1 . I go out of my way to say “thank you” to my partner frequently, and he’s the same way.We were both raised by parents who valued politeness, and more than that, I want to do all those little things that psychologists say help couples stay together. Expressing gratitude (感谢) is one of those things, so a quick “thanks” seems like an easy one.

But according to a recent study, we’re not at all typical. The study looked at over l,000 recordings of casual conversations among families and close friends.In only about one out of 20 times were expressions of thanks observed. Phrases that meant “thanks” but weren’t a direct translation of the word were counted, including physical gestures of thanks.

The researchers looked at a wide variety of people from different places, representing eight languages: Polish, Russian, Italy, English, Murrinh-patha (an Aboriginal language), Cha’palaa, Lao and Siwu.

The Brits thanked people close to them the most, about 14.5 percent of the time, and close behind them were the Italians at 13.5 percent. The Murrinh-patha came next at 4.5 percent and following them were the Russians, the Polish, the Laotians and the Siwu speakers.The lowest? Well, the Cha’palaa speakers of Ecuador don’t have a word for “thank you” at all.

As the linguists explained, “Expressing thanks, in some cultures, is more of a linguistic tradition than a true expression of feelings.In cultures where thanks are less often said, it’s because social cooperation is taken for granted, and ‘thank you’ isn’t really needed or necessary.”

The idea that you don’t need to thank others because it’s assumed that you’re appreciative is beautiful. But it is a bit hard for me to accept. So I’ll keep saying “thanks” as frequently as I do. But as a frequent traveler, I’ll keep in mind to watch the local custom and follow suit.

1. What might be psychologists’ opinion about expressing thank?

A．It can show a person’s values.

B．It is passed down from parents.

C．It is a little and unnecessary thing.

D．It can contribute to close relationship.

2. What is typical among family members according to the study?

A．They say thanks at any time.

B．They seldom express thanks.

C．They often show thanks using gestures.

D．They often use indirect translation of thanks.

3. Who never say “thank you”?

A．The Cha’palaa.	B．The Polish.
C．The Italians.	D．The Russians.

4. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．People thank close friends and family less.

B．Family members don’t need to thank each other.

C．Close friends have different ways to express thanks.

D．Different cultures have different ways to express thanks.

2 . I was selfish as a teenager．I usually spent my time thinking about myself and taking care of my own needs．I let my older brother do most of the work around the house until he left for college．I let my mom and dad worry about our bills and problems while I read books, played, and lost myself in my own imagination．This didn't change even when I went to college either．I studied hard but only to make my own life better． Even when I started to explore my faith, it was only to increase my own happiness．

I married after graduation and decided to start a family．Of course, I had no idea what hard knocks reality had in store for my selfish soul．Soon I found myself unemployed, deeply in debt, and with a new baby on the way．l found out that life has little sympathy for spoiled people．In fact, all of the struggles I was going through were beating the selfishness slowly out of me．

Still,I didn't give up on happiness．I knew that there must be a way to find it．I finally realized, however, that it had to include more than just my own needs, wants, and desires．The answer began to make itself clear one night shortly after my baby boy was born．I got a bottle and held him in my arms．As I was feeding him I looked down and saw his big, innocent, trusting eyes．I smiled and talked to him．Then he smiled and I could feel my heart growing, expanding with love．I felt such peace and joy．At that moment I had a hint of the truth: it is by growing our hearts with love that we find our happiness．

Carolyn Arends wrote："The more people you let into your heart, the bigger your heart gets．The more love you get, the more love you have to give．It just keeps growing." So, keep loving, keep living and keep caring. Keep growing your heart today, tomorrow, and always．

1. What do we know about the author from the first paragraph?

A．He often helped his brother with housework．

B．He studied hard for his family．

C．He was concerned about his family．

D．He put his own needs above others'．

2. What did the author realize after he suffered in life?

A．Spoiled people can't survive the hardship of life.

B．Spoiled people are never happy in life．

C．Life is cruel to spoiled people．

D．Selfishness is helpful．

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The author loved kids．

B．The author often fed his baby．

C．The author realized the importance of happiness．

D．When caring for his baby, the author got inspired．

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．Loving Others, a Way to Happiness

B．The Elder One Grows, the More He Gets

C．Help Others, Help Oneself

D．Keep Growing to Live a Happy Life

3 . I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭), credit cards, and success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us ______ chasing the same thing.

