People think that writing short stories is easy because they are short. But in fact they are hard to write well. There are only a few writers of good short stories and the American writer O. Henry is one of them.
His real name was William Sydney Porter and he grew up in North Carolina. He was not very successful at school but he loved reading. When he was about twenty years old he left North Carolina and moved to Texas. He thought there would be more opportunities for work there. At first he worked on a newspaper but as this did not provide enough money he changed his job. He decided to work in a bank. All went well until some money went missing. William was believed to have stolen it and was sent to prison. Although this was a horrible experience it helped in one way because he realized that he could write well. William began writing short stories and O. Henry was born! When he left prison he began writing as a career and published many of his stories. They were mostly about the people that he met or he knew in New York and they had interesting or surprising endings. People enjoyed reading them. His life, however, was not a happy one. He drank too much and died in 1910 in New York but he left behind stories that are still read and enjoyed by millions of people. In which order did O. Henry do the following things?
a. Lived in New York. b. Worked in a bank.
c. Travelled to Texas. d. Was put in prison.
e. Had a newspaper job. f. Learned to write stories.
| A．e, c, f, b, d, a | B．c, e, b, d, f, a |
| C．e, b, d, c, a, f | D．c, b, e, d, a, f |
People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because .
| A．they had surprise endings |
| B．they were easy to understand |
| C．they showed his love for the poor |
| D．they were about New York City |
O. Henry went to prison because .
| A．people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper |
| B．he broke the law by using violence |
| C．he wanted to write stories about prisoners |
| D．people thought he had taken money that was not his |
What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?
| A．He was well-educated. | B．He was not serious about his work. |
| C．He was devoted to the poor. | D．He loved reading. |
Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories?
| A．His life inside the prison. |
| B．The newspaper articles he wrote. |
| C．The city and people of New York. |
| D．His exciting early life as a boy. |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, 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’s 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．In fact, 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, solve problems, and calm ourselves down．Be aware, 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 clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”
Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have．But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others．For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange．And th
e clerk will probably respond in a similar manner．Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．
Words possess power because of their lasting effect．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 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 motivate 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 main idea of the first paragraph is that ________．
| A．not sticks and stones but words will hurt us |
| B．inspiring words give us confidence |
| C．negative words may let us down |
| D．words have a lasting effect on us |
There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______
| A．almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves |
| B．we can benefit from talking to ourselves |
| C．talking to ourselves always gives us courage |
| D．it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone |
The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______ ．
| A．praise ourselves | B．remind ourselves |
| C．make ourselves relaxed | D．give our selves amusement |
The author would probably hold the view that ___________
| A．encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers |
| B．negative words may encourage us to make more progress |
| C．people tend to remember friendly words |
| D．it is better to think twice before talking to others |
In so many ways, cyberspace（网络空间） mirrors the real world．People ask for information, play games, and share hobby tips．Others buy and sell products．Still others look for friendship, or even love．
Some Internet users want more than just someone to chat with．They’re looking for serious love relationships．Is cyberspace a good place to find love? That answer depends on whom you ask．Some of these relationships actually succeed．Others end in tears．
Unlike the real world, however, your knowledge about a person is limited to words on a computer
screen．Identity and appearance mean very little in cyberspace．Rather, a person’s thoughts or at least the thoughts they type are what really counts．So even the shyest person can become a chat-room star．
Usually, this “faceless” communication doesn’t create problems．Identity doesn’t really matter when you’re in a chat-room discussing politics or hobbies．In fact, this emphasis on the ideas themselves makes the Internet a great place for exciting conversation．Where else can so many people come together to chat?
Suppo
rters of online relationships claim that the Internet allows couples to know how intelligent they are first．Personal appearance doesn’t get in the way．
But critics（批评者）of online relationships argue that no one can truly know another person in cyberspace．Why? Because the Internet gives users a lot of control over how others view them．Internet users can carefully choose their words to fit whatever image they want to give．And they don’t have to worry about what their “non-verbal ” communication is doing for their image．In a sense, they’re not really themselves．All of this may be fine if the relationship stays in cyberspace．But not knowing a person is a big problem in a love relationship．With so many unknowns, it’s easy to let one’s imagination “fill in the blanks”．This surely leads to disappointment when couples meet in person．How someone imagines an online friend is often quite different from the real person．
So, before looking for love in cyberspace, remember the advice of Internet pioneer Clifford Stoll, “Life in the real world is far richer than anything you’ll find on a computer screen．”Which would the critics of online relationships most probably disagree to?
| A．Nobody can truly know another person in cyberspace． |
| B．Internet users can choose words to create any image they like． |
| C．The Internet allows couples know how intelligent they are． |
| D．In a sense, Internet users are not really themselves． |
Even the shyest person can become a chat-room star because what really counts is a person’s ______．
| A．non-verbal communication | B．thoughts typed on the screen |
| C．knowledge and appearance | D．identity shown in the chat |
The underlined word “This” （Paragraph 6） refers to ______．
| A．having exciting conversations online |
| B．forming personal relationship in cyberspace |
| C．imagining online friends with so many unknowns |
| D．knowing a person in a love relationship |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards finding love in cyberspace?
