formed

C．improved

D．proved

20.

A．satisfied

B．sure

C．proud

D．happy

8 . Some people believe that really successful students are just born that way.     1     However, the vast majority of successful students achieve their success by developing and applying effective study habits.

    2    

Successful students typically space their work out over shorter periods of time and rarely try to crowd all of their studying into just one or two sessions. If you want to become a successful student, then you must have regular, yet shorter, study periods.

Plan when you’re going to study.

Successful students schedule specific time throughout the week when they are going to complete their studying —and then they stick with their schedule.     3    

Study at the same time.

Not only is it important that you plan when you’re going to study but also that you create a consistent daily study routine and stick with it. Thus, you’ll be mentally and emotionally more prepared for each study session and each study session will become more productive.

Have a specific goal in each study time.

    4    You need to know exactly what you need to accomplish during each study session. Before you start studying, set a study session goal that supports your overall academic goal.

Never delay your planned study session.

It’s very easy to put off your study session because of lack of interest in the subject, because you have other things you need to get done first or just because the assignment is hard.     5    If you delay your study session, you studying will become much less effective. Delay also leads to rushing, and rushing is the number one cause of errors.

A．Students who study occasionally don’t perform as well as students who have a set study schedule.

B．Use study groups effectively.

C．Start with the most difficult subject first.

D．Don’t try to crowd all your studying into one session.

E．True, some students are able to finish school with little effort.

F．Successful students DO NOT put off studying.

G．Simply studying without direction is not effective.

9 . We should take advantage of each event of sports and develop our skills in sports. But a safe playing area, an emergency plan, some safety equipment and safe techniques for performing should not be ignored.

Biking

Biking is a fun way for people of all ages to get active and stay fit. Biking can be an athlete’s primary sport, as well as a way for mixed exercises and avoid overuse injuries. Injured athletes often use biking to stay in shape during their recovery. Biking injuries can be prevented by wearing a properly fitted helmet when the rules of the road are followed.

Dance

Dance is an artistic, athletic, expressive. And social form of physical activity that attracts various people. Many forms of dance have physical demands and injury risks. Dance injuries can be prevented under proper supervision (监督) and by obeying the rules and safety guidelines (指导原则) properly for dance.

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding is a common activity in the United States. Unlike other sports, the risk of injury is the highest for the most inexperienced riders. Most horseback riding injuries happen when a rider falls or is thrown from horse, Horseback riding injuries can be prevented when riders use the appropriate equipment and follow safety guidelines, and after the rider has gained more experience.

Rowing

Rowing is a lifelong, year-round sport. Most rowing injuries are due to the repetitive motions of the sport and they can be prevented when athletes use the appropriate safety equipment and follow safety guidelines.

1. Which event is the most suitable for the saying “Practice makes perfect.” ?

A．Biking.	B．Dance.
C．Horseback Riding.	D．Rowing.

2. What can we learn about rowing?

A．It helps develop people’s abilities in sports.

B．It requires some special safety equipment.

C．It might build up one’s body and confidence.

D．It can be played in different seasons of a year.

3. Which event can help those who are returning to normal health?

A．Biking.	B．Dance.
C．Rowing.	D．Horseback Riding.

4. What’s the purpose of the author’s writing this passage?

A．To advise people to find pleasure in sports.

B．To remind people to avoid getting injured in sports.

C．To warn people to be careful when doing sports.

D．To encourage people to take part in various sports.

10 . We live in a fast-paced and anxiety-filled world that often times seems to shift beneath our feet. Thus, we are sometimes affected by_______or anxiety impacting our life. For as long as I could remember I had_______with anxiety.

After graduating from university, I made friends with the Moroccan woman at work. One day, she invited me to visit her and her family back home. I wanted to; _______ , for a girl who had never been out of the UK alone in the past 23 years, it meant that I would have to travel in a very _______area by myself for the first time in my life. Could I really make it?

Then one day it _______ to me that I had a life to live. Indeed, I could choose to give in to these awful concerns. There was always a sense of fear overwhelming from the bottom of my heart and still to that moment _______I made up my mind to go to Morocco and feel something totally _______.

I remember how good it felt the minute I set foot in Morocco.

_______ arrival, my friend’s family arranged a(n) _______ welcome party and everyone was so loving toward me. Such a moment of love felt in a distant rural village ________ me that I was “good enough” or I deserved to be treated like a star, which ________ helped to relieve my anxiety.

It was after I woke up the next day, in the morning light, that I was ________by how underdeveloped the area was—and the realization that these people had very few ________. Electronic items like smart phones, computer games are nearly ________to be found.

In the days afterwards, under the guidance of my friend, I traveled around Morocco, ________ the rivers, mountains and the amazing food(most of them were new to me). It seemed that I had never felt so ________ to nature as well as the people around me before.

At the end of my stay, something ________ me changed. From dawn to dusk, I was immersed in a sense of delight ________ depression for nearly two weeks.

That trip helped me to find out what really ________ in life. And with that, all my worries disappeared. When I returned home I was much more active in challenging my anxiety. More importantly, helping others ________ their anxiety is how I can share the love I found in Morocco.

1.

A．awareness

B．fears

C．loneliness

D．mess

2.

A．argued

B．negotiated

C．dealt

D．struggled

3.

A．however

B．otherwise

C．meanwhile

D．therefore

4.

A．modern

B．unknown

C．mysterious

D．remote

5.

A．thought

B．replied

C．occurred

D．struck

6.

A．when

B．that

C．since

D．as

7.

A．dynamic

B．dangerous

C．dizzy

D．different

8.

A．Before

B．Against

C．Upon

D．Within

9.

A．adventurous

B．generous

C．enormous

D．poisonous

10.

A．reminded

B．expected

C．indicated

D．comforted

11.

A．seriously

B．extremely

C．firmly

D．actually

12.

A．shocked

B．disappointed

C．embarrassed

D．delighted

13.

A．friends

B．difficulties

C．resources

D．lands

14.

A．anywhere

B．somewhere

C．everywhere

D．nowhere

15.

A．entertaining

B．exploring

C．examing

D．exploiting

16.

A．attached

B．related

C．associated

D．beyond

17.

A．above

B．from

C．inside

D．with

18.

A．other than

B．regardless of

C．rather than

D．ahead of

19.

A．contributes

B．matters

C．dominates

D．exists

20.

A．drop

B．overcome

C．notice

D．pass