1 . How to Make Friends

Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend.     1     But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

1. Associate with others.

The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

2. Start a conversation.

Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.     2     You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.

3.     3    

Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.

4. Let it grow.

It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.     4     The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

5. Enjoy your friendship.

The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves.     5     Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

A．Be cheerful.

B．Do things together.

C．Do not wait to be spoken to.

D．Try not to find fault with your friends.

E．Making new friends comes easy for some people.

F．For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.

G．So you will need to give your friend time to react to you.

2 . Chinese cuisine is widely known and enjoyed all around the world. Who doesn’t long for a favorite Chinese dish? But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East—the ancient custom of “tonic food”.

Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one’s well-being or avoid sickness. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame oil(麻油) chicken soup every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as “hot”, while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radishes, are seen as “cold”. One should be careful not to eat too much of either “hot” or “cold” food. However, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.

The custom of employing tonic food for a healthier life also influences the catering industry. Chinese herbal medicines, such as wolfberry(枸杞子), can be found on many a restaurant menu, either added to fruit tea or as a beneficial addition to a dish. These herbs attract customers, such as overworked office staff, in need of a modest pick-me-up.

So, whether you need to boost your strength with a large helping of chicken soup, or increase your mental powers with a serving of fish soup, you may find that this ancient Chinese custom could be just the tonic you were looking for.

1. What is the present situation of tonic food?

A．It is catching less attention.	B．It is enjoyed by many young people.
C．It is well-known worldwide.	D．It is becoming increasingly popular.

2. What is believed to benefit new mothers?

A．Chinese cabbage.	B．Fruit tea.
C．Sesame oil chicken soup.	D．Fish soup.

3. Which of the following best explains “catering” underlined in Paragraph 3?

A．Medicine.

B．Restaurant.

C．Manufacture.

D．Agriculture.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Charm of Chinese Cuisine	B．The Popularity of Tonic Food
C．An Introduction of Chinese Tonic Food	D．Differences Between “Hot” Food and “Cold” Food

3 . Money Matters

Parents should help their children understand money.     1    . So you may start talking about money when your child shows an interest in buying things, candy or toys, for example.

● The basic function of money

Begin explaining the basic function of money by showing how people trade money for goods or services. It is important to show your child how money is traded for the things he wants to have.If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier(收银员).    2    . When your child grows a bit older and understands the basic function of money, you can start explaining more complex ways of using money.

● Money lessons

Approach money lessons with openness and honesty.     3    . If you must say no to a child’s request to spend money, explain, “You have enough toy trucks for now.” Or, if the request is for many different things, say, “You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy.”

●     4    

Begin at the grocery store. Pick out two similar brands of a product—a kind of name-brand butter and a generic (无商标消费品),for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money.     5    . If he chooses the cheaper brand, allow him to make another purchase with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for other purchases.

A．Wise decisions

B．The value of money

C．Permit the child to choose between them

D．Tell your child why he can—or cannot—have certain things

E．Ask yourself what things that cost money are most important to you

F．Talk about how the money bought the thing after you leave the toy store

G．The best time to teach a child something about money is when he shows an interest

4 . Wildlife faces threats from habitat destruction, pollution, and other human actions.     1     Here are some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions.

★Create wildlife-friendly areas in your backyard.

When trying to make your garden more beautiful, you can choose plants that can provide food and shelter to native wildlife.     2     Add bird or bat houses to your yard or garden to attract and shelter these species.

★Avoid harming the natural ecosystem (生态系统) in your area.

Some plants from other places can kill or harm native plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife.

★Have a greener lifestyle.

By using less water and fewer fuels, you will be helping to protect the wildlife around you. Take buses or the subway when you can.     3     Take shorter showers, and keep your room temperature at or below 28°C during the winter.

★Buy products that are wildlife-friendly.

    4     Keep in mind that some endangered animals are killed by traps, catches or hunters who are after other wildlife within the same habitat.

★    5    

You can give money to organizations or groups that protect wildlife species in your neighbourhood.

A．This will also help cut down on pollution.

B．Turn off electric devices when you’re not using them.

C．It is suggested that we protect wildlife through actions.

D．That is why protecting wildlife is extremely important now.

E．Don’t buy products that are made from endangered animals.

F．Donate money or time to organizations that protect wildlife and their habitats.

G．Although protecting wildlife may seem too hard at times, even small actions in your own neighbourhood can help protect many different animals.

6 . How does an ecosystem (生态系统) work? What makes the populations of different species the way they are? Why are there so many flies and so few wolves? To find an answer, scientists have built mathematical models of food webs, noting who eats whom and how much each one eats.

With such models, scientists have found out some key principles operating in food webs. Most food webs, for instance, consist of many weak links rather than a few strong ones. When a predator (掠食动物) always eats huge numbers of a single prey (猎物), the two species are strongly linked; when a predator lives on various species, they are weakly linked. Food webs may be dominated by many weak links because that arrangement is more stable over the long term. If a predator can eat several species, it can survive the extinction (灭绝) of one of them. And if a predator can move on to another species that is easier to find when a prey species becomes rare, the switch allows the original prey to recover. The weak links may thus keep species from driving one another to extinction.

Mathematical models have also revealed that food webs may be unstable, where small changes of top predators can lead to big effects throughout entire ecosystems. In the 1960s, scientists proposed that predators at the top of a food web had a surprising amount of control over the size of populations of other species—including species they did not directly attack.

And unplanned human activities have proved the idea of top-down control by top predators to be true. In the ocean, we fished for top predators such as cod on an industrial scale, while on land, we killed off large predators such as wolves. These actions have greatly affected the ecological balance.

