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
Jan. 7, 2008 --- French President Nicolas Sarkozy would marry his girlfriend, former supermodel Carla Bruni on Feb. 8 or 9, media reported Monday.
The report said that in December --- less than a month after Sarkozy met Bruni --- he gave her a heart-shaped diamond engagement ring.
Carla Bruni, Italian singer, former model and girlfriend of France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, holds the hand of her son Aurelien while wearing a pink heart-shaped ring during a visit to the ancient Jordanian ruins of Petra Jan. 5, 2008. French newspapers reported that Sarkozy would marry her early in February.
Sarkozy and his wife of 11 years, Cecilia, divorced in October. Their marital（婚姻）problems became well known in May 2005 when she appeared in public at the side of event organizer Richard Attias.
A marriage to Bruni, a one-time star of the catwalks who is now a singer, would be Sarkozy’s third: He divorced his first wife, Marie, in the late 80s --- after he had met and befriended Cecilia.
Political analyst Dominique Moisi said that a Sarkozy proposal to Bruni could be part of his desire to head off any future arguments, and the speed of their visit to the ancient Jordanian ruins of Petra Jan. 5, 2008 would fit with his personality as a busy man in a hurry.
“Apparently, he’s going to marry her, so the problem will be behind him,” Moisi said. “He will increase the opportunities to travel with her, and to say to the French, ‘You see, I must remarry… You need a first lady.’”
Bruni, an Italian-born French citizen, has dated famous men including Mick Jagger and Donald Trump. She has also reportedly been linked to singer Eric Clapton and actor Vincent Perez.
1.What is the correct order of Sarkozy’s marital history?
A. Long marriage to Cecilia
B. Visiting ruins with Bruni
C. Getting divorced from Marie
D. Giving Bruni a diamond ring
E. To marry the former supermodel
A. c-a-b-d-e B. e-d-c-a-b C. c-a-d-b-e D. a-c-d-b-e
2.What did Moisi really intend to inform the readers?
A. The president will spend more time staying with Bruni
B. Sarkozy is good at balancing state and personal affairs
C. It is not easy for President Sarkozy to seek a new love
D. It is a doubt whether the marriage would have a bright future
3.The possible purpose of the last paragraph is to _________
A. provide some unknown stories about Bruni’s love affairs
B. show uncertainty about the former supermodel’s loyalty
C. imply that past experiences have little effect on a person
D. prove Bruni one of the most popular and attractive females
4.Which would be the best title for the news?
A. Bruni, France’s first lady
B. A third marriage to fail
C. France to have first lady
D. President’s new girl friend
While it is impossible to live completely free of stress，it is possible to prevent stress as well as
reduce its effect when it can’t be avoided．The US Department of Health and Human Services offers the following suggestions for ways to deal with stress．
◆Try physical activity
When you are nervous，angry or upset，try releasing the pressure through exercise or physical
activity．Running，walking，playing tennis，and working in your garden are just some of the activities you might try．
◆Take care of yourself
You should make every effort to eat well and get enough rest．If you easily get angry and can’t sleep well enough，or if you’re not eating properly，it will be more likely that you will fall into stressful situations．If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping，you should consult a doctor．
◆Make time for yourself
Schedule time for both work and entertainment．Don't forget，play can be just as important to your overall well-being as work．You need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun．Go window-shopping or work on a hobby．Allow yourself at least a half hour each day to do something you enjoy．
◆Make a list of things to do
Stress can result from disorganization and a feeling that “there’s so much to do，and not enough time”．Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and as a result，you may not achieve anything．Instead，make a list of everything you have to do，then do one thing at a time，checking off each task as it is completed．Set out to do the most important task first．
1.Which of the following statements shows that you have fallen into stressful situations?
A．You can't sleep well all the time．
B．You have a break after work．
C．You always feel happy and relaxed．
D．You only do one thing at a time．
2.According to the passage，how do you make a list of things to do?
A．Try to take care of everything at once．
B．Do one thing at a time．
C．Only do the most important thing．
D．Have a break from your work．
3.Why does the writer write this passage?
A．To give opinion．
B．To give suggestions．
C．To make a request．
D．To ask for advice．
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A．How to Deal with Stress?
B．How to Make Time for Yourself?
C．How to Take Care of Yourself?
D．How to Make a List of Things to Do?
How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations indicate that there are several keys to success that successful people share．
First of all，successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to go ahead．They realize that their future lies in their own hands．They understand that
they cannot control things in life，such as nature，the past and other people．But in the meantime，
they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions．They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering things they can do．Perhaps what most
separate successful people from others is that they live life “on purpose”——they are doing what they believe they are put here to do．In their opinion，having a purpose in their life is the most important element that enables them to become fully functioning people．They hold that when they live their life on purpose，their main concern is to do the job right．They love what they do—and it shows．People want to do business with them because of their commitment(投身；献身)．To live their life on purpose，successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it．Besides，they never easily give up．Once they have set up goals in their life，they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals．Rather than seeing it negative or depressing they use the knowledge to spur themselves on and go after what they want energetically and passionately．
1.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A．How People Live Their Life on, Purpose
B．How People Can Be Successful -
C．How People Can Do Their Own Things
D．How People Do Business
2.By living life “on purpose”，successful people can __________.
A．do a lot of work
B．concentrate on their jobs
C．do business with many people
D．do all of the above mentioned
3.The underlined word “it’’ in the second paragraph refers to __________.
