It is difficult to ________ a conversation with someone who only says “Yes” and “No”.

  A. keep up           B. take up              C. make up            D. pick up

The manager had something more important to do, as a result he couldn’t     here this evening.

   A. pick up           B. take up          C. make up          D. turn up

How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never found the time? Far too many.

This is life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal(排演)and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments.

We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do. Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for real life to come along were in fact real life.

  In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English: “Have a nice day”. They speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars. I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to value this very day .

  How often do we say to ourselves  “I’ll take up horse-riding( or golf, or sailing) as soon as I get a higher position,” only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position.

  When I first became a reporter I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper. At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be completely abnormal(反常的) mental state. How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area? I wanted to know.

  Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it. In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure. He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains.

1. The first paragraph of the passage tells us that ___________.

     A. we always try to find some time to write a book

     B. we always make plans but seldom fulfill them

     C. we always enjoy many of life's best moments

     D. we always do what we really want to do

2. The underlined phrase "turn his back on"  most probably means________.

     A. leave for        B. return to         C. give up         D. rely on

3. The man left his first job partly because he was _________ .

     A. in an abnormal mental state         B. under too much pressure

     C. not well paid                    D. not respected

4. What is probably the best title for the passage?

     A. Provide Homes For Our Family     B. Take Up Horse-riding

     C. Value This Very Day              D. Stay Alive

 A warm blanket is the ideal sleep aid for a freezing winter night. The right blanket can warm your bones but the wrong one can affect your sleep. I asked experts for advice on picking the perfect blanket for a good night’s sleep. Here’s what they told me.

     When it comes to sleep temperature, experts recommend following the principle: not too cold, not too hot, but just right. “People seem to sleep best at temperature between 62 and 70 degrees F,” says Dr. Alice Hoagland. When the surrounding temperature falls too low, it can rouse you from sleep. A good blanket helps drive the coldness away.

     At the other extreme, overheating yourself can affect your sleep as well. “Core body temperature typically drops during the first four hour’s of sleep,” says Dr. Hoagland. This decline in body temperature helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.

     “In medical care, weighted blankets are one of our most powerful tools for helping people who are anxious, upset, and possibly losing control,” says Dr. Karen Moore. These special blankets are filled with weighted pellets. Weighted blankets are also marketed for general use as an aid to sleep and relaxation. Like a firm hug, weighted blankets help us feel safe.” This is the reason why many people like to sleep under a blanket even in summer.

     “If you want to try this type of blanket, the best weight depends on your body size and personal preference. However, 15 to 30 pounds is typical for adults,” Moor says. She adds that weighted blankets are not recommended for those recovering from surgery.

     “People can also have serious preferences for a particular blanket,” says Dr. Hoagland. “Regularly using a favorite blanket for sleep can help to develop a conditioned response so that sleep is quicker.” In fact, many sleep centers ask patients to bring their own blanket and pillow from home, which helps them fall asleep more easily.

1.The author wrote the passage mainly to tell us _____.

A. the importance of blankets

B. how to choose the perfect blanket

C. different materials used to make blankets

D. the history and usage of blankets

2.The underlined word “rouse” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to “______”.

A. wake up     B. take up     C. make up     D. pick up

3.What do we know from the passage?

A. Body temperature rises when we fall asleep

B. The perfect sleep temperature should be above 70 degrees F.

C. Weighted blankets should be at least 30 pounds.

D. People are advised to use their own blankets.