How men first learned to invent words is unknown, in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters, we call words.
The power of words, then, lies in their association-the thing they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and the sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increase.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey （表达，传递）his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should, therefore, learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they make our speech silly and vulgar.（粗俗的）Which of the following about a real poet is NOT true?
| A．He is less than a master of words. |
| B．His style is always charming. |
| C．His poem can move men to tears. |
| D．He can express his ideas in words that sing like music. |
Where does the real power of the words come from?
| A．From the words themselves. |
| B．From their characteristics. |
| C．From their curiosity. |
| D．From their association. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The importance of choosing words. |
| B．Where the real power of words come from. |
| C．What great writers are like. |
| D．We should learn to choose words carefully. |
Ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? A group of time-challenged Canadian women are wishing for a 25-hour clock．
Jessie Behan，president of the 25th Hour Coalition(联盟)which is a group of Canadian women who have changed to a longer day，said the struggle for women to maintain work-1ife balance motivated her to research the body’s natural clock．“Many of my girlfriends are having kids，getting married，and I see the sufferings of dealing all that when you’re a working woman，”she said．“Women like myself are sick of living their lives by a 24-hour clock．”
A 2007 study by Charles Czeisler found a switch to longer days could be beneficial，especially for frequent travelers，shift workers，astronauts and those who experience trouble sleeping or waking．
In a similar study，Czeisler showed the body’s natural clock averages 24 hours and 11 minutes in both young and older people．The current 360-degree clock has 720 minutes，giving each minute 0．5 degree．With the new 25-hour day，30 minutes is added to each 12-hour period making each minute 0.48 degree．
While still a relatively small movement—the 25th Hour Coalition has 160 Facebook members，Behan is hoping for large changes．“The goal is to get as many women on board；there’s no harm in just trying it out and seeing．If it gets big，maybe the government will decide to standardize it．”
A recent online survey by Reader's Digest，which included 150 people in each of the 13 countries，suggests it's not just Canadians looking for longer days．Readers were asked“what would you do with an extra hour”if given a choice between sleep，work，exercise and family time．In Spain，half of respondents(被访者)said they’d like an extra hour in the day to devote to family time．The same was found for respondents in Brazil，the US and Britain，who chose family time over sleep，which came in at a close second．Only in India did work top the list with 50 percent of respondents claiming they could use an extra hour at the office．Some Canadian working women are campaigning for the 25-hour day in order to_______．
| A．have more chances at work |
| B．keep a balance between life and work |
| C．experience something new |
| D．have a better sleep |
Jessie Behan want more women to join the 25th Hour Coalition because she________．
| A．intends to make more Facebook friends |
| B．hopes to get benefits from more people |
| C．considers it is harmless to form such an organization |
| D．thinks it can help those women to realize their dreams |
What is implied in the last paragraph?
| A．Respondents from most nations want more family time． |
| B．Respondents from developed countries experience more stress． |
| C．Most Canadian respondents claim that they need more family time． |
| D．Indians are the most hardworking of the 13 nations． |
Economists have studied how markets work for a long time．Generally，they work well．But markets do not always perform as expected．Jean Tirole of France won the Nobel Prize in Economics for studying why markets are imperfect，or inefficient，and what governments can do to regulate them．
The Nobel prize committee announced the $1．1 million prize in Stockholm to Jean Tirole．Itcalled Mr．Tirole“one of the most influential economists of our time”．The organization said he had done important research in a number of areas．But it said，“most of all he has clarified how to understand and regulate industries with only a few powerful firms．”
Mr．Tiro1e works at the Toulouse School of Economics in Toulouse，France．He is 61 years old．For about 30 years，Mr．Tirole has researched periods when markets failed，that is，when they did not provide good results in price and competition．He looked at how a small number of large companies，or even a single company，can strongly influence industries. Banking and telecommunications were among the industries he studied．
The Nobel committee said that unregulated markets often produce socially undesirable results. They can result in higher prices or companies that use their market position to block others· The committee said it chose Mr．Timle because he thought about how best to regulate markets．For example，Tore Ellingsen，Chairman of the committee that awards the economics prize，says Mr·Tirole showed the need to develop better rules for the banking industry．This became urgent after the world financial crisis of 2008—2009．
The economics Drize is called the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alflred Nobel．Alfred Nobel did not establish the prize．It was first presented in 1969．The passage tells us that Jean Tirole______________.
| A．has studied the economics in Sweden |
| B．is the first to win the Nobel Prize in Economics |
| C．is highly praised by Chairman of the committee |
| D．has made regulations for large companies |
We can learn from the passage that___________________.
| A．Jean Tirole's research made the markets imperfect or inefficient |
| B．banking and telecommunications are strongly influential industries |
| C．the world financial crisis of 2008—2009 regulated the markets |
| D．Alfred Nobel was unwilling to establish economics prize |
The underlined word“undesirable”in Paragraph 4 can best be，replaced by_________.
