高中英语阅读理解

　  Great Britain is traditionally made up of three parts: England in the south, Scotland in north and Wales in the southwest.
　　England is the largest and most developed of all the three. Its area, about 130,000 square kilometers, takes up nearly 60% of the whole island. Its population is mere than 46 million which makes up 85% of the country's whole population. The importance of England is so great in Britain that some foreigners just say “England” when they mean Britain. The same is true of the custom of speaking of the British people as the English who are the majority in the United Kingdom.
　　Scotland is the second largest both in area and population. It has an area of about 78,760 square kilometers, less than 30 % of the whole is land, with a population of 5 million, less than one-tenth of the total population.
　  Wales is the smallest of the three both in area and population. Its area, 20,700 square kilometers, makes up less than 9 % while its population, 2.7 million, does not exceed 5 % of the whole.
1. Which of the following maps shows the right position of England, Scotland and Wales? (E=" England" S=" Scotland" W = Wales)

2. If figure （图形） one  below shows the area(面积) of Scotland, which picture in Figure two represents the area of Great Britain?         
( Figure 1  )　　　　　　　　　　 Figure2:

3. If Figure one below shows the population of the island, which picture in Figure two shows the population of Wales?          

Prepare: Plan ahead and think about what you are going to say. In the words of Mark Twain, it usually takes you more than three weeks to prepare for it.
Know your subject: Always make sure that you know the subject and have background information at hand for question time.
Know you audience: Find out who you will be addressing so that you can tailor(适合) your comments accordingly.
Make a point: Keep your speech short and brief and have a few clear points that you need to convey(传达).
Practice: Never learn your speech by heart as your speech will become stilted, but do practice it a few times in front of the mirror, your parents or your dog.
Eye contact: If the thought of looking into a sea of faces scares you, adjust your gaze（注视）regularly at different points in the room to create the same effect.
First impressions: Your first impression is important when making a public presentation. Find out about dress codes(准则) at the place so that you look your best and, if possible, check the microphone beforehand to ensure you know how to use it.
Get help: If public presentations are a major part of your life, read up on the art of speech---writing and delivery to improve your skills.
The advice benefits (有益于)____________________.

A．teachers

B．actors

C．speechmakers

D．spokesmen

Knowing your subject helps you __________.

A．make a perfect speech

B．make better answers when asked questions about the subject.

C．keep a clear head

D．attract people’s attention

The underlined word “stilted” probable means ________ here.

A．unnatural

B．unnecessary

C．unpleasant

D．undeveloped

If asked for more advice besides what has been mentioned in the text, you may suggest ______.

A．eye contact with the audience	B．proper clothes
C．proper tones and body languages	D．more practice

Mr Brown was going away for a week. Before he left, he said to his son, "if anyone asks for me, you can tell him that your father has been out for doing something, and will be back in a week, then be sure to ask him to sit down for a cup of tea."
"OK, Dad," said his son. But he was afraid his son couldn’t remember this, he wrote these words down on a piece of paper and gave it to him. His son put it into his small pocket, took it out and looked at it now and then.
Four days passed, but no one came to see his father. The boy thought that there was no man to come and that the piece of paper was of no more use for him, so he burnt it that evening.
The next afternoon, someone knocked at the door. The boy opened it. A man was standing at the door and said, "Where is your father?" The boy put his hand into his pocket at once and looked for the piece of paper. He could not find it. He suddenly remembered he had burnt it, so he shouted, "No more."
The man was very surprised. He asked, "No more? I met your father last week. When did it happen?"
"Burnt yesterday evening."
Mr Brown told his son that _____.

A．he would be away from home for four days

B．he would be back in seven days

C．he would be back in a month

D．he liked a cup of tea

Mr Brown wrote the words down on ________.

A．the wall	B．the door
C．a piece of paper	D．his son’s pocket

A man came to visit the boy’s father on ________.

