7 . When he tells people that he is deaf, Oliver Stabbe is called a liar. "The idea that deaf people cannot speak is a very offensive assumption," the sophomore(大二学生) said.

Stabbe’s experience speaks of many of the misunderstandings about deaf people and the struggles they face — things commonly found right in Rochester. This city is home to 90,000 deaf people, a significant slice of the more than 1.1 million national population. The percentage of deaf people here is higher than the national average, due in part to RITs National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the first technological college in the world created specifically for the deaf and hard of hearing.

"Really, there seems to be an embarrassment in communicating with deaf people," said sophomore Stephen Davis, another deaf student. This awkwardness might arise because non-deaf people just don't know how to do so without possibly offending someone. "I guess they think saying ‘deaf’ is offensive, but it really isn't and deaf people don't get upset about it," Davis said. He noted that the biggest issue he's had when communicating with other students is their anxiety about communicating.

Deaf or hard-of-hearing students also face frustrations(令人心烦的事) on their end when interacting with others. "Sometimes people talk about you, maybe to a non-deaf friend standing beside me, as if I’m not there," Davis said. "That’s depressing." As Davis put it, "We don’t see ourselves as the disabled, so the awkwardness is only one-sided."

Stabbe advised that those communicating should not make assumptions about others’ preferences or ability. If you have a question, ask. A moment of awkwardness is absolutely worth it if you are being educated about an important topic.

1. Why are there more deaf people in Rochester?

A．Deaf people have some privileges here.

B．Deaf people may get better job opportunities here.

C．Deaf people meet fewer struggles here.

D．A professional school for the deaf appeals to them.

2. What may embarrass people when communicating with the deaf according to Davis?

A．They are afraid of upsetting the deaf.

B．They are unwilling to communicate.

C．They don’t know any simple gestures.

D．They don't challenge enough assumptions.

3. What kind of person is Stephen Davis?

A．Sensitive and talkative.

B．Reasonable and reliable.

C．Confident and intelligent.

D．Outspoken and aggressive.

4. What can be the best title of the text?

A．We can hear your heart.

B．"Deaf" is not a bad word.

C．Deaf people are not liars.

D．Embarrassment is one-sided.

8 . It was a beautiful Southern California morning with a blue sky, a cool breeze and warm sunlight. I walked through the parking lot of the shopping centre, thinking of my appointment with the cake at the local bakery. As I wandered in front of the grocery store next to the bakeshop, I noticed a young woman standing at the store entrance with bags of groceries neatly piled. As is my practice with strangers, I made eye contact with her and said with a smile, “Hello, there! And how are you today?”

She smiled back and responded with a Southern accent. I had only taken a few steps past her when I heard her say, “Thank you for seeing me!”

Still smiling, I turned around and walked over to her. For the next twenty minutes, I listened attentively to Dominique sharing her story. She had grown up in Louisiana. Three years ago, she moved to California alone, where without contacts or the promise of employment, she struggled to create a life of purpose and fulfillment. She spoke with an easy Southern charm and a smile with joy.

A friend of hers came to pick her up. I helped her load the groceries into the back seat of the car. She thanked me and opened the front passenger-side door. "My daddy used to say that a person will remember how you made them feel long after they've forgotten what you said. I know I'll remember this for a long time.” I smiled, knowing I would as well.

One of my favorite quotes is from Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” I have found that the benefit of doing these small things not only helps me maintain a positive outlook on life but may even sow a few seeds of hope for someone else.

1. What made the author come back to the woman?

A．Her big smile.	B．Her kind words.
C．Her funny accent.	D．Her good appearance.

2. What can we infer about Dominique?

A．She used to dislike contacting others.

B．She is living a boring and lonely life now.

C．Her life in the past three years may be tough.

D．She often forgets what her friends have said.

3. Which of the following can best describe Dominique?

A．Generous and caring.	B．Independent and friendly.
C．Ambitious and humorous.	D．Aggressive and demanding.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

B．The more you sweat，the luckier you get.

