2 . “I feel unlikable, lonely and hopeless,” said Lisa, a bright teenager from a loving home. “It seems that nobody wants to become my friend. What’s wrong with me? ”

Like Lisa, many of us experience loneliness. The truth is that all people, no matter what their age or character — even the most outgoing, wealthy and popular — experience loneliness at least sometimes. It’s healthy and natural to want to be around people who care. After all, we’ve all heard “No man is an island.” That’s true. We all need others in our lives.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, explains that if we want friends, we must be friendly and reach out to others. But it has risk. Because we are often afraid of rejection (拒绝), many of us are unwilling to reach out to others. We take a safer way and wait for others to make friends with us. But if we want friends, we’ve got to get beyond this.

If making friends is your goal as well, you need to consider taking some measures (措施).

Be willing to take the initiative (主动权). If you see someone whom you would like to know, don’t wait for her to make the first move. Get close to her and begin a conversation. Let her know in a non aggressive (无攻击性的) way that you are interested in being friends with her.

Reach out to those who are lonely. When you see someone at school sitting alone, go over and talk to her. And don’t let popularity decide whom you reach out to. You’ll often be surprised at the beautiful qualities behind a shy appearance.

Ask questions. Start your first conversation by asking this possible friend what she likes to do or asking about her family. Be sure to ask questions that cannot be replied with “yes” or “no”. For example, don’t ask “Do you have a dog?” Instead, say “So, tell me about your pets.” Avoiding asking “yes” or “no” questions makes your possible friend not end your communication with a one word answer.

1. Why does the author begin the text with Lisa’s worry?

A．To set a sad tone.	B．To share Lisa’s pain.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To teach readers a lesson.

2. What can be a risk caused by reaching out to others according to the passage?

A．Being refused by others.	B．Putting ourselves in danger.
C．Being treated in a rude way.	D．Losing interest in communicating.

3. What can we know from Paragraph 5?

A．Shy people are hard to talk to.	B．Popular people are often easy going.
C．Just waiting for chances will waste our time.	D．A proper manner is important in making friends.

4. Why does the author suggest not asking “yes”or “no”questions?

A．It is considered unfriendly.	B．It will leave a bad first impression.
C．It shows the poor quality of the speaker.	D．It isn’t good for keeping a conversation going.

5 . There was once a boy called Mario who loved to have lots of friends at school. However, he wasn’t sure whether or not his classmates were his true friends, so he asked his grandpa. The old man answered, “I have just exactly what you need; it’s in the attic (阁楼). Wait here for a minute.”

Grandpa left, soon returning as though carrying something in his hand, but Mario could see nothing there. “Take it. It’s a very special chair. Because it’s invisible (无形的) it’s rather difficult to sit on, but if you take it to school and you manage to sit on it, you’ll be able to tell who your true friends are.”

Mario took the strange invisible chair and went to school. At break time he asked everyone to form a circle, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair. “Nobody move. You’re about to see something amazing,” Mario said.

Then Mario tried sitting on the chair. He missed and fell straight onto his backside. Everyone had a pretty good laugh. Mario wouldn’t be beaten. He kept trying to sit on the magic chair, and kept falling to the ground... until, suddenly, he tried again and didn’t fall. This time he sat, hovering (悬停) in mid-air.

Looking around, Mario saw George, Lucas, and Diana — three of his best friends — holding him up, so he wouldn’t fall. At the same time, many others he had thought of as friends were doing nothing but make fun of him, enjoying each and every fall.

Leaving with his three friends, Mario explained to them how his grandpa had so cleverly thought of such a good idea. Now he knows that those who take joy in our misfortunes (不幸) when we are in difficulty are not our true friends.

1. What did Mario’s grandpa take from the attic?

A．An invisible chair.	B．An old chair.
C．A real chair.	D．Nothing.

2. Why did Mario’s grandpa give him the invisible chair?

A．To see whether Mario could sit on it.

B．To test who were Mario’s true friends.

C．To let Mario have fun with his classmates.

D．To test whether Mario was popular at school.

3. How was Mario able to hover in mid-air?

A．He saw the invisible chair suddenly.

B．He managed to sit on the chair finally.

C．His friends held him up with their hands.

D．His classmates gave him a chair to sit on.

4. What does the story tell us?

A．Never laugh at our friends.

B．True friends can help us do magic.

C．True friends are those who care for us.

D．Having too many good friends isn’t a good thing.

6 . America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real , yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸)sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, and share their holidays and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客)easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday life, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides for our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at home, but truly can not manage a great deal of time to do with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans, it is often considered friendlier to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

1. The writer of this passage must be________.

A．an American

B．a Chinese

C．a professor

D．a student

2. What does the underlined phrase “ generous with our time ” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ?

A．Willing to spend time.	B．Serious about time.
C．Careful with time.	D．Strict with time.

3. When we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will be________.

A．warmly welcomed at the airport	B．offered a ride to his home
C．treated kindly at his home	D．treated to dinner in a restaurant

4. What is the best title for this passage ?

A．Friendships between Chinese

B．Friendships between Americans

C．Americans’ hospitality

D．Americans’ and Chinese people’s different views on friendship

8 . Two years ago I was very lonely and didn’t talk with anyone about my feelings. At the time I didn’t have many friends. I wanted someone to share my experiences and secrets with. I wanted someone to understand me. I started to imagine this friend and often imagined our conversations and what we would do.