A．the main concern of successful people
B．the job that successful people do
C．the commitment with which successful people do their job
D．the business that successful people do with other people
4.The underlined word “spur” in the last sentence most probably means“
A．encourage B．excite C．relieve D．force
It is Saturday afternoon．You and your friends are planning to go to the movies and then spend
the night together. Just as you start to get ready, your dad reminds you it is your aunt's birthday and the whole family is going out to dinner to celebrate．How can this possibly end without a huge argument?
One of the greatest sources of tension(紧张情绪)between teenagers and their families is the struggle to balance personal desires with family expectations．As you are getting older，you are becoming more independent and more interested in being with your friends．
However，at the same time，your family is trying to figure out how to deal with these changes． While you once spent most of your free time with your family，you are now often absent from home．Parents may get their feelings hurt．Or they might feel that they are losing control of their family during this period．You might feel angry that so many family demands are placed on you．
There are a few things you can try to make it a little easier to ease(缓解)the tension．
* Make your plans in advance．Ask your parents if there is anything else planned at that time．
* When something with your friends interferes(干扰；冲突)with a family event，try to figure
out if there is any way you can do both．
* Suggest something you would really like to do with your family．Sometimes parents feel better just knowing their teenager wants to spend time with them．
Some of the time you won’t be happy with the outcome(结果)．You might either have to disappoint your parents or have to miss out being with your friends．However，if you show consideration(体谅)for the feelings of both your family and your friends，you can solve the problem in a tender way．
1.The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________.
A．show a disagreement of views
B．serve as a description of teenager trouble
C．serve as an introduction to the discussion
D．show the popularity of teenager problem
2.The tension between teenagers and their families is caused by the fact that____________.
A．teenagers don’t like to take family demands
B．parents want to keep their family under control
C．parents feel unhappy that their children make so many friends
D．both parents and teenagers don’t pay attention to each other’s feeling much
3.Which of the following is NOT the advice given in the passage?
A．Don’t feel angry if your parents ask you to do something．
B．Try to think of ways to balance family event with friend event．
C．Tell your parents before you decide to spend time with your friends．
D．Advise your parents to do something that you are interested in with you．
4.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A．To inform us of parent and teenager tension．
B．To tell us about a common teenager problem．
C．To persuade parents to show consideration for teenagers．
D．To advise teenagers how to deal with their tension with their family．
阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
It was a warm March evening, and I’d just taken a seat on the bus that would take me home. It was nearly 6:00 PM, but the bus was not yet full and the driver gave no ___1___ that he intended to start the bus.
A middle-aged woman took a seat opposite me. She was crying. Not speaking to anyone in particular, she ___2____ narrated her story.
She had come to the city to visit her daughter. On the way to the terminal, a thief had ___3____ one of her bags. It had contained half of the money she’d brought with her. The other half was hidden under her blouse, so she ___4___ still had some money left. The bus conductor, driver, and other passengers listened to her tale.
At this time, an old man ___5__ got on the bus. He sat in the seat directly in front of the woman.
After a few minutes, all seats were ___6___. The driver got behind the wheel and started the engine. The bus conductor collected tickets and began asking us where we were ___7___. When he came to the old man’s seat, he became ___8___ and asked the old man whether he had any money. The old man___9___ that he did not. He explained that he ___10___ all his money this morning when he’d accidentally got on the wrong bus and now he was trying to go home.
Upon hearing this, the bus conductor ___11___ the old man to get off the bus. The old man was almost in tears as he begged the bus conductor to let him take that bus __12___ he could get home before dark. The bus driver approached the old man, and repeated the conductor’s ___13___ to get off the bus.
“Stop troubling him! Can’t you see he’s only trying to get home?” she interfered. “He doesn’t
have any money! ” the driver shouted. “Well, that’s no __14_ to throw him off the bus,” she insisted.
Then she said, “How much is his fare?” The bus conductor mumbled the amount. “Fine,” said the woman. She __15___ inside her blouse, took out her ___16___ money, and handed the fares to the bus conductor. “Here’s his fare and mine. Just stop giving him a hard time.”
All eyes turned ___17___the woman, who, just minutes before, had been crying over the money she’d lost. “It’s only money,” she shrugged.
By the time the bus rolled out of the terminal, she had given the old man bread and a dollar. She rode the rest of the way home ___18__ a Mona Lisa smile of peace and grace, and the money she’d lost ___19__ was forgotten.
On the road of life, the politeness and smiles of ___20___ can lighten our loads and lift our spirits. How much sweeter the journey when we make it a little smoother and richer for others!
1.A. answer B. agreement C. indication D. talk
2.A. tearfully B. excitedly C. helplessly D. proudly
3.A. got B. snatched C. pulled D. caught
4.A. surprisingly B. peacefully C. naturally D. fortunately
5.A. in rags B. shyly C. happily D. in disorder
6.A. had B. taken C. full D. crowded
7.A. getting on B. getting down C. getting off D. getting in
8.A. conscious B. suspicious C. curious D. anxious
9.A. realized B. pretended C. admitted D. remembered
10.A. spend B. has spent C. had spent D. was spent
11.A. asked B. ordered C. led D. begged
12.A. so B. until C. if D. when
13.A. arrangement B. command C. advice D. decision
14.A. good B. sense C. reason D. doubt
15.A. picked B. removed C. touched D. reached
16.A. left B. saving C. borrowed D. remaining
17.A. in B. to C. down D. on
18.A. owning B. wearing C. hating D. losing
19.A. earlier B. sooner C. later D. former
20.A. customers B. friends C. strangers D. conductors