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell ______. I found myself homeless and ______. I had my truck and $56. I ______ the countryside for some place I could rent for the _____ possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road over the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was ______, full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and ______ a corner to camp in.

The locals knew nothing about me, ______ slowly, they started teaching me the _______ of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began sticking around to _______. They started to teach me a belief in a ______ American Dream — not the one of individual achievement but of ______.

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were ______ for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place. Up on the ______, my most valuable possessions were my _______ with my neighbors.

Four years later, I moved back into ______. I saw many people were having a really hard time, ______ their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to ______ a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house, but over time I’ve had nine people come in and move on to other places. We’d all be in ______ if we hadn’t banded together.

The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about ______ we can all survive together.

1.

A．separately

B．equally

C．violently

D．naturally

2.

A．off

B．apart

C．over

D．out

3.

A．awesome

B．priceless

C．alone

D．passionate

4.

A．crossed

B．left

C．toured

D．searched

5.

A．fullest

B．largest

C．fairest

D．cheapest

6.

A．occupied

B．abandoned

C．emptied

D．robbed

7.

A．turned

B．approached

C．cleared

D．cut

8.

A．but

B．although

C．otherwise

D．for

9.

A．benefit

B．lesson

C．nature

D．art

10.

A．chat

B．fight

C．struggle

D．perform

11.

A．wild

B．real

C．different

D．remote

12.

A．neighborliness

B．happiness

C．friendliness

D．kindness

13.

A．unique

B．expensive

C．rare

D．necessary

14.

A．mountain

B．downtown

C．river

D．countryside

15.

A．cooperation

B．relationships

C．satisfaction

D．appointments

16.

A．reality

B．society

C．town

D．life

17.

A．creating

B．losing

C．quitting

D．finding

18.

A．put in

B．turn in

C．take in

D．get in

19.

A．yards

B．shelters

C．camps

D．cottages

20.

A．when

B．what

C．whether

D．how

4 . There are plenty of mindless activities to keep a child busy in this information age. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Alice wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year.

As a writer, I know about winning contests—and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children.

A revelation(启示）came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied. “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”

I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地）told them. Telling myself that I was an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.

Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借鉴) my daughter’s experience.

While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.

1. The underlined sentence probably means that the author was __________.

A．trying to let her daughter enjoy her own life

B．helping her daughter develop real skills for writing

C．making sure that her daughter would win the contest

D．trying to get her daughter to do the thing as the author wished

2. Why did Alice want to enter this year’s writing contest?

A．She wanted to share her story with readers.

B．She had won a prize in the previous contest.

C．She believed she possessed real talent for writing.

D．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.

3. The author took great pains to improve her daughter’s stories because _________.

A．she was afraid that Alice’s imagination might run wild while writing

B．she did not want to disappoint Alice who needed her help so much

C．she wanted to help Alice realize her dream of becoming a writer

D．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

4. What does the writer mean to tell us in the last two paragraphs?

A．Children need more room to develop.

B．Parents should co-opt children’s experience.

C．Children should be provided enough help.

D．Parents need to remind their children of their own choices.

5 . Do you like writing a few paragraphs every day about your experiences, hopes, memories or feelings? If you don’t, it’s time to make a change now. Write just a few paragraphs every day about your experiences, hopes, memories and feelings, and you will immediately begin to experience benefits to your personal growth and potential.

You will gradually become better at expressing yourself.     1     However,   when   you become lazy with words, you find it is more difficult to describe feelings, share experiences and make yourself understood.

    2     As you write about memories, it is like opening an old photo album. Your pen begins to explore feelings and details you have forgotten and dreams you have left behind. You suddenly remember people you would like to contact again. Writing is an activity that avoids distraction(使人分心的事) long enough for you to explore those wonderful moments of the past. Sometimes they are frightening.     3    

Writing about daily experiences and feelings provides a recorded history that will influence how you make future decisions.     4     They learned from what had happened before. Your history is important. Don’t let it be forgotten.

Writing reminds you of your dreams and keeps you moving toward them. It is a means of keeping track of your purpose and the goals that will lead you to achieve them.     5     It shows when you have been distracted and may need to give all your attention again to your writing.

Writing a little every day could provide the material that someday becomes a published book. When I wrote about my depression and my four-year-old granddaughter who got lost in the mountains, I never dreamed it would be in a book.

