1 . A 74-year-old man is pounding(沉重地走)the pavement in the hope of finding a kidney for his sick wife. Wayne Winters began walking along the streets near his home in Farr West, Utah early this month with a sandwich board containing an unusual request. “Need Kidney for Wife, "the sign reads. Winters' phone number and his wife Deanne's blood type are also included.

Deanne has severe kidney failure and is in need of a transplant. Desperate to do something to help his sick wife, Winters walks along the streets armed with a new suitnew shoes, and his sign with a piea(恳请)for a kidney. Though he doesn' t walk fast. Winters' unusual method of tracking down a kidney for Deanne has attracted plenty of attention. In addition to the motorists and passers-by who have seen Winters out walking miles a day, his request for a kidney has now hit the In ternet and attracted the attention of millions more people.

Winters said he was inspired to pound the pavement on behalf of his wife after seeing a story online about another man who did the same thing and got national attention. Rush hour is his favorite time to walk up and down the streets because drivers are slowed down.

Though he hasn't had any success yet, Winters remains confident he will find a kidney for

Deanne, and says he won’t rest until he makes it. Winters has stated even after a match for Deanne is found, he will continue to raise awareness about kidney donation because it is now his Mlife mission". In fact, the back of his current sign includes a message aimed at helping others in need. It read," 1,000 kidneys are needed in Utah and Idaho. "

The National Kidney Foundation reports the average wait for an individual s first kidney transplant is over three and a half years, and can vary depending on health, compatibility（兼 容性）and availability of organs. The organization also notes over 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list each month, and 13 people die each day while waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant.

1. Why is the old man walking along the streets?

A．To help his sick wife.	B．To do some exercise.
C．To look for something he has lost.	D．To appreciate the sights of the city.

2. What encouraged Winters to think of walking along the streets?

A．Others' advice.	B．A moving movie.
C．A story online.	D．His devotion to his wife.

3. According to Para . 4, how can we describe Winters?

A．Optimistic and kind.	B．Patient and generous.
C．Passive and stubborn.	D．Positive and successful.

4. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．A kidney transplant is a life-saving operation.

B．Getting a suitable kidney for a patient is not easy.

C．New patients that are added to the kidney waiting list.

D．The success of a kidney transplant depends on several factors.

2 . Chinese culture values family bonds very much. Family members don't just gather during the holidays .In fact they often live under one roof all year round.     1    . Families in the East and West are very different from each other.

In most East Asian cultures, extended families are common.     2     According to the

Atlantic, 90 percent of children in Shanghai and 70 percent of children in Beijing were cared for by their grandparents. Chinese people believe that "a grandparent is a treasure to their family".

In many Western countries, most families are nuclear families （小家庭）. These are solely made up of children and their parents.

Additionally, the duties parents have toward their children can also differ.    3    .

It's normal for parents to pay for their children's college, help them find a job, or buy them an apartment. Chinese adults also follow their parents' opinions when making major life decisions, more often than not.

In most Western countries, however, kids usually move out of the house after they turn 18.

    4    . Also, if they choose to keep living with their parents after becoming an adult, it can be seen by some as a failure on their part.

While the East cares more about close family bonds, the West values privacy and independence.     5    . Families will always be a source of love, warmth, and care for people around the world.

A．These families have three or even four generations living together

B．Nuclear families are the most common type in China.

C．In China, many parents look after their children all the way into adulthood.

D．Different cultures have different family values.

E．But in the end, home is best 一 east or west.

F．Many young people going to college often need to take out loans and work part-time jobs in order to pay for tuition and rent.

G．Both Easterners and Westerners value quality family time.

3 . Prosocial behaviors are those intended to help other people. Behaviors that can be described as prosocial include feeling empathy(同感) and concern for others and behaving in ways to help or benefit other people.

Prosocial behavior has long posed a challenge to social scientists seeking to understand why people engage in helping behaviors that are beneficial to others, but costly to the individual performing the action. Why would people do something that benefits someone else but offers no immediate benefit to the doer?

Psychologists suggest that there are a number of reasons why people engage in prosocial behavior. In many cases, such behaviors are fostered during childhood and adolescence as adults encourage children to share, act kindly, and help others. Prosocial behaviors are often seen as being compelled by a number of factors including egoistic reasons (doing things to improve one's self­image), reciprocal benefits (doing something nice for someone so that they may one day return the favor), and more altruistic reasons (performing actions purely out of empathy for another individual).

