A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

  We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

  This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

  Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clear will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

  Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.

  Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

57. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.

A. not sticks and stones but words will hurt us 

B. inspiring words give us confidence

C. negative words may let us down                

D. words have a lasting effect on us

58. There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______

A. almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves

B. we can benefit from talking to ourselves

C. talking to ourselves always gives us courage

D. it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone

59. The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______

A. praise ourselves                                          

B. remind ourselves

C. make ourselves relaxed                                

D. give ourselves amusement

60. The author would probably hold the view that ___________

A. encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers

B. negative words may stimulate us to make more progress

C. people tend to remember friendly words

D. it is better to think twice before talking to others

  Although the couple didn’t choose to sleep in the wild instead of in the hotel, it_______ unexpectedly beautiful.

       A. turned up          B. turned out                C. turned down      D. turned around

 Tom looked at Jenny, with tears _______ his eyes, and shouted out the words _______ in his heart for years.

A.    filling; having been hidden    B.    filled; hidden

C.    filling; hidden D.    filled; hiding

I can hardly ___ the difference between these two pictures.

A.say   B.speak   C. talk    D. tell

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND—A British teaching union famous for strange ideas has supported a proposal to employ dogs as classroom assistants.

At the annual conference of the Professional Association of teachers in Southport, northwest of England, one person suggested properly trained dogs be able to keep order in primary schools. They can round up lost children and protect those who experience unfortunate “accidents”. Wendy Dyble, a Shetland Islands woman who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her fellow friends that she was not “barking mad”. They obviously believed her, supporting her idea by 16 votes to 13, with a total of 63 abstentions(弃权票).

She said big dogs could help round up children, keep them in line, lick up the milk they spill on the floor and provide the extra eyes that a teacher needs to keep order. “A big dog would also be helpful for breaking up fights and look for lost property, like gym shoes or dolls,” Dyble said at the conference. “The dog will also be useful in sniffing out smells that children do not own up to,” she added. “It would be nice for the teacher not to have to go round sniffing each child to find the culprit（犯过者）.” 

The idea was greeted by the Dog Defense League but less so by bigger teaching unions. A spokesman for Education Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog was always popular with pupils when he visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with around 35,000 members, is the smallest teaching union in Britain. It has an honour for occasional strange ideas.

Earlier this week, its annual conference here suggested stopping exams because they lead to stress and introducing selection at the age of 12 based on physical coordination and manual skill in the use of hand.

51. According to the writer's opinion, to employ dogs as classroom assistants________

 A. is a wonderful idea             

 B. can improve the relation between children and animals

 C. is beyond ordinary people's minds 

 D. can make some teachers lose jobs

52. The phrase “own up to” in the third paragraph means_________

 A. admire         B. admit             C. dislike            D. interest

53. What Dyble said at the conference___________.

A. gained some support from the members      B. frightened everyone at the conference

C. interested everyone at the conference        D. caused some trouble to trained dogs

54. A spokesman for Education Secretary           .

A. once used a dog as classroom assistant        B. sang high praise for Dyble's idea

C. would employ dogs as teachers              D. benefited from dogs more than others

55. The last paragraph of this passage   .

  A. has nothing to do with the topic of this passage

  B. shows there are too many exams in British school

  C. provides further facts about the teaching union

  D. shows the writer's anger to the union

Ⅱ 语言知识及应用 (共两节，满分35分)

第一节 完形填空 (共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分)

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21—30题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Basketball is a sport enjoyed by millions of people. It began in 1891.

Dr. James Naismith, the father of basketball, was a teacher of a YMCA training    21    . It trained the people to work in YMCAs. Officials at the school were     22    about the low attendance during the     23    months. They felt that people didn’t attend then because the school did not have a good sports    24   in the winter. So they asked Dr. Naismith for help. He came up with a new indoor game.

Naismith studied games being played at that    25    . he found that the most    26    game was a ball. So a ball would be part of his new game, he decided. But kicking the ball or hitting it would be too rough for indoors. So he put two     27    up on the poles. The players have to try to     28    a ball into them. Naismith then made thirteen    29    for the game. Twelve of them are still in use today. Just seven years after the game began professional basketball teams were    30    . and that’s how basketball was born.

21. A. school          B. game          C. team          D. club

22. A. interested       B. worried        C. eager          D. dangerous

23. A. summer        B. spring          C. autumn        D. winter

24. A. suit            B. team           C. progress       D. program

25. A. game          B. school          C. time          D. place

26. A. popular         B. practical        C. excellent      D. skilled

27. A. bags           B. baskets         C. flags          D. sings

28. A. push           B. throw          C. send          D. kick

29. A. persons         B. poles           C. rules         D. balls

30. A. formed          B. called         C. dismissed      D. stationed

I’d rather you __ anything about it at present.

A. do   B.didn’t do   C. don’t do   D. mustn’t do

It is impossible for so ___ workers to do so __work in a single day.

A. few, much    B. few; many     C. little; much    D. little; many

The exam will be on the first half of the book.That means we’ll have to finish___.

A. fifteenth chapter   B. fifteen chapter  C. chapter fifteen  D. chapter fifteenth 

_________ you may be right, I can’t altogether agree．

A．As    B．While      C．If     D．Since