1 . Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along well. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals means giving up.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk “dog”, and dogs can learn how to talk “cat”.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was preciously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together in the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom(梳理) each other.
The significance of this research on cats and dogs maygo beyond pets----to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
1. Some cats and dogs may fight when_________.| A．they are cold to each other |
| B．they look away from each other |
| C．they misunderstand each other’s signals |
| D．they are introduced at an early age |
| A．They eat and sleep together |
| B．They observe each other’s behaviors |
| C．They learn to speak each other’s language |
| D．They know something from each other’s voice |
| A．have common interests |
| B．are less different than was thought |
| C．have a common body language |
| D．are less intelligent than was expected |
| A．We should learn to live in harmony |
| B．We should knows more about animals |
| C．We should live in peace with animals |
| D．We should learn more body languages |
2 . Making friends is a skill like many other skills. It improves with practice. If you want to meet people and make friends，you must be willing to take some actions. You must first go where there are people. You won’t make friends staying home alone. Join a club or a group. Talking with those who like the same things as you do is much easier. Or join someone in some activities. Many people are nervous when talking to new people. After all meeting strangers means facing the unknown. And it’s human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about the unknown. Most of our fears about dealing with new people come from doubts about ourselves. We imagine other people are judging us or finding us too tall or too short，too this or too that. But don’t forget that they must be feeling the same way. Try to accept yourself as you are and try to put the other person at ease. You’ll both feel more comfortable.
Try to act selfconfidently even if you don’t feel that way. When you enter a room full of strangers, such as a new classroom，walk tall and straight, look directly at other people and smile.
If you see someone you’d like to speak to, say something. Don’t wait for the other person to start a conversation.
Just meeting someone new does not mean that you will make friends with that
person—friendship is based on mutual liking and “give and take”. It takes time and effort to
develop.
1. The best title of the text may be________.
| A．Friendship | B．How to Make Friends |
| C．Meeting New People | D．Facing the Unknown |
| A．take some actions | B．go to where there are people |
| C．avoid meeting people | D．won’t start a conversation |
| A．selfconfidence |
| B．meeting more unknown people |
| C．more talking and smiling to people |
| D．taking from and giving to people |
| A．Making friends needs practising. |
| B．Making friends needs to be more active in starting a conversation. |
| C．When meeting someone, make him feel nice and starting a conversation. |
| D．Before making friends with someone, judge if he’s too this or too that. |
3 . The National Gallery
Description:The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance.
Layout:The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th-to15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titan and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18th-to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours:The Gallery is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm (Fridays 10 am to 9 pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There:Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8-minute walk).
1. In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?| A．The 20th | B．The 17th |
| C．The 18th | D．The 13th |
| A．In the East Wing. | B．In the main West Wing. |
| C．In the Sainsbury Wing. | D．In the North Wing. |
| A．Charing Cross. | B．Leicester Square. |
| C．Embankment. | D．Piccadilly Circus. |
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today's stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world's attention. Paparazzi(狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids(小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature!
According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities—famous people—worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time，” Villarreal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B．C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his soldout readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain(抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about filmstars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren't all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
1. It can be learned from the passage that stars today ________.
| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| C．Wellknown actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
| A．Availability of modern media. |
| B．Inadequate social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. |
| D．Huge population of fans. |
| A．Sincere. | B．Sceptical. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
5 . Honey from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper—a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax in the beehives. The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees' nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.
1. Why is it difficult to find a wild bees' nest?| A．It's small in size. | B．It's hidden in trees. |
| C．It's covered with wax. | D．It's hard to recognize. |
| A．A bee. | B．A bird. | C．A honey seeker. | D．A beekeeper. |
| A．it gets its food | B．it goes to church |
| C．it sings in the forest | D．it reaches into bees' nests |
| A．Wild Bees | B．Wax and Honey |
| C．Beekeeping in Africa | D．Honey-Lover's Helper |
6 . Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in “small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries, like the UK or France, people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafe rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion, instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values, however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
1. What’s the probable meaning of the underlined word “emphasize”?| A．To draw special attention to. | B．To ignore. |
| C．To laugh at. | D．To get close to. |
| A．the English prefer to make long speeches |
| B．too many words are of no use |
| C．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature |
| D．even talk and silence can be culturally different |
| A．By sharing different ways of life. | B．By accepting different habits. |
| C．By recognizing different values. | D．By speaking each other’s languages. |
| A．Multicultural Environment. | B．Cross-Cultural Differences. |
| C．How to Understand Each Other. | D．How to Build Up a Relationship. |
7 . A student was one day taking a walk with his teacher. As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying in the path. They were a poor farmer’s, who was working in the nearby field.
The student turned to the teacher, saying: “we will hide his shoes, and hide ourselves behind those trees, and wait to see what he will do.”
“My young friend,” answered the teacher, “we should never make fun of the poor. Why not put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch?” The student did so and they both hid themselves behind the trees. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes.
After putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes, and felt something hard. Then he bent(弯腰) down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Surprised, he looked at the coin, turned it around and looked at it again. He then looked around, but no person was seen. He put the money into his pocket, and continued to put on the other shoe. His surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.
He couldn’t control his feelings and fell to his knees, looked up to the sky and expressed his thanks. Then he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread. He said the help would save them from dying.
The student stood there deeply moved, and his eyes were filled with tears. “Now,” said the teacher, “Are you not much happier than if you had hidden the shoes?”
1. When the student saw the shoes, he wanted to .| A．steal them | B．find their owner |
| C．play a joke on the owner | D．give the owner some money |
| A．quiet and honest | B．kind and friendly |
| C．patient and clever | D．strict and careful |
| A．was very excited and grateful |
| B．was worried and looked up at the sky |
| C．was surprised and decided to find the owner |
| D．spoke of his difficulties and asked for more help |
| A．was very proud of himself |
| B．was very pleased with his life |
| C．felt very sorry about his first idea |
| D．felt sad for not taking his teacher’s advice |
8 .
Most of the money today is made of metal or paper.
Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used as money in parts of Africa.
The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the centre.
Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money.
But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money.
Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money until today.
| A．The first coins in England were made of tin (锡). |
| B．But people used to use all kinds of things as money. |
| C．No one knows for certain when people began to use money. |
| D．People strung (串连) them together and carried them from place to place. |
| E．Money, as we know, is all made of paper. |
| F．They began to use paper money. |
| G．Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services. |
