A high school teacher once told us, "If you make one close friend in school, you will be most fortunate. A true friend is someone who stays with you for life." Experience teaches that he was right. Good friendships are just not easily formed. Why?
One reason may relate to the mobility in our society. Mr. Darrell Sifford, a news columnist, has been studying friendship for many years. He reports the thoughts of one woman on this aspect of friendships:
"She was nine, and her family had just moved to New Jersey, and she didn't know anybody. Her mother said to her," "Amelia, I know you're feeling bad because you don't have any friends. But you can fix that. Just walk across the street—I know there's a girl about your age over there—and knock on the door and ask her to be your friend."
"She added that the direct approach always worked when she was a child. But as she left childhood, she found that the simple direct approach was more and more difficult for her to follow. As an adult, Amelia longed to have friends but her hands were tied. The problem, according to her, is that society teaches us in a number of ways that direct action is not acceptable behavior. We need to be less direct to cushion ourselves against possible rejection and the fright of exposing our own helplessness."
What are some of the obstacles to friendships? According to Mr. Sifford, the greatest is the temptation (诱惑) to expect too much too soon. Deep relationships take time. Another big difficulty is the selfish tendency to think one "possesses" the other, with an almost exclusive right to his time and attention. Similarly, friendships require two-sided actions. In brief, you must give as much as you take. Finally, unless you spend reasonable time together, talking on the phone, writing letters, doing things together, friendships will not last.
Why is it so difficult to form friendships? Perhaps the answer has something to do with the impatient temperament (急躁) of some American people. It is possible, as Mr. Sifford states, that we simply do not stay in one place long enough for a true friendship to develop. However, there can be no disagreement on the need for each of us to think carefully about the kind of friendships we want. As in all interpersonal relationships, success depends on clarity of purpose, openness to others, and a willingness to experiment. What does the underlined word "obstacles" mean?
| A．Something that makes it difficult for you to do or achieve something. |
| B．Something that makes it easy for you to do or achieve something. |
| C．Something that makes it difficult for you to understand something. |
| D．Something that makes it easy for you to do or understand something. |
It can be implied that adults don't make friends in a direct approach because __________.
| A．they are afraid to be rejected by others |
| B．they are afraid to expose their rudeness |
| C．they think it is impolite behavior |
| D．their hands are tied tightly together |
In which of the following cases is it possible for you to develop true friendships?
| A．You stay in one place for long enough with your friend. |
| B．You spend all your time together with your friend. |
| C．You completely possess your friend's time and attention. |
| D．You give your friend as much as you take from him. |
The author quoted many times what Mr. Darrell Sifford said in order to __________.
| A．show respect for him |
| B．share the same opinion with him |
| C．strengthen the authority of his opinion |
| D．make some comments about friendships |
Honesty，my mum always used to tell me，is the best policy．Of course，this didn’t include her when she told me that if I didn’t eat all my vegetables Father Christmas would find out and wouldn’t give me any presents．
But when it comes to medicine．I had assumed it was important to always be honest with my patients．After all，the doctor-patient relationship is based on trust，and therefore honesty is essential．Or so I thought．
I had just started working in geriatrics(老年病科)．Mr. McMahon was brought in when his belly was found very swollen．I took a medical history from his daughter who’d accompanied him in the ambulance．She’d been his main carer for years．I stood looking at him as she gave a detailed history．“Has he lost any weight recently?”I asked．“Well，it’s funny you should mention that，but yes．”she said slowly．There was silence for a few moments．“Why? What are you worried about?”she asked．I hesitated．She was obviously very involved in his care and it was only fair that I told her the truth．“Well．we need to prove it’s not cancer．”I said and talked briefly about some of the tests I was going to order．
Half an hour later, a nurse called me：“Mr. McMahon’s daughter broke down--she said you told her he had cancer．”My heart sank．By the time I arrived at the ward，my consultant was already there，explaining that we still had to run lots of tests and that it was by no means confirmed that he had cancer．I stood silently at the end of the bed．My consultant was obviously angry with me and as we left Mr. McMahon，she turned to me．“Why on earth did you do that?”she asked in disbelief．I looked at her and bit my lip．“She asked me what I was worried about and I told her．”I said，hanging my head．“And give her more to worry about?”replied my consultant．“You don’t say the word‘cancer’until it’s confirmed．Even if you suspect it，think very carefully before you tell people.”
As it turned out, it wasn’t cancer．But I did learn that when someone is stressed and worried about their loved one they’re sometimes selective in what they hear and as a doctor it’s important to be mindful of this．In being truthful，I’d made the situation worse．The purpose of the first two paragraphs is to show that the author_____．
| A．misunderstood the doctor-patient relationship |
| B．was anxious to receive Christmas gifts |
| C．regarded honesty as the best policy |
| D．had an unhealthy eating habit |
The author’s consultant was angry with him because________．
| A．he told the daughter what he suspected |
| B．he delayed running the necessary tests |
| C．he failed to confirm the patient’s disease |
| D．he forgot what the consultant had advised |
The author hung his head (the underlined part in Paragraph 4) because he was feeling________．
| A．helpless | B．hurt | C．disappointed | D．guilty |
What lesson has the author learnt from his experience?
| A．Learning from parents is necessary． |
| B．Jumping to a conclusion is dangerous． |
| C．Telling the truth may not always be the best solution． |
| D．Selecting pleasant words may not be the perfect policy． |
Winners Club
You choose to be a winner!
