Jan．7, 2008 --- French President Nicolas Sarkozy would marry his girlfriend, former supermodel Carla Bruni on Feb．8 or 9, media reported Monday．

The report said that in December --- less than a month after Sarkozy met Bruni --- he gave her a heart-shaped diamond engagement ring．

Carla Bruni, Italian singer, former model and girlfriend of France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, holds the hand of her son Aurelien while wearing a pink heart-shaped ring during a visit to the ancient Jordanian ruins of Petra Jan．5, 2008．French newspapers reported that Sarkozy would marry her early in February．

Sarkozy and his wife of 11 years, Cecilia, divorced in October．Their marital（婚姻）problems became well known in May 2005 when she appeared in public at the side of event organizer Richard Attias．

A marriage to Bruni, a one-time star of the catwalks who is now a singer, would be Sarkozy’s third: He divorced his first wife, Marie, in the late 80s --- after he had met and befriended Cecilia．

Political analyst Dominique Moisi said that a Sarkozy proposal to Bruni could be part of his desire to head off any future arguments, and the speed of their visit to the ancient Jordanian ruins of Petra Jan．5, 2008 would fit with his personality as a busy man in a hurry．

 “Apparently, he’s going to marry her, so the problem will be behind him,” Moisi said．“He will increase the opportunities to travel with her, and to say to the French, ‘You see, I must remarry… You need a first lady．’”

Bruni, an Italian-born French citizen, has dated famous men including Mick Jagger and Donald Trump．She has also reportedly been linked to singer Eric Clapton and actor Vincent Perez．

1.What is the correct order of Sarkozy’s marital history?

       a．Long marriage to Cecilia                              

       b．Visiting ruins with Bruni

       c．Getting divorced from Marie                        

       d．Giving Bruni a diamond ring

       e．To marry the former supermodel

       A．c-a-b-d-e           B．e-d-c-a-b           C．c-a-d-b-e           D．a-c-d-b-e

2.What did Moisi really intend to inform the readers?

       A．The president will spend more time staying with Bruni

       B．Sarkozy is good at balancing state and personal affairs

       C．It is not easy for President Sarkozy to seek a new love

       D．It is a doubt whether the marriage would have a bright future

3.The possible purpose of the last paragraph is to _________

       A．provide some unknown stories about Bruni’s love affairs

       B．show uncertainty about the former supermodel’s loyalty

       C．imply that past experiences have little effect on a person

       D．prove Bruni one of the most popular and attractive females

4.Which would be the best title for the news?

       A．Bruni, France’s first lady                     

       B．A third marriage to fail

       C．France to have first lady                      

       D．President’s new girl friend

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．

1.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

2.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

3.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

4.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

       阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。

       注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

                                Autumn blues? Let the sunshine in falling leaves, withering flowers, cold winds, faint sunshine．For many people late autumn can be a season of gloom and depression．Spirits can be low．

people who suffer from "the autumn blues" often are extremely exhausted, lack energy, need more sleep, feel increased appetite and gain weight．

"The exact cause of this condition, often called seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder （SAD）, is not known yet," says Chen Jue, associate professor at Shanghai Mental Health Center．"But recent studies indicate that weather change is influential and strongly suggest that this condition is caused by changes in the availability of sunlight．"

One theory is that with decreased exposure to sunlight, the biological clock that regulates mood, sleep, and hormones is delayed, running more slowly in winter．Exposure to light may reset the biological clock．

Another theory is that brain chemicals that transmit information between nerves may be altered in individuals with SA  D．It is believed that exposure to light can correct these imbalances．

"It is a sad season, but you can try to make it happy．Remember, spring always lives in your heart," Chen says．

     Here are some tips to deal with autumn depression．

- Go outdoors and get some sunlight．Move around．Fresh air and exercise improve the respiratory（呼吸） system and blood circulation and regulate the nervous system．Thus, exercise is calming and relieves one's mood．

- Relax at work．Stretch, breathe deeply．Take a tea break．Think of your next vacation．

- Keep a chocolate bar in your pocket．Chocolate and sugar raise the spirits．

- Look at bright colors, such as red and orange．Color therapy improves mood．

- Listen to your favorite music．You can dance to it, or just lie on a cozy couch, reading a novel．

- Decorate your room and work space with flowers．Blooming plants are cheering．

- Call friends or family when you feel lonely or depressed．Recall some happy memories．

假如你是某中学学生李华。最近，你班同学正在参加某英文报“大家谈”栏目的一个讨论。

本次话题为：“父母有没有必要陪读？”

请你根据下表所列情况给报社写一封信，客观地介绍讨论的情况。

注意：

1．信的形式已经为你写好。

2．词数100左右。

3．参考词汇：陪读 accompany sb．Studying at school   督促 urge

Dear editor,

I’m writing to tell you about the discussion we recently had about whether our parents should

accompany us studying at school．

ours truly,

Li Hua

 A single mistake here could ____ you your life．

       A．pay              B．take                 C．spend               D．cost

 The sports meet will be ____ till next week because of the bad weather．

       A．put off            B．put away           C．put up            D．put down

 That beggar seems _____ anything yesterday．

       A．not to have eaten                                 B．not to eat

       C．didn't eat                                           D．to not have eaten

 The computer centre, ____ last year, is very popular among the students in this school．

       A．open                                                B．opening

       C．having opened                                     D．opened．

 Ladies and gentleman, please fasten your seat belts．The plane ______．

       A．takes off           B．is taking off        C．has taken off       D．took off

 When she returned home, she found the window open and something ______．

       A．stealing            B．stole                C．stolen              D．to steal