1 . Public speaking and critical thinking

What is critical thinking? To a certain degree, it’s a matter of logic (逻辑) — of being able to spot weaknesses in other people’s argument and to avoid them in your own, it also includes related skills such as distinguishing fact from opinion and assessing the soundness of evidence. In the broad sense, critical thinking is focused, organized thinking — the ability to see clearly their lationships among ideas.    1    The greatest thinkers, scientists, and inventors have often taken information that was readily available and put it together differently to produce new ideas.that, too, is critical thinking.

    2     As the class goes on, for example, you will probably spend a good deal of time organizing your speeches. While this may seem like a purely mechanical (机械的) exercise, it is closely connected with critical thinking. If the structure of your speech is loose and confused, chances are that your thinking. If the structure of your speech is loose and confused, chances are that your thinking is also discovered and confused. If, on the other hand, the structure is clear, there is a good chance your thinking is too. Organizing a speech is not a matter of arranging the ideas your already have.    3    

What is true of organization is true of many aspects of public speaking.    4    As you work on expressing your ideas in clear, accurate language, you will Improve your ability to think clearly and accurately.    5     As you learn to listen critically to speeches in class,You will be better able to assess the ideas of speakers in a variety of situations.

If you take full advantage of your speech class, you will be able to develop your skills as critical thinker in many circumstances. This is one reason public speaking has been regarded as a vital part of education since the days of ancient Greece.

A．Rather, it is an important part of shaping the ideas themselves.

B．This may seem like a lot of time, but the rewards are well worth it.

C．It may also help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech.

D．It has often been said that there are few new ideas in the world, only reorganized ideas.

E．If you are wondering what this has to do with your public speaking class, the answer is quite a lot.

F．The skills you learn in your speech class can help you become a more effective thinker in a number of ways.

G．As you study the role of evidence and reasoning in speech making, you will see how they can be used in other forms of communication as well.

2 .         To be a real gentleman, you should know that true forgiveness is one of the most remarkable qualities a human can possess!
        In the fighting between two countries in the 1970s, a young man was walking from one village to the next when he was ____ by an armed guerrilla fighter from the enemy country. The fighter ____ the young man down the hill where he was to be ____.
        But a(n) ____ thing happened. The young man, who had ____ military training, was able to disarm the fighter. Now, the table was ____ and it was the fighter who was ordered down the hill.
        As they walked, ____ , the young man began to reflect on what was happening. Recalling the ____ of his mother, “Love your enemies; do good to those who ____ you.” He found he could go no farther.
        He ____ the gun into the bushes, told the fighter he was ____ to go and turned back ____ the hill.
        Minutes later, he heard footsteps ____ behind him as he walked. “Is this the end after all?” he ____.   Perhaps the fighter had got the gun and wanted to finish him off. But he continued on, ____ glancing back, until his enemy reached him, only to grab him in a hug and pour out ____ for sparing his life.
        Mercy often wears the face of ____ . And though it usually isn’t an enemy in uniform—that we are challenged to forgive, we have ____ for mercy every day. Family members and friends, co-workers and neighbors and even strangers have ____ for our forgiveness. You know who they are.
        As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The ____ can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Be strong. Forgive.1.

A．shot

B．murdered

C．killed

D．caught

2.

A．demanded

B．reminded

C．ordered

D．required

3.

A．beaten

B．shot

C．accepted

D．driven

4.

A．amazing

B．frightening

C．inspiring

D．confusing

5.

A．watched

B．received

C．accepted

D．suggested

6.

A．turned

B．covered

C．moved

D．repaired

7.

A．thus

B．indeed

C．therefore

D．however

8.

A．expressions

B．plans

C．words

D．signals

9.

A．forgive

B．hate

C．instruct

D．help

10.

A．packed

B．dragged

C．forced

D．threw

11.

A．free

B．slow

C．nervous

D．eager

12.

A．for

B．into

C．up

D．down

13.

A．showing

B．waving

C．running

D．jumping

14.

A．shouted

B．counted

C．wondered

D．argued

15.

A．seldom

B．never

C．always

D．sometimes

16.

A．marks

B．favors

C．thanks

D．reasons

17.

A．awareness

B．kindness

C．safeness

D．forgiveness

18.

A．opportunities

B．explanations

C．hopes

D．lessons

19.

A．need

B．responsibility

C．patience

D．energy

20.

A．lonely

B．weak

C．healthy

D．calm

3 . — Have you known each other for long?
— Not very, ________we started to work in the ABC Motor Company.