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers．It has been made to help you better manage your money．The Winners Club is a transaction account(交易账户)where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24／7---that’s 24 hours a day，7 days a week!
It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers：
●No account keeping fees!
You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees．In fact，there are no account keeping or transaction fees!
●Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow．The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits(储蓄)without taking them out in a month．
●Convenient
Teenagers are busy—we get that．You may never need to come to a bank at all．With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet…You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account．This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
●Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report，you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money．There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members．
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers．And it is so easy to join．Simply fill in an application form．You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian (so we can organize that cool key-card) but it is easy．We can’t wait to hear from you．It’s the best way to choose to be a winner !The Winners Club is a bank account intended for__________．
| A．parents | B．teenagers | C．winners | D．adults |
Which of the following is TRUE about the Winners Club?
| A．Special gifts are ready for parents． |
| B．The bank opens only on work days． |
| C．Services are convenient for its members． |
| D．Fees are necessary for the account keeping． |
The Winners Club provides magazines which___________．
| A．encourage spending |
| B．are free to all teenagers |
| C．are full of adventure stories |
| D．help to make more of your money |
If you want to be a member of the Club，you must_________．
| A．be an Internet user |
| B．be permitted by your parent |
| C．have a big sum of money |
| D．be in your twenties |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To set up a club． |
| B．To provide part-time jobs． |
| C．To organize key-cards． |
| D．To introduce a new banking service． |
Most people feel lonely sometimes，but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours，This kind of loneliness is not serious．In fact，it is quite normal．For some people，though，loneliness can last for years．Now researchers say loneliness comes in three different types．
The first kind of loneliness is temporary．This is the most common type．It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention．The second kind is situation，for example，family problem，the death of a loved one，or moving to a new place．Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems，such as headaches and sleeplessness，it usually does not last for more than a year．The third kind of loneliness is the most serious．Unlike the second type, chronic (the opposite of‘temporary’) usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause．People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others．Unfortunately，many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition．
Psychologists(心理学家) agree that one important factor in loneliness is a person’s social contacts，for example，friends，family members，co-workers，etc．We depend on various people for different reasons．For instance．our family give us emotional support，our parents and teachers give us guidance, and our fiends share similar interests and activities．
However，psychologists have found that, though lonely people may have many social contacts，they sometimes feel they should have more．They question their popularity．
Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons：they are unhappy and unable to socialize arid there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease，while temporary and situational loneliness can be a sad，and sometimes dangerous condition．How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?
| A．Talk to friends． |
| B．Go to see a doctor． |
| C．Just ignore it． |
| D．Ask your teacher for guidance． |
Why do psychologists want to help chronically lonely people?
| A．Chronic loneliness can cause family problems． |
| B．Chronic loneliness is incurable． |
| C．Chronic loneliness can not be overcome． |
| D．Chronic loneliness call cause serious illness． |
Loneliness is divided according to ________．
| A．the time it lasts |
| B．the places where it appears |
| C．different people it happen to |
| D．different seasons when it appears |
I got my first driver’s license in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte，North Carolina．Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman．Henry and I were living in Baltimore，Maryland．Two weeks before my 20th birthday，Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon．When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’s license，ready to renew，the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21．“Mr. Henry Smith，your husband，will have to sign for you,” he said．
I argued，pointing to a very large belly(肚子) of mine，“I am married．I am having a baby．Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?”He answered coldly．“It’s the law，madam.”
Henry encouraged me to calm down，just go ahead and get the license and be done with it．“No，”I said．I refused to have him sign for me．So I left without a Maryland license．
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle office and renewed my NC license by mail--using my name Susan Brown．And thus it was for the next twelve years．Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license．By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland，and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam．Since then I just go in and renew every four years--sign the name Susan Brown，have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive．Susan got her first driver’s license_______．
| A．before she got married to Henry |
| B．when she was twenty years old |
| C．after she finished high school |
| D．when she just moved to Maryland |
Susan failed to renew her license the first time in Maryland because_____．
| A．she was forbidden to drive by Maryland law |
| B．she lacked driving experience in Maryland |
| C．she was to give birth to a baby soon |
| D．she insisted on signing for herself |
We can infer from the text that in the U.S.___________．
| A．American males should serve in the army |
| B．different states may have different laws |
| C．people have to renew their licenses in their home states |
| D．women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage |
Language-learners who say they never or hardly ever use dictionaries often speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. So 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 (翻译) 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, or divide it into syllables (音节), they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check these in a dictionary.Students who never use dictionary speak well but write poor, because_______
| A．They can’t remember words. |
| B．They may make mistakes. |
| C．They are not interested in writing. |
| D．They are afraid of writing. |
According to the passage, which of the following is right?
| A．Students who never use dictionary can speak well and write well. |
| B．Whatever new words you meet while reading, just look them up in the dictionary. |
| C．Small two-language dictionaries are bad for learning English. |
| D．An English word only has one translation. |
When does the writer advise students to use a good dictionary in reading?
| 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 defects (缺点) 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 |
Which is not mentioned in this passage?
| A．How to make good use of a dictionary. |
| B．When to use a dictionary. |
| C．How to improve spoken English. |
| D．How to practice reading fast. |
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