For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers（慢跑者）．They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evenings．There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces．“Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening．“You’ll feel great．”

       Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could．So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more．Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army, I’m not alone in my opinion．

       First of all, jogging is very hard on the body．Your legs and feet take a real pounding（追击）running down a road for two or three miles．I developed foot, leg, and back problems．Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about．Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me．

       Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging．Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun．Jogging is also a lonely pastime．Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts．” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt．

       And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week; it was practically every day for two months．I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun．What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?

       I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will．I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good．I bicycle to work when the weather is good．I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time．I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape．

26．From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______．

       A．people jogged only during the daytime       B．jogging provided a chance to get together

       C．jogging became very popular              D．Alex organized an army of joggers

27．The underlined word “them”（Paragraph 3） most probably refers to _____．

       A．physical weaknesses                                  B．heart attack  

      C．back problems                                         D．famous joggers

28．What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?

       A．He was very fond of it．                        B．He felt it was worth a try．

       C．He was strongly against it．                     D．He thought it must be painful．

       For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers（慢跑者）．They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evenings．There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces．“Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening．“You’ll feel great．”

       Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could．So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more．Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army, I’m not alone in my opinion．

       First of all, jogging is very hard on the body．Your legs and feet take a real pounding（追击）running down a road for two or three miles．I developed foot, leg, and back problems．Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about．Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me．

       Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging．Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun．Jogging is also a lonely pastime．Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts．” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt．

       And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week; it was practically every day for two months．I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun．What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?

       I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will．I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good．I bicycle to work when the weather is good．I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time．I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape．

26．From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______．

       A．people jogged only during the daytime       B．jogging provided a chance to get together

       C．jogging became very popular             D．Alex organized an army of joggers

27．The underlined word “them”（Paragraph 3） most probably refers to _____．

       A．physical weaknesses                                  B．heart attack  

      C．back problems                                         D．famous joggers

28．What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?

       A．He was very fond of it．                        B．He felt it was worth a try．

       C．He was strongly against it．                     D．He thought it must be painful．

When I come across a good article in reading newspapers, I often want to cut and keep it. But just as I am about to do so I find the article on the  1  side is as much interesting. It may be a discussion of the way to  2  in good health, or  3  about how to behave and conduct oneself in society. If I cut the front article, the opposite one is likely to  4  damage, leaving out half of it or keeping the text  5  the title. Therefore, the scissors(剪刀）would  6  before they start,   7  halfway done when I find out the   8  result.

Sometimes two things are to be done at the same time, both worth your  9  . You can only take up one of them, the other has to wait or be  10  up. But you know the future is unpredictable(不可预测的)—the changed situation may not allow you to do what is left  11  . Thus you are   12  in a difficult position and feel sad. How  13  that nice chances and brilliant ideas should gather around all at once? It may happen that your life  14  greatly on your preference of one choice to the other.

In fact that is what  15  is like: we are often  16  with the two opposite sides of the thing which are both desirable like a newspaper cutting. It often occurs that our attention is drawn to one thing only  17  we get into another. The  18  may be more important than the latter and give rise to a divided mind. I  19  remember a philosopher’s remarks: “When one door shuts, another opens in life. ”So a casual(随意的)  20  may not be a bad one.