A．before

B．since

C．when

D．after

4 . Every student has tests when they are at school. But have you ever been so worried about the tests that you can’t fall asleep at night? Have you ever felt sick or had a headache during a test?       1    . This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid ---- which can give you a stomachache or a headache.

    2    . Good or normal stress might happen when you are called to answer a question in class or when you have to give a speech. This kind of stress can help you to get things better done.    3    .

But bad stress can happen if the stressful feelings keep going over a long time. You may not feel well if your parents are fighting, if a family member is ill, if you are having problems at school, or if you are going through anything else that makes you upset every day.     4     .

    5     . That means making good decision about how to spend your time. If you are only dealing with school stuff and have no time to play, you can get stressed. Make sure you keep your SELF in mind: Sleep, Exercise, Leisure and Food. If you take care of yourself and get enough sleep and food, and if you exercise and leave time for fun stuff, you will probably be less stressed out!

A．However, there are two different kinds of stress.

B．Can you tell a kind of stress from another one?

C．The best way to keep stress away is to have a balanced life.

D．That kind of stress isn’t going to help you, and it can actually make you sick.

E．Since bad stress is harmful for us, you’d better try to change it into good stress.

F．If so, then you know what stress is. Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something.

G．For example, you may do a better job on your test if the stress pushes you to prepare well before the test.

5 . Long, long ago, there was a small village. This village had a (an) _______ tradition. At the beginning of every year, any boy who had reached the age of majority (成年) was given land and money to build a home. The boy had to _______ his home before winter. If his home failed to endure (忍耐) the cold weather in winter, the villagers could not _______   him in any way.

One _______, Paul and Marc reached their majority. They _______ their land and money and decided to search nearby villages for ideas on building their homes. In each village, they found the nicest _______ and talked to the owners. Each owner gladly offered _______.

After Marc saw several homes, he _______ the best ideas and went back to his own land. Paul, _______, continued collecting more ideas. Soon he had so many great ideas that he began to __________ some of them. But he always believed he could find even better ideas in the next village.

Marc began building his home. He had several false starts, __________ his home gradually rose from his land. By fall, Marc had finished his home. It wasn’t perfect, but it was strong and he could __________ it later. Paul enjoyed all the beautiful homes and __________ with home owners. The first snow came and Paul, realizing he was running out of time, __________ back to his land. He built the best home he could in the time he had, but it was __________. The first winter storm destroyed his home and he froze to __________. The villagers mourned (哀悼) for him.

Marc __________ the winter. Each year, Marc searched for other good ideas he could use to make his own home look better. He became a leader in the village, __________ a family, and lived a happy, content life.

We all build and improve our own mental homes. It’s __________ and fun for us to search for ideas from other mental home owners, but we only improve our own mental home if we actually __________ the best ideas.

1.

A．strange

B．hopeful

C．good

D．reasonable

2.

A．find

B．run

C．complete

D．buy

3.

A．help

B．encourage

C．scold

D．persuade

4.

A．winter

B．summer

C．autumn

D．spring

5.

A．exchanged

B．received

C．recognized

D．won

6.

A．girls

B．jobs

C．houses

D．presents

7.

A．rooms

B．drinks

C．attention

D．advice

8.

A．expected

B．gathered

C．created

D．understood

9.

A．similarly

B．finally

C．however

D．therefore

10.

A．forget

B．believe

C．replace

D．doubt

11.

A．because

B．although

C．but

D．so

12.

A．repair

B．rebuild

C．sell

D．improve

13.

A．conversations

B．achievements

C．struggles

D．arguments

14.

A．drove

B．rushed

C．flew

D．moved

15.

A．weak

B．funny

C．small

D．amazing

16.

A．blindness

B．death

C．sadness

D．disease

17.

A．experienced

B．hated

C．survived

D．spent

18.

A．brought

B．earned

C．contacted

D．raised

19.

A．slow

B．easy

C．dangerous

D．special

20.

A．realize

B．bring

C．collect

D．apply

6 . —Did you know any French before you arrived in Washington?
—Never ____ it, actually.

