"Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday？"Lindsey whipers to Tori．
With her eyes shining，Tori brags，"You bet I did，Sean told me two days ago．"
Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about？It just happens to be yours truly，Adam Freedmam，I can tell you that what they are saying is （a） not nice and （b） not even true．Still，Lindsey and Tori aren't very different from most students here at Linton Higt School，including me．Many of our conversations are gossip（闲话）．I have noticed three effects of gossip：it can hurt people，it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction，and it can cause social pressures in a group．
An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about．Usually，gossip spreads information about a topic﹣breakups，trouble at home，even dropping out﹣that a person would rather keep secret．The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is，the juicier the gossip it makes．Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie．People often think of gossipers as harmless，but cruel lies can cause pain．
If we know that gossip can be harmful，then why do so many of us do it？Tht answer lies in another effect of gossip：the satisfaction it gives us．Sharing the latest rumor（传言）can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don't．Similarly，hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the"in group．"In other words，gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority（优越感）．
Gossip also can have a third effect：it strengthens unwritten，unspoken rules about how people should act．Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group．Translated into high school terms，this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said，then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention．The do's and don'ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook．
The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation．The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news，thing about why you want to gossip and what effects your"juicy story"might have．
41．The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passahe to ．
| A． |
introduce a topic |
| B． |
present an argument |
| C． |
describe the characters |
| D． |
clarify his writing purpose |
42．An important negative effects of gossip is that it ．
| A． |
breaks up relationships |
| B． |
embarrasses the listener |
| C． |
spreads information around |
| D． |
causes unpleasant experiences |
43．In the author's opinion，many people like to gossip because it ．
| A． |
gives them a feeling of pleasure |
| B． |
helps them to make more friends |
| C． |
makes them better at telling stories |
| D． |
enables them to meet important people |
44．Professor David Wilson thinks that gossip can ．
| A． |
provide students with written rules |
| B． |
help people watch their own behaviors |
| C． |
force school to impove student handbooks |
| D． |
attract the police's attention to group behaviors |
45．What advice does the author give in the passage？
| A． |
Never become a gossiper |
| B． |
Stay away from gossipers |
| C． |
Don't let gossip turn into lies |
| D． |
Think twice before you gossip． |
When you put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, 12 hard years of study will have come to an end. Forget your studies for a while. It's time to enjoy yourselves!
There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts.
High school students in Western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a prom to mark their graduation. It's to mark the time kids turn into young men and women. After the prom, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they are no longer as dependent on their parents as they were before.
At the prom, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal clothes are worn. Traditionally, girls give boys matching boutonnieres (a small collection of flowers they pin to their jackets). Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials.
Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning (加冠) of a prom king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class prom through the four years of their high school.
High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, on a pleasure cruise boat.
But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of effort to decorate the gym to make the event special. The music played at the prom will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop.
The students elect the Prom Queen. She is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly. These are great honors that the pair take very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election.
Sometimes teachers and parents also go to the prom. But others like to go with friends, to whom they are soon going to be saying goodbye.
If you like the idea of a prom, why don't you and your classmates organize one for your graduation?What does the word “prom” probably mean in the passage?
| A．A dancing competition. | B．A party held to celebrate graduation. |
| C．A fashion show. | D．An election. |
Which of the following is an economical way to hold the prom?
| A．Renting a ballroom. | B．Taking a cruise boat. |
| C．Holding it in the school gym. | D．Wearing formal dresses. |
Which of the following clearly indicates that prom is very important to students?
| A．They take pictures at the prom. | B．They wear formal clothes or special clothes. |
| C．Music is played at the prom. | D．Teachers and parents attend it. |
Why do some students attend the prom with their friends?
| A．They want to be elected by their friends us the Prom King or Queen. |
| B．They don’t like to be accompanied by their parents. |
| C．They don’t want to depend on their parents. |
| D．They will part with their friends in a short time. |
Why is the prom so important to students?
| A．They have chances to be elected as the Prom King or Queen. |
| B．They can be relieved from the study pressure. |
| C．They are going to say goodbye to their friends. |
| D．The prom is to mark the graduation and after it they will be independent. |
TIPPING
How much and who on your cruise(乘船旅游) should be tipped? When and how should tips be given? Generally, you should plan to tip your room steward (服务员) $3.00 to $3.50 per person, per day, and plan an equal amount for your dining room waiter, and half of that for the busboy（餐厅侍者助手）.
On most ships, tip the maitre d’(侍者总管) or dining room captain only if you ask for special favors or table-side service; $5 to $10 is normal. Barmen and wine stewards are tipped 10 to 15 percent, but many cruise lines will add this tip to your bar or drink bill. Check the bill to see how it is handled. Also, tips for special services such as salon && spa treatments and room service are left to the guest, depending on services offered. Sometimes tips are placed in envelopes from your cabin’s stationery supply. Generally, passengers on cruises of 10 days or less will tip at the end of the cruise； on longer voyages, tipping weekly.
As part of a new trend that seems likely to grow, Carnival, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Cunard now charge tips to your account (账). Norwegian, for example, charges $10 per day, per guest, to cover service in the various dining rooms and your room steward. If you feel this amount needs to be increased or decreased, arrangements can be made onboard the ship, generally at the end of your cruise.
A few lines do not encourage tipping, including Radisson Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea and Windstar. Crew members are reportedly higher paid and not tip dependent. Many passengers tip anyway for outstanding service or special favors and give them tips face to face immediately they get serviced.
