When you go to St．Petersburg, the number of attractions can seem large．If you are short of time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St. Petersburg.

1. The Hermitage Museum

       The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There are lots of different paintings by the old masters in the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.

2. Kizhi Island

       Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden architecture from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made entirely without nails - the wood fits together with joints and grooves(沟槽).

3. Peterhof

       Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission, but go to Petethof when the foundations are working—during the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter evenings.

4. The Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

       Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood in St. Petersburg is an enthralling must-see sight. The beautiful look may make y our eyes brighten, and the painting inside the church will make you say “Wow!”

5. The Bronze Horseman Statue

The so-called Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian culture and a symbol of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin, this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idle of greatness.

1．If you are interested in partings, you’d better go to         .

       A．Peterhof and Kizhi Island

       B．the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof

       C．Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

       D．the hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

2．We can learn from the passage that           .

       A．visitors can visit Peterhof for free

       B．the buildings of Kizhi Island are made of wood

       C．the fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round

       D．the largest collection of Russian arts is in the Hermitage Museum

3．The main purpose of the passage is to         .

       A．show the wonderful history of Russia

       B．persuade artists to study St. Petersburg

       C．recommend the famous buildings in Russia

       D．introduce the must-see sights in St. Petersburg

4．The underlined phrase (in Para 1) “hit the highlights” means         .

       A．to save more time                                B．to learn more knowledge

       C．to go to the high buildings                     D．to visit the most interesting sights

In February 2006, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada．The sound of children shouting made her turn around．To her horror, Lydia saw  a 700-pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son．Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away．She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could．A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear．But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children's lives．A local policeman described it this way: "…I guess when your back is up against the wall, …we come up with super-human strength．"

       Where does this "super-human strength", courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action．These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it．

       When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects．Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful．In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel．

       Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline （肾上腺素） which in turn increases our energy and excitement．The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more．This is why some people say they work better under a deadline．

       Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to increase and strengthen our abilities instead of weakening them．We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit．Stress can also make us more confident．Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future．Who knows? Today's stress may even prepare for the next polar bear that comes along!

1．In the first paragraph, the case of Lydia Angyiou is mentioned to ______．

       A．introduce the topic to be followed

       B．praise Lydia Angyiou for her bravery

       C．remind us of the unexpected danger of life

       D．show the importance of super-human strength

2．What does the policeman probably mean by saying "your back is up against the wall"?

       A．You are helped．                          B．You are inspired．

       C．You are confident．                          D．You are cornered．

3．What would be the best title for the passage?

       A．Brave Mother                                B．The Cause of Stress

       C．The Benefit of Stress                         D．Super-human Strength

“Love your neighbor as yourself" is a saying familiar to most of us. It means that you must have he ability to love and accept yourself in order to form and keep satisfying relationship with others self-esteem means accepting yourself for who you really are, and believing that you are indeed a ivdrth while person who is deserving of love and respect from others.

Self-esteem is our sense of how good we feel about ourselves. It is based on our judgment of ourselves, not on other people's assessment, but simply on our own. Our self-esteem is not efaendent on our talent. Some very ordinary people feel very good about themselves, while other extraordinarily high achievers hold low opinions of themselves.

Self-esteem is the primary key to long-term stress management. Why? The first three sources of stress are: predictable life event, unexpected changes and build-up of daily stresses, These are much easier to handle when we believe in ourselves, A positive, healthy self-esteem gives us the “hardiness”(强健) to deal with the difficulties of life, and to see them as challenges to be met, rather than threats to be feared.

The forth category of stress is entirely the result of a low self-esteem. It is the category of stress that is most common and tiring over the long run. This kind of stress cannot be overcome, or even changed, until the self-esteem problems that cause it are corrected.

Learning to love yourself for who you are is the key to overcoming stress. Self-esteem comes form the self, and cannot be promoted by others. A person who feels that his self-esteem comes from the approval of those around him or her is bound to self-destruct(自毁), One cannot keep the level of “performance” required to please everyone else, especially if that performance disagrees with who you are and is simply a facade that makes you popular with the world. When the applause is gone, there is nothing left.

Only those who can feel the strength of knowing who they are and those who can feel good about that will survive the stresses of life. Self-esteem is the basis of contentment and positive living.

1．What is self-esteem?

       A．A kind of positive lifestyle.

       B．The impression we have on other people.

       C．Our sense of how good we feel about ourselves.

       D．Our understanding of how we are seen by others.