A．had I learned	B．have I learned
C．I learned	D．was I learning

7 . A three-year independent investigation into the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon has yielded new eyewitness evidence which, according to the Southern California-based researchers who conducted the investigation conclusively (and unfortunately), establishes as a historical fact that the violence which took place in Arlington that day was not the result of a surprise attack by suicide hijackers, but rather a military black operation involving a carefully planned and skillfully executed deception."
A CNN Reporter at the scene states that there is no evidence that a 757 hit the Pentagon.
　   What hit the Pentagon? A Boeing 757 loaded with passengers and fuel right? Who was on Flight 757? According to the Flight Information there were No Arabs on it. That makes me wonder if Flight 757 actually existed at all.
　　From the pictures and the videos, people can find that there are several doubtful points that need to be taken into consideration, for example the marker line on the grass in the satellite and ground pictures, the different colors of the smoke, the hole which the plane impacted, and the standing pylons (架线塔).
　　Also, from the comparison of the different pictures, people can find some other strange points. For example, the gear (齿轮) is not the matching one. The wreckage of the plane is not the one from the American Airlines. The glass on the pavement of the pole is another doubtful point. The last thing that need considering is about the collapse. One of the gif video shows the plane impacting the Pentagon. The only problem with this video footage is that it has been altered (改变) and can not be fully trusted.
　　These crash photos and videos shown here clearly have been doctored (篡改) and don't even match the physics of what happened. So where is the real video? It leaves me many questions. Is this a missile? It is a real enigma.
1. Where can you possibly read this article?

A．In a newspaper.

B．In a book.

C．On a website.

D．In a magazine.

2. What the word “yielded” mean in the first sentence?

A．given in

B．surrendered

C．given away

D．produced

3. Which of the following doubtful points is not mentioned in the passage?

A．the colors of the smoke

B．the model of the plane

C．the standing pylons

D．the marker line on the grass

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the 911 investigation?

A．Positive.

B．Neutral.

C．Skeptical.

D．Negative.

8 . The sports meet, originally _______ be held last Friday, was finally delayed because of the bad weather．

A．due to	B．thanks to
C．owing to	D．according to

9 . About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked,“So, how have you been?”And the boy who could not have been more than seven or eight years old replied,“Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident stuck in my mind because it strengthened my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were“depressed”until we were in high school.
The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike any more. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is based not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new situation. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation machine has been fixed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, indiscriminately, to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practised. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.
1. Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world _________ .

A．through touch with society

B．gradually and under guidance

C．naturally and by biological instinct

D．through exposure to social information

2. In the author’s opinion, the phenomenon that today’s children seem adultlike is caused by _____.

A．the widespread influence of television

B．the poor arrangement of teaching content

C．the fast step of human intellectual development

D．the constantly rising standard of living

3. Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children?

A．It enables children to gain more social information.

B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing.

C．It helps children to memorize and practise more.

D．It can control what children are to learn.

4. What does the author think of the change in today’s children?

A．He feels amused by the children’s adultlike behavior.

B．He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note.

C．He considers it a positive development.

D．He seems to be upset about it.

10 . Apple Seeds

Circulation(发行量): 1 Year, 9 Issues

Cover Price: $44.55

Price For You: $33.95

Product Description: Apple Seeds is an award winning magazine filled with stories for kids aged from 7 to 9. The cover is very soft, providing durability that allows each issue to be enjoyed for many years to come. Besides, there is a big surprise for you --- it's being sold at a more favorable discount than usual.

Better Life

Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues

Cover Price: $44.55

Price For You: $15.00

Product Description: Designed for those who have a strong interest in personal lifestyle, Better Life is America's complete home and family service magazine. It offers help with food, recipes, decorating, building, gardening, family health, money management, and education.

Humor Times

Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues

Cover Price: $36.00

Price For You: $11.95

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News China

Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues

Cover Price: $47.88

Price For You: $19.99

Product Description: News China Magazine is the English edition of China Newsweek. The magazine covers the latest Chinese domestic news in politics, business, society, environment, culture, sports and travels, etc. It is the first comprehensive news magazine for readers interested in China.

1. What do we know about Apple Seeds?

A．The soft cover enables it to be read and kept long.

B．It can be purchased as an award for your children.

C．It offers the biggest discount among all the magazines.

D．The magazine is going to surprise you for many years.

2. Tom wants to beautify his house, so he may choose ______.

A．Apple Seeds	B．Better Life
C．Humor Times	D．News China

3. What kind of people may buy News China?

A．People who have an interest in Personal lifestyle of the Chinese.

B．People who have a strong sense of humor and love to laugh.

C．People who want to enlarge the knowledge of their kids.

D．People who are interested in China's politics, business and culture.

4. Which magazine may best help relieve your work stress?

A．Apple Seeds	B．Better Life
C．Humor Times	D．News China