Mother came from our home village. She stayed with us for ten days. When she was ___1____ to leave, she wanted to buy us something ____2___ a present.

   “You’ve got ___3____,” she said, “but you seem to have got ___4____. The TV set is yours, but the people who walk back and forth in it are all ___5____, even murderers, corrupt officials and thieves come in and ___6____ it from time to time. The radio cassette player is yours, but it’s all others who __7____ in it. The books on the shelf are yours, but they are all ___8____ by others. The fridge is yours, but all the year round it’s ____9____ frost that comes from God knows where. __10___they make your life easy and comfortable, ___11___ of them BELONGS to you in the real sense of the word.

   ___12___ the day she was to leave for home, she got up early in the morning and ____13____ back a pickle(泡菜) pot from the market.

   “___14____ some pickle in it,” she said, “and have something ____15____ suits your own taste.”

   Since then pickles of our own ____16_____ had been added to our diet. When we had guests, we often had pickles ____17____ wine. Slightly intoxicated(excited greatly), everyone would say, “A country flavor, not bad, Not bad, a country flavor (特别的风味)”.

   ____18___ we had something to our own taste. When we looked at the ___19____, it was standing quietly at the corner. Amid the hustle and bustle of our ____20___ life and in the apartment of reinforced concrete, the pot stood there by itself, brewing an old and simple flavor.

1.A. on           B. about        C. for         D. of

2.A. since         B. because      C. as          D. for

3.A. everything    B. something     C. nothing     D. anything

4.A. everything    B. something     C. nothing     D. anything

5.A. murderers     B. thieves       C. actors       D. strangers

6.A. out           B. out of        C. into        D. along

7.A. sing          B. dance         C. plays      D. act

8.A. writing        B. written        C. read       D. reading

9.A. full           B. filled of       C. filled with    D. full with

10.A. As            B. But           C. Because      D. Though

11.A. no one        B. none          C. neither        D. either

12.A. On           B. In             C. During       D. Of

13.A. took          B. brought        C. fetched       D. carried

14.A. Do           B. Cook          C. Make         D. Prepare

15.A. what         B. /               C. that          D. as

16.A. smell         B. sound          C. feel           D. taste

17.A. to go with     B. went with    C. to drink     D. drinking

18.A. But          B. So             C. And           D. Or

19.A. pot          B. TVset           C. radio          D. shelf

20.A. ordinary      B. usual        C. every day     D. everyday

How to be a good listener

Everyone loves a good listener. But there are more reasons to develop the skill of listening than to win hearts or popularity contests.

Listening heals hurts and builds bridges. It gives us the ability to understand and empathize, to view the world from our own point. It can bring us wisdom over and above mere intelligence. But most importantly, it allows us to give the people around us the gifts they crave (渴望) most—a sense of worth.

As it turns out, there’s more to good listening than just keeping quiet and allowing someone to speak. Effective listening is actually a combination of two key communication skills: listening and verifying (确认).

Even when we’ve managed to hear a person’s entire message, we often interpret it wrong—according to our own understanding, experience, or prejudice.

As an effective listener, your goal is to hear and absorb what another has to say…in exactly the way they mean it to be understood. Only then can you respond properly.

This is much easier read than done, so here are a few helpful tips:

1. Give the speaker your full attention.

Stop talking and remove all distractions. Turn off the TV, your phone, or computer. Watch your body language. The way you look at the speaker, or the way you stand or sit, makes a huge difference. The right listening body language communicates that we are listening openly and attentively, and puts the other person at ease.

2. Be patient.

Not everyone is a gifted speaker. Some people take longer to find the right word to make a point. Others are too worried to get their message across properly. If necessary, ask the speaker to explain further. It will help him / her speak more exactly and it will help you hear and understand better.

3. Keep your emotions in check.

If what someone is saying creates an emotional response in you, make an extra effort to listen carefully. When we’re angry, frightened or upset, we often miss key parts of what is being said.

4. Hold your fire.

Don’t jump to conclusions immediately. A good listener doesn’t react until comprehension is complete. If you respond in a way that makes the other person defensive, even if you “win” the argument, you may lose something far more valuable.

5. Even if you think you understand. VERIFY.

Never assume you got the message right. Pause, think about what was said, and then ask “Is this what you meant?” or “Am I understanding this right?”

6. Empathize.

Take a moment to stand in the other person’s shoes, to look at the situation from his / her point of view…especially when you’re being told something personal or painful, or something you strongly disagree with. The more shoes you are able to successfully stand in within your life time, the less puzzled you’ll find your life and relationships to be.

1. of good listening	2.hurts. Building 3.. Allowing us to4.and empathize, and viewing the world in an all-round way. Bringing us wisdom over and above mere intelligence. 5.the people around us feel worthy.
Components of effective listening	Good listening consists of two key communication skills: 6.and verifying.
7. to be a good listener	Listening to the speaker8.. Trying to be a 9.listener. Avoiding being affected by your emotions. Waiting before you take 10.. Verifying. Empathizing.

 

 

One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.

Afternoon tea

People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries. the English ate only two main meals each day ,breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o'clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. and tea was served(提供)to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates, and silver teapots. knives, forks and spoons were used .Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.

Will you come for coffee?

Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words“Will  you come for coffee?” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange Juice will be served as well as coffee. and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a "coffee" party.

Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange

In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and  bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses 

1.Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tee because she _______.

A enjoyed chatting with her friends at home

B loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups

C. wanted to share nice food with her friends

D found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals

2.What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?

A．集体婚礼

B．社交活动

C．社区表演

D．公共场合

3.If someone says to you “Will you come for coffee?”, you _______.

A．will be offered coffee only

B．are asked what you would like to drink

C．will be asked to have a chat with him or her

D．are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party

4.From the last paragraph (段落) we can see _______.

A．a new business was started in coffeehouses

B．coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers

C．businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee

D．most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise

 

When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate（照亮）me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.

When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say:“Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.

When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.

For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.

It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist（心理学家），who will only fill up the healing（愈合的）silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.

In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.

A. become serious about her study

B. go to her friend’s house regularly

C. learn from her classmates at school

D. share poems and stories with her friend

In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means ______.

A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us

B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London

C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared

D. we parted with each other in London

According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.

A. call each other regularly

B. have similar personalities

C. enjoy writing to each other

D. dream of meeting each other

In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.

A. seek professional help   B. be left alone

C. stay with her best friend 

D. break the silence

What is the best title for the passage?

A. Unforgettable Experiences

B. Remarkable Imagination

C. Lifelong Friendship

D. Noble Companions

For many years, I was sure that my suffering was because of my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts, and rejections with it.

Many obese（overweight）people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin means being loved, being special, and being cherished. We imagine what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.

But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally realize its promise of happiness, and of course, love.

It took me a long while to know that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards are different with culture. In Somoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us try hard to change our body, but with no result. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes toward ourselves,  the whole world changes.

1.The passage tries to tell us the importance of ______.

A．body size

B．attitudes toward life

C．culture difference

D．different beauty standards

2.What does the underlined word “everything” (paragraph 2) mean?

A．All the problems.	B．All the bodies.
C．The whole world.	D．The truth.

3.What can be inferred about the author?

A．The author is a Samoan.

B．The author succeeded in losing weight.

C．The author has been troubled by her/his weight.

D．The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents.

4.According to the author, what is the common view of those who have lost some weight first and gained it back later?

A．They feel angry about the regained weight.

B．They don’t care about the regained weight.

C．They feel optimistic（乐观的）about future plans on weight control.

D．They think they should give up their future plans on weight control.