A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone may break my bon
es, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves – the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. But we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solves problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clea
n your room, join me in saying, “Good job!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motive others to do their best. Negative words destroy 
all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.The author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
| A．words will never hurt us at all |
| B．words have lasting effects on us |
| C．positive effects last longer than negative effects |
| D．negative words last longer than positive effects |
Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
A．Almost everybody has the habi t of talking to oneself. |
| B．It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone. |
| C．Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems. |
| D．Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health. |
The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _________.
| A．blame ourselves | B．punish ourselves | C．praise ourselves | D．talk to ourselves |
Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
| A．It is better to think twice before talking to others. |
| B．It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten. |
| C．Words always possess long positive effects. |
| D．Kind words are sometimes not needed at all. |
Ambassador Hotel：
Welcome to the Ambassador Hotel. To make your stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities to the full.
Dining Room
Breakfast is served in the dining mom from 8 a. m. to 9: 30 a.m. Alternatively, the room staff will bring a breakfast tray to your room at any time after 7 a.m. In this case, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door when you go to bed.
Lunch: 12:00a.m. to2:30p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 p.
m. to 9:00 p.m.
Room Service
This operates 24 hours a day; phone the Reception Desk(前台), and your message will be passed on to the room staff.
Telephones
To make a phone call, dial 0 for Reception and ask to be connected. We apologize for delays in putti
ng calls through when the staffs are very busy. There are also public telephone booths near the Reception Desk. Early calls should be booked with Reception.
Laundry
We have a laundry in the hotel, and will wash iron and return your clothes within 24 hours. Ask the room staff to collect them.
Bar
The hotel bar is open from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.You would see this notice _________ .
| A．in a hotel bar |
| B．in a hotel dining room |
| C．in a bedroom of a large international hotel |
| D．at the entrance of a small family hotel |
What should you do if you have arrived to stay at the hotel at 2 a.m. and want something to eat?
| A．Go to the hotel shop. | B．Go to the hotel bar. |
| C．Hang a message outside your door. | D．Phone the Reception Desk. |
What should you do when you come back to the hotel to make an important call and see a lot of people around the Reception desk?
| A．Go to your room and phone from there. |
| B．Ask at the Reception Desk. |
| C．Use one of the telephones in the entrance hall. |
| D．Go out again and look for a public phone box |
What do you think a room staff’s last job is before he goes off duty at 6 p.m.?
| A．Lay the tables in the dining room. |
| B．Check the bedroom doors. |
| C．Start preparing the breakfast. |
| D．Wake any of the guests who have asked for early calls. |
Students who say they never or hardly ever used dictionaries may speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dict
ionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. Therefore they do not have time to read much. Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give only one or two words as translations of English. But one English word often has many translations in a foreign language and one foreign word has many translations in English.
The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them too often. When they are reading, these students first try to get the general idea and understand new words from the context. Then they reread and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. If they are not sure how to spell a word, they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check this in a dictionary.The writer thinks that .
| A．choose a good dictionary, and you’ll be successful in learning English |
| B．dictionaries are not necessary to the students who learn English |
| C．it is very important for students to use good dictionaries properly |
| D．using dictionaries very often can’t help to improve writing |
According to the passa
ge, which of the following is WRONG?
| A．Dictionaries have little effect on learning to speak English. |
| B．Whatever new words you meet while reading, never use dictionaries. |
C．Small two-language dicti onaries have serious shortcomings. |
| D．Reading something for the first time, you’d better not use dictionaries. |
When in the reading does the writer advise studen
ts to use a good dictionary?
| A．At the beginning of the reading |
| B．At the end of the reading |
| C．During the first reading |
| D．After the first reading |
This passage mainly tells us .
| A．that students shouldn’t use small two-language dictionaries |
| B．what were the shortcomings of small two-language dictionaries |
| C．why students should use large college edition dictionaries |
| D．what dictionary students should choose and how to use it |
Hans was an honest fellow with a funny round good-humored face. Living alone, every day he worked in his garden. In all the countryside there was no garden so lovely as his. All sorts of flowers grew there, blooming in their proper order as the months went by, one flower taking another flower’s place, so that there were always beautiful things to see, and pleasant odors to smell.
Hans had many friends, the most devoted being the Miller. So devoted was the rich Miller to Hans that he’d never go by his garden without plucking a large bunch of flowers or a handful of sweet herbs, or filling his pockets with fruits. The Miller used to talk about noble ideas, and Hans nodded and smiled, feeling proud of having such a friend.
The neighbors thought it strange that the rich Miller never gave Hans anything in return, though he had hundreds of sacks of flour, many cows and sheep, but Hans never troubled his head about these, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to all the wonderful things about the unselfishness of true friendship.
In spring, summer, and autumn Hans was very happy, but when winter came, and he had no fruit or flowers to sell, he suffered from cold and hunger. Though extremely lonely, the Miller never came to see him then.
