1 . George Prochnik would like the world to put a sock in it. He makes his case in a new book, listenning for Meaning in a World of Noise, Here he explains himself (using his indoor voice):

“We’ve become so accustomed to noise, there’s about almost a deep prejudice against the idea that silence might be beneficial. If you tell someone to be quiet, you sound like an old man. But it’s never been more important to find continuing quiet. Silence focuses us, improves our health, and is a key to lasting peace and satisfaction.”

“We need to excite people about the sounds you start to hear if you merely quiet things down a little. During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds becomes a kind of art—the spoons making a light ringing sound on a bowl, the edges of a kimono（和服）brushing against the floor.”

“Dear people are very attetice（专注的）in almose every aspect of life. If two deaf people are walking together, using sign language, they constantly watch out for each other and protecet each other by paying steady attention to the other. They are connected yet also fully aware of their surroundings. Even deaf teenagers! We in the hearing world can learn from them. If we remove the powerful blasts（一阵阵）of noise, we become aware of an extraordinarily rich world around us—of little soft sounds and the sound of footsteps, of bird songs and ice cracking（开裂声）. It’s astonishing how beautiful things sound when you can really listen. ”

1. What does the phrase “to put a sock in it” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．to be quiet	B．to be colorful
C．to be full of love	D．to be attentive to someone

2. What does Proehnik say about us?

A．We are used to quietnesss

B．We have to put up with noise

C．We do not think silence to be beneficial

D．We do not believe lasting peace to be available

3. Which of the following is true according to Proehnik?

A．We need more sounds in our lives

B．There is nothing to be learned from the deaf

C．We are not aware how rich the world around us is

D．There is too much noise at a Japanese tea ceremony

4. It can be inferered from the text that ________.

A．we can benefit a lot from old people

B．it is a good idea to use sign language

C．there is no escape from the world of sound

D．it is possible to find how beautiful things sound

2 . I decided to go single travel. The goal was to escape the four comers of my small room and the boring daily routines. There are comments from family and friends, saying it’s impossible and unsafe.    1     Therefore, I reminded myself why I decided to travel alone:

    2     Traveling alone allows me to be the “Captain of My Own Destiny”. It’s an experience of complete freedom.    3     I can rest when I want and move on when I feel ambitious. I can taste—test anything like and alternatively I won’t be forced to eat anything dislike.

Challenge myself. I’m responsible to no one but myself. Every wrong turn is mine—and mine alone. Traveling alone is the greatest yet most rewarding challenges. It forced me to be confident in my choices. Every decision is based upon my own sense of self-belief. There’s no one to turn to or rely upon, and so trusting my own instincts(本能) becomes a necessary survival skill.    4    

Reflect deeper senses. When traveling alone, there’s no need for boring dialogues.    5     Even so, I enjoy the long-lost freedom of becoming “one”. It leads to my deepest reflections about myself and the world around. I give my undivided attention to myself and the experience, which makes the most of the potential for personal reflection.

Travel alone helped me spread my wings and go beyond my greatest hopes and dreams.

A．Enjoy myself completely.

B．Enjoy complete freedom.

C．Loneliness can’t be avoided.

D．I want to do what I think is right.

E．I can choose to satisfy my every desire.

F．I was determined to prove them wrong.

G．It’s exactly these challenges that make me stronger.