| A．harmful | B．unbelievable |
| C．beneficial | D．convincing |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．The 1ife of Jean Tirole． |
| B．The research of Jean Tirole． |
| C．The history of Nobel Prize in Economics． |
| D．Jean Tirole Wins Nobel Economics Prize． |
Even the hardest days contain lessons that will help you be a better person．Feeling down? Consider these things to remember when you’re having a bad day．
No one promised life would be perfect．If you look for perfection，you’11 never be content．Don’t condition your happiness on meeting every expectation you set for yourself．It is good to be ambitious，but you’11 never be perfect．If you expect otherwise，your life will be filled with disappointments．
Success doesn’t happen overnight．Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit．Don’t kid yourself into thinking success will come quickly．It isn’t easy to be patient，but anything worth doing requires time．If you get frustrated，remind yourself why your goal is important．
There is a lesson in every struggle．And once the storm is over，you won’t remember how you made it through or how you managed to survive．But one thing is certain．When you come out of the storm．you won’t be the same person who walked in．That’s what this storm’s all about．Don’t complain about how terrible your life is．If you search for the lesson in your present struggle，you’11 be able to make positive changes that would prevent similar situations in the future．
Without hard times，you wouldn’t appreciate the good ones．Strength does not come from winning．Your struggles develop your strengths．When you go through hardships and decide not to give in，that is strength．It is hard to find much to smile about when you fail，but how else would you improve yourself? If you look at failure as a part of your evolutionary process，you’11 stay positive and pursue your goals for as long as it takes．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
| A．Every person has to go through hard times |
| B．We can learn a lot from our struggles |
| C．We should accept the fact that life is not perfect |
| D．Things to remember when you are having a bad day |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Success will come quickly． |
| B．Hard work leads to success． |
| C．Success calls for patience． |
| D．Confidence is the first step to success. |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that____________．
| A．1essons from struggles make us stronger |
| B．all things are difficult before they are easy |
| C．we should forget how we managed to survive |
| D．similar situations in the future will never appear |
What can we infer from Paragraph 5?
| A．Hard times make us lose heart and be short of courage. |
| B．Perseverance in time of hardships develops our strengths． |
| C．Smiles when you fail will not help to improve yourself． |
| D．We should try to avoid failures in the evolutionary process. |
Using a computer or smartphone at night can cause us to pile on the pounds，new research has revealed．
The study found a link between blue light exposure(blue light is produced by smartphones and computers)and increased hunger．It found that exposure to blue light increases hunger levels for several hours and even increases hunger levels after eating a meal．Blue light exposure has also already been shown to cause decreased sleepiness in the evening，increasing the risk of sleeplessness．
The leading researcher，Ivy Cheung，from Northwestern University in Chicago，said，“A single three-hour exposure to blue-enriched light in the evening greatly affected hunger and metabolism(新陈代谢)．These results are important because they suggest that controlling environmental light exposure for humans may represent a novel approach of influencing food intake patterns and metabolism．”
The study group consisted of 10 healthy adults with regular sleep and eating schedules. They completed a four-day trial under dim(昏暗的)light conditions，which involved exposure to less than 20 lux(勒克斯，照明单位)during 16 hours awake and less than 3 lux during eight hours of sleep．On the third day they were exposed to three hours of 260 lux，blue-enriched light starting10.5 hours after waking up．and the effects were compared with dim light exposure.
Ivy Cheung said more research is needed to determine the functions involved in the relationship between light exposure，hunger and metabolism．What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．How blue light exposure affects hunger． |
| B．Why blue light exposure influences sleepiness． |
| C．What is the link between blue light exposure，hunger and sleepiness． |
| D．Who has found the effects of blue light exposure on hunger and sleepiness． |
The underlined word“novel”in the third paragraph probably means“___________”.
| A．unusual | B．unforgettable |
| C．temporary | D．controversial |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Blue light exposure can make us lose weight at night． |
| B．Blue light exposure has no effect on sleeplessness． |
| C．The researchers drew their conclusion by comparison． |
| D．Ivy Cheung has found the relationship between light exposure and hunger． |
Where would you be most likely to find the passage?
| A．On a notice board． | B．In a health magazine． |
| C．On a business website． | D．In a college newspaper． |
A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself，and your other writing．It can unshroud your knowledge，and create an ongoing relationship with your readers．A good blog is more than just a marketing tool；it’s also an expression of your personality．
An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more．Post elections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak．If you write nonfiction(写实文学)，show people what they can achieve，and give them a few steps to get them started．
Give tips，information and advice about the subjects you cover．For example，something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this．Your writing tips can also be included，as well as interesting，strange or funny things you discovered during your research．Whenever you contact an expert，ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use．You may also give background information about your stories and locations
Give details of coming posts on your blog，so people can watch out for you，or come and meet you．Personal news will help people feel better connected to you．Include photos of objects and locations in your writing，famous people you meet，the views from your window， and your favorite things—with a note about where they come from and what they mean to you．Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better，know the subject better，or anything else you think they might find useful，inspiring or entertaining．
If you only occasionally post things on your blog，people have a tendency to forget you．As a writer you shouldn’t ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with——and your readers will love you for it．Which is the best title for the text?
| A．What to Blog about? | B．How to Start a Blog? |
| C．Why to Launch a Blog? | D．How to Make Website Attractive? |
The underlined word “unshroud” in the first paragraph means_________．
| A．put on | B．turn up |
| C．show off | D．write down |
Personal news on your blog_______________．
| A．can make people watch out for you |
| B．can make people easily get in touch with you |
| C．helps to leave your privacy known |
| D．helps you improve your writing |
What does the author suggest for keeping a blog?
| A．Posting things on your blog once in a while. |
| B．Adding new stories to it every day． |
| C．Filling it with attractive things frequently． |
| D．Loving it as your life． |
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