While many modern forms of communication like phone calls, e-mail, and letters, are extremely convenient. In my opinion, nothing beats speaking to another person face to face.
The first and most obvious advantage that a face communication has over a letter and e-mail is that there is the ability to interactively(相互作用地)converse. If the sender of a letter or an email does not write clearly, then much time must be spent to clear up the misunderstanding. In a face-to-face conversation, misunderstandings are easily dealt with because of the interactive nature of it.
I would still argue that the face-to-face conversation is better because you can see the other person. Not all communication is verbal(口头的); the meaning of much of what we say depends on our body language and the tone of voice. Joking and irony are particularly difficult to express and enjoy without seeing the expression on someone’s face, or watching the movements of their body.
Finally, if the goal of communication is to maintain or deepen the relationship(关系)with someone, the face-to-face communication offers the choice of communication by touch even if we could communicate by the video. Trust and respect between business partners can be established with a firm handshake. No amount of body language can convey the excitement of a high five between friends, and no number of words can communicate the comforting embrace of a loved one. Touch is the first basic method of our human relationships, before spoken language, and it is only available when people communicate face to face.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．How to communicate more effectively(有效率地) |
| B．The importance of using body language in communication |
| C．Face-to-face communication, the best way of communicating |
| D．Comparison(比较)of different communication forms |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．A letter or e-mail is always written unclearly. |
| B．Business partners can show trust through a firm handshake. |
| C．During a conversation, body language is also important. |
| D．The face-to-face conversation is a way of communication. |
Which of the following can communicate the feeling a loved one perfectly?
| A．letter | B．e-mail | C．phone | D．face to face communication |
The author’s attitude towards forms of communication is .
| A．Modern forms of communication like phone calls and e-mail are extremely convenient. |
| B．Traditional ways of communication are out of date and should fall into disuse. |
| C．Face-to-face communication can only be used among strangers. |
| D．Face-to-face communication has advantages over the other ways of communication. |
By the year 1869 when the first transcontinental railroad was finished, over 350,000 pioneers had taken the Oregon Trail to head west and start a new life, which is known as the Gold Rush Period in American history. Many of these were women and most were accompanied by children.
Before heading west, many women often spent their day doing nothing more than visiting, needlework, and the occasional gardening of flowers. Others were not from as wealthy families and had to work alongside their men as laborers. Neither type was in most cases prepared for the hardships that lay ahead. 
Once they did reach their destination, the work was far from over. A house would need to be built. Women quickly learned to use all kinds of tools right alongside their husbands. At the first sign of spring, a garden would need to be planted. Pioneer women also had to deal with dangerous wild animals, including bears and lions. Indians were also a concern, and some did fall to their deaths by the Indians’ hand. Where were the men when all this was being done? Working the fields and mining were the two most usual occupations. Their remaining work, which there was plenty of, fell to the women and the oldest children if there were any.
Women who headed west learned quickly that there was much more to life than teas and visiting. They had no choice but to struggle for survival. This was their life.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Changes in the Gold Rush Period. |
| B．New life in the West. |
| C．Great people in American history. |
| D．Pioneer women to the West. |
By mentioning women’s life before heading west in paragraph 2, the author implies (暗示) that .
| A．it was a real struggle for women to adapt to the hard life in the West |
| B．it was not reasonable for women to give up their comfortable life |
| C．it was a better choice for women to experience a new and hard life |
| D．it was necessary for women to change their lifestyle completely |
According to the passage, which was NOT the problem women faced when heading west?
| A．They had no choice but to throw away many of their beloved things. |
| B．They could not take their children along because of the hard journey. |
| C．It was common that they lost their husbands in some accidents. |
| D．They suffered from diseases or even lost their lives. |
Women were kept busy with all the following work EXCEPT _________.
| A．building a house |
| B．planting a garden |
| C．driving wild animals away |
| D．caring for the Indians |
In the car, I secretly had a look at him through the rearview mirror (后视镜). He looked sad. “What’s the matter, honey?”“I’m nervous. I don’t know if I’ll be able to learn everything in the first grade. What if I can’t pay attention in clas
s?”
My heart melted. I remembered being nervous on the first day of school and I thought I was the only student who felt that way. I was a nervous kid full of self-doubt. Seth behaved much better than I did.
We walked into his school together. He remembered where his new classroom was and recognized his teacher from the ice cream social party they had the day before. He sat down at his desk and chatted with a few of his classmates. He took a few photos of them (with a camera phone because I didn’t allow him to bring the real camera) and then he said in a very serious manner, “Mom, you can go home now. I’ll be OK.” And so he was.Seth asked his mother to take him to school probably because _______.
| A．he was afraid to be late for class |
| B．he wanted to share his joy with his mother |
| C．he felt worried about his school life |
| D．he was frightened of his new teacher |
What did the writer mean by saying “My heart melted” in Paragraph 4?
| A．She was very angry with her son. |
| B．She felt sad because of her son’s words. |
| C．She was too weak in the mind to face it. |
| D．She became more understanding of her son. |
From the last paragraph we learn that ________.
| A．Seth had never seen his new classroom |
| B．the ice cream social party was to be held soon |
| C．Seth got along well with his classmates |
| D．Seth took some photos using a real camera |
It can be inferred that in the end Seth felt ______.
| A．relaxed | B．frightened | C．serious | D．worried |
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life，one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have.
Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment．Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧，更新）with the friends，relatives and acquaintances we already have．
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there
any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is because you have gotten too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time．Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life．Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends，why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other hum
an beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities．Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you．
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them. The author mainly discusses _______________in this passage.
| A．how to spend our spare time |
| B．how to balance friendship and work |
| C．whether we should keep friendship |
| D．whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
| A．You feel depressed with others in life. |
| B．You have someone to have close talks with. |
| C．You have someone to count on when you are in trouble. |
| D．You have fun when you are with someone. |
What does the underlined word “delegated” (Para.7) probably mean?
| A．declined | B．answered | C．appointed | D．handled |
The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that________.
| A．you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life |
| B．you stick to doing everything all by yourself |
| C．you feel it difficult to keep friendship |
| D．you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．How to Make New Friends | B．Too busy for Friendship? |
| C．How to Spend Your Time | D．Too busy with work? |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
Th
e study also found the younger people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people with
out a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists
.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活
的),”he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is_____________.
| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．language can help brain power |
| C．man's ability of learning a second language |
| D．language learning and maths study |
In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to_____________.
| A．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C．to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
The underlined word “bilingual” probably means_____________.
| A．a researcher on language learning |
| B．an English native speaker |
| C．an active language learner |
| D．a person who can speak two languages |
We may know from the scientific findings that_____________.
| A．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain |
| D．the earlier you start to learn a second language the higher the grey matter density is |
In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that_____________.
A．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in stu dy other subjects |
| B．learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
| C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| D．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告)in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight----like tired guests at a party----waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pa
in whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
| A．Cheap and ugly things. | B．Things people no longer use. |
| C．Things out of season. | D．Things of great value. |
A white elephant refers to _________.
| A．something that can cause a feeling of pain |
| B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others |
| C．something sold at the lowest prices |
| D．a toy shaped like a fish |
Most people go to yard sales to________.
| A．find valuable paintings | B．look for something special |
| C．find a bargain | D．kill their time |
Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?
| A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold. |
| B．It can last for a whole day. |
| C．It is usually held with a party. |
| D．It is held outdoors. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.
| A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale |
B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income |
| C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot |
| D．most people don’t want to go to yard sales. |
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