Some weeks later we started a new project in school and I was working with one of my schoolmates. We had never worked together before but we got along well. After the project we started to spend some time together in school. One day we decided to take a walk. Ever since that walk we’ve been best friends. We listened and really understood each other.

I had wished for a best friend, but the universe gave me so much more. I have met one of my soul mates. We can sense each other, and it just takes one look and we know what the other is thinking. I didn’t think our friendship could grow much stronger. But now we have known each other for two years and our friendship is growing all the time.

It hasn’t only been easy. We have gone through both easy and hard times. But I’m thankful for the hard times, because they have forced me to grow and taught me a lot. My best friend has changed me. She has made me believe in myself. And I am now focusing on achieving one of my biggest dreams. Without her I wouldn’t even have realized what my biggest dream is.

I know there are soul mates out in the world for you. I am so thankful to have met one of mine. Believe in them, and your paths will cross!

1. What did the author do before meeting her soul mate?

A．She chose to stay alone.

B．She spent time with other friends.

C．She told others about her feelings.

D．She pictured a friend in her mind.

2. How did the author meet her soul mate?

A．By taking a walk.	B．By attending a party.
C．Through a school project.	D．Through a friend’s introduction.

3. What do we know about the author and her soul mate?

A．Their friendship is still developing.

B．She is the author’s only soul mate.

C．They are trying hard to realize their dreams.

D．She has little confidence in their friendship.

4. Why is the author thankful for the hard times?

A．She got to know her best friend.	B．She has learnt a lot from them.
C．They have changed her.	D．They have made her dream come true.

9 . Have you ever bought a gift for a friend, simply because it’s a gift that you like yourself?     1     Such activity is called “social projection (投射)” and is the focus of new marketing research.

The study, “I Love the Product, but Will You? The Role of Interpersonal Attachment Styles in Social Projection,” is authored by David, an assistant professor of marketing, and published in Psychology & Marketing. Research results are based on the surveys of 1,272 people.

The research reveals that people who are “secure” in interpersonal settings are the ones most likely to engage in social projection. Conversely(相反)，those who are “anxious” in such settings are less likely to assume that others share their own preferences.     2    

“You’d think that secure people who tend to be older, in a committed relationship and earn a higher-income with lots of friends and healthy personal relationships would have a better idea of what someone would like as a gift.    3     David said. “This research shows that individuals who are anxious in interpersonal situations and who have fewer close, personal relationships are better at predicting what a person may like.”

    4     Anxious individuals, on the contrary, tend to be younger and earn a lower income. Securely attached persons, who are people expecting others will be available and supportive when needed, are more likely to choose a gift based on their own preferences, while an anxious one more likely to consider what the recipients(接收者) may like.

Gifts should be thoughtful. Therefore, secure people should be mindful of their choice of gifts. They need to take caution when selecting and buying gifts.     5    

A．But that’s not the case.

B．However, anxious individuals may not always be the best.

C．Secure individuals tend to be older and earn a higher income.

D．If so, it’s likely that you projected your own attitudes onto your friend.

E．Secure individuals make choices on behalf of others based on their own preferences.

F．Thus, they are less likely to make choices for a friend based on their personal attitudes.

G．Preferably, these individuals should put their own preferences aside when choosing gifts.

10 . There is an old Chinese proverb that states “One Generation plants the trees; another gets the shade,” and this is how it should be with mothers and daughters. The relationship between a mother and daughter is sometimes confusing. If close, the relationship can be similar to friendship. However, the mother and daughter relationship has unique characteristics that distinguish it from a friendship. These characteristics include a hierarchy (等级) of responsibility and unconditional love, which preclude mothers and daughters from being best friends.

Marina, 27 years old, says, “I love spending time with my mom, but I wouldn’t consider her my best friend. Best friends don’t pay for your wedding. Best friends don’t remind you how they carried you in their body and gave you life! Best friends don’t tell you how wise they are because they have been alive at least 20 years longer than you.” This doesn’t mean that the mother and daughter relationship canˈt be very close and satisfying.While some adult relationships are still troubled, many find them to be extremely rewarding. This generation of mothers and adult daughters has a lot in common which increases the likelihood of shared companionship. Mothers and daughters have always shared the common experience of being homemakers, responsible for maintaining and passing on family values and traditions. Today contemporary mothers and daughters also share the experience of the workforce and technology, which may bring them even closer together.

Best friends may or may not continue to be best friends, but for better or worse, the mother and daughter relationship is permanent, even if for some unfortunate reason they aren’t speaking. The mother and child relationship is closer than any other. There is not an equal relationship. Daughters should not feel responsible for their mother’s emotional well-being. It isn’t that they don’t care deeply about their mothers. It’s just that they shouldn’t be burdened with their mother’s well being.

The mother and daughter relationship is a relationship that is not replaceable by any other. Mothers never stop being mothers, which includes frequently wanting to protect their daughters and often feeling responsible for their happiness. Mother always “trumps”(王牌) friend.

1. What does the underlined word “preclude” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Differ.

B．Prevent.

C．Benefit.

D．Change.

2. What do we know from the text?

A．The mother and daughter relationship can be replaced by a best friend.

B．A mother’s love brings her and her daughter a close friendship.

C．The mother and daughter relationship goes beyond best friends’ friendship.

D．Marina has a troubled relationship with her mother.

3. How does the author mainly prove his statements?

A．By listing data.	B．By giving explanations.
C．By quoting sayings.	D．By making examples.