A．the second day

B．the third day

C．the fourth day

D．the fifth day

What was burnt? ___________.
The piece of paper B. Mr Smith C. The visitor D. The boy

                                              79 Mayfair Road
Plumton, Kent
October 10th
Dear Rosemary,
I was very glad to get your letter this morning. I really ought to have written to you---it was my turn, I know----but I have been terribly busy. The children seem to take up all my time. I am thinking of sending Ann to a nursery school. She’ll be four next month. Baby has just started to walk and doesn’t give me a moment’s peace. But you know what it is like! How are all your children? I’m sure they love living in the country.
I’m afraid we can’t come over to see you next Sunday, as you suggest. Tom’s mother is coming to spend the day with us. What about the Sunday after that----- the twenty-second? We are free that day and should love to come. We’re longing to see your house.
Let me know, then, if the Sunday after next suits you. May we come for lunch? We’d like to leave fairly early in the evening to avoid the heavy traffic on the roads.
Love from us all,
Edna
Edna can not see Rosemary the following Sunday because_____.

A．she is afraid of the traffic	B．Tom’s mother is coming to see them that day
C．she prefers to come on 22nd	D．she is terribly busy with the children

What doesn’t give Edna a moment’s peace?

A．That she has been thinking of sending Ann to a nursery school

B．That Tom’s mother will come soon

C．That she has been thinking of going to see Rosemary’s new house

D．That her baby has just started to walk

We can infer from the letter that Tom is_________.

A．Edna’s husband

B．Edna’s son

C．Edna’s neighbor

D．Edna’s father

Wildlife faces threats ( 威胁 ) from habitat destruction, pollution, and other human actions. Although protecting wildlife may seem too hard at times, even small actions in your own neighbourhood can help protect many different animals. Here are some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions.
1.Create wildlife friendly areas in your backyard.
When trying to make your garden more beautiful , you can choose plants that can provide food and shelter to native wildlife . This will also help cut down on pollution . Add bird or bat houses to your yard or garden to attract and shelter these species.
2. Avoid harming the natural ecosystem ( 生态系统 ) in your area.
Some plants from other places can kill or harm native plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife.
3. ________________________________________________.
By using less water and fewer fuels, you will be helping to protect the wildlife around you . Take buses or the subway when you can, turn off electric devices when you’re not using them , take shorter shower, and keep your room temperature at or below 68 degrees during the winter.
4. Buy products that are wildlife friendly
Don’t buy products that are made from endangered animals. Keep in mind that some endangered animals are killed by traps , catches or hunters who are after other wildlife within the same habitat.
5. Donate money or time to organizations that protect wildlife and their habitats.
You can give money to organization or groups that protect wildlife species in your neighbourhood.
We infer that the purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．tell us why protecting wildlife is extremely important now

B．suggest that we protect wildlife through actions

C．explain why protecting wildlife is not as hard as people think.

D．give us some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions

Which of the following threats to wildlife is NOT mentioned in the passage ?

A．Animal diseases

B．Loss of habitat

C．Pollution

D．Hunters

What’s the best title for the third point ?

A．Have a greener lifestyle.

B．Use less water and fewer fuels.

C．Take a bus when you go out

D．Try a new kind of life.

The writer suggests that we _________.

A．not buy products made from animals

B．share cars with others when we go out

C．grow as many kinds of plants in our gardens as possible

D．provide shelters for birds and bats in our gardens or yards

On June 17, 1774, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the next day they refused the offer as follows:
We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of living of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are sure that you mean to do us good by your proposal（提议）; and we thank you heartily. But you must know that different nations have different ways of looking at things, and you will therefore not be offended（冒犯） if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces: they were taught all your sciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad manners, ignorant（无知的）of every means of living in the woods–they were totally good for nothing.
　We are, however, not the less thankful by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it; and, to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their education, teach them in all we know, and make men of them.
The tone(语气) of the letter as a whole is best described as________.

A．angry

B．pleasant

C．polite

D．ambitious

The Indian chief’s purpose of writing the letter seems to be to ____.

A．politely refuse a friendly offer	B．express their opinions on equal treatment
C．show their pride	D．describe Indian customs

According to the letter, the Indians believed that ____.

A．it would be better for their boys to receive some schooling

B．they were being insulted by the offer

C．they knew more about science than the officials

D．they had better way of educating young men

Different from the officials’ view of education, the Indians thought ____.