Tips on Tipping
Cabin steward
$3.00 to $3.50 per person per day
Waiter
$3.00 to $3.50 per person per day
Assistant waiter
$1.50 to $2.00 per person per day
Bartender, wine and deck stewards
10-15% of the bill
Maitre d’
$5.00 to $10.00 tip for each special serviceAccording to the passage, if your bill for bartender and wine is $50, you will probably tip the steward ______.
| A．$3.50 | B．$3.00 | C．$6.50 | D．$10.00 |
How many ways does the passage mention on how to tip the waiters?
| A．3. | B．2. | C．4. | D．5. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Sometimes you must spend more money tipping waiters on cruise. |
| B．In the line Seabourn, you must tip crew members for the special service. |
| C．In some lines, you can bargain on how much to tip. |
| D．Generally speaking, maitre d’ can get the most tips. |
The passage is written mainly for the readers who are ______.
| A．travelers on cruise to America |
| B．students to foreign countries to study |
| C．tourists not knowing how to tip in hotels |
| D．travelers on cruise the first time |
A young executive was traveling down a neighborhood street．He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something．As his car passed，no children appeared．Instead，a brick smashed into his door! He slammed on the brakes(make his car stop)．The angry driver then jumped out of the car, caught the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car，shouting，“What was that all about and who are you?”
The young boy was apologetic．“Please，Mister．．．Please，I’m sorry…I didn’t know what else to do．I threw the brick because no one else would stop…”
With tears dripping down his face，the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car．“It’s my brother，”he said．“He fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up．”
Now sobbing(crying silently)，the boy asked the executive，“Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me．’’
Moved beyond words，the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat．He hurriedly lifted the boy back into the wheelchair，then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed(a light touch) at the fresh scrapes and cuts．A quick look told him everything was going to be okay．“Thank you and may God bless you．”the grateful child told the stranger．
Shaken up for words，the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair—bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home．
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts．Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen，he has to throw a brick at us．Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!The executive slowed down because______. .
| A．he saw a boy throw a brick to his car | B．he saw a boy rush out from between cars |
| C．he was afraid some boys suddenly rushed out | D．a brick smashed into his door |
The boy threw the brick to the car in order to_________.
| A．disturb the driver on purpose | B．destroy the car of the stranger |
| C．ask someone to drive him home | D．stop someone to help him |
Knowing the reason why the boy threw the brick at his car the executive must feel .
| A．sympathized and excited | B．regretful and sympathized |
| C．ashamed and regretful | D．angry and regretful |
After the boy’s brother feIl off his wheelchair, .
| A．the boy threw bricks at several cars | B．the boy tried to stop several cars |
| C．the boy’s brother was hurt seriously | D．the boy’s brother wanted to stop a car |
From the last paragraph we can learn that .
| A．you shouldn’t drive so fast that someone throws at you |
| B．it is common to throw a brick at a car running too fast |
| C．you can’t go through your life without a brick throwing at you |
| D．you should pay more attention to others and help them |
How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations indicate that there are several keys to success that successful people share.
First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to go ahead. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot control things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering things they can do. Perhaps what most separates successful people from others is that they live life “on purpose”— they are doing what they believe they are put here to do. In their opinion , having a purpose in their life is the most important element（因素） that enables them to become fully functioning people. They hold that when they live their life on purpose, their main concern is to do the job right. They love what they do—and it shows. People want to do business with them because of their commitment(忠诚). To live their life on purpose, successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it. Besides, they never easily give up. Once they have set up goals in their life, they are willing to work hard whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Top achievers always bear in mind what they don’t have.
Rather than be negative or depressing, they use the knowledge to encourage themselves on and go after what they want energetically and passionately.The underlined word “it (in Paragraph 2)” refers to “______”.
| A．the main concern of successful people |
| B．the job that successful people do |
| C．the commitment with which successful people do their jobs |
| D．the business that successful people do with other people |
By living life “on purpose”, successful people can do the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．do a lot of work | B．concentrate on their jobs |
| C．do business with many people | D．control things in life |
Successful people know that ____.
| A．they can control nature. | B．they are not allowed to blame people |
| C．they can control their own thoughts. | D．they can control others’ actions |
If you want to increase your vocabulary, the best way to do it might be to pick up a guitar, or learn the violin. A new study shows that learning to play a musical instrument makes the brain more able to remember words.
“Grown-ups with music training in their childhood can have better memory for words,” said Dr Agnes Chan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who did the research. “They can remember things that you tell them better than those who did not have music training when they were young.”
It seems that one can remember spoken words because his brain has a special part. “That part of the brain is larger in musicians than in non-musicians,” Dr Chan told BBC. “If that part of the brain is larger, it may be better developed and so this explains very nicely our results.”
Dr Chan and her workmates came to their conclusion after studying students. Their research is reported in the latest edition of the journal(杂志) Nature. “We did the experiment with 60 girl college students from our university and 30 of them have at least six years training with one western musical instrument (such as the violin and the piano) before the age of 12. The other 30 had received no music training. We tested their memory by reading them some words and asking them to remember these words—a very common test for memory. We found that people who have had music training can remember about 70% more information than those who have not had any music training.”
Dr Chan thinks the process(过程) of learning is more important than the actual instrument used. She also believes if one is able to remember words through learning to play instruments, he or she could have some very real benefits. Dr Chan thinks this could be developed into a medical way for patients who are suffering from memory loss. According to the writer, learning to play a musical instrument helps to ______.
| A．get more knowledge |
| B．live more happily |
| C．remember more words |
| D．make one become a musician |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Dr Chan thinks people should have music training when they grow up. |
| B．Dr Chan thinks the special part of the brain doesn’t need developing. |
| C．Dr Chan thinks people should have music training when they are young. |
| D．Dr Chan thinks musicians have a larger brain than non-musicians. |
How many students took part in Dr Chan’s research?
| A．30 girl students. | B．60 girl students. |
| C．17% of his students. | D．60 girl and boy students. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号