The elephant was lying heavily on its side, fast asleep．A few dogs started barking at it．The elephant woke up in a terrible anger: it chased the dogs into the village where they ran for safety.
That didn't stop the elephant．It destroyed a dozen houses and injured several people．The villagers were scared and angry．Then someone suggested calling Parbati, the elephant princess.
Parbati Barua's father was a hunter of tigers and an elephant tamer．He taught Parbati to ride an elephant before she could even walk．He also taught her the dangerous art of the elephant round-up -- how to catch wild elephants.
Parbati hasn't always lived in the jungle．After a happy childhood hunting with her father, she was sent to boarding school in the city．But Parbati never got used to being there and many years later she went back to her old fife．"Life in the city is too dull．Catching elephants is an adventure and the excitement lasts for days after the chase," she says.
But Parbati doesn't catch elephants just for fun．"My work," she says, "is to rescue man from the elephants, and to keep the elephants safe from man." And this is exactly what Parbati has been doing for many years．Increasingly, the Indian elephant is angry: for many years, illegal hunters have attacked it and its home in the jungle has been reduced to small pieces of land．It is now fighting back．Whenever wild elephants enter a tea garden or a village, Parbati is called to guide the animals back to the jungle before they can kill.
The work of an elephant tamer also involves love and devotion．A good elephant tamer will spend hours a day singing love songs to a newly captured elephant．"Eventually they grow to love their tamers and never forget them．They are also more loyal than humans," she said, as she climbed up one of her elephants and sat on the giant, happy animal．An elephant princess indeed!
1.For Parbati, catching elephants is mainly to .
A．get long lasting excitement B．keep both man and elephants safe
C．send them back to the jungle D．make the angry elephants tame
2.Before Parbati studied in a boarding school, .
A．she spent her time hunting with her father
B．she learned how to sing love songs
C．she had already been called an elephant princess
D．she was taught how to hunt tigers
3.Indian elephants are getting increasingly angry and they revenge because __________.
A．they are caught and sent for heavy work
B．illegal hunters capture them and kill them
C．they are attacked and their land gets limited
D．dogs often bark at them and chase them
4.The passage starts with an elephant story in order to explain that in India _________．
A．people easily fall victim to elephants' attacks
B．the man-elephant relationship is getting worse
C．elephant tamers are in short supply
D．dogs are as powerful as elephants
The term “multitasking” originally referred to a computer’s ability to carry out several tasks at one time．For many people, multitasking has become a way of life and even a key to success．In fact, some excellent mental aerobic exercises (大脑训练) involve engaging the brain in two or more challenging activities at a time．Although checking e-mail while talking on a phone and reading the newspaper may be second nature for some people, many times multitasking can make us less productive, rather than more．And studies show that too much multitasking can lead to increased stress, anxiety and memory loss．
In order to multitask, the brain uses an area known as the prefrontal cortex (前额叶脑皮层)．Brian scans of volunteers performing multiple tasks together show that as they shift from task to task, