Dear Carol,
I wear braces (牙箍) and I know I look just terrible in them. Is there anything I can do to improve my appearance until they come off?
Connie N.
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Connie,
Start by thinking about how good you are going to look when your braces come off. If you are negative（负面的）about your appearance, people will pick that up right away about you. In the meantime there are several things that you can do to lift your spirits:
Change your hairstyle. Be sure to get a good cut so that the shape of your hair will be flattering to your face and also good for your type of hair (fine, thick, straight, curly, etc.) Choose a hairstyle that draws attention away from your face. Hair pulled back into a pony-tail or into a ball on top or slightly off-center can be attractive and practical for this purpose.
Keep skin clean. If you choose to wear makeup(化妆品), it should look natural. Blusher(腮红) and lip gloss(润唇膏) in light tones of peach or pink are best.
Be well-groomed(打扮). Neatness really counts. People see a total look about you before they ever become aware of your braces. And first impressions are lasting ones!Why did Connie write to Carol?
| A．Because she really cared about her clothes. |
| B．Because she cared much about her appearance. |
| C．Because her teeth were not good. |
| D．Because she didn’t know how to make up. |
Carol’s idea about one’s appearance is that _________.
| A．change your hairstyle and you will look beautiful |
| B．keep your skin clean and you will look good |
| C．neatness really counts |
| D．if you yourself don’t think you look smart, neither will people |
Carol tries to let Connie know that __________.
| A．the deepest impressions one leaves on others is the first ones |
| B．spirits are important when we talk about one’s appearance |
| C．there are some practical ways to draw people’s attention away from where you don’t feel good |
| D．all of the above |
The underlined word “count” means “_________” in the last paragraph.
| A．say numbers in order | B．be important |
| C．not include | D．be accepted |
Sometimes you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible． However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse （冲动 ）, but let it pass instead． You know that to take the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior．
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time． Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting that it was a taboo to even talk about them． Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject．
One of the newest taboos is the topic of fat． Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that people talk about constantly． It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat． The "in" look is thin, not fat． In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, slim manager to sell their image as well as their products to the public． The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success． The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline and self-respect． After all, how can people permit themselves to become fat? In an image-consciOU6 society, thin is "in", fat is "out"．
It's not surprising that millions of people have become obsessed（着迷） with staying slim and "in shape"．The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for people's obsession with diet and exercise． Recent research has shown the importance of diet and exercise for personal health ． As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of people has changed since last century． Modern machines do all the physical labor． Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point．As a result of inactivity and disuse, people's bodies can easily become weak． In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of people are spending more of their time exercising．Parks are filled with joggers and bicyclists, and many companies are providing special exercise equipment for their employees to use during the work day．What does the word "taboo" refer to in the passage'?
| A．A crime committed on impulse ． |
| B．An unfavorable impression left on other people． |
| C．A strong desire to do something strange or terrible． |
| D．A behavior considered unacceptable to the society． |
What does the underlined phrase "in" look in paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．The fashionable look． | B．The hidden look． |
| C．The usual look． | D．The inside look． |
According to the passage, the common belief is that ．
| A．fat people are full of energy | B．thin people are more successful |
| C．fat people prefer to have fat bosses | D．thin people are less image-conscious |
People pay more attention to diet and exercise because of ,
| A．their need to kill time | B．their love for sports |
| C．their concern for health | D．their belief in hard work |
What's the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To advertise． | B．To inform |
| C．To educate． | D．To compare |
Joe Temper should have known better． After all, he works for a large auto insurance company． It won't hurt to leave the key in the truck this once, he thought, as he filled his gas tank at a self-service gas station． But minutes later, as he was paying the money, he saw the truck being driven away．
In 2010, 1．6 million motor vehicles were stolen in the United States —one every 20 seconds． If present trends continue, experts predict vehicle thefts （盗窃） could be over two million every year by the end of the decade．
Vehicle theft is a common phenomenon, which has a direct effect on over four million people a year． The cost is astonishing．
Many police officials blame professional thieves for the large number of the thefts． It is a major moneymaker for organized crime． Typically, stolen cars are taken to pieces and the parts sold to individuals． But as many as 200,000 cars are smuggled （走私） out of the country every year． Most go to Latin America, the Middle East and Europe．
Only about 15 percent car thefts result in an arrest, because few police departments specially conduct in depth auto investigations． When thieves are arrested, judges will often sentence them to probation （缓刑）, not immediately put them in prison because the prisons are overcrowded with violent criminals．
One exception is a Michigan program that calls for 92 police officers to work full time on the state's 65,000 car theft cases a year． Since 2006, when the effort began, the state's auto theft rate has fallen from second in the nation to ninth．
How can you protect your car? If you live in a high theft area or drive an expensive model, consider a safety system． It may cost anywhere from $ 25 to $ 1,000． Some systems work automatically - simply removing the key disables the fuel pump and the starter． When cars are equipped with such systems, thefts may drop by one third． In some states, you may be able to use a device that transmits radio signals, allowing stolen cars to be tracked by police．What does the author think Joe Temper should be to blame for?