A．young women should also be educated

B．they had different goals of education

C．they taught different branches of science

D．they should teach the sons of the officials first

Dr. Marie Curie is known to the world as the scientist who discovered radioactive metals i.e. Radium and Polonium.
Marie Curie was a Polish physicist and chemist. Together with her husband, Pierre, she discovered two new elements and studied the x-rays they emitted. She found that the harmful properties of x-rays were able to kill tumors. By the end of World War I, Marie Curie was probably the most famous woman in the world. She had made a conscious decision, however, not to patent methods of processing radium or its medical applications.
Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867 in Poland and died on July 4, 1934. Her co-discovery with her husband Pierre Curie of the radioactive elements radium and polonium represents one of the best known stories in modern science for which they were recognized in 1901 with the Nobel Prize for Physics. In 1911, Marie Curie was honored with a second Nobel prize, this time for chemistry, to honor her for successfully isolating pure radium and determining radium’s atomic weight.
As a child, Marie Curie amazed people with her great memory. She learned to read when she was only four years old. Her father was a professor of science and the instruments that he kept in a glass case fascinated Marie. She dreamed of becoming a scientist, but that would not be easy. Her family became very poor, and at the age of 18, Marie became a governess. She helped pay for her sister to study in Paris. Later, her sister helped Marie with her education. In 1891, Marie attended the Sorbonne University in Paris where she met and married Pierre Curie, a well-known physicist.
Marie Curie contributed greatly to our understanding of radioactivity and the effects of x-rays. She received two Nobel prizes for her brilliant work, but died of leukemia, caused by her repeated exposure to radioactive material.
The underlined word “emitted” in the 2nd paragraph means_______.

A．gave off

B．gave away

C．set out

D．set off

According to the passage, which order of the following is right?
① Marie Curie worked as a governess. ② Marie Curie met and marry Pierre Curie.
③ Marie Curie learned to read. ④ Marie Curie was honored with a second Nobel Prize.
⑤ Marie Curie discovered radium.

A．①②③④⑤

B．③①②⑤④

C．①②③⑤④

D．③①②④⑤

When did Marie Curie win a Nobel Prize for a chemistry?

A．In her twenties

B．In her thirties

C．In her forties

D．In her fifties

What does the passage mainly talked about?

A．Marie Curie discovered radium	B．Marie Curie, a famous chemist
C．Marie Curie won two Noble Prizes	D．The brief biography of Marie Curie

A major earthquake rocked Haiti at 4:53 pm local time on Jan.12, 2010, killing possibly thousands of people but no official figure has been released so far.
The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks. In the space of a minute, numerous buildings fell down. A five-story U.N. building was also brought down by the 7.3 magnitude quake, the most powerful to hit Haiti in more than 200 years according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
As night fell, the whole city is in total darkness. You can see thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go. There are people running, crying, screaming. Describing the earthquake as a "catastrophe", Haiti’s president said the cost of the damage could run into billions.
Haiti became the first independent Caribbean state in the early 19th century. Haiti’s location, history and attracting climate once made it a tourist hot place. However, decades of poverty, environmental pollution and violence have left it as the poorest nation in the Americas. It has suffered a lot, including four hurricanes and storms in 2008 that killed hundreds.
The great earthquake happened to the _______ of the capital city.

A．south-west

B．north-west

C．south-east

D．north-east

What can we infer from the underlined sentence?

A．People in Port-au-Prince don’t like to light on.

B．The earthquake happened in the evening.

C．Electricity in the city was cut off that night.

D．There are no lights at all in Port-au-Prince.

What’s the meaning of the word in bald “catastrophe”?

A．chance.

B．joke.

C．illness.

D．disaster.

Which statement about Haiti is NOT true?

A．Haiti became an independent state in the early 19th century.

B．Haiti belongs to Americas, just like Canada, America and so on.

C．At one time, tourism was important to the economy of Haiti.

D．Haiti is a country where such strong quacks often take place.

People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive carelessly up and down America’s main streets. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.
I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral which happened in a church. A teenage grandson stepped forward. Softly he began:“ I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would attack her, what would Nana say? ‘Oh, what beautiful markings that dog has.’ That was Nana.
“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for Grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling. “That was Nana’s way.”
Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up a fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”
There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled. When that boy rose to speak about the woman who had been his dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide. I was moved and learned a lot.
According to the first paragraph, ______.