“There’s no good in going to see Hans while the snow lasts.” The Miller said to his wife, “When people are in trouble they shouldn’t be bothered. So I’ll wait till the spring comes when he’s happy to give me flowers.”
“You’re certainly very thoughtful,” answered his wife, “It’s quite a treat to hear you talk about friendship.”
“Couldn’t we ask Hans up here?” said their son. “I’ll give him half my meal, and show him my white rabbits.”
“How silly you are!” cried the Miller. “I really don’t know what’s the use of sending you to school. If Hans came up here, and saw our warm fire, our good supper, and our red wine, he might get envious, and envy is a most terrible thing, and would spoil anybody’s nature. I am his best friend, and I’ll always watch over him, and
see that he’s not led into any temptation. Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me for some flour. Flour is one thing, and friendship is another, and they shouldn’t be confused. The words are spelt differently, and mean quite different things. Everybody can see that.” He looked seriously at his son, who felt so ashamed that he hung his head down, and grew quite scared, and began to cry into his tea.
Spring coming, the Miller went down to see Hans. Again he talked about friendship. “Hans, friendship never forgets. I’m afraid you don’t understand the poetry of life. See, how lovely your roses are!”
Hans said he wanted to sell them in the market to buy back his things which were sold during the hard time of the winter.
“I’ll give you many good things. I think being gen
erous is the base of friendship.” said the Miller. “And now, as I’ll give you many good things, I’m sure you’d like to give me some flowers in return. Here’s the basket, and fill it quite full.”
Poor Hans was afraid to say anything. He ran and plucked all his pretty roses, and filled the Miller’s basket, imagining the many good things promised by the Miller.
The next day he heard the Miller calling: “Hans, would you mind carrying this sack of flour for me to market?”
“I’m sorry, but I am really very busy today.”
“Well,” said the Miller, “considering that I’m going to give you my things, it’s rather unfriendly of you to refuse. Upon my word, you mustn’t mind my speaking quite plainly to you.”
Poor Hans was driven by his friendship theory to work hard for his best friend, leaving his garden dry and wasted.
One evening Hans was sitting by fire when the Miller came.
“Hans,” cried the Miller, “My little boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I’m going for the Doctor. But he lives so far away, and it’s such a bad windy night. It has just occurred to me that you can go instead of me. You know I’m going to give you my good things, so you should do something for me in return.”
“Certainly,” cried Hans. He struggled into the stormy night, and got the docto
r to ride a horse to the Miller’s house in time to save the boy. However, Hans got lost in the darkness, and wandered off into a deep pool, drowned.
At Hans’ funeral, the Miller said, “I was his best friend. I should walk at the head of the procession.” Every now and then he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief. From the passage, we can learn that Hans ___________.
| A．was extremely wise and noble |
| B．was highly valued by the Miller |
| C．admired the Miller very much |
| D．had a strong desire for fortune |
“Flour is one thing, and friendship is another” can be understood as ___________.
| A．“Different words may mean quite different things.” |
| B．“Interest is permanent while friendship is flexible.” |
| C．“I’m afraid you don’t understand the poetry of life.” |
| D．“I think being generous is the base of friendship.” |
From the Miller’s talk at home, we can see he was ___________.
| A．serious but kind |
| B．helpful and generous |
| C．caring but strict |
| D．selfish and cold-hearted |
What’s the main cause of Hans’ tragedy?
| A．True friendship between them. |
| B．A lack of formal education. |
| C．A sudden change of weather. |
| D．Blind devotion to a friend. |
The author described the Miller’s behavior in order to ___________.
| A．entertain the readers with an incredible joking tale |
| B．show the friendship between Hans and the Miller |
| C．warn the readers about the danger of a false friend |
| D．persuade people to be as intelligent as the Miller |
The new studies show that fewer than half of the 9th graders in many of the nation’s largest cities, can ever graduate. The studies clearly show that the dropout rate isn’t dropping. And, in particular, the dropout rate isn’t dropping for poor and minority students.
Amazingly, though so many regret the rising dropout rate, our schools continue to lack formal plans--or any plans--to teach students motivation(动机). Most schools have no game plan to ensure that students understand that schooling will be completely necessary. Schools expect youth and children to act as though schooling is important, but they never teach them to believe that.
Years ago, families ensured that the children recognized the value of schooling. But in many modern families, the children may fail to recognize the importance of school life just because these families may actually tell their children that school is not important. Since many families are not motivating their children to be interested students, youth professionals, like teachers may need to provide this training. Otherwise, it is likely the dropout rate will continue not to drop, but only worsen.
Here are some strategies to convince even the most apathetic (无动于衷的) students that they must stay in school.
Ask students if they will ever need to work: The world has changed. 100 years ago, factory work was the booming job, and it required no education. Today, factories are increasingly automated. Most computer-related jobs require education and at least a high school diploma.