Scientists have built an early-warning system based on mathematical models. Ideally, the system would tell us when to adapt human activities that are pushing an ecosystem toward a breakdown or would even allow us to pull an ecosystem back from the borderline. Prevention is key, which scientists says because once ecosystems pass their tipping point (临界点), it is remarkably difficult for them to return.

1. What have scientists discovered with the help of mathematical models of food webs?

A．The living habits of species in food webs.

B．The rules governing food webs of the ecosystems.

C．The approaches to studying the species in the ecosystems.

D．The differences between weak and strong links in food webs.

2. A strong link is found between two species when a predator ______.

A．has a wide food choice	B．can easily find new prey
C．sticks to one prey species	D．can quickly move to another place

3. What will happen if the populations of top predators in a food web greatly decline?

A．The prey species they directly attack will die out.

B．The species they indirectly attack will turn into top predators.

C．The living environment of other species will remain unchanged.

D．The populations of other species will experience unexpected changes.

4. How does an early-warning system help us maintain the ecological balance?

A．By getting illegal practices under control.

B．By stopping us from killing large predators.

C．By bringing the broken-down ecosystems back to normal.

D．By signaling the urgent need for taking preventive action.

7 . Holidays

Holiday News Vacancies(空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season.

The Snowdonia Centre The Snowdonia Centre for young mountain climbers has a mountain climbing lesson. The beginners’ costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost. You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking, waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another. On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home. During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play. You will visit all the places most people only dream about — from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokoy and Hong Kong. For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.

1. What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A．Choose the holiday in Devon.	B．Go to the Snowdonia Centre.
C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008.	D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii.

2. In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?

A．It provides chances of family gatherings.	B．It provides customers with good food.
C．It offers a sports lesson.	D．It offers comfortable rooms.

3. What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

A．You can have free meals on deck every day.

B．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

C．You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking.

8 . My mother is a diligent and kind woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher, she works hard.     1     Both my brother and I love her dearly as she loves us.

My mother has been teaching math at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to work early in the morning and does not return home until late in the afternoon.     2     She treats them with patience and teaches them well. For her excellent quality and very good teaching results, she has been elected as a model teacher several times.

    3     Every day, when she comes back home from work, she sets about doing housework, sweeping the living room and bedrooms or cleaning the furniture, and putting everything in good order. She seems to be busy all the time. As she has been very busy working every day, she looks older than her age. But she looks as cheerful and happy as ever. Mother never buys expensive dresses for herself, but she often buys some inexpensive but high-quality clothes for us.     4     She just eats a plain meal outside when she is too busy to cook herself. She lives a busy yet simple life, without any complaints.

Often, she says to us, “work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be happy and gay. If you do not work, you will become lazy and be of no use to society”. What a piece of good advice this is!     5     This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my behavior. My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.

A．As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort.

B．She enjoys listening to classic music.

C．She never goes to expensive restaurants to enjoy meals.

D．She loves her students and cares for them.

E．My mother is hard-working and never wastes money.

F．Can you tell us something about your mother?

G．I never forget it and always bear it in my mind.

9 . The best way to cure sadness is not shopping, according to a recent study. The so-called shopping method has become common practice these days, but that can put your wallet under a lot of pressure. So if you are sad and feel like shopping, don’t!
According to the recent study, sadness leads to self-focus (自我为中心的) thinking. In other words, sad people are willing to spend more money on the same thing than calm people.
"It is the result of sadness and self-focus, and it turns out that sadness leads to an increase in self-focus," said Cynthia Cruder. "What we think is that sad and self-focused people are feeling pretty bad about themselves, and one way to deal with this is buying material goods."
In a perfect situation, when you know you are sad, you should avoid(避免) making decisions and spending money. Sounds simple? Sadly, it is not. Most people don’t even know they’re sad, the study shows, and they are not aware that their feelings influence their decisions.
What to do? The study showed that those who watched a tragedy(悲剧) were more likely to spend three times more money for a simple bottle of water than those who watched a comedy. The solution: well, for starters, don’t go shopping! If you can’t help it, it is probably better to see a doctor.
1. When you can’t help shopping after feeling sad, you’d better _______.

A．talk to your friends

B．go to the store directly

C．go to bed and rest

D．go to hospital and get checked out by a doctor

2. We can learn from the passage that________.

A．sad and self-focused people are poor

B．sad people make important decisions easily

C．tragedies may make people buy more expensive goods

D．sad people are less confident than calm people

3. What would be the best title for this passage?

A．The Loss of Money Caused by Sadness

B．Shopping is Not the Best Way to Cure Sadness

C．A Study About How to Stay in a Good Mood

D．How to Make Decisions When You Are Sad

10 . One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?

Listen - Listen when they are talking. Don’t say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it’s not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.

Help them - If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don’t do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra (额外的) pencil or pen with you to classes in case (以防) they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.

Be there for them - Try to make something for your friend to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for a friend. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U.S. actor, once said, “I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can’t stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve (值得) to be with me at my best.” Always remember this! If you don’t want to stay with your friends when they’re in hard times, then you don’t deserve to be with them when they’re having a good time!

______   Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you’ll remember these things when you’re all old!

1. While your friend is talking to you about his or her feelings, you should _____.

A．give him or her some advice	B．just listen unless asked
C．calm him or her down	D．share your feelings as well

2. When we provide help for our friends, we should _____.

A．try to do everything for them	B．ignore their faults
C．change their bad habits first	D．put them before ourselves

3. What can we learn from Marilyn Monroe’s words?

A．Life without a friend is death.	B．A friend is easier lost than found.
C．A friend in need is a friend indeed.	D．A man is known by his friends.

4. Which of the following can be put in the blank of the last paragraph?

A．Make plans.	B．Enjoy yourself.
C．Understand your friends.	D．Play with your friends.

5. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to find a good friend.	B．How to help friends in trouble.
C．How to be a good friend.	D．How to make more friends.