1 . Some people think asking for help is a sign of weakness, but the complete opposite is true. It takes strength to ask for help. It’s a hard thing to do. The truth is, there are more good people than bad. People truly want to help others. No one should ever have to be in that dark place.
I have a friend called Diane. Diane is one of the most positive people I have ever known. She is smart and funny, and by looking at her you would certainly think she had a perfect life. No one knew the terrible things she was dealing with. She never asked anyone for help when she was in great trouble. She thought that she would just be bothering people if she told them the truth. She thought loneliness was her answer. She masked her loneliness, but one day she hit her breaking point.
Diane tried to take her life one morning. She was lucky, though. Someone found her before it was too late. People finally knew her problems and with their help she got rid of them. She once told me that her biggest regret was not reaching out to someone sooner. Diane has greatly changed. She’s become positive and is always ready to help others.
Diane and I have grown quite close. She has helped me battle my own problems. She is an example of what help looks like.
To anyone out there who feels they are alone, I hope you know you are not. Even if you feel the world is closing in on you, there are people who care—people who will surprise you in the best ways. The best thing about our technological world is how easily you can reach people. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are not alone.
1. What does the author mean by saying “the complete opposite is true” in Paragraph 1?| A．Getting help from others is a great shame. |
| B．Asking for help shows great courage. |
| C．It takes bravery to offer help. |
| D．It is difficult to get help. |
| A．She was very positive. |
| B．She had no one to turn to. |
| C．She considered help useless. |
| D．She feared to make trouble for others. |
| A．She turned her back on the author. |
| B．She masked her anger with a smile. |
| C．She thought highly of reaching out to others. |
| D．She has removed all her doubts about others. |
| A．It makes people afraid of face-to-face conversation. |
| B．It makes communication between people easier. |
| C．It offers a variety of ways to care for others. |
| D．It is likely to make people feel lonely. |
| A．To share a friend’s story. |
| B．To explain why people refuse to get help. |
| C．To encourage us to ask for help if necessary. |
| D．To show the harm of keeping problems ourselves. |
Putting on weight could be a side-effect of loneliness, research suggests. Women, who feel lonely, are hungrier, and they even find a big meal less satisfying. This could be the body’s way of telling them to seek company, for eating has been a sociable activity throughout human evolution.
The researchers asked 42 women not to eat overnight, and then gave them a large breakfast. The women rated their hunger before and after their meal and blood samples which revealed their levels of ghrelin --- the “hunger hormone (激素)”. As expected, levels of ghrelin fell after eating and then started to rise. However, the rise was much quicker in the lonely women, and they made much more of the hormone. They also said they felt hungrier. They said: “The need for social connection is essential to human nature. As a result, people may feel hungrier when they feel socially disconnected.”
Interestingly, loneliness only makes thin women hungrier. It has no effect on the appetite of those who are corpulent. It isn’t clear why this is, but it is possible that the shame related with being fat makes socializing less valuable for them. Other studies suggest you should choose your company carefully at mealtimes. It has been shown that we tend to mimic (模仿) our dining companion’s eating habits, taking mouthfuls at the same time and eating more when our companion does. The link with appetite could help explain the range of devastating effects loneliness can have on health.
Being cut off from friends and family can raise blood pressure, stress and the risk of depression, as well as weakening the immune system (免疫系统) and a person’s resistance to disease (早老性痴呆). Overall, loneliness is as damaging as smoking or not exercising.
1. How will the lonely people react, according to Paragraph 1? (no more than 5 words)2. What does the body want to tell by being hungry? (no more than 7 words)
3. What is essential to human nature? (no more than 5 words)
4. What does the underlined word “corpulent” probably mean? (1 word )
5. What do you tend to do while feeling lonely? (no more than 30 words)
On my first job as a sports editor for the Montpelier Leader Enterprise (MLE), I didn’t get a lot of fan mail, so my attention was caught by letter on my desk one morning.
When I opened it, I read: “Sweet piece of writing on the Tigers. Keep up the good work.” It was signed by Don Wolfe, the sports editor. Because I was a teenager, his words couldn’t have been more inspiring. I kept it in my drawer until it got old. Whenever I doubted I had the right stuff to be a writer, I would reread Don’s note and walk on air again.
Later, when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a habit of writing a quick, encouraging note to people in all walks of life. “when I made others feel good about themselves,” he told me, “I feel good, too.”
Over the years, I’ve tried to copy Don and write uplifting words, in a world too often cold and unresponsive, such notes bring warmth.
Why are positive note writers in such short supply? My guess is that people who shy away from the practice are too self-conscious. They are afraid they will be misunderstood. Also, writing takes time; it is far easier to pick up the phone. The drawback(缺点) of phone calls, of course, is that they do not last. And it sounds insincere on the phone. A note attaches more importance to our well-wishing. It is a matter of record, and our words can be read more than once, savored (品味) and treasured, and they bring strength and love to us.
Today I sent а warm letter to my old boss. I don’t know if it will make his day, but it made mine. As my friend Don Wolfe said, “Making others feel good about themselves makes me feel good too.”