A．young people are living a hard life

B．people don’t think highly of the teenagers

C．people shouldn’t forget the young people

D．young people should keep quiet before the public

From the boy’s speech, we know his grandmother ______.

A．was a weak woman living in the shadow of his grandpa

B．liked dogs very much even if they often attacked her

C．could see everything around her though she was old

D．had great influence over the boy when she was alive

We can infer from the passage that the boy ______.

A．was filled with sadness and gave up finishing his talk

B．was always very good at expressing himself

C．practiced a lot in order to give a moving speech

D．had great difficulty in accepting the loss of Nana

The writer wanted to tell the readers ______.

A．the young people were too weak to face certain facts

B．the young people have learned to control themselves

C．the adults could learn something valuable from the young

D．the adults should teach the young how to deal with the death

Finding summer jobs for teenagers has not always been easy, but now you no longer have to worry about what your kid can do to earn their own money. Recently I found some different sites online that offer information about what kids can do. Below is some of that information, along with questions to think about to help you come up with your own ideas.
Ideas for summer work: 
● Parks and Recreation Programs.
● Babysitting (当临时保姆) during the day of school.
● Working part-time at a day care for the summer.
● Car washing.
● Working at local vegetable stands.
The easiest way for you to find ways for your child to make money is to think about others’ inconveniences (不方便). Think of things you need done, or would like to have done, and what you would consider paying for these things to get done. Once you have some ideas, you can sit down with your child and talk to them about what they would be interested in doing. Then once you have an idea of what they want to do you can help them come up with fair prices.
Preferably you would want to only have your child working with people you know and trust, or in the least bit you could have your child pick a partner. That way with each of them carrying cell phones, even those without service can call 911, they will be much safer.
You can find out more information and many more ideas for kids to use to make money during their summer holidays by visiting http://www.kidswantmoney.com.
根据第一段Recently I found some different sites online that offer information about what kids can do. Below is some of that information, along with questions to think about to help you come up with your own ideas.及下文描述，可知选A，分享他在网络上的发现。
根据短文倒数二三段描述，可知当年轻人找假期工作时，要考虑的是为谁工作，工资问题和这个工作是否安全，不包括在哪儿工作，故选D。
根据You can find out more information and many more ideas for kids to use to make money during their summer holidays by visiting http://www.kidswantmoney.com.描述，可知选D。
The author wrote the passage to _____.

A．share his discoveries online	B．introduce jobs for teenagers
C．advertise a website for teenagers	D．talk about his summer work experience

Which of the following is NOT considered when teenagers look for summer jobs?

A．Who they’d better work for.	B．How much should be charged.
C．Whether the jobs are safe.	D．Where the workplace is.

What can we learn about http://www.kidswant-money.com?

A．The author set up the website.

B．It gives information about educating children.

C．People need to pay to visit the website.

D．It offers ideas for children to make money.

Bob was a clever college student, but his family was poor, so he had to work after class and during his holidays to get enough money for his studies.
One summer he got a job in a butcher’s shop during the day time, and another in a hospital at night. In the shop, he learned to cut and sell meat. He did so well that the butcher went into a room behind the shop to do all the accounts. In the hospital, of course, Bob was told to do only the easiest jobs. He helped to lift people and carry them from one part of the hospital to another. Both in the butcher’s shop and in the hospital, Bob had to wear white clothes.
One evening in the hospital, Bob had to help to carry a woman from her bed to the operating - room. The woman already felt frightened when she thought about the operation. When she saw Bob coming to get her, she felt even more frightened.
"No! No!" she cried. "Not a butcher! I won’t let a butcher operate on me!" with these words ,she fainted away.
根据第一段Bob was a clever college student, but his family was poor, so he had to work after class and during his holidays to get enough money for his studies.描述,可知选C.
根据第二段One summer he got a job in a butcher’s shop during the day time, and another in a hospital at night.描述,可知选B.
根据In the hospital, of course, Bob was told to do only the easiest jobs. He helped to lift people and carry them from one part of the hospital to another. 描述,可知选D.
Bob had to work after class and during his holidays because_________.

A．his father told him to make more friends

B．he wanted to become a rich man

C．he couldn’t go on with his studies without enough money

D．he had nothing to do at home.

One summer Bob_________.

