Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly? Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it?
Many people are afraid to assert（维护，坚持） themselves. Dr. Robert Albert, author of STAND UP, SPEAK OUT and TALK BACK, thinks it is because their self-respect is low. “There’s always a superior around------ a parent, a teacher, a boss who knows better.” But Albert and other scientists are doing something to help people assert themselves.
They offer assertiveness training courses, A. T. for short. In the A. T. course people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to be aggressive without hurting other people.
In one way, learning to speak out is to get rid of fear. A group taking an A. T. course will help the timid person to lose his fear. But A. T. uses an even stronger motive to share the need. The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels.
Whether or not you speak up for yourself depends on your self-respect. If your face is more important than you, you may feel less of a person. You start to doubt your answers to problems. However, once you get to feel good about yourself, you can learn to speak out.
【小题1】The problem the writer talks about is that ________________.

A．some people buy things they don’t want

B．some people are afraid to speak up for their rights

C．there are too many superiors

D．some people don’t think enough of themselves

【小题2】The cause of the problem talked about in the text is that _________.

A．some people have a low self-respect

B．there is always someone around who knows better

C．salesmen talk people into buying things they don’t want

D．people don’t share enough

【小题3】The underlined word “timid” probably means “___________” in Chinese

A．胆小的	B．优秀的
C．勇敢的	D．无知的

【小题4】One thing the A.T. course doesn’t do is to _____________.
A. share the need of people        B. show people they have a right to be themselves      
C. help people overcome fear      D. help people to assert themselves even if others suffer

Scientists are trying to make the deserts ,which get very little rain, into good land again. They want to bring water to the deserts，so people can live and grow food. They are learning a lot about the deserts. But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time. Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time．

Why is more and more land becoming desert？Scientists think that people make deserts．People are doing bad things to the earth against the scientists’ wish．

Some places on the earth don’t get much rain. But they still don’t become deserts．This is because some green plants are growing there．Small green plants and grass are very important to dry places．Plants don’t let the sun make the earth even drier． Plants do not let the wind blow the dirt away．When a bit of rain falls，the plants hold the water. Without plants, the land can become desert more easily．

1.Deserts ____________ ．

A．never have any plants or animals in them

B．can all be turned into good land before long

C．are becoming smaller and smaller

D．get very little rain

2.More and more land is becoming desert  because____________．

A．plants can’t grow there

B．there is not enough rain

C．people haven’t done what scientists wish them to do

D．scientists know little about the deserts

3.Small green plants are very important to dry places because ________

A．they don’t let the sun make the earth even drier

B．they don’t let the wind blow the soil away

C．they hold water

D．All of the above．

4.After reading this passage, we learn that _____________ ．

A．plants can keep dry land from becoming desert

B．it is good to get rid of the grass in the deserts

C．all places without much rain will become deserts

D．it is better to grow crops on dry land than to cut them

 

Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parent’s eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge. It is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is , make a list of you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well , roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!
【小题1】 You need to build a positive self-image when you________.

A．dare to challenge yourself	B．feel it hard to change yourself
C．are unconfident about yourself	D．have a high opinion of yourself.

【小题2】How should you change your self-image according to the passage?

A．To keep a different image of others.	B．To make your life successful.
C．To understand your own world.	D．To change the way you think.

【小题3】What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to prepare for your success.	B．How to face challenges in your life
C．How to build a positive self-image.	D．How to develop your good qualities.

【小题4】Who are the intended readers of the passage?
A. Parents     B. Young people     C Educators   D. People in general.

Trees should only be pruned (修剪) when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and , the number of such reasons is small. Pruning involves the cutting away of overgrown and unwanted branches, and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way.
First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have desired shape or size. The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches, which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape. Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier. You may cut out diseased or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds. The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the center and so preventing the free movement of air.
One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease , but it is a wound that will heal (愈合). Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die, so that there is a period when the tree is at risk. It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce that risk of death as far as possible. It is important to make the area, which has been pruned, smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness. You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the materials available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose. Pruning is usually done in winter , for then you can see the shape of the tree clearly without interference (妨碍) from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed. If this does happen, it is, of course, impossible to paint them properly .
【小题1】．Why should pruning be done?

A．To make the tree grow taller.	B．To improve the shape of the tree.
C．to get rid of the small ranches .	D．To make the small branches thicker.

【小题2】．Trees become unhealthy if the gardener__________.

A．giving a tree a special shape and a definite height

B．removing small side branches and making a tree look less thick

C．allowing too many branches to grow in the middle

D．having a tree surrounded by many other trees

【小题3】．Why is a special material painted on the tree?

A．To help a wound to dry.	B．to cover a rough surface.
C．To make a wound smooth.	D．To prevent disease entering a wound.

【小题4】．A good gardener prunes a tree _________ .

A．several times throughout the year	B．as quickly as possible
C．occasionally when necessary	D．regularly every winter

【小题5】．What was the author’s purpose when writing this passage?

A．To discuss different methods of pruning.

B．To introduce some common knowledge of pruning.

C．To explain how trees develop disease.

D．To give practical instruction for pruning a tree.

After successfully serving their terms for 4 years, military service men and women are given the choice to stay in the military or return to civilian life.

For some, having to readjust to civilian life is one of the most challenging assignments our returning soldiers and marines（水兵）will ever to undertake. While people may think readjusting should be simple, they must take into consideration all physical and mental stress our servicemen went through.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder（创伤后应急障碍）, or PTSD, is a mental disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat（打仗）.

Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. In the military, the marines are given a two-week course on how to return to civilian life.

Unfortunately, some will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individual may develop PTSD.

People who suffer from PTSD have difficulty sleeping because they are often reliving the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, and feel deserted or often stand off, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly damage the person’s daily life.

Fullerton College, like most colleges, has its own Veteran’s Office. Ray Bustos has been running the office for 3 years. Bustos acts as a liaison（联络）for the school and the veteran（老兵）students. He makes sure the veterans returning to school get the right benefits. There are various types of financial aid for soldiers and marines. He strongly encourages the use of the Veteran Affairs website.

The website is very informative and extremely helpful for veterans as well as for friends and relatives of veterans who want to learn more.

1.One purpose of the writer in writing the passage is ________________.

A．to introduce some methods to cure PTSD

B．to instruct PTSD patients to return to civilian life

C．to recommend a website to veterans and people concerned

D．to give military service men and women advice on civilian life

2.What problems will some returning soldiers and marines meet with?

A．How to readjust to civilian life.

B．How to get rid of mental diseases.

C．How to get along with PTSD patients.

D．How to return to school for benefits.

3.Which of the following is true about Ray Bustos?

A．He runs Fullerton College with a veteran office.

B．He’s in charge of an office dealing with veteran affairs.

C．He provides a lot of financial aid for soldiers and marines.

D．He’s a veteran who has just come back from a military combat.

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．PTSD: Killer of A Civilian Life

B．The Last Assignment for All Military Persons

C．How to Overcome PTSD

D．Ready for a Civilian Life?