Characteristics of the situation can also have a powerful impact on whether or not people engage in prosocial actions. The bystander effect is one of the most notable examples of how the situation can impact helping behaviors. The bystander effect refers to the tendency for people to become less likely to assist a person in distress when there are a number of other people also present. For example, if you drop your purse and several items fall out on the ground, the likelihood that someone will stop and help you decreases if there are many other people present. This same sort of thing can happen in cases where someone is in serious danger, such as when someone is involved in a car accident. In some cases, witnesses might assume that since there are so many other present, someone else will have surely already called for help.

Why do people help in some situations but not in others? Experts have discovered a number of different situational variables that contribute to (and sometimes interfere with) prosocial behaviors. First, the more people that are present decreases the amount of personal responsibility people feel in a situation. People also tend to look to others for how to respond in such situations, particularly if the event contains some level of ambiguity. Fear of being judged by other members of the group also plays a role. People sometimes fear leaping to assistance, only to discover that their help was unwanted or unwarranted. In order to avoid being judged by other bystanders, people simply take no action.

Experts have suggested that some key things must happen in order for a person to take action.

1. Prosocial behaviors are motivated for all the following reasons EXCEPT ________.

A．empathy for another individual	B．instant benefits of helping others
C．parental influences in the early life	D．the desire to better one's self­image

2. What does the underlined word “distress” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A．peace	B．despair
C．comfort	D．trouble

3. Which situation can be described as the bystander effect?

A．When hearing an injured lady crying for help, the neighbors didn't take action.

B．Seeing an old man slipping on the icy road, many people volunteered to help.

C．A woman was to give birth on the train and you were the only doctor there.

D．On the scene of your colleague's traffic accident, you called the police for help

4. After the last paragraph, the most possible topic could be ________.

A．possible benefits of prosocial behavior

B．various reasons for prosocial behavior

C．situational influences on prosocial behavior

D．skills and knowledge to provide assistance

4 . How to Use Social Media Positively

Nowadays so common is social media in our society that almost everyone is connected to some form of it. We are in a fast-paced, technologically evolving(进化) society and we are addicted to social media.    1    

So how does one ensure a positive online reputation? It’s simple:

Keep it clean. Party photos with alcohol are an absolute no-no. Would you want to have your boss see these photos?    2     Make sure to post contents that you feel positively reflect you, your creativity and your skills.

    3     You have a private account so you can post anything you want? This is decidedly not the case. Privacy settings make it harder to see your full account, but it’s not impossible. Under no circumstance should you rely on privacy settings as a way to protect inappropriate contents.

Ensure you’re careful and professional. Keep it classy (优等的)! Discover your brand, or what you want people to think of you. Proper spelling and grammar is always a plus, but it may not be your brand.    4     In this way, you can earn approval.

Follow these simple rules and you’re on your way to building, or restoring an online reputation. Using social media positively doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and use it to express yourself; however, you want to ensure that you’re OK with anyone seeing everything you post.    5    So your post can get your friends active and happy.

Like it or not, your social networks reflect you—make sure you look like the shining star that you truly are.

A．Try to do everything as well as you can.

B．In fact, we long for social media and need it.

C．Social media is very fast to use but very difficult.

D．Don’t trust privacy settings at all.

E．Be entirely sure about what you’re posting.

F．Once you click post, there’s no looking back.

G．Make sure your post is written personally.

5 . Politeness is the practical application of good manners, the goal of which is to make all of the parties relaxed and comfortable. It's a flexible management of words and actions, by which we make other people have a better opinion of us and themselves. It seeks to build a positive relationship.     1    .

However, in the rush of daily life being polite is social behavior that we find rare nowadays.     2    . They don’t even take the time to look around. This has led to the loss of simple social rules some might take for granted and that are particularly powerful.

    3    , people become less and less attentive to others’ feelings, for human interaction (互动) is almost lost. Take for instance the rudeness we tolerate when a person is looking at his phone when talking to us.

Being polite is not just a simple social elegance.     4    . These days “Please” and “Thank You” are forgotten. And not many people are aware that these two simple words can easily open or close any door to us. Unfortunately, they often forget to say these words.