| A．Positive | B．Negative | C．Interested | D．Disinterested |
College libraries are designed primarily for research and study．To explain its use, let us choose a research topic and follow the step-by-step procedure of looking up the material for the paper．
Suppose your assignment is to write a paper on a novel called “The Sun Also Rises” by American writer Hemingway．The first step is to go to the main catalog．Many small drawers on the large wooden cabinets are lined up in alphabetical（字母的） order．Each of the drawers contains hundreds of alphabetical ordered cards．These cards are printed ref
erences to all material available in the library．Title cards are cataloged （为…编目录） by the firs
t word of the book title, leaving out the articles like “a”, “an” and “the”．And then you get the cards for the books you need．On the upper left corner of each card is the call number．This is the numerical code that shows where the book is located in the library．The library has open and closed stacks．If your book is on the open stacks, you can go to the open-stack room, and according to the call number find it out by yourself．There are only about 30,000 books on open stacks, while most of the 800,000 books in our library are kept in closed stacks, which are accessible only to teachers and graduate students．
For undergraduates like you, borrowing books from the closed stacks have to be done with the help of our librarian．In that case, you must fill out a call slip（纸条） for the book, showing the call number, author and title．You can get call slips on tables near the catalog cabinets．You show your call slip together with your library card to a librarian at the information desk．He or she will help you find the book out in the closed stacks．What is the main purpose of this text?
| A．To present readers a brief introduction to a college library． |
| B．To guide readers how to find books needed in a college library． |
| C．To tell readers how to fill out a call slip in a college library． |
| D．To show readers where to find books in a college library． |
What letter you should look for on the title card for the book “The Old Man and the Sea” by the Hemingway?
| A．The letter “t”． | B．The letter “h”． | C．The letter “s”． | D．The letter “o”． |
How are books arranged and shelved in the library?
| A．By call numbers． | B．By call slips of authors’ names． |
| C．In alphabetical order． | D．By the first word of book title． |
Supp
ose you are an undergraduate and you want to borrow a book from the closed stacks, which is the correct order to do it?
a．go to the main catalog b．show your call slip and library card
c．find out the call number d．fill out a call slip
e．get the cards for 
the books
| A．a-b-e-d-c | B．a-e-c-d-b |
| C．b-a-c-d-e | D．b-c-a-e-d |
The Chinese word “Shanzhai” means a small mountain village, but now it becomes an accepted name for fakes （假货） after “Shanzhai Cellphones” produced by small workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years．
Besides “Shanzhai” has electronic products, there are “Shanzhai” movies, “Shanzhai” stars and even a “Shanzhai” Spring Festival Gala, a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve．
“Shanzhai” has become a culture of its own, symbolizing anything that imitates something famous．The phenomenon has caused a public debate over whether it is healthy or sick being a copycat．
In southwestern China’s Chongqing Municipality, a “Shanzhai” version “Bird’s Nest” woven by farmers with bamboo attracts wide attention and the “Shanzhai” version “Water Cube” is popular with tourists too．Both are copies of the famous Olympics buildings in Beijing．
Xie Xizhang, a literature critic, said that taking the “Shanzhai” Gala as an example, when the traditiona
l CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the “Shanzhai” version appears naturally to attract people．“In spite of its poor techniques and operation, ‘Shanzhai’culture meets the psychological demands of common people and could be a comfort to their minds,” Xie said．
Tian Huiqun, a professor at Beijing Normal University, said that “Shanzhai” culture never copies classic things, only trendy products．In that sense, it’s like a computer virus, multiplying without meaning．
Though controversial, “Shanzhai” culture is becoming a widely accepted phenomenon．
To the mainstream culture, the rise of “Shanzhai” culture is a challenge as well as a motivation, said Xie．Tian said different kinds of cultures developing together is an ideal situation and it is for the public to choose．The Chinese Word“Shanzhai”may have its origin in _________．
| A．fake cellphones | B．electronic products |
| C．Spring Festival Gala | D．Olympics buildings |
The underlined word “imitates” is closest in meaning to _______．
| A．steals | B．copies | C．advertises | D．cheats |
According to the passage, “Shanzhai” culture refers to ________．
| A．The action that a person imitates famous people |
| B．anything that imitates something famous |
| C．those similar names to famous brand |
| D．products with poor techniques and quality |
We can infer that the mainstream culture ________．
| A．will be held back by “Shanzhai” culture |
| B．will sooner or later be replaced by “Shanzhai”culture |
| C．may develop faster because of the challenging of “Shanzhai”culture |
| D．thinks nothing of the challenge of “Shanzhai”culture |
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling．Recycling in the home is very important of course．However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need．We are dealing with the results of that over–consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place．
The total amount of packaging has increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005．It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK．In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard．
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment．The UK, for example, is running out of it for burying this unnecessary waste．If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect．Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy．The solution is not to produce such items in the first place．Food waste is a serious problem, too．Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need．However, few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example．
But this is not just about supermarkets．It is about all of us．We have learned to associate packaging with quality．We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality．This is especially true of food．But it is also applied to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary．
There are signs of hope．As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how much unnecessary materials are collected．We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb．What does the underlined phrase “that over-consumption” refer to?
| A．Using too much packaging． |
| B．Recycling too many wastes． |
| C．Making more products than necessary． |
| D．Having more material than is needed． |
The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show ___________．
| A．the tendency of cutting household waste |
| B．the increase of packaging recycling |
| C．the rapid growth of supermarkets |
| D．the fact of packaging overuse |
According to the text, recycling ___________．
| A．helps control the greenhouse effect |
| B．means burning packaging for energy |
| C．is the solution to gas shortage |
| D．leads to a waste of land |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality． |
| B．Supermarkets care more about packaging． |
| C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging． |
| D．Other products are better packaged than food． |
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