A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clear will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.

Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

60．The main idea of the first paragraph is that______.

A. words have a lasting effect on us　 B. inspiring words give us confidence

C. negative words may let us down　 D. not sticks and stones but words will hurt us

61．There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _____.

　　　 A. almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves

　　　 B. talking to ourselves always gives us courage

　　　 C. we can benefit from talking to ourselves

　　　 D. it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone

62．The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely ______.

　　 A. remind ourselves　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. praise ourselves

　　　 C. make ourselves relaxed　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. give ourselves amusement

63．The author would probably hold the view that ______.

　　　 A. encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers

　　　 B. negative words may stimulate us to make more progress

　　　 C. people tend to remember friendly words

　　　 D. it is better to think twice before talking to others

　

四．阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.

One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, saying, “You don’t say！”“You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic. ”So I said to him, “well, shall we talk about the Great Wall?” By the way, have you ever been there? “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent（壮丽的）.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide, “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his order “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking .I said, “Didn’t you say you don’t say?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “You don’t say actually means really? It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I make a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expression.

1. A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because     .

       A. English idioms were too difficult to master

       B. I cared little about the teacher’s instruction

       C. my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance

       D. I had no interest in English learning

2. When I first heard “You don’t say!” I thought     .

       A. the Englishman was not interested in my English

       B. the Englishman was only interested in the Great Wall.

       C. I had talked too much

       D. I had to stop talking at once

3. Which of the following is true?

       A. The Englishman was leaving China without seeing the Great Wall.

B. The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.

       C. The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.

       D. The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting

4. After the Englishman explained the idiom, ___   .

       A. the Englishman made me a fool

       B. the Englishman made a fool of himself

       C. I felt very silly

       D.I felt proud of my understanding

It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.

    My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I' m so glad I did.

    On the way to the harbor we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape．After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big humps(脊背) in the distance.

    On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn't believe it — there weren't any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.

    The little baby whale—actually as big as our boat—was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools（漩涡） and waves. "She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe—and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off. They swam into the distance.

    In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.

1. In Para2 the author says "I' m so glad I did." because _________.

    A. he witnessed the whole process of fishing

    B. he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea

    C. he experienced the rescue of the whales

    D. he spent the weekend with his family

2.The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________.

    A. she had stayed in the polluted water for too long

    B. the whirlpools she had made were not big enough

    C. she had no other whales around to turn to for help

    D. the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction

3.What is the theme of the story?

    A. Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness.

    B. Fishing provides excitement for children.

    C. It's necessary to live in harmony with animals.

    D. It's vital to protect the whale in the ocean.

 

Emily was a very big fan of animals when she was a child. As a result, all she ever heard about growing up was "Emily, you should be a  36 _. You're going to be great in that field. That's what you should do.” _37 when she got to the Ohio State University, she took biology, anatomy, and chemistry, and started studying to be a vet.

A Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship(奖学金) allowed her to spend her 38 year studying abroad in Manchester, England. Away from the family and 39 from them, she found herself one day sitting at her desk, surrounded by biology books and staring out the window, when it suddenly hit her: "I'm in total 40 _. I don't want to be a vet!"

 41 she thought back over all the things she'd done in her life and what had made her happy. And then it hit her -- it was all of the youth leadership conferences(会议) that she had volunteered  42  and the communications and leadership courses she had taken as selective courses back at Ohio State.  "How could I have been so 43 ? Here I am in my fourth year at school and just finally realizing I'm on the_ 44 path. I just never took the time to 45  it until now,” she thought.

Inspired by her new 46 , Emily spent the rest of her year in England taking courses in communications and media studies. When 47 to Ohio State, she was eventually able to 48_    the administration(管理部门) to let her create her own program in "leadership studies", _49 it took her 2 years longer to finally graduate. She  50 to become a senior management consultant in leadership training and development for the Pentagon. She  51 founded a drug-prevention organization that conveys(传达) the __52__ "Lead your own life with the skill and the_ 53 to say no."

