To err is human．To blame the other guy is even more human．

       Common sense is not all that common．

       Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?

       These three popular misquotes （戏谑的引语） are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature．To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem．Perhaps it is the natural thing to do．The original quote about human nature went like this, “ To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）．” This saying mirrors an ideal: people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes．Instead, we tend to do the opposite --- find someone else to pass the blame on to．However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity．

       Common sense is what we call clear thought．Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan．Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything．People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing．”

       And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time．There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?

       A．Doing things his own way．

       B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes．

       C．Making as few mistakes as possible．

       D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing．

Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?

       A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company．

       B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather．

       C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．

       D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．

What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?

       A．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy．

       B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas．

       C．A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty．

       D．Bitter truth is better than a good excuse．

What would be the best title for his passage?

       A．A Mirror of Human Nature     B．To Blame or to Forgive

       C．A Mark of Maturity D．Truth or Excuse

       To err is human．To blame the other guy is even more human．

       Common sense is not all that common．

       Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?

       These three popular misquotes （戏谑的引语） are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature．To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem．Perhaps it is the natural thing to do．The original quote about human nature went like this, “ To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）．” This saying mirrors an ideal: people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes．Instead, we tend to do the opposite --- find someone else to pass the blame on to．However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity．

       Common sense is what we call clear thought．Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan．Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything．People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing．”

       And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time．There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?

       A．Doing things his own way．

       B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes．

       C．Making as few mistakes as possible．

       D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing．

Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?

       A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company．

       B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather．

       C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．

       D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．

What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?

       A．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy．

       B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas．

       C．A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty．

       D．Bitter truth is better than a good excuse．

What would be the best title for his passage?

       A．A Mirror of Human Nature     B．To Blame or to Forgive

       C．A Mark of Maturity         D．Truth or Excuse

As you may expect, life in space is much different from life on earth. So of course people need some time to get used to it. How do they live, work and play up there?
Space food keeps getting more like the food we eat at home on the earth. In the past, astronauts could eat only freeze-dried food. But now the space station has water, microwave ovens and fridges. So astronauts can eat more usual kinds of food, like fruit, vegetables and ice cream!
All people in the ISS（国际空间站）have their own rooms. There’s no gravity, so they have to attach themselves to their beds, or they’ll float away! That may seem like a hard way to sleep, but astronauts say that sleeping in space is actually not too bad.
This is more important in space than on Earth. There’s not much gravity in space. Astronauts don’t stand up, sit down or walk in space, so their muscles don’t have to work much. They exercise on bikes and other machines for about two hours every day while they’re in space. In this way, they can still keep strong and healthy when they get back home.
Easy things like brushing your teeth can be hard in space with low gravity. Water doesn’t flow out of a tap, it floats in a bubble（水泡）! Astronauts used a special hose（软管）to take showers. And when they’re finished, they use a vacuum（真空的）hose to suck the dirty water off of their bodies. How do you go to the toilet in space? They use a special “air toilet”. It uses air, not water, to take everything away.
What do astronauts do when they aren’t working? They read books, play cards, listen to music or send e-mail to their friends and family. Sometimes they just sit and look out the window. Doesn’t sound like much fun? But what if you could see planet Earth out of your window, with a sunset or sunrise every 45 minutes?
1． Which of the following can be the title of this passage?
A. Life In Space.    B. Space Food.      C. Showers In Space.     D. A Visit To Space
2．From this passage we know that _______.
A. astronauts eat quite different food in space from what they eat on the earth
B. astronauts ate only fruit in space in the past
C. astronauts can only eat freeze-dried food now
D. astronauts can only eat fruit and vegetables now
3．Astronauts attach themselves to bed so as to ________.
A. keep themselves warm                                 B. prevent themselves from floating away
C. have a good sleep                                         D. feel better
4．Astronauts have to do exercise for two hours every day because ________.
A. they have nothing to do in space             B. they are told to do so
C. they do so to keep healthy                      D. they do so to prevent them from sleeping
5．From the last paragraph we can guess that ________.
A. the sun moves fast around the earth 
B. the earth circles round the sun very fast
C. the earth is very small
D. the spaceship circles round the earth once every 90 imnutes

A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language(修辞). The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be love we see it. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.
Let’s analyze this remarkably unsophisticated metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is spectacular in its beauty; its petals(花瓣) are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on(近似于)perfection, each petal seemingly symmetrical(对称的) in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be? A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect. However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns(刺). The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky(机警的). So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns: Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering. This is the poet’s perception of love--a warning. What is the point? Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.
【小题1】According to the passage, what is a metaphor?

D
Communicating effectively means more than knowing what to say and when to say it. Communication involves the subtle signals your body language sends to those who are watching. Here are some common body actions and the impressions they create:
● Fiddling (好动) — Playing with your watch or a pen looks like you’re bored or impatient.
● Clock watching — It looks like you’re to move on to something else.
● Tapping  — Tapping your feet or fingers suggests you are impatient or nervous.
● Staring — An unblinking (不眨眼的) stare conveys threatening or violent behaviour.
● Legs crossed or body hunched (弓背，耸肩)  — Closing up your body profile — becoming smaller — looks like you lack confidence.
● Arms crossed  — If you keep your arms folded during communication, you appear to be defending yourself against the others.
● Touching your face  — When you have your hand in front of your mouth, you appear very shy.
● Rubbing your nose, looking away  — People who are lying often rub their nose or look away when speaking.
● No eye contact  — If you won’t look the other speaker in the eye, you seem to have low interest or a lack of confidence. (Don’t forget staring above.)
How you communicate with your body language is just as important as what you say. Watch your body language and control the unconscious messages you might be sending.
68. According to the passage, effective communication includes all of the following EXCEPT　_____.
A. knowing what to say   
B. sending unconscious messages to other people
C. saying the right thing at the right time
D. getting information from the other speaker’s body language
69. Which of the following people looks shy according to the passage?
A.                     B.       
C.              D.   
70. If you want to show confidence when communicating, you should ______.
A. cross your legs or hunch your body               
B. avoid direct eye contact
C. look the other speaker in the eye   
D. keep touching your face
71. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. How to make a good impression on others
B. Can you read body language?
C. Control your body language for effective communication
D. How to send effective information through body language