For hundreds Of years, scientists have been trying to answer what things have an effect on people’s emotions (情感). How you feel is controlled by many things. Your emotions can be affected by your personality, by the actions of others and by events around you. Perhaps you don’t know your emotions can be influenced by the weather as well.
People often say they feel good when the sun is shining and sad when it is cloudy. In fact, sunlight makes us feel good. When sunlight hits our skins, our bodies produce a vitamin. Vitamins are natural chemicals (化学物质) which we all need to stay healthy. Sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin D. Vitamin D helps our bodies make a special chemical. This special chemical affects our brains (大脑) and makes us feel happy. For example, there are long, dark winters of little sunlight in Sweden and Norway, so many people in these countries often feel sad. Without much sunlight, their bodies produce less vitamin D. Without enough vitamin D, their bodies make less of this special chemical which makes them feel good. To help the people in these countries feel better, special “sunrooms” with artificial (人造的) lights have been built. People can go there and get “sunlight” for an hour or two!
The weather can also affect people’s emotions in other ways. Hot weather can make people angry because people feel uncomfortable when they are hot. In the same way, rain can make people angry because being wet can be unpleasant. As you can see, the weather can have an effect on the chemicals which control our brains. Through these ways, the weather can influence our emotions. Sadly, while the weather can change us, we can hardly change the weather. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor (因素) that can affect one’s emotions?
| A．Weather. | B．Actions of others. |
| C．Personality. | D．Age. |
Which of the following is true about vitamin D according to the passage?
| A．It is a kind of artificial chemical. |
| B．It makes us worried by affecting our brains. |
| C．It is needed by us all to keep fit. |
| D．It is in the sunlight. |
What can we infer (推断) from the passage?
| A．We feel good when we are in the bright cool weather. |
| B．We will be happy when we are caught in the rain. |
| C．All people in Norway and Sweden feel sad in winter. |
| D．The more vitamin D you have, the happier you’ll be. |
What may be the best title for this passage?
| A．Why Do We Feel Sad? |
| B．The Weather Influences People’s Emotions |
| C．People Need More Vitamin D |
| D．We Can Hardly Change the Weather |
It was the last day of the final exam in a college. On the steps of building, a group of engineering students were waiting for the last exam. On their faces was confidence（自信的）.
They knew the exam would be easy. The professor (a teacher at a college) had said they could bring any books or notes during the test.
Right after they came into the classroom. The professor handed out the papers. There were only five questions on it.
Three hours passed. Then the professor began to collect the papers. The students no longer looked confident. On their faces was nervous expression（表情）. The professor watched the worried faces before him, and then asked, “How many of you have finished all five questions?” No hand was raised. “How many of you have answered four?” Still no hands. “Three? Two?” The students moved restlessly in their seats. “One, then? Certainly somebody has finished one.” But the class kept silent. The professor said, “That is exactly what I expected. I just want to make you know clearly that even though you have completed four years of engineering. There are still many things about the subject you don’t know. These questions you could not answer are common in everyday practice.” Then, smiling, he added, “You will all pass this course, your education has just begun.”
The years have obscured the name of this professor, but not the lesson he taught. Why did the students think the exam was easy at first?
| A．Because it was their last exam in the college. |
| B．Because they knew there were only five questions. |
| C．Because they thought they were clever and talented. |
| D．Because they were allowed to bring any books and notes during the text. |
What does the underlined word “obscured” mean in the last paragraph?
| A．模糊 | B．回忆 | C．提醒 | D．改变 |
. What’s the best title for the article?
| A．Some Confident Students. | B．An Engineering Exam. |
| C．An Interesting Professor. | D．An Unforgettable Lesson. |
Last month the manager（经理） of a jewelry shop ( 珠宝店) received a letter. As he was very busy then, the letter lay on his desk till tea-time. He opened it and a 10-pound note(票 ) fell out onto the desk. Within the note was a letter which said:
Dear sir:
In 1935 I got engaged(订婚 ). But unfortunately I lost my job. At the time a lot of people were out of work. Six months later I got a job again, but of course I was very short of money. I came to your shop to buy a wedding ring(婚戒 ). The assistant took out some rings for me to look at, but she was called away for a moment, and I put one of the rings in my pocket. When she came back, I said I didn’t know the size of my girl’s finger. So I left the shop without buying a ring. My wife died a short while ago and the fact that I never paid for the ring has been heavy in my heart all these years. At that time, the ring cost 2 pounds so I think it is 10 pounds at today’s price and I’m sending 10 pounds.