1. What does the underlined part “walk on air” in Paragraph 2 probably mean? (No more than 5 words)2. According to the author, why aren’t people willing to write letters? (No more than 15 words)
3. Why did the author write to his old boss? (No more than 15 words)
4. What’s the text mainly about? (No more than 10 words)
5. Have you ever been encouraged by someone? And how? (No more than 20 words)
内容需要包括以下几点：
1.你的观点和做法：
2.你的理由：
3.你父母的反应。
注意：词数100左右，信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm writing to express my attitude towards the topic “whether teenagers' secrets should be kept from their parents”.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Tina, 14, is a hard-working student. She studies hard, follows the rules at school, and do whatever her parents, teachers and even friend tell her to do. She seems to be used to say “yes” to everything. But Tina is not always happy about this. “Sometimes my friends invite me do something together, but actual I’ve got other plans,” Tina said. “And sometimes people ask too much favors from me. For an example, every day a student is on duty to keep the classroom clean, and there is one girl whom always wants to change shifts(换班) with me. I don’t feel like helping her, because I just cannot say ‘no’.” “I must make a change,” Tina thought to her.
6 . I often hear some of you saying, "I don't care what other people think! I do whatever I want!" There is a strong wish for independence in adolescence（青春期）and you say you only care about your own opinion. But be honest—don't you care about what certain people think? Most teenagers have a circle of people who can influence them. They care very much about what this circle of people think, especially about them.
Most teenagers want to be independent, but they don't want to be alone. They don't want to stand out, away from the crowd. They want to have connection to other people, especially other teenagers.
During adolescence, friendships with other teens become very important. They care about what other teenagers think because they want to be accepted and they are afraid of what other people think. Fear makes them care.
Some teenagers are leaders and some are followers. You might think that teenage leaders don't care what other people think, but that is not true. After all, a leader really isn't a leader unless other people follow. If leaders don't care about what followers think, those followers may leave and follow someone else, Followers care about what the leader thinks because they want to be part of the group.
There is a famous playwright（剧作家）named William Shakespeare. In one of his plays, Hamlet, the character Hamlet said, "To thine own self be true." In other words, whatever you do, always be true to yourself. Sure, teenagers can care about what other people think of them, but the most important thing is what they think of themselves. This is one of the most important tasks that teenagers should have.
1. What do we know about teenagers from the text?| A．They value friendship. |
| B．They have difficulty making friends. |
| C．They are deaf to others' advice. |
| D．They keep themselves away from others. |
| A．Teenagers prefer to be leaders. |
| B．Teenage leaders must listen to followers. |
| C．Teenage followers should read leaders' mind. |
| D．Teenage leaders and followers should care about each other. |
| A．Think of others around you. | B．Make friends whenever possible. |
| C．Do what you think is right. | D．Go easy on yourself and others. |
| A．To introduce his play Hamlet. | B．To state he is a famous playwright. |
| C．To add some humor to the article. | D．To help illustrate the author's view. |
| A．Teenagers: follow your heart |
| B．Teenagers: believe in yourself |
| C．Why do teenagers want to be independent? |
| D．Why do teenagers care what other people think? |
7 . In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability.
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experiences and learn from each other. A good friend has a sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone that is reliable, honest, and understanding. I know I’ve found a friend.
1. In the opinion of the writer, what is the most important in choosing a friend?| A．A sense of humor. | B．Honesty. |
| C．Reliability. | D．Understanding. |
| A．you will be refused when you get into trouble |
| B．they will give you all that they have when you need help |
| C．you will become rich |
| D．you can be sure that you get real friends |
| A．have money or luck | B．understand each other’s feeling |
| C．look for faults in others | D．always point out each other’s mistakes |
| A．how to get along with friends | B．where to choose friends |
| C．the qualities of friends | D．the importance of having a friend |
| A．rely on | B．turn down |
| C．give in | D．pick up |
Michael Todd wore the same clothes every day for the first three weeks of school. When the other kids began to notice that he was wearing the same black pants and blue, teal, and gray long-sleeve shirt day after day, Todd, a freshman at Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School in Memphis, became the target of laughter. But there was little Todd could do. His mother simply couldn’t afford to buy him new clothes.
Two of the kids piling on were Antwan Garrett and Kristopher Graham, a pair of freshman football players. But over time, they realized that their disparaging words felt like bullying and seemed to be slowly crushing Todd’s spirit. Something finally clicked.
“I felt like I needed to do something,” Graham told CBS News. So he and Garrett hatched a plan. They went home and hunted through their own drawers and closets. The next day at school, they met Todd at their third-period class and asked him to come into the hall. Todd was understandably nervous about being called out by the larger boys.
“He wasn’t smiling or anything, and I was like, ‘I think this is going to make you smile,’ ” Graham says. “I told him, ‘We’re in the same third period, and I apologize for laughing at you, and I want to give something to you to make it up.’ ” He then handed Todd a bag. Inside were cleanshirts and shorts, plus a brand-new pair of New Balance sneakers.