Ask students which century they will be prepared for: In 1900, the most common jobs were farm laborer and domestic servant—education not needed. Now, the most common jobs are office and sales staff—education and diploma usually needed. An amazing 6 out of 10 people today work in a store or office.
Ask students to devise a way that the employee could be replaced. For example, the coming trend in fast food is to use computers rather than people to run the restaurant. A prototype is apparently already being tested. The students should discover that most jobs that lack education and diploma requirements may be ripe for automation. What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph1?
| A．Few students can afford to go to school in large cities. |
| B．A large number of the 9th graders can graduate now. |
| C．There are still quite a few 9th graders leaving school early. |
| D．Most schools in large cities have fewer and fewer students. |
Without the help of youth professionals,_____.
| A．more and more families will gradually recognize the value of school. |
| B．it is likely that the dropout rate in schools won’t continue to drop. |
| C．some parents will be more convinced of their children’s future. |
| D．the schools will make proper plans to solve the problems with dropout. |
The author takes factory work for example mainly to ______.
| A．tell us that many jobs requires certain education in the past |
| B．show that there are more factory work and employment in modern society |
| C．show that employment in the computer field grows at a high rate |
D．emphasize that modern jobs require education and schools ar e necessary |
It can be inferred that______.
| A．both schools and families should answer for the high dropout rate |
| B．many new jobs don’t need children’s high school diploma |
| C．working in a store doesn’t require a high school diploma |
| D．most schools are ready to help students recognize the importance of study |
If students play the “Replace Me” game, the result would be “______”.
| A．They will know that they can ‘always’ do without a diploma |
| B．More of them will drop out early to go to work |
| C．They will discover that lack of education is a disadvantage in choosing jobs |
| D．They will become better at using computers to hunt for a job |
Today, there’s hardly an aspect of our life that isn’t being upended by the tons of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail. “If the automobile and aerospace technology had exploded at the same pace as computer and information technology,” says Microsoft, “a new car would cost about $ 2 and go 600 miles on a small quantity of gas. And you could buy a Boeing 747 for the cost of a pizza.”
Probably the biggest payoff, however, is the billions of dollars the Internet is saving companies in producing goods and serving for the needs of their customers. Nothing like it has been seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when power-driven machines began producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year. “We view the growth of the Internet and e-commerce as a global trend,” says Merrill Lynch, “along the lines of printing press, the telephone, the computer, and electricity.”
You would be hard pressed to name something that isn’t available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, construction materials, baby clothes, stocks, cattle feed, music, electronics, antiques, tools, real estate, toys, autographs of famous people, wine and airline tickets. And even after you’ve moved on to your final resting place, there’s no reason those you love can’t keep in touch. A company called FinalThoughts.com offers a place for you to store “afterlife e-mails” you can send to Heaven with the help of a “guardian angel”.
Kids today are so computer literate that it in fact ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable future. Nearly all children in families with incomes of more than $75,000 a year have home computers, according to a study by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Youngsters from ages 2 to 17 at all income levels have computers, with 52% of those connected to the Internet. Most kids use computers to play games (some for 30 hours or more a week), and many teenage girls think nothing of rushing home from school to have e-mail chats with friends they have just left.
What’s clear is that, whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever growing part of our lives and there is no turning back. “The Internet is just 20% invented,” says cyber pioneer Jake W
inebaum. “The last 80% is happening now.”What can we learn from the Microsoft’s remark?
| A．Today’s cars and airplanes are extremely overpriced. |
| B．Information technology is developing at an amazing speed. |
| C．Information technology has reached the point where improvement is difficult. |
| D．There’s more competition in information technology industry than in car industry. |
According to the author, the biggest benefit of the Internet is that___.
| A．it saves companies huge amounts of money |
| B．it speeds up profit making |
| C．it brings people incredible convenience |
| D．it provides easy access to information |
The author gives the example of FinalThoughts.com to make the point that____.
| A．there are some genius ideas on the Internet |
| B．almost anything is available on the Internet |
| C．people can find good bargains on the Internet |
| D．people are free to do anything on the Internet |
What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?
A．There is a link b etween income and computer ownership. |
| B．Many American children don’t put computers to good use. |
| C．Studies show that boys are more computer literate than girls. |
| D．The U.S. will stay ahead in the information technology in years. |
Which sentence has the phrase that has the same meaning as the one underlined in the fifth paragraph?
| A．Some can tell you that he has changed their lives, while others think nothing of him. |
| B．Think nothing of it. It was my pleasure. |
| C．He thinks nothing of staying up all night in the Café bar. |
| D．He thinks nothing of the pain in his back for the moment. |
What is the message the author intends to convey?
| A．The Internet is going to get firm hold of our lives some day. |
| B．The Internet is going to influence our lives even more greatly. |
| C．We should have a positive attitude towards the changes the Internet brings. |
| D．Children should be well prepared for the challenges in the information age. |
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