A．You will remember things long forgotten.

B．Writing keeps you energetic and full of imagination all the time.

C．Sometimes they are wonderful and almost always they are helpful.

D．Sooner or later, you are surely to become a great professional writer.

E．Reviewing what you have written is a perfect way to see your progress.

F．There’s a reason that the greatest leaders in history were students of history.

G．When you write daily, you can always be amazed at how quickly your writing skills improve.

6 . 下面短文中有10处语言错误。请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在该漏字符号下写上该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（ \ ）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该横线下写上修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者不计分。

Questioning can lead to searching for an answer. If we are in the habit of asking whether that we are told is true, we can find the correct answer and learn more.

Two years ago, our teacher, Mr. Alex offered us an answer of a difficult math problem in class. Because the answer seemed a little strange, nobody but I doubted it. Thought that his solution might be wrong, I carefully analyzed the problem and try to work it out in a different way. Half a hour later, I managed to find the correct answer. When I showed my answer to her, the teacher praised me for my dependent thinking.

From this experience I have been learnt that questioning can serve as a bridge helps us to seek the truth.

7 . My parents both left school at 14. They could read and write, but except for a quick look at the daily newspaper, reading and writing didn't play a big part in their lives. There were very few books in the house. When I was only 14 years old my father gave me an important letter that he'd written to the bank and asked me to check it for grammar and spelling mistakes. And there were quite a lot. He never wrote letters or postcards or even Christmas cards. So when he had to write he wasn't comfortable or confident. Does that mean that my father had a ‘low level of literacy (读写能力)’? I don't think so.

There are lots of different definitions (定义) of literacy. Some experts define it as having the reading and writing skills that you need to be independent in your everyday life. So, for example, if you can read instructions, write a cheque, fill in a form — anything that you need to do in everyday life — then you are ‘functionally literate’.

If you live in a society where most people are literate then you will feel ashamed and avoid situations in which you have to read or write. A friend's father finally admitted to his family that he couldn't read when he was 45 years old. He had bought the newspaper every day and pretended to read it.

Being illiterate can have a big effect on people's lives. Worldwide statistics show that literacy problems are associated with poverty and a lack of political power. More women than men are illiterate. Illiterate people have worse health, bigger families and are more likely to go to prison. So literacy campaigns must be a good thing. But don't forget that an illiterate person, or someone with a low level of literacy, isn't necessarily stupid or ignorant (无知的) — and may not be unhappy at all. Knowledge and wisdom isn't only found in writing.

1. What do we know about the author's father?

A．He read a lot.	B．He rarely wrote.
C．He couldn't write.	D．He bought many books.

2. What does the author say about “functionally literate” people?

A．They are usually mind readers.

B．They can read between the lines.

C．They are mainly dependent on others.

D．They are able to read and write to survive.

3. Why did the friend's father buy the newspaper regularly?

A．To keep his secret.

B．To be fashionable.

C．To enjoy the daily news.

D．To further his study

4. What is literacy irrelevant to according to the author?

A．Health.	B．Poorness.
C．Influence.	D．Happiness.

8 . As is known to all, most stories of kindness do not begin with formerly drug-addicted celebrity (名人) bad boys. ______ does.

When this ______ took place, I was accompanying my grandmother at a huge garden party. ________, Robert Downey Jr., in a nice cream-colored suit, came in. I pointed out this big movie star to grandma ______, but she was far more interested in piling her paper plate with cheese.

As my 80-year-old grandmother rose for the ____ after the party, she fell into a wheelchair ramp (踏板) nearby. The sharp ramp ______ her leg open and it was bleeding.

I should have quickly taken control of the ______ —but due to my blood faint, I didn't. Luckily, Robert Downey Jr. _______

He called an ambulance immediately, and asked someone to ______ a blanket. He took off his suit and ______ his suit around her leg. The cream color turned dark red. Robert surely knew how to speak to her, ______ , distract her. He stayed with my grandmother until the ambulance came, ______ her hand and telling her she was breaking his ______ by leaving so early. I hurried into the ambulance without a word, feeling too shy to thank him.

Some 15 years after that garden party, and five years since he'd been set free from prison for possession of drugs in his car, I came across Robert in a fancy restaurant. I was ______ to respect people's privacy and never ______ someone having a meal. But on this clay, I decided to ______ the code.