Todd was blown away. “I was very happy,” he told WATN-TV. “Shocked, completely.”
And Todd got much more than a new wardrobe. He no longer sits alone at lunch. Now he eats with his new friends, Garrett and Graham.
“I’ve been bullied my entire life,” Todd told CBS News. Reflecting on the day Garrett and Graham called him into the hall, he called it “the best day of my entire life, basically.”
1. Why didn’t Michael Todd change clothes for the first three weeks of school? (No more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word hatched mean? (No more than 3 words)
3. What did Todd expect when asked to come into the hall? (No more than 10 words)
4. What happened on “the best day” of Todd’s entire life? (No more than 20 words)
5. How do you treat your classmates at school?. Give one example.(No more than 20 words)
9 . When someone is going through a challenging time, for instance, it can be easy to assume (假设) that he needs advice. It is then going to be as though he doesn’t know what to do, meaning that he will need to be saved. We can then end up feeling a lot of pressure — pressure that will arise through having the need to say the right things to this person. As a result of this, it is going to be about listening to what he is going through and simply being there for him; it will be about doing things for him.
Then again, this might not be something that causes us to experience any more pressure than we usually do, due to the fact that this is what we are used to doing. This is not going to be much of a surprise, considering we are likely to live in a world that is focused on doing rather than being.
When someone is going through a challenging time, what he might really need is for another person to just be there for him, meaning that having another person’s presence there will be more than enough. He will be able to express what is going on and this can allow him to let go of a lot of weight off his shoulders and to become clear about what he needs to do. We are then just being and don’t do anything, yet we would have had a big effect on him.
This could be seen as a method that women would take as one wouldn’t have done anything, while the need to do something is a more masculine method. If the other person wants our advice, we can provide it, but this is not something that we have to offer. Sitting back and not doing anything is going to be a challenge for us if we believe that our value is based on what we do. But doing something will stop us from being able to realize that our value is inherent (固有的) and that we don’t need to do anything.
No tools, techniques, special words or phrases are needed; the only thing that is needed is complete presence.
1. For one who wants to help others experiencing a hard time, ________.| A．he may prefer to take action rather than just say something |
| B．he may feel much honored if they ask him for advice |
| C．the most effective way is to find out the reason |
| D．what he should depends on what they ask for |
| A．thinking | B．being | C．listening | D．doing |
| A．actually needs anyone’s help |
| B．may just want a person to talk |
| C．may expect others to offer useful advice |
| D．is unable to analyze the situation by himself |
| A．Done by men. | B．Taken by women. |
| C．Accepted by most. | D．Used during communication. |
| A．he will be considered unwilling to help |
| B．it means he wants to share the pressure |
| C．he is actually realizing his value in a way |
| D．he is adding extra pressure to them |
10 . Recently my friend invited me to her residential hall, which is an African-American themed hall. They have lots of meetings and outings there. So I thought it would be fun. On this particular day they were having a pancake breakfast, just a time to mix. I was excited to be there, too.
I walked in at a time when the mini-party was at its peak. I found my friend; excitedly, we hugged and she led me to a seat in the back. We sat there for some time. I sensed some sort of discrimination. I wondered, were we just isolating ourselves or were we facing discrimination?
My friend’s breakfast came in first, and it was a plate full of colors. My mouth watered. I have always liked rainbow dishes: they make me hungry. She let me pick pancakes and fruit; we ate and only then began to talk.
The black American contemporary music was extremely loud. Some boys and girls were beating the tables and some guys on the stage were dancing in what looked like a kind of competition.
We talked about various subjects: hair, boys, shoes and books. And then we got to it. “What do African Americans think of Africans?”
We argued. I told her I thought African Americans were haughty. Why did they sideline us? When we met in a narrow passage and our eyes met, they quickly looked aside before we greeted. Why? Weren’t we all black? I mean, wasn’t this exactly the reason why there was an African-American themed house to begin with?
Did they look down upon us because they grew up in America and we in Sub-Saharan Africa? Oh yes, I felt this was it! They believed that we were HIV-positive and that the giraffes were right behind our huts.
My friend uttered, “No!” And then she continued：
“I also thought so at one point but after living with these guys, I got to a different conclusion altogether. These guys are not from Africa. They were not born there and may have never been there. We can’t expect them to naturally like us or bond. We are different. Skin color is the skin color.”
1. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that the author ________.| A．is an African American | B．is an American African |
| C．was late for the party | D．was crazy about parties |
| A．Delicious. | B．Just so-so. |
| C．A bit salty. | D．A little sweet. |
| A．kind-hearted | B．modest |
| C．fashionable | D．proud |
| A．They had a good time at the party. |
| B．They turned down the music for me. |
| C．Some of them broke the tables. |
| D．They had a competition at the party. |
| A．The author was brought up in Sub-Saharan Africa. |
| B．The friend had the same idea as the author before. |
| C．The African Americans are born in America. |
| D．The African Americans have nothing in common with Africans. |
