Dear sir,
I read your story (of the 4th February) about the cost of living in the country rather than in the town, and I agree with most of the points that you made. My husband and I lived in the middle of Horlton until two years ago — a seaside town of nearly five hundred thousand people. When my husband stopped working, we moved to our present house in a small village at the foot of Roland Hill, and there is no doubt that our costs are higher now.
I have to do my shopping in small shops, where the food is more expensive than in city supermarkets; it costs more to travel by bus; and because the men who come to mend the television or the washing
machine, have to come farther, we have to pay them more.
But it does not cost us much to enjoy what is beautiful in the country; and peace and quiet are cheap. Many people spend a great deal of time and money driving into the country to enjoy the simple things of life; yet we can enjoy them just by going out of the front door. It costs more to live here than it did in Horlton but now life really is worth living.
Yours faithfully.
Edith Randall What do you know about Horlton?
| A．A quiet town not far from the sea. |
| B．A middle-sized town until two years ago. |
| C．A town with a population of nearly half a million. |
| D．A small village at the foot of Roland Hill |
What Mrs Randall really wants to express in the letter is that _____.
| A．it cost less to live in the country |
| B．it costs more to live in the country |
| C．living in the country is no better than in the town |
| D．she is quite satisfied with the life in the country |
One can probably find this letter in _____.
| A．a guidebook | B．a newspaper | C．a speech | D．a story book |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．The letter is written by an unknown person. |
| B．This letter is a reply to the questions of 4th February. |
| C．Living in the country is better than living in the city. |
D．The cost of li ving in the city is lower than that of the country. |
Interpersonal Distance
With the outbreak of SARS,everyone tried to avoid coming into close contact with each other.In those days,interpersonal distance increased,“close contact” almost became synonymous with “danger”,and even children couldn’t have close contact with their mothers.Now SARS has disappeared,and we return back to normal living again.Then,how can we do handle interpersonal distance in our everyday lives?
Studies show that interpersonal distance can be divided into 4 different types:intimate distance,personal distance,social distance,and public distance.
Intimate distance is the interpersonal distance of a person with the people closest to him or her.It ranges from 0 to 45 cm.When a stranger comes within this distance,a person will have strong negative reaction.In crowded buses,strangers usually maintain rigid poses and try to avoid body contact,but couples,lovers,children and their mothers usually lean close to each other.Intimates who aren’t able to live close together for a long time can become alienated.Also,touching is also very important.A contrast test shows that the nervous systems of babies who are often caressed by their mothers develop much faster and their weight increases faster,by 47%,than that of other babies.
Personal distance ranges from 45 cm to 1 m.People can converse genially at this distance without invading each other’s personal space.When friends and acquaintances meet on the street,they usually greet and converse at this distance.
Social distance generally ranges from 1 m to 3 m.Among this range,1-2 m is usually the distance in which people deal with private affairs in social activities.For example,when you get money from banks,in order to protect your privacy,other customers are required to stand at least 1 m away from you.2-3.5 m is a farther social distance.Business talks usually occur at this distance.Besides talking,proper eye contact is also indispensable.Otherwise,each side will feel disrespected.
Public distance is usually used in public gatherings.It generally ranges from 3.5 m to about 7 m.Beyond this range,people can’t communicate using a normal voice.In classrooms,experienced teachers usually leave their lecture platforms to enhance their teaching.
Under different cultural contexts,the interpersonal distance differs slightly,but its basic laws are the same.When conversing,people in love lean very close to each other,acquaintances lean closer than strangers,females lean closer than males,and extraverts lean closer than introverts.In life,harmonious interpersonal relationships are set upon proper interpersonal distances,and some conflicts start from improper interpersonal distances.According to the text,the strangers standing close to each other in a crowded bus may_________.
| A．try to keep a distance away | B．feel uneasy |
| C．feel nervous | D．be rude to each other |
The distance between a teacher and students in class belongs to _________.