Hope is not lost. There are many ways we can improve our behavior to achieve skills in politeness. There are simple things we can do to be considered as a polite and well-mannered person.    5    , they will respect you back. Just make a change in our behavior to start. Use simple words like “Excuse me”, “Please”, and “Thank you” every day. Be kind to receive kindness. Care and politeness will get you far in all aspects of life.

A．As technology progresses

B．People have become more self-absorbed

C．As long as you show your politeness for people

D．Since for many people being polite remains a challenge

E．Many languages have specific means to show politeness

F．It aims to respect a person’s need to be liked and understood

G．It’s also about being kind, caring and respectful to another person

6 . One-year-old Tallulah turned purple and stopped moving after the sweet became stuck in her throat. Her mum Leigh-Anne said the drama began during a visit to her grandma’s house when her grandparents gave her older kids some sweets.

“Then at about 4:45 pm, Tallulah started to choke—we all went into a panic.”

“It seemed like it went on for ages. Not one of us knew what to do.”

“I rang an ambulance while my grandma and granddad tried to get the sweet to come up.”

“Tallulah was panicking at first but then she started to go purple—she almost had no oxygen left in her.”

With her daughter limp (无力的) and time running out, Leigh—Anne knew she couldn’t afford to wait for the ambulance to arrive.

“The only thing I could think was to go out into the street.” She said.

“I rushed out and screamed for someone to help while my grandma rushed out crying with Tallulah.”

At exactly the moment, Caitlin, who is studying public services at Redcar College, was passing by Queen Street. She said, “I was waiting to go to work when I heard someone screaming for help, so I ran straight over.”

The 17-year-old girl added, “Something just clicked and I went into auto mode. The little girl was completely limp, so I checked her airways and tilted (使倾斜) her over and started hitting her back. I turned her round and tapped on her chest, then after what felt like forever she coughed up the sweet and spat it out.

As soon as she started crying I felt a huge relief. I was just so pleased I was able to help.”

Caitlin was taught her lifesaving skills when she joined the Army Cadets four years ago.

1. When did Tallulah get choked?

A．While eating sweets.	B．While enjoying a drama.
C．While having a meal.	D．While taking some medicine.

2. Why did the family go out into the street?

A．To buy some needed tools.	B．To search for timely help.
C．To get a breath of fresh air.	D．To wait for the ambulance to arrive.

3. Which of the following can best describe Caitlin?

A．Brave and selfless.	B．Kind and energetic.
C．Determined and generous.	D．Quick-thinking and helpful.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．First aid skill sounds important.	B．Screaming for help makes sense.
C．Eating sweets endangers baby girl.	D．Heroic teenager saves baby girl’s life.

7 . Are You a Prisoner of Perfection?

Do you struggle for a goal that is beyond your reach?     1     Are you setting yourself up for failure and shame when you can’t achieve the unachievable? Understanding what drives perfectionism is the first step toward releasing this self-created anchor that keeps us stuck.

Shame and fear are often the hidden drivers of perfectionism. We believe that if we can fashion a perfectly polished personality, flash our intelligence, and perfect our humour, then no one can hurt us with criticism and we’ll win respect and approval.

    2     Politicians who display a desperate need to be right and refuse to acknowledge mistakes or uncertainty are often driven by a secret shame. They fear that showing vulnerability(弱点) will expose them to the accusation that they’re weak. They stick to a desire to be right, perfect, and polished, even when it’s obvious that the emperor has no clothes.

Perfectionism keeps us leaning toward the future. We’re constantly evaluating ourselves in order to do better.     3     However, if we can’t relax and enjoy lighter moments, then we become prisoners of our perfectionism. We get painfully self-conscious and take ourselves too seriously. Sadly, we deprive(剥夺) ourselves of the simple pleasure of enjoying the moment and being ourselves.

    4     We realize that failing at any enterprise doesn’t mean that we are a failure. Without failures, we’ll never learn from our mistakes; we’ll never move forward in our lives. Those who succeed have made countless mistakes. The important thing is to learn from our error, forgive ourselves and move on.

Being human, perfection is impossible.     5       Releasing ourselves from the desire to protect our image, we’re freed to sail gracefully through our successes and failures—and enjoy our precious life.

A．Do you hold an idealized vision that is impossible to realize?

B．A cure to perfectionism is to make room for our human shortcomings.