So, never live someone else's _54  . If you limit your _55 only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want.

36．A. teacher                 B. vet                C. doctor                  D. nurse

37．A. For                       B. But                        C. So                    D. Or 

38．A. final               B. usual                     C. first                      D. past

39．A. promise                B. warning                 C. complaint             D. pressure

40．A. pain                      B. silence                  C. confidence            D. surprise

41．A. Perhaps               B. Instead                  C. Then                  D. Often

42．A. of                          B. at                 C. with                     D. on

43．A. disturbed              B. intelligent                C. ignorant(无知的) D. inspired

44．A. clear                    B. wrong              C. short                     D. wide

45．A. permit                   B. admit              C. accomplish          D. complete

46．A. understanding                                        B. discovery             C. research       D. information  

47．A. relating                 B. referring               C. responding       D. returning 

48．A. prepare                B. convince           C. force                   D. forbid     

49．A. though                                         B. as                                C. if                  D. once

50．A. employed             B. failed                     C. continued         D. retired         

51．A. still                       B. also                      C. again                    D. only

52．A. message                                      B. signal                          C. sign              D. word

53．A. will                        B. chance                 C. fact                       D. pride

54．A. promises               B. dreams            C. requests             D. successes

55．A. smiles                    B. reasons                C. mistakes               D. choices

I made a promise to myself on the drive down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I

1    try to be a loving husband and father. Totally    2   . No ifs, ands or buts. The idea had come to me as I listened to a commentator    3    my car's tape player. He was _4__ a passage about husbands being    5    of their wives.    6    he went on to say, “Love is an act    7 will. A person can choose to love. “To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband,

8    our love had been dulled by my own insensitivity (感觉迟钝). In unimportant ways, really scolding Evelyn for her tardiness (拖拉);     9    on the TV channel I wanted to watch; throwing    10    day-old newspapers that I knew Evelyn still wanted to read. Well, for two weeks all that would    11   . And it    12   . Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said. That new yellow sweater looks    13    on you. “Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and    14   . Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought.” Evelyn's been alone here with the children    15    week and now she wants to be alone with me. “We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites. So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street investment (投资) firm    16    I am director; a visit    17    the shell museum, though I usually hate museums ( and I enjoyed it ) ;    18    my tongue while Evelyn's getting ready made us late for a dinner    19   . Relaxed (轻松) and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on    20    to choose love.

    1．

A. used to　　　　　　　　　　   B. would

C. should　　　　　　　　　　    D. could

    2．

A. loving　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. lovely

C. lovable　　　　　　　　　　    D. loved

    3．

A. at　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. with

C. on　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. for

    4．

A. thinking　　　　　　　　　　  B. writing

C. believing　　　　　　　　　　 D. reading

    5．

A. helpful　　　　　　　　　　    B. useful

C. thoughtful　　　　　　　　   D. hopeful

    6．

A. Instead　　　　　　　　　　   B. Then

C. Otherwise　　　　　　　　   D. Thus

    7．

A. in　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. of

C. against　　　　　　　　　　    D. at

    8．

A. that　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. but

C. when　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. if

    9．

A. insisting　　　　　　　　　　  B. hanging

C. sticking　　　　　　　　　　  D. suggesting

    10．

A. about　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. up

C. away　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. in

    11．

A. happen　　　　　　　　　　   B. change

C. develop　　　　　　　　　　   D. forbid

    12．

A. would　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. had

C. did　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. was

    13．

A. great　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. big

C. sorry　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. tight

    14．

A. frightened　　　　　　　　   B. anxious

C. disappointed　　　　　　    D. pleased

    15．

A. all of　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. all

C. all of a　　　　　　　　　　    D. all a

    16．

A. which　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. what

C. where　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. that

    17．

A. in　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. at

C. by 　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. to

    18．

A. stopping　　　　　　　　　　 B. preventing

C. keeping　　　　　　　　　　   D. holding

    19．

A. date　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. day

C. night　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. evening

    20．

A. reminding　　　　　　　　   B. requiring

C. repaying　　　　　　　　　　 D. remembering