A．wanted to become not only a butcher but also a doctor.

B．got two different jobs at two places

C．was free only at night

D．worked only during the daytime

In the hospital, Bob’s job was_________.

A．to take care of the wounded soldiers

B．to give the doctor’s advice

C．to find out what was wrong with the sick people

D．to carry the sick people from one place to another

Farmer John and Farmer Bob were neighbours. For more than 30 years, they had been getting along very well.

Then their good relationship broke. It began with a small thing, then bitter words, and then weeks of silence. One morning Farmer John woke up to find a stream between the two farms. “It must be Bob,” John thought.
Then one day there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a carpenter(木匠) standing at the doorway.
“I’m looking for a few days’ work,” the carpenter said.
“I do have a job for you,” John said. “Look across the stream at that farm. That’s my neighbour Bob. He dug a stream between the two farms. I want you to build a fence—an 8-foot fence. I don’t want to see his place or his face any more. I don’t have such a neighbour!”
The carpenter said, “I think I know what to do, sir, and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
Farmer John helped the carpenter get the materials(材料) ready and then he was off for the day.
About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all!
It was a bridge! And the neighbour, Bob, was coming across, with his hand outstretched(伸出). “Hi, John! You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!”
Then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry for what I have said and done. We should be good to each other.” said Farmer Bob.
Then they turned to see the carpenter, who was ready to go. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other jobs for you,” said Farmer John. “I’d love to stay,” the carpenter said, “but I have more bridges to build.”
Just before the carpenter came, John and Bob             each other.

A．didn’t speak to	B．were friendly to
C．often fought with	D．never had bitter words with

Farmer John asked the carpenter to build a fence because            .

A．he wanted to protect his farm	B．he didn’t want to do it himself
C．he wouldn’t like to see Bob	D．he wanted to find him something to do

What does the sentence “You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!” mean?

A．John was great to build this bridge.

B．John was not good at building bridges.

C．John was foolish to build such a bridge.

D．John should build the bridge earlier.

What is the best title for the passage?

A．What a Big Fence!	B．A Strong Bridge
C．Three Kind Men	D．A Fence or a Bridge?

The Queen’s English is now sounding less upper-class, a scientific study of the Queen’s Christmas broadcasts has found. Researchers have studied each of her messages to the Commonwealth countries since 1952 to find out the change in her pronunciation from the noble Upper Received to the Standard Received.
Jonathan Harrington, a professor at Germany’s University of Munich, wanted to discover whether accent changes recorded over the past half century would take place within one person. “As far as I know, there just is nobody else for whom there is this sort of broadcast records,” he said.
He said the noble way of pronouncing vowels (元音) had gradually lost ground as the noble upper-class accent over the past years. “Her accent sounds slightly less noble than it did 50 years ago. But these are very, very small and slow changes that we don’t notice from year to year.”
“We may be able to relate it to changes in the social classes,” he told The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper. “In 1952 she would have been heard saying ‘thet men in the bleck het’. Now it would be ‘that man in the black hat’. Similarly, she would have spoken of ‘the citay’ and ‘dutay’, rather than ‘citee’ and ‘dutee’, and ‘hame’ rather than ‘home’. In the 1950s she would have been ‘lorst’, but by the 1970s ‘lost’.”
The Queen’s broadcast is a personal message to the Commonwealth countries. Each  Christmas, the 10-minute broadcast is put on TV at 3 pm in Britain as many families are recovering from their traditional turkey lunch (传统火鸡午餐).
The results were published (发表) in the Journal of Phonetics.
What is the text mainly about?

A．The relationship between accents and social classes.

B．The Queen’s Christmas speeches on TV.

C．The changes in a person’s accent.

D．The recent development of the English language.

The Queen’s broadcasts were chosen for the study mainly because ______.

A．she has been Queen for many years

B．she has a less upper-class accent now

C．her speeches are familiar to many people

D．her speeches have been recorded for 50 years

Which of the following is an example of a less noble accent in English?

A．“dutay”

B．“citee”

C．“hame”

D．“lorst”

We may infer from the text that the Journal of Phonetics is a magazine on ______.