2．What is the key to overcoming stress according to the passage?

       A．Removing yourself from stressful situation．

       B．Learning to love yourself for who you are．

       C．Facing the stress and dealing with it．

       D．Getting help from friends．

3．What does the underlined word "facade" （in Para 5） mean?

       A．A false appearance．                         B．A big worry．

       C．A wrong action．                             D．A strange feeling．

4．The passage is written to ______．

       A．tell people how to overcome stress

       B．help people form good relationship with others

       C．show the importance of feeling good about yourself

       D．provide the different methods to get a clear view of yourself

Are you nervous about climbing because you think it's too dangerous? Do you feel you're not fit enough to climb? Do you know how to start climbing?

       Let's consider the idea that climbing is dangerous．Being afraid is natural, but if you use suitable ropes and other climbing equipments you will feel completely safe．Climbers are usually very careful because they know what they are doing is dangerous．Accidents happen, but when they do, they tend to attract a lot of publicity．As a result, people think there are many more accidents than there are in reality．

       You cannot expect to start climbing straight away．Climbing is a challenge and challenges take time．It is necessary first of all that you achieve a good level of fitness．Begin as soon as you become interested in climbing? go to the gym, go swimming, take up jogging and continue to do so throughout your training period．

       Discover as much as you can about climbing．Visit the library and find book, especially for beginners or buy climbing magazines and look for articles which describe your situation．Look up information on the Internet．Find out about equipment, methods and places to go．

       Next, take a course on a climbing wall．There are plenty of climbing walls all over the country which have trained and qualified people as instructors．Call your local leisure centre to find out if there is one in your area. These training sessions are a quick way to get experience and you are likely to meet other beginners. After this, you can do an outside course of join a club where you can meet climbers of all abilities and eventually join in group-climbing events.

       At first you may not understand the importance of a good training period, but after you have completed your first climb and you are standing safely at the top of a rock feeling thrilled, then you will know it was the right thing to do.

1．The article is written by            .

       A．a doctor                                              B．an experienced climber

       C．a beginner                                           D．a fitness instructor

2．The writer thinks a new climber should           .

       A．begin by becoming fit

       B．have the courage to meet the challenges

       C．be aware of the causes of the accidents

       D．do enough sports to get interested in climbing

3．By climbing walls you can         .

       A．join a club you like

       B．gain controlled experience

       C．become qualified instructors

       D．take part in group-climbing events

4．The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph probably means      .

       A．the climb    B．the training      C．the equipment       D．the achievement

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

       Speaking in public is most people’s least favorite thing. The reason is that we are all afraid of making foods of ourselves.  1  .

       But stop biting your finger-mails. Public speaking is easy. It’s just plain talking, and you talk all the time. Although I’m basically shy (honest!). I’ve been making speeches and talking on radio and television for more than 30 years. And I can tell you that public speaking is not a “gift” like musical talent．_2   .Here are some of the lessons I have learned:

       Your audience is going to come away with one or two of your main ideas．One or two．Not tenor 20．  3  ．And if you don't have a clear idea of what you want to say, there's no way vour audience will．  4  ___—how you are going to open, what major points you want to make and how you're going to close．

       When I do a radio or TV piece, I often write the last sentence first．___5___．A strong close is critical; the last thing you say is what your audience will most likely remember．

       The standard length of a vaudeville act is usually 12 minutes．If all those performers singing and dancing their hearts out couldn't go on longer without boring the audience, what makes you think you can?

A．Some people are born to be good at making speech

B．Anybody who can talk can speak in public

C．Try to relax yourself before making the speech

D．The more important the speech is, the more frightened we become

E．It you can't express in a sentence or two what you intend to get across, then your speech is not focused well enough

F．When you know where you're headed, you can choose any route to get there

G．No matter how long or short your speech is, you've got to get your ducks in a row

When admired to college，many of us will be faced with_____ details of running______ well-balanced lire．

A．／；the         B．the；a          C．the；/          D．/；a

By February 2010，the movie Avatar _____over 207 million copies worldwide．

A．has sold         B．has been selling        C．had sold           D．had been sold

______with common sense is likely to figure out where the difference lies．

A．Who             B．Anyone           C．Whoever             D．Others

一Jack, I would like to use your new pen to write an article with．

—______!I’m busy at present．

A．Go ahead        B．Go away          C．That’s all right           D．Come on

It is reported that Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi was ____the 2014 Olympics．

A．rewarded             B．awarded               C．provided                D．given