C．Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.

D．It doesn't take much to brighten others' life.

9 . Almost everyone gossips. And a new study finds that people spend about 52 minutes per day, on average, talking to someone about someone else who is not present.

But here’s the surprise: Despite the assumption that most gossip is trash talk, the study finds that the vast majority of gossip is non-judgmental chitchat.

“People love to talk about other people,” says Jeremy Cone, a psychologist at Williams College. “Think about your own conversations with a family member or friend: You talk about everyday things that keep you connected. You share that your daughter got her driver’s license or your uncle has a kidney stone. Much of it is just documenting facts.”

And, of course, the study also finds that some gossip is negative or mean-spirited. About 15% of the snippets of gossip that the researchers analyzed included some types of negative judgements.

But even negative gossip can serve a purpose, as more research has found.

“I think gossiping can be a smart thing to do,” says Elena Martinescu, a researcher at King’s College London who has studied gossip in the workplace. “It allows people to keep track of what’s going on and form social alliances with other people.”

Research has shown that gossip can help build group cohesion and cooperation. “When you gossip, you can keep track of who is contributing to the group and who’s being selfish,” Martinescu explains. “And by sharing this information, you can exclude those group members who are social loafers.”

“We also found that negative gossip makes people likely to repair the aspects of their behavior that they were criticized for,” Martinescu says.

So, say, for instance, you were criticized for always arriving at work late. Hearing that gossip about yourself may motivate you to want to be on time.

Of course, this isn’t a license to be a loose lips or to repeat baseless claims that can damage someone’s reputation unfairly. But confiding（吐露个人隐私）in your friends and colleagues and sharing impressions about another person—even when they’re negative—may be helpful.

1. According to Jeremy Cone, why do people often gossip?

A．To spread negative facts.

B．To satisfy others’ curiosity.

C．To injure others’ reputation.

D．To share social information.

2. In which way can gossip be helpful?

A．It can improve people’s social skill.

B．It can rid society of immoral behavior.

C．People may change their behavior for the better.

D．People may be kept informed of others’ privacy.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards gossip?

A．Critical.	B．Objective.
C．Supportive.	D．Contradictory.

4. What can be concluded from the passage?

A．Gossip is the last thing we can do.

B．Gossip can do more good than harm.

C．Gossip may not be as harmful as it sounds.

D．Gossip is the best way to build social bonds.

10 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Children of One God

Bina and Adil came from neighboring villages.They went to the same school between the two villages.

Things went smoothly,     1     the Headman of Adil’s village, who was a rich merchant, decided to renovate（翻新）the school. He wanted the school to be named     2     him.The Headman of the Bina’s village objected to this.”The school,” he said,”belongs as much to us as to them.We shall not allow them to have control over it.”

The villagers agreed.A fight started over this small issue.It got increasingly     3     (bad) until the adults and even the children from Adil’s village refused to have anything to do with people from Bina’s village.The villagers prevented the children     4     (talk) to each other.

Bina and Adil were terribly upset. Mr.Pillai,their history teacher, called them to his room.On entering his room,Bina burst into tears.”Why are people behaving like this?Are they mad?”

“Yes,”answered Mr.Pillai,”They are!But there is a medicine to cure them.And you children can help me.”The two children were prepared to do anything they    5    .

Next day,at the assembly,Mr.Pillai said,:You are all children of one God.You are the flowers in his garden.His garden will look ugly    6     you turn your face away from each other.Next month,on Children’s Day,let us stage a play--Unity in Diversity.”

Everyone wanted to participle in the play. Mr.Pillai made sure that every child had a part     7     (play).

The play was based on the Freedom Struggle    8     men,women and children of different religions joined hands to drive away enemies from their motherland. All the parents from both villages     9     (invite)to witness the play.

The play began.Many elders shed tears as scenes from the past flashed before their eyes.At the end of the play,the Headmaster of the school thanked the children and     10     (adress) the villagers.He said that the children had taught all of them a lesson.