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’s 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．

1.The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________．

       A．not sticks and stones but words will hurt us        

       B．inspiring words give us confidence

       C．negative words may let us down                

       D．words have a lasting effect on us

2.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．we can benefit from talking to ourselves

       C．talking to ourselves always gives us courage

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

3.The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______

       A．praise ourselves                                          

       B．remind ourselves

       C．make ourselves relaxed                                

       D．give ourselves amusement

4.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

 

As I got up today, I smelt fresh coffee．I woke up to  1  a cup of it with some biscuits on my beside table．This reminded me of  2 , the old school and college days, when mom used to wake me up by serving a  3  cup of coffee．The taste is still so  4  in my memories．

A  5  thought hit me, “I was in bed, so who prepared this coffee for me? Is it a dream?”

I pinched （掐） myself, ouch… that hurt, which meant I was not  6 ．I walked out of the room with the cup of coffee,  7  my roommate．I asked him whether he prepared that for me, and the answer was YES．

I was relaxed  8  somehow my heart wanted him to say NO, because I wanted to be in a  9  that my mom prepared it for me．The whole  10  reminded me of mom and I  11  her at that moment．

On my way to my office, I was thinking about those days when mom used to cook my  12 meal．I could not  13  any single day when I slept without food．But now, I no longer  14  the food mom cooked．

    This very thought  15  tears to my eyes and I decided to call up mom．I reached the office and gave her a call．

    The first thing she asked was, “Is everything all right?” I was  16 ．And I thought, “How the time has  17 ”．

    When I was with her, I used to call her after every hour when I was out with my friends．In those days she  18  asked me what was wrong, as she knew that it was my habit．My call at this point of the day to her meant that I was in  19 ．

    Time has changed, she is still the same, and it is  20  who have changed．

1．A．find                 B．drink              C．prepare        D．cook

2．A．kitchen             B．comfort           C．warmth        D．home

3．A．smelling            B．cooking           C．steaming       D．pouring

4．A．deep               B．fresh              C．heavy           D．recent

5．A．funning            B．possible             C．realistic        D．sudden

6．A．thinking             B．working           C．dreaming       D．reacting

7．A．in search of         B．in favor of         C．in place of      D．in case of

8．A．and                B．but               C．or             D．so

9．A．sense               B．relief              C．belief           D．state

10．A．scene             B．incident           C．care           D．matter

11．A．hated             B．expected           C．missed          D．questioned

12．A．last              B．every             C．tasty            D．complete

13．A．check            B．count              C．remember      D．cover

14．A．pack             B．finish             C．imagine        D．enjoy

15．A．brought          B．caused            C．pushed          D．raised

16．A．careless           B．speechless         C．rootless          D．homeless

17．A．influenced         B．passed            C．flied            D．changed

18．A．never             B．still               C．often          D．almost

19．A．peace             B．surprise           C．trouble          D．progress

20．A．my roommate      B．she               C．the situation      D．I