A．speech sounds	B．Christmas customs
C．TV broadcasting	D．personal messages

On my first trip in the United States , I went to San Antonion . I was on foot . So I went to only three places there : the Alamo , the River Walk , and the Art Gallery . I especially enjoyed visiting the Alamo , a well- known building in America .
When I arrived at the Alamo , I was deeply impressed because it was well kept and in good shape . The Alamo was erected in about 1722, was later used as a fort(保垒) , and has been kept as a state monument(纪念馆) to the Texan War of Independence against Mexico . During the battle , all of the Texan defenders were killed . I was surprised at the exhibition of rifles , guns , cannons and swords .
I was especially attracted by the paintings of a war . The paintings expressed the feelings of a painter very well . Even thought about 160 years have passed since the Battle of the Alamo , the exhibit is well kept . When I came out after seeing the exhibition , I felt as if I had a victory . The outer wall of the Alamo was destroyed here and there . When I touched the wall , I could feel the damage . After the war , little remained of the Alamo . All of the windows and doors were destroyed . The top part of the gate way disappeared without a trace(遗迹) . I will remember the Alamo forever . It is one of the best places to visit in San Antonio .
It can be inferred according to the passage that the author may be a____ .

A．writer	B．Chinese
C．European	D．foreigner to Americans

The underlined word “erected” (in Paragraph2) means ______ .

A．found

B．invented

C．repaired

D．built

People come to visit the Alamo now for ______ .

A．its height and shape

B．its history and the story about it

C．the exhibits in it

D．its shape

Which of the following may be the best title for this passage ?

A．A Famous Building in America

B．My First Visit to America .

C．The Texan War of Independence against Mexico .

D．My Impressions of the Alamo in San Antonio , Texas .

Most people I meet want to develop more harmonious and satisfying relationships. But we may not realize that this can only be achieved by partnering with two new and strange allies(盟友)：uncertainty and confusion. Most of us aren’t trained to like confusion or to admit we feel hesitant and uncertain. In our schools and organizations, we place value on sounding certain and confident.
As life continues to speed up, I believe our changing world requires less certainty and far more curiosity. I’m not suggesting we let go of our beliefs, but that we become curious about what someone else believes. As we become open to the disturbing differences, sometimes we discover that another’s way of interpreting the world is actually essential to our survival.
For me, the first step in becoming curious is to admit that I’m not succeeding in figuring things out by myself. If my solutions don’t work as well as I’d like, I take these as signs that it’s time to begin asking others what they think. I try to become a conscious listener, actively listening for differences.
There are many ways to listen for differences. Lately, I’ve been listening for what surprises me. This isn’t easy — I’m accustomed to sitting there, nodding my head as someone voices his opinions. But when I notice what surprises me, I’m able to see my own views more clearly, including my assumptions.
If you’re willing to be disturbed and confused, I recommend you begin a conversation with someone who thinks differently from you. Listen for what’s different and what surprises you. Try to stop the voice of judgement or opinion and just listen. At the end, notice whether you’ve learned something new.
We have the opportunity many times a day to be the one who listens to others and the one who is curious rather than certain. When we listen with fewer judgements, we always develop better relationships with each other. It’s not differences that divide us. It’s our judgements that do. Curiosity and good listening bring us back together.
As I consider partnering with confusion and uncertainty, I’m learning that we don’t have to agree with each other in order to think well together. There is no need for us to be joined at the head. We are already joined by our hearts.
According to the passage, when communicating with others, most of us try to behave___.

A．hesitantly and confusedly

B．honestly and harmoniously

C．responsibly and actively

D．confidently and convincingly

According to the author, in order to cope with our changing world, we should ______.

A．reconsider traditional beliefs before accepting them.

B．learn to interpret other people’s behavior.

C．become more curious about other people’s opinions.

D．try to develop more harmonious relationships with others.

What does the passage advise you to do when you hear different ideas?

A．We should let go of our beliefs.

B．We should admit that we are not succeeding in figuring out things.

C．We should be accustomed to sitting there and listening.

D．We should listen and find out the valuable points

What do the underlined sentences in the passage imply?

A．We should listen more and judge less.

B．We should make decisions based on sound judgement.

C．Differences among people separate them.

D．It is important to seek common ground and reserve differences.

Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude to uncertainty and confusion?

A．Favorable.

B．Resistant.

C．Curious.

D．Doubtful.