1 . Mike was 11. As his birthday was coming up，he _____ his father to buy him a bike, so that he could go to school cycling and not by _____ or relying on his father to _____ him at school, which was _____ a mile away from his home.

On his _____ , seeing a set of books wrapped nicely in his father's hand, though _____ , he thanked his father. Mike's father was _____ as he didn't have enough money to buy a bike.

After a week，when Mike was walking home from school, he saw a boy riding a bike. Mike _____ that the bike was too small for the big boy. _____，the boy ran into a post and fell on the street. Mike rushed to him and ______ him who was his schoolmate Sam.

Mike helped him stand up and provided him with water. _____ Sam was riding the bike fast, his left leg and hands were ______ injured. Mike asked him to sit in a corner and took the bike and rushed to a ______ nearby.

An ambulance （救护车）came and carried Sam to hospital. He then rushed to Sam's home and ______ his parents about the accident.

Sam and his parents thanked Mike for the ______ help. Mike in turn said, “It was all ______ just because I rode Sam's bike. ” He added, “The bike is too small for Sam to ride and that's why he was _______” Mike met Sam every day in hospital until he ______.

Sam got a new bike and he came to know that Mike didn't have the ______ to own a bike. He gave his old bike to Mike and with his parents' ______, Mike accepted the gift.

1.

A．persuaded

B．arranged

C．requested

D．ordered

2.

A．jumping

B．driving

C．walking

D．wandering

3.

A．drop

B．discover

C．hug

D．pick

4.

A．gathered

B．spotted

C．fixed

D．located

5.

A．holiday

B．birthday

C．graduation

D．celebration

6.

A．frightened

B．hopeful

C．unhappy

D．impatient

7.

A．calm

B．grateful

C．puzzled

D．upset

8.

A．felt

B．learned

C．agreed

D．argued

9.

A．Suddenly

B．Eventually

C．Thankfully

D．Actually

10.

A．treated

B．remembered

C．regarded

D．recognized

11.

A．Before

B．Since

C．Unless

D．Though

12.

A．slightly

B．necessarily

C．seriously

D．gently

13.

A．church

B．school

C．hospital

D．shelter

14.

A．complained

B．reminded

C．impressed

D．informed

15.

A．generous

B．pleasant

C．honored

D．limited

16.

A．unlikely

B．possible

C．exciting

D．unbelievable

17.

A．worried

B．injured

C．beat

D．attacked

18.

A．broke out

B．missed out

C．checked out

D．pulled out

19.

A．interest

B．confidence

C．right

D．chance

20.

A．permission

B．admission

C．guidance

D．introduction

2 . A long time ago，there lived a wise man named Zun－Nun in Egypt.A young man came to visit him and asked，“Teacher，why do you dress in _____ a way？Nowadays it’s necessary to dress neatly(整洁地)，isn’t it？Or how will people know you’re really a _____ and wise man？”

Zun－Nun smiled，took a ring from his finger and said，“Young friend，I’ll answer your question，_____ first do one thing for me.Take this ring to the market.Can you sell it for one chip of gold？”

When the young man looked at Zun－Nun’s dirty ring，he thought to _____，“How will I sell it at that price？”

He _____ the ring to the vegetable，meat and fish traders and others in the market.But _____ was willing to pay a chip of gold.

He returned and told this to Zun－Nun.Zun－Nun said，“Now go to the gold shop and show the ring to the owner.Don’t give a _____，just see how much he will pay.”

One hour _____，the young man was back.“Teacher，people in the market really didn’t know the value of this ring.The gold shop owner _____ me 1，000 chips of gold.”

Zun－Nun smiled.“That’s the answer to your question，my friend.Someone can’t be valued only from his ______．The ring was a gift from the emperor，”he said.

1.

A．so

B．such

C．this

D．that

2.

A．special

B．strange

C．common

D．stupid

3.

A．until

B．however

C．though

D．but

4.

A．him

B．it

C．himself

D．itself

5.

A．gave

B．showed

C．sold

D．provided

6.

A．nobody

B．neither

C．anyone

D．everyone

7.

A．ring

B．idea

C．price

D．reason

8.

A．after

B．before

C．ago

D．later

9.

A．cost

B．offered

C．spent

D．lent

10.

A．words

B．thoughts

C．knowledge

D．dress

3 . Reading may be fundamental, but how the brain gives meaning to letters on a page has been a mystery. Two new studies fill in some details on how the brains of efficient readers handle words. One of the studies, published in the April 30 Neuron, suggests that a visual-processing area of the brain recognizes common words as whole units. Another study, published online April 27 in PLOSONE, makes it known that the brain operates two fast parallel systems for reading, linking visual recognition of words to speech.

Maximilian Riesenhuber, a neuroscientist at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., wanted to know whether the brain reads words letter by letter or recognizes words as whole objects. He and his colleagues showed sets of real words or nonsense(无意义的词语)words to volunteers undergoing fMRI scans. The words differed inonly one letter, such as “farm” and “form” or “soat” and “poat”, or were completely different, such as “farm” and “coat” or   “poat” and “hime”. The researchers were particularly interested in what happens in the visual word form area, or VWFA, an area on the left side of the brain just behind the ear that is involved in recognizing words.

Riesenhuber and his colleagues found that neurons(神经元)in the VWFA respond strongly to changes in real words. Changing “farm” to “form”, for example, produced as great a change in activity as changing “farm” to” coat”, the team reports in Neuron. The area responded slowly to single-letter changes in made-up words.

The data suggests that readers grasp real words as whole objects, rather than focusing on letters or letter combinations. And as a reader’s exposure to a word increases, the brain comes to recognize the shape of the word. Meaning is passed on after recognition in the brain, Riesenhuber says.

The researchers don’t yet know how longer and less familiar words are recognized, or if the brain can be trained to recognize nonsense words as a unit.

1. Riesenhuber’s research probably focuses on whether the brain ______.

A．recognizes words as a unit or reads them letter by letter.

B．operates two fast parallel systems for reading

C．takes longer to read less familiar words or not

D．handles nonsense words as a unit

2. Riesenhuber and his colleagues carried out their research by ______.

A．giving pairs of real words totally different	B．arranging the words in different order
C．showing pairs of different words	D．making volunteers read some longer words

3. Riesenhuber’s research is significant in that it shows how the brain ______.

A．responds to familiar words	B．relates meaning to letters
C．recognizes the form of a word	D．reacts to made-up words

4 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.

What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.

Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t

even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. ＂Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,＂ he explains. ＂The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.＂

In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. ＂It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,＂ says Dunn. ＂But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.＂

Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. ＂Small talk is the basis of good manners,＂ he says.

1. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?

A．Addiction to smartphones.

B．Inappropriate behaviours in public places.

C．Absence of communication between strangers.

D．Impatience with slow service.

2. What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?

A．Showing good manners.	B．Relating to other people.
C．Focusing on a topic.	D．Making business deals.

3. What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?

A．It improves family relationships.	B．It raises people’s confidence.
C．It matters as much as a formal talk.	D．It makes people feel good.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Conversation Counts	B．Ways of Making Small Talk
C．Benefits of Small Talk	D．Uncomfortable Silence