“I don't have any ______ if you remember this. . . "and I told him the story. “I just wanted to tell you that it was simply the kindest act I've ever ______ .”

It's never too ______ to express our appreciation for kindness which lies in everyone, even a celebrity bad boy. ______, appreciation itself is a sort of kindness.

1.

A．Mine

B．His

C．Hers

D．Yours

2.

A．party

B．kindness

C．accident

D．story

3.

A．Slowly

B．Expectedly

C．Suddenly

D．Interestingly

4.

A．excitedly

B．surprisingly

C．fortunately

D．successfully

5.

A．garden

B．wheelchair

C．star

D．exit

6.

A．tore

B．broke

C．cut

D．pushed

7.

A．situation

B．blood

C．crowd

D．injury

8.

A．got across

B．turned up

C．got ready

D．calmed down

9.

A．buy

B．rent

C．lend

D．fetch

10.

A．tied

B．covered

C．placed

D．pulled

11.

A．instead

B．for example

C．otherwise

D．or rather

12.

A．shaking

B．waving

C．holding

D．pressing

13.

A．schedule

B．heart

C．promise

D．mind

14.

A．persuaded

B．born

C．raised

D．forced

15.

A．bother

B．talk to

C．stare at

D．upset

16.

A．abandon

B．set

C．follow

D．improve

17.

A．idea

B．trouble

C．doubt

D．interest

18.

A．called for

B．witnessed

C．heard of

D．performed

19.

A．embarrassing

B．careful

C．late

D．strange

20.

A．However

B．After all

C．Therefore

D．On the contrary

9 . Are you simply moving through your day without fully living? I think many of us have done this. Everyone wants to fully live every day.    1     So I’ve decided to share with you some ways to help you enjoy every moment.

Sit in the morning. When you wake up in the quiet of the morning, sit on the floor. I often use this opportunity to stretch. I feel every muscle in my body..    2    

    3    I like to take breaks from work, and go outside for a slow walk. Pay attention to your breathing, to everything around you, to the sounds and light of objects.

Read in silence. Find a quiet time, and a quiet place, and read a good novel. Have no television or computers on nearby.     4     It might seem difficult to let your mind move from the present into the time of novel more than almost anything else.

Look at someone in a grateful way.     5     If you want, you can tell that person how thankful you are to him.

A．Work with force.

B．Walk slowly.

C．But this is easier said than done.

D．And just put yourself in the world of the novel.

E．It’s a way of building something good into your life.

F．I also just sit, and focus on my breathing going in and out.

G．Find someone you care about and be grateful for his existence.

10 . I have a neighbor who is a capable, fashionable, seventy-year-old, single woman. Her name is Grace. Grace was laid off from her job a little over two years ago and has been living off her savings ever since but not officially "retired". Grace called me up one day about this time last year and asked if I had a ladder. She needed to clean out her gutters (水槽) on the roof and wanted me to hold the ladder.

She didn’t want me to climb up and clean the gutters. She just wanted me to hold the ladder. As it happened I did have a ladder. I said: “The leaves are going to fall off the trees in a month, why don’t we wait till they finish and do it then?” She agreed and naturally we didn’t talk about it again until spring. Spring in Tennessee is wild and we talked about it over the course of three weeks in which it rained nearly every day, then I got busy and Grace went into seclusion (隐居).

A couple of weeks ago, she told me she’d been spending too much money and decided to apply for a bar tending job at a local hotel. “Now I don’t know about you all but I’d never considered what it would be like to apply for and begin a new job at the age of seventy. I’m fifty-three and the older I get, the more I think about how great it’ll be if I can just get out of bed when I’m seventy.” Anyway, she got the job, serving the bar and tending banquets at the hotel.

The day when she left for her training at 6 am, I walked across the street with my ladder and cleaned out her gutters.

1. What did Grace want the author to do?

A．Make a ladder.	B．Retire completely.
C．Lend her a ladder.	D．Give her suggestions.

2. When did the author advise Grace to clean her gutters?

A．In early spring.	B．In rainy season.
C．In time of leaves falling.	D．In time of few leaves on trees.

3. What was the author’s neighbor doing when the author wrote the text?

A．Working at a hotel.	B．Training for her job.
C．Cleaning out her house.	D．Walking with the author.

4. What did the author think of her neighbor’s re-employment?

A．Valuable.	B．Impossible.
C．Reasonable.	D．Unbelievable.