C．Do you fear that others will be horrified by what you judge about yourself?

D．The addiction to staying perfect protects us from any sign of being imperfect.

E．There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do our best and self-correcting along the way.

F．People who are addicted to perfection are often isolated, even if they seem outgoing and popular.

G．By accepting ourselves as we are and doing our best, we begin to rid the shame that drives perfectionism.

8 . On the night of December 8, 1992, when he was standing in a parking lot talking to friends, Tracy March jumped to the top of a car, as he had done a hundred times before. This time, though, Tracy lost his balance. His head struck the ground, hard.

All night, Cory, Tracy’s mother, stood next to her son, who was lying in a hospital bed, his brown eyes fixed in a lifeless stare. She remembered that Tracy had once mentioned organ donation. Maybe I can spare another family this pain, she thought. When the time came, she and her husband Bill signed the forms permitting his organs to be donated.

Tracy was declared dead the next day. Twenty-four hours later, in a Boston hospital, Tracy’s liver was made part of my husband, David, who was suffering from a hopeless liver disease.

Months later, we learned from the local organ bank that the donor’s parents wished desperately to meet someone who had gained life through the gift from their son. A meeting was arranged by the organ bank to bring together two families linked by the most bittersweet ties imaginable.

The meeting was risky, but worth it. We talked for 3 hours. They showed us a picture of Tracy. We learned how he had lived and died. We learned something about Bill and Cory too.

For the Marches, seeing David and knowing he was well seemed to ease their suffering. I’ll never forget seeing David’s tall figure stopped over Cory, her arms around his waist, as a mother would hug a son. For a long time they held each other tight. It was hard to know if she was saying hello or good-bye. Maybe she was saying both.

1. We learn from the passage that Tracy died _______.

A．of brain damage	B．on December 8, 1992
C．24 hours after he fell off the roof of a car	D．in a car crash

2. Tracy’s parents decided to donate Tracy’s organs because _______.

A．Tracy told them to do so just before he died

B．they wanted to save others the pain of seeing dear one die

C．David’s life could continue in a meaningful way

D．they knew David was suffering from a hopeless liver disease

3. The meeting between the two families helped to relieve the Marches’ suffering because _______.

A．they saw that David looked very much like their son

B．they now knew for sure they had done the right thing

C．they now had someone to share their memories of Tracy

D．they saw that David had regained health with Tracy’s liver

9 . You’ve seen news reports about people who need assistance after a natural disaster, or TV programs about how lonely and isolated older people can get. Maybe you’ve walked past people who are living on the streets.    1    The answer: you can volunteer. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change people’s lives, including your own. Helping others in need is such an important part of life. So how do you go about it?

Find what’s right for you.

Volunteering isn’t school.    2    You can choose what really interests you and who or what is most deserving of your time.

    3    

After you’ve discovered what interests you, decide how much time you want to spend and what fits into your schedule.

Expand your mind.

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills — from working as part of a team to setting and reaching goals.    4    And it can help you develop a new understanding of people who are different from you — people with disabilities, people in financial problems, sick kids, or the elderly.

Feel good.

Volunteering helps people feel they make a difference — that they do have the power to change things for the better. When people depend on you, it can change the way you look at yourself.    5    Volunteering is also a great way to get a view on your own life.

A．It can give you a chance to discover what kinds of things you’re best at and enjoy most.

B．Instead of having the choices made for you, you’ve got to pick.

C．Doing something for others helps people to change the world.

D．So what can you do about any of those things?

E．You can feel proud of what you’ve achieved.

F．Find what fits your schedule.

G．Change things for the better.

10 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.

What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.

Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t

even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. ＂Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,＂ he explains. ＂The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.＂

In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. ＂It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,＂ says Dunn. ＂But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.＂

Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. ＂Small talk is the basis of good manners,＂ he says.

1. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?

A．Addiction to smartphones.

B．Inappropriate behaviours in public places.

C．Absence of communication between strangers.

D．Impatience with slow service.

2. What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?

A．Showing good manners.	B．Relating to other people.
C．Focusing on a topic.	D．Making business deals.

3. What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?

A．It improves family relationships.	B．It raises people’s confidence.
C．It matters as much as a formal talk.	D．It makes people feel good.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Conversation Counts	B．Ways of Making Small Talk
C．Benefits of Small Talk	D．Uncomfortable Silence