Yours truly,
A customer (顾客 )What happened in 1935?
| A．The jewelry shop lost some rings. |
| B．The customer married a girl. |
| C．The customer stole (偷窃) a ring for his wife. |
| D．The customer stole a ring for his girl friend. |
What do you think of the customer?
| A．Honest | B．Forgetful | C．Dishonest | D．Careless |
Saying no can be very difficult. People who are very shy often have little confidence. They think that they have to meet everyone’s need. It is very hard for them to say no. they sometimes feel shy if they say no, but doing things that they don’t want to will make them unhappy.
A simple and direct “No” is the best way. If you want to explain, you can keep it simple. Just say, “No, I’ve already made plans for this time” or, “Sorry, I’m afraid I’m not free at that time.”
Other ways of saying no:
▲ I can’t do this right now.
▲ No, but thank for asking.
▲ Please accept that I cannot come.
▲ I’d rather not.
To say no you should:
▲ Start the sentence with the word no.
▲ Shake your head when you say no to make sure they understand. Your voice should be clear and direct. Keep eye contact.
If someone makes a request, it is necessary to ask for time to think it over. The decision should be up to you, but sometimes it is difficult to say no. You can try to reply in the following way:
“Sorry. I would have taken care of your cat next weekend, but I will be going out. I know it will be hard to find someone to take care of the cat. I will try to help you next time.” Remember that: you have the right to say no!
1. What does the writer encourage us to do?
2. How many ways of saying no are mentioned in the passage?
3. Who has a hard time saying no?
4. When you say no, what should you do as well?
5. If you want to refuse someone’s request, what will you say?
Creighton Carvello was called the Memory Man. He could remember hundreds of playing cards and pages of the telephone numbers in only a few seconds.
Creighton was born in India in 1944. He was the middle child of five and his father worked on the railways. In 1949, the Carvello family returned to England and settled(定居) in Middlesbrough, where Creighton spent the rest of his life. His father first noticed his great talent when, aged 7, he started to memorize information from cigarette cards with pictures of planes and cars.
After leaving school, Creighton developed his talent by memorizing more and more information. He soon became popular as he performed in clubs to show his great memory. He remembered the telephone number of anyone called Smith who lived in the Middlesbrough area. He first got into the record books in his thirties. He travelled around the world, showed up on television and amazed the audience with his memory.
Creighton was a man of many talents, including writing songs, drawing and telling jokes.
In his last years, Creightton moved to care home. The old people there would test his memory with questions such as naming what day of the week they were born on. Only days before he died, one lady gave her date of birth, July 29, 1921 and Creighton immediately replied, “Friday”. He died on November 18, 2008.What was Creighton most famous for?
a. His songs b. His jokes c. His drawing d. His memoryHow many children were older than Creighton in his family?
a. Two b. Three c. Four d. OneWhat happened when Creighton was five?
a. He left school. b.He first got into the record books.
c.His family returned to England. d.His father first noticed his great talent.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
a. Creighton spent the rest of his life in India.
b. Creighton was forced(强迫) to memorize things by his father.
c. Creighton played the piano in clubs after leaving school.
d. Creighton was a talented man.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
a. Creighton didn’t have a family.
b. Creighton died young because he memorized too many things.
c. Creighton died at the age of 60.
d. Creighton still had a good memory several days before he died.
This was not going to be a Mother’s Day as before. A lot of things had changed in the last few months. Usually we would give Mom flowers and take her out for a big meal. We couldn’t afford it this year.
Since I was born, Mom had been able to stay at home with me. We always had enough money to go out to eat two or three times a week if I had behaved well.
All that changed in January.
I could tell that Dad was getting a little angry. Mom would tell me to be quiet and let him rest at night. He’d work later and later.
Beginning in February, Dad tried hard to find another job. But it wasn’t easy for him to find something at the level he used to. He could not bring in as much money. That’s when he asked my mom to go back to work.
After a couple of weeks, Mom found a full-time job at a bank. The pay would be a big help to the family, but now Mom would not be around as much. I didn’t like it. I now had to stay in the after-school care program instead of going home and playing in my neighborhood. Too bad was, as soon as I did get home, I had to help get dinner ready, because Mom wouldn’t get home until after 6:00. I really missed the past time.
a) This was not going to be a Mother’s Day as before because the writer’s father wasn’t in
b) The writer’s home used to be rich.
c) His family changed because his father was mad.
d) In February, the writer’s mother started to work at a bank.
e) The writer really wanted his mother to stay with him
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