D

Life is difficult.

It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.

Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties stand for a special kind of suffering especially forced on them or else on their families, their class, or even their nation.

What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause sadness, or loneliness or regret or anger or fear.

These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes a lot of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.

Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct(指导).” It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.

1.Which sentence best express the central point of the passage?

A．Problems and difficulties represent a special kind of suffering.

B．We become stronger by facing and solving problems of life.

C．Life is difficult because our problems bring us pain.

D．People like to complain about their problems.

2.The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ___.

A．save space                            B．persuade readers

C．make readers laugh                      D．get readers’ attention

3.The main idea of paragraph 3 is that _________.

A．most people feel life is easy

B．the writer feel life is easy

C．the writer likes to complain about his problems

D．most people complain about how hard their lives are

4.According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in  order to ______.

A．encourage them to learn

B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problems

C．help them learn to deal with pain

D．teach them how to respect problems

5.The saying from Benjamin Franklin “Those things that hurt, instruct” suggests that ______.

A．we do not learn from experience

B．we do not learn when we are in pain

C．pain teaches us important lessons

D．pain cannot be avoided

Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blankets by using the information from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Like our body, our memory needs regular exercise to be in good condition. Like the sportsman who must train to allow the body to respond to difficult times, the memory needs its own special training in order to stay in “shape” and improve.

There are many factors that can cause poor memory like insomnia (失眠), depression and alcohol. However, there are simple ways which you can follow to keep your memory in shape and actually help you to improve your memory’s condition and performance.

Never stop learning. Look for topics that interest you and really get involved in learning new information about them. Reading and attending lectures or programs are sources of continuous education of your brain with beneficial results to your memory.

    Develop your social and family relationships. The more social you are, the better it is for your brain. Studies have shown that the brain and heart have a lot to gain from good family and social relationships.

    Exercise your mind with games. The more you use your brain, the more you help your memory stay in shape. There are many games that can make you an intelligent person as well as entertain you such as chess, puzzles and board games.

    Exercise physically can improve your memory. This type of exercise improves the circulatory （血液循环的） system. Even the simple but regular daily exercise such as fast walking can improve the heart and oxygenation（供氧） of the brain. The benefits of exercise affect positively many body systems, as well as our memory and other cognitive（认知的） capabilities.

    Eat more fruit and vegetables. What we eat every day affects the performance and long-term condition of our memory. Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of antioxidants（抗氧化剂） and vitamins that can help and benefit the nervous system.

   So our memory is like a sportsman. The more we practice our brains and memory, the better their performance will be.

                      Title: How to improve memory

Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman. A man goes shopping   36  he needs something. His purpose is settled and decided in   37 . He knows what he wants, and his goal is to find it and　38　it. All men  39 walk into a shop and ask the shop assistant for what they want. If the shop has it in stock(库存), the deal can be done and    40   is completed in less than five minutes, with hardly any chat to everyone’s   41  .
For a man, slight problems may begin when the shop doesn’t have what he wants. In that  42  , the salesman tries to sell something else—he    43 the nearest to the article required. A good salesman brings out such a substitute(替代品)   44  , and he may say, “I know this jacket is not the style you want, sir, but would you like to try it for size? It   45   to be the color you mentioned.” Few men have   46   with this treatment, and the usual response is “This is the right color and may be the right size, but I shouldn’t be   47   my time and yours by trying it on.”
For a woman, buying clothes is always done in the   48  way. Her shopping is not often   49   on need. She has never fully decided what she wants, and she is only “having a look round”. She is always  50 to persuasion, willing to try on any number of things. Deep in her mind is the thought of finding something that   51   thinks suits her. Most women have an excellent sense of value and are always on the look-out for the unexpected  52 . Faced with a roomful dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one rail to another      53 selecting the dress she wants to try on. It is a tiresome process, but apparently a(n)   54   one. Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting    55  .

Young Jack moved to a new house. When entering his new bedroom, he saw that it was full of toys but it was tidy. That day he played all he liked, but went to bed without tidying up.

The next morning, when Jack got up, he found all the toys had been put back in their proper places. He was sure that no one had entered his bedroom, but the boy didn’t pay much attention to it. The exact same thing happened that day, and the next day. But on the fourth day when he went to get his favourite toy, the toy jumped out of his hands and said, “I don’t want to play with you!”

Jack felt surprised, but the same happened with every toy he touched. Finally, one toy said to him:

“We don’t want to play with you. You always leave us so far away from our proper places. You don’t know how arduous it is for us to climb back up onto the shelves, or jump into the box. We feel most uncomfortable and unhappy. You don’t know how uncomfortable and cold the floor is! We don’t play with you any more if you don’t promise to leave us in our proper places before you go to bed.”

Jack remembered how comfortable he felt in his bed and how bad he felt when he had once slept in a chair. He realized how badly he had treated his friends, the toys. He asked for their forgiveness(原谅)， and from that day on he always put his toys nicely in their proper places before he got into bed.

1.when Jack moved into his bedroom,           .

A．it needed to be cleaned                  B．he found lots of toys

C．he brought lots of toys                   D．he put away his toys

2.Why did all the toys refuse to play with Jack?

A．because he always broke them.

B．because he didn’t like them any more.

C．because he only played with his favourite one.

D．because he did’t put them in their proper places.

3.The underlined word “arduous” in Para.4 probably means         .

A．difficult           B．easy              C．regular           D．useful

4.The purpose of the text is to tell us that          .

A．we should have a good sleep

B．we should be fair to every friend

C．we should treat our friends well

D．we should always keep our rooms tidy

As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.

         Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them. Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year.

         One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.

　　Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm then,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.

　　Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”

1.The passage tells us that            .

A．people seldom work long hours to make money

B．people hardly buy more things than necessary

C．people are sure everything they own is in the right place

D．people realize there is more to life than just making money

2.When Daniel was a reporter he ___.

A．lived in central London       B．disliked his job

C．missed his children     D．was well paid

3.Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ____.

A．was easy to organize B．has improved family life

C．was extremely expensive   D．has been a total success

4.What does the author mean by saying"the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives" in the second paragraph ?

A．People work long hours to earn their living.

B．To make more money through hard work is the aim of people's life.

C．Long hours of hard work occupy too much of people's life.

D．People spent too much time and money eating meals.

5.The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph refers to _________.

A．repairing your car by yourself

B．spending money carefully

C．moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life

D．living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week