| A．He should have equipped his car with a security system． |
| B．He should not have his car refilled at the gas station． |
| C．He should not have been so sure of himself．． |
| D．He should have shut down the engine of his car． |
What is NOT a reason for the increase of car theft as mentioned in the passage?
| A．Police don't give enough attention to car theft cases． |
| B．More people parked their cars and left the keys inside． |
| C．Measures and laws against car thieves are not effective enough． |
| D．Car theft brings car thieves much money． |
It is obvious that the Michigan program .
| A．has an effect on the whole USA |
| B．involves the development of a new safety system |
| C．involves the construction of larger prisons |
| D．involves much work but proves to be quite effective |
What type （s） of safety system can help the police find a stolen car back?
| A．The device that sends out radio signals． |
| B．The device that disables the fuel pumps． |
| C．The device that disables the starter． |
| D．All of the above． |
What category should the ads in the text belong to?
| A．Recreation． | B．Music． | C．Sports． | D．Entertainment |
The word "Magnolia" in the third as most probably refers to .
| A．a theatre showing movies | B．the name of a movie |
| C．a music band | D．the director of a movie |
If you want to know more information about the Bill Autry Band, you'd better visit .
| A．www．afidallas ．com |
| B．www．ntjazzfest．unt．edu |
| C．www．bootscootandbba ．com |
| D．www．billybobstexas ．com |
Those who like movies with Academy Awards are likely to see .
| A．The Lives Of Others | B．The Usual Suspects |
| C．Notes On A Scandal | D．Color Me Kubrick |
So there you are on the phone, you ask a question, and suddenly there's silence． What is this, the phone's gone dead, the person you're talking to is dead? Possibly． But there could be another reason — the other person could be Finnish, or Japanese．
According to a handy new booklet from British Telecom （BT） for business people, in countries such as Britain and Italy "conversation is a form of entertainment． There is a continuous flow of talk．．．"． But in other countries especially Finland and Japan, "it is not only impolite to break in, but listeners will think over what has been said in silence"．
It also points out that English, when spoken by foreigners, is likely to include plenty of "false friends", where word-for-word translation fails． If a Frenchman says something is "interesting", he probably means it's profitable．If he "demands" something, he's actually just asking． If an American says your proposal is "quite good", you should be pleased, because "quite" means "very"． But if he tells you to "table" a proposal, then things are not good at all． Whereas an English person would understand tabling a proposal as putting an idea forward, to an American it means shelves it．
According to the booklet, British people are not "explicit" like the Americans, the Dutch, the Germans or the French． "If a Dutchman says an idea is interesting, he means that it is interesting． If an Englishman says it is interesting, you have to deduce （推论） from the way he says it whether he means it is a good or a bad idea．"
The Japanese, the Russians and the Arabs on the other hand, live in the land of true dioplomatic subtlety（微妙）．"If they say an idea is interesting, it may simply be out of politeness"．
It is safest to stick with plain speaking whenever possible, BT advises its British readers． And whatever you do, be careful to limit the use of the famous British sense of humor．When someone says that an idea is interesting, who don't really mean it?
| A．The Dutch． | B．The French． | C．The British． | D．The Japanese． |
While speaking in English, a foreigner seems .
| A．to use the words "false friends" quite often |
| B．to have a strong foreign accent |
| C．to have difficulty in expressing himself clearly |
| D．to keep on forgetting English words |
We may learn from the passage that the best thing to do while talking to others, especially to foreigners, is to .
| A．speak as a diplomat |
| B．be fully aware of culture difference |
| C．speak with a sense of humor |
| D．avoid being somewhat entertaining |
Sam Trafton was my violin teacher and what he said during one of my lessons often came back to me years later．
One day he asked me how much I practiced, I said three or four hours a day．
"Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?"
"I try to.”
"Well, don't," he shouted． "When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches． Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks． Spread the practice through the day．"
When I was teaching at Boston, I wanted to write a novel, but for two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time． Then I remembered what Sam had said． During the next week I did an experiment． Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so． To my surprise, at the end of the week I had finished a chapter． Later on I continued my novels by the same piecemeal method．Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, every day there were unoccupied moments that could be caught and put to use．
However, you must get into your work quickly． If you have only five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four chewing your pencil． You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes． Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize．
Sam Trafton has had a great influence on my life． He let me know that life can be counted on_to supply you short moments and even very short periods of time can add up to all useful hours you need, if you start without delay．The underlined part "counted on" in the last paragraph can probably be replaced by .
| A．enriched | B．added up to | C．concentrated on | D．expected |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The writer owes great thanks to Sam for teaching him how to use free time |
| B．Sam has had a great influence on the writer's study． |
| C．The writer didn't take the teacher's words to heart at first． |
| D．Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine |
It can be inferred from the passage that the writer .
| A．has new books published each year however busy his teaching is |
| B．can always find enough time for mental preparations beforehand |
| C．has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels |
| D．is always tired of life because his teaching schedule is always heavy |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．A Little Time at a Time | B．How I Became a Writer |
| C．Concentrate on Your Work | D．My Violin Teacher |
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