A.intimate distance C.personal distance
C.social distance D.public distanceThe interpersonal distance between two people is mainly determined by _________.
| A．how familiar they are with each other | B．their relationship in a special activity |
| C．their characters | D．their cultural background |
To keep proper interpersonal distance is important because _________.
| A．it makes people feel respected or loved |
| B．it helps to protect privacy |
| C．wrong interpersonal distance may result in misunderstanding |
| D．improper interpersonal distance may hurt others |
Eleven-year-old Angela was stricken with a debilitating disease involving her nervous system.She was unable to walk and her movement was restricted in other ways as well.The doctors did not hold out much hope of her ever recovering from this illness.They predicted she’d spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.They said that few,if any,were able to come back to normal after contracting this disease.The little girl was undaunted.There,lying in her hospital bed,she would vow to anyone who’d listen that she was definitely going to be walking again someday.
She was transferred to a specialized hospital in the San Francisco Bay area.Whatever therapies could be applied to her case were used.The therapists were charmed by her undefeatable spirit.They taught her about imaging—about seeing herself walking.If it would do nothing else,it would at least give her hope and something positive to do in the long waking hours in her bed.Angela would work as hard as possible in physical therapy,in whirlpools and in exercise sessions.But she worked just as hard lying there faithfully doing her imaging;visualizing herself moving,moving,moving!
One day,as she was staining with all her might to imagine her legs moving again,it seemed as though a miracle happened:The bed moved!It began to move around the room!She screamed out,“Look what I’m doing!Look!Look!I can do it!I moved,I moved!”
Of course,at this very moment everyone else in the hospital was screaming,too,and running for cover.People were screaming,equipment was falling and glass was breaking.You see,it was the recent San Francisco earthquake.But don’t tell that to Angela.She’s convinced that she did it.And now only a few years later,she’s back in school. You see,anyone who can shake the earth between San Francisco and Oakland can conquer a piddling little disease,can’t they?The underlined word “undaunted” in the first paragraph can probably be replaced by _________.
| A．encouraged | B．not discouraged | C．losing heart | D．excited |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The girl got over her disease just by imagining. |
| B．It was because of her strong determination and constant efforts that she got walking again. |
| C．The girl was on top of the world when she moved the bed in her room. |
| D．Doctors believe imagining being healthy helps patients recover. |
By saying the last sentence in the last paragraph,the author means that_________.
| A．where there is a will,there is a way |
| B．a person who is strong enough to shake the earth can get over any disease |
| C．just as it is impossible for one to shake the earth,so it is to conquer a serious disease |
| D．though one can shake the earth,he can’t defeat a little disease |
What might be a good title for the text?
| A．Did The Earth Move For You? |
| B．A Miracle Made by a Young Girl |
| C．A Young Girl Conquered Disease |
| D．Strong Will Defeats Illness |
Interview With God
I dreamed I had an interview with God.“So you would like to interview me?”God asked.“If you have the time,”I said.“My time is eternity.”God smiled,“what questions do you have in mind for me?”“What surprises you most about humankind?”God answered,“That they get bored with childhood,they rush to grow up,and then long to be children again.That they lose their health to make money... and then lose their money to restore their health.That by thinking anxiously about the future,they forget the present,such that they live in neither the present nor the future.That they live as if they will never die,and die as though they had never lived.”God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.And then I asked,“As a parent,what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?To learn they cannot make anyone love them.All they can do is to let themselves be loved.To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love,and it can take many years to heal them.To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most,but is one who needs the least.To learn that there are people who love them dearly,but simply have not yet learned how to express or show their feelings.To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another,but they must also forgive themselves.”“Thank you for your time,”I said humbly.“Is there anything else you would like your children to know?”God smiled and said;“Just know that I am here always.”.In answering how many questions did God give “me” his opinion?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
To God’s eye,a rich man is one who _________.
| A．lives a simple life | B．is content with little |
| C．doesn’t want to be rich | D．gives others a lot |
Which of the following is best supported by the text?
| A．God does exist in the world. |
| B．He who loves others is sure to be loved by others. |
| C．When one makes a mistake,he should try to find an excuse to forgive himself. |
| D．It is easier to lost a friend than to make a friend. |
Doctors say anger can be an extremely damaging emotion,unless you learn how to deal with it.They warn that anger can lead to heart disease,stomach problems,headaches,emotional probems and possibly cancer.
Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time.Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way.Other burst with anger,and scream and yell(咆哮).But other people keep their anger inside.They can not or will not express it.This is called repressing anger.
For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person's health than expressing it.They said that when a person is angry,the brain releases the same hor-mones(荷尔蒙).They speed the heart rate,raise blood pressure,or sugar into the blood,etc.In general the person feels excited and ready to act.
Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous.They believe that those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease,and they believe that those who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
Doctors say the solution(解决办法) is learning how to deal with anger.They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger,then decide if the cause is serious enough to get angry about.If it is,they say,“Do not express your anger while angry.Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably.”
Doctors say that a good way to deal with anger is to find humor in the situation that has made you angry.They said that laughter is much healthier than anger.“Damaging emotion” means that _________.
| A．the emotion is harmless |
| B．the emotion is harmful |
| C．the feeling is very strong |
| D．the feeling is hard |
Expressing anger violently _________ repressing it according to some scientists.
| A．is just the same as |
| B．is more harmful than |
| C．is no better than |
| D．is much better than |
According to the author,you'd better _________.
| A．never be angry |
| B．cool it down before you express it |
| C．laugh and laugh when you get angry |
| D．admit you are wrong when you are angry |
It was four o'clock when we left Micatlan,and we traveled quickly until it became almost completely dark.It was our intention to return to our general quarters in Atlacomulco that night.We had a long journey ahead of us,especially because it had been decided there was no way we would try to cross the ravines again at night,since they were considered far too dangerous.Futhermore,an eclipse of the moon was expected,and,in fact,while we were crossing an open field,the moon appeared on the horizon,half in shadow,a rare and beautiful sight.
After a few hours of riding,we suddenly realized that we had lost our way,and worse still,had no way of finding it again.Night had fallen and there was not a single hut in sight,only great plains and mountains and the lowing of distant bulls all around us.We continued on ahead,trusting in luck,though it was difficult to say where she had brought us.By good fortune,our advance riders ran into two Indians,a man and a boy,who agreed to guide us their village and no further.
After an interminable and exhausting road,which we traveled at a brisk trot,the barking of several dogs announced an Indian village.In the dying light,we could just make out cane huts,firmly situated between the banana trees,with fenced gardens in front of each one.Our convoy stopped in front of one particular hut,a kind of inn or shop for alcohol,where a naked goblin-like figure,the ideal husband for a witch,was serving cheap brandy to the Indians,most of whom were already drunk.
We dismounted and threw ourselves to the ground,too tired to even think.Someone found us,God knows how,a cup of dreadful hot chocolate.We began to realize that we were completely lost,and so it was agreed to give up our attempt to reach Atlacomulco that night.Instead,we should head for the village of “E1 Puente”,where our guides know a Spanish family,made up of several unmarried brothers,who,without any doubt,would be delighted to offer us a safe refuge for the rest of the night.We remounted and began our journey,a little restored after the pause in our journey and the dreadful hot chocolate.Where did we travel to?
| A．El Puente. | B．The cane huts. | C．Atlacomulco. | D．An Indian Village. |
When we traveled at night_________.
| A．there was a good guide leading us |
| B．there was a full moon in the sky |
| C．we could hardly see anything |
| D．we could see everything around clearly |
When we lost our way we believed that_________.
| A．we should stay where we were for rescue |
| B．we should go on to seek after our fortune |
| C．we should go back where we started |
| D．we should ask the Indians for help |
When we reached the inn-like hut_________.
| A．someone served alcohol and hot chocolate at once |
| B．we had a good sleep |
| C．we had a good drink |
| D．we were too exhausted to ask for anything |
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