"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

     You probably heard those lines in grammar school, but do you really agree that harsh (严厉的) or negative words do not harm us? Words have power. Surely we all have had our feelings hurt by something someone said.

     We may not say words to hurt others, but the way we interpret (解释) them and how we say them may cause great harm. Here’s an example:

     An ancient king dreamed all his teeth had fallen out. He sent for a wise man to explain his dream to him: the dream means that all your relatives will die and you will be left alone!

     The king was very angry and threw the interpreter into prison. He then sent for another interpreter who said, "Congratulations! King! You will live many more years. In fact, you will survive all your relatives. Long Live the King!"

     Both interpreters gave the same interpretation, but there was a huge difference in the way they said it.

     Our speech must be understood by those who hear our words, but the way we say things and the intention behind them have as much power as the words themselves. Words can cause anger or appreciation. Which would you rather receive?

     People who say harsh and negative things may not mean to harm, but have you ever known anyone who is a naysayer? They often look at the dark sides of things. They always see the glass as half empty rather than half full. How do you feel when you are around this type of person? Remember words have power. Use them wisely.

1.The author mentions the story of the ancient king to show that _____.

A. one dream sometimes has different explanations

B. good words can bring good luck to people

C. people should be careful when talking to a king

D. different ways of saying things have different effects

2.The underlined word "naysayer" in the last paragraph refers to a person who always _____.

A.has a negative attitude                B. likes to be praised

C.talks big                           D. likes to repeat what others say

3.According to the text, how can people understand each other better?

A. By sharing different life experiences

B. By accepting different habits.

C. By properly using words

D. By recognizing different values.

4.The author wrote the last paragraph to ______.

A. show how the dark sides of things affect people

B. advise people to see and say things positively

C. show how harsh and negative words hurt people

D. advise people to stay away from negative people

5.The passage mainly talks about ______.

A. the power of words                  B. the cruelty of the king

C. how to understand others              D. how to build good relationships

C
At dawn on Friday, May 19, 1780, farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun. By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness, causing Americans, still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence, to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment. As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness, men and women crowded into churches, where one minister commented that “The people were very attentive.” John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that “Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . . .”
A recent study of researchers, led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri’s Tree Ring Laboratory, has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England. The scientists have discovered “fire scars” on the rings for that year, left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree’s cambium (形成层). Evidence collected also points to a drought that year. An easterly wind and low barometric pressure (低气压) helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere. “The record fits pretty close,” says Guyette. “We had the right fuel, the drought. The conditions were all there.”
Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances, Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event, which had disappeared by the next day. Over the next several months, the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness. Some were the voices of angry prediction, such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote, “Oh! Backsliding New-England, attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes.” Others gave different answers. One stated that a “flaming star” had passed between the earth and the sun. Ash, argued another commentator. The debate, carried on throughout New England, where there were no scientific journals or academies yet, reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world, a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.
New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day; it lived on in folklore, poems, and sermons for generations.
66. New Englanders crowded into churches because they were frightened by_____.
A. the pink color of the sun       B. the darkened sky at daytime
C. the Last Judgment on Friday    D. the American War of Independence
67. What can we infer about the event in New England on May 19, 1780?
A. Prayers remained silent and attentive.    B. Night birds no longer came out to sing.
C. People’s ears became sharper than usual.  D. Midday meals were served by candlelight.
68. According to the researchers, the origin of the event was_________.
A. an east wind    B. a severe drought   C. some burning fuel   D. low barometric pressure
69. What can we know about the debates after the dark day?
A. They focused on causes of the event.
B. They swept throughout the Western world.
C. They were organized by scientific institutions.
D. They improved Americans’ ability to communicate.
70. What can be the best title for the text?
A. New England’s dark day.      B. Voices of angry prediction.
C. There is no smoke without fire.  D. Tree rings and scientific discovery.

In the dark street, there wasn’t a single person _____ she could turn for help.

　 A. to whom 　 B. who  C. from whom 　 D. that

Another day begins with the call of the phone’s alarm, Where are you? Open your eyes. Turn the alarm off and you will start working out on your apps（应用软件）.

First stop, weather: Sunny day. Look outside the window. Oh, no, it isn’t. Second stop, Air Quality Index: 344, dangerous, Level 6 Severely Polluted. Mental recheck required: It really is a sunny day and the weather app isn’t lying or in need of being replaced, it’s just that you can’t see the sun through the thick fog. Note to self: Cycling to work is out, face mask is in.

Has the world stopped turning? News app merely confirms that it’s business as usual. Another government has fallen, your soccer team has lost again, and China’s economy is still increasing steadily.

    Diary app informs you of all the things you failed to do the previous day and loads you up with another half-dozen tasks. Next, browse a couple of social networking apps to determine the status updates of friends.

    Another sound from the phone, it’s a message from your significant friend who is already at work, saying the Taobao. com order for Italian cheese is about to arrive.

    Apps have become part of our “every-moment” lives. Apps provide so much information. But the dark side to all this connectivity would be lack of privacy, being a slave to the app. The only real problem is that once you lose your smartphone, you lose your life.

    Some friends and family do not have smartphones, but prefer the old-fashioned Nokia that merely makes phone calls and sends instant messages. While I respect their purity and desire to be free of the control of technology, it’s obvious they are outsiders, and their lives are loaded up with paper and old devices. They’re still buying books at stores, complaining the lack of CDs on the market, watching TV and missing out on complete news cycles. Though I would add, they have lives that aren’t spent inside small screens.

My phone is a palm-sized one-stop shop and about the only thing it doesn’t do is teleport（心灵运输）. What’s not to like?

1.The functions of apps mentioned in the passage can be listed as follows EXCEPT that _______.

A. the apps can show you weather forecast

B. the apps can tell you how to work directly

C. the apps can inform you the latest news

D. the apps can tell you what you failed to do

2. According to the passage, the author thinks that _______.

A. people’s life is governed by apps

B. people feel bored about the use of apps

C. people can’t live without apps

D. people hate apps with powerful functions

3.It can be inferred from the last paragraph but one that _______.

A. more and more people like Nokia more than apps

B. using Nokia can be free of the control of technology

C. all people don’t like the advanced smartphones

D. ordinary people don’t like shopping online

The pine tree is a special kind of tree. _______【小题1】_______ This is because many people put pine trees in their homes at Christmas time. They decorate the tree with colored lights, and put Christmas presents under the tree.
Pine trees are different from other trees because most other trees lose their leaves in winter. _____【小题2】_____ So pine trees are also called evergreens.
_____【小题3】_____ They have hard, thin leaves called needles. Pine trees also have pine cones. Pine cones look like hard berries. If you walk in a forest, you will see many pine cones on the ground. ______【小题4】_____ When the seeds fall to the ground, a new tree starts to grow.
______【小题5】_____ The wood is used to make furniture and boats. Many kinds of birds build their nests in pine trees. The seeds of pine trees are food for small animals such as squirrels and mice and for bigger animals such as rabbits and black bears. The needles are good food for large animals such as deer and moose when they cannot find anything to eat in the winter.
If you walk in a forest of pine trees, the air has a wonderful smell. In winter, the white snow on the dark green trees looks very beautiful.