1. A. front　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　        B. same

C. either　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. opposite

2. A. get　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. keep

C. lead    　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. bring

3. A. advice　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. news

C. a theory　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. a report

4. A. suffer　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. reduce

C. prevent　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. cause

5. A. on　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. for

C. without　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. off

6. A. use　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. handle

C. prepare　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. stay

7. A. or　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. but

C. so　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. for

8. A. satisfying　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. regretful

C. surprising　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. impossible

9. A. courage　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. strength

C. attention　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. patience

10. A. given　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. held

C. made　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. picked

11. A. near　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. alone

C. about　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. behind

12. A. filled　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. attracted

C. caught　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. struck

13. A. dares　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. comes

C. does　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. dare

14. A. improves　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. changes

C. progresses　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. goes

15. A. study　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. society

C. nature　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. life

16. A. faced　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. supplied

C. connected　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. fixed

17. A. before　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. after

C. until　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. as

18. A. following　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. next

C. above　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. former

19. A. still　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. also

C. once　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. almost

20. A. treatment　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. action

C. choice　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. remark

Sometimes two things are to be done at the same time, both worth your  9  . You can only take up one of them, the other has to wait or be  10  up. But you know the future is unpredictable(不可预测的)—the changed situation may not allow you to do what is left  11  . Thus you are   12  in a difficult position and feel sad. How  13  that nice chances and brilliant ideas should gather around all at once? It may happen that your life  14  greatly on your preference of one choice to the other.

In fact that is what  15  is like: we are often  16  with the two opposite sides of the thing which are both desirable like a newspaper cutting. It often occurs that our attention is drawn to one thing only  17  we get into another. The  18  may be more important than the latter and give rise to a divided mind. I  19  remember a philosopher’s remarks: “When one door shuts, another opens in life. ”So a casual(随意的)  20  may not be a bad one.

1. A. front　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　        B. same

C. either　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. opposite

2. A. get　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. keep

C. lead    　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. bring

3. A. advice　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. news

C. a theory　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. a report

4. A. suffer　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. reduce

C. prevent　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. cause

5. A. on　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. for

C. without　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. off

6. A. use　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. handle

C. prepare　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. stay

7. A. or　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. but

C. so　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. for

8. A. satisfying　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. regretful

C. surprising　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. impossible

9. A. courage　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. strength

C. attention　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. patience

10. A. given　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. held

C. made　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. picked

11. A. near　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. alone

C. about　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. behind

12. A. filled　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. attracted

C. caught　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. struck

13. A. dares　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. comes

C. does　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. dare

14. A. improves　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. changes

C. progresses　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. goes

15. A. study　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. society

C. nature　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. life

16. A. faced　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. supplied

C. connected　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. fixed

17. A. before　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. after

C. until　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. as

18. A. following　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. next

C. above　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. former

19. A. still　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. also

C. once　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. almost

20. A. treatment　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. action

C. choice　　 &nb
s
p;　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. remark

People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.

1. 1.

   We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

   1. A.
      the spelling mistakes in the messages make her very annoyed
   2. B.
      only writing letters will bring friends and neighbors much closer
   3. C.
      she talks to plants more because no one shares her joys and sorrows
   4. D.
      gestures and the pen can express a lot more than the cold keyboard
2. 2.

   According to the writer, which of the following can support her opinion?

   1. A.
      She has been separated from all his classmates many years.
   2. B.
      No doctors write prescriptions by hand because of computers.
   3. C.
      In communication, we should write more letters than send messages.
   4. D.
      Less shy than school girls, boys rarely write letters to their friends.
3. 3.

   According to the passage, we can conclude that ________.

   1. A.
      the writer is a person full of emotions and treasures friendship and affections
   2. B.
      the writer becomes excited when she gets priceless gifts from other people
   3. C.
      her classmates would write to each other because they couldn’t send messages
   4. D.
      people put a smiley face at the end of a message just to show they are happy
4. 4.

   What message is conveyed in the passage?

   1. A.
      The writer wastes much time in reading many rubbish text messages every day.
   2. B.
      Few people can write letters well in modern society owing to texting messages.
   3. C.
      Now people are too busy to communicate with each other face to face often.
   4. D.
      The writer prefers personal communication rather than electronic equipment.
5. 5.

   Why does the writer mention the telegram?

   1. A.
      Because she thinks the annoyance of reading text messages is originated from it.
   2. B.
      Because we have more options to keep in touch with each other than ever before.
   3. C.
      Because advanced technology partly takes the blame for lacking the human touch.
   4. D.
      Because she thinks humans today become colder with the development of society.
6. 6.

   Which of the following best describe the tone of this passage?

   1. A.
      Optimistic.
   2. B.
      Critic.
   3. C.
      Sympathetic.
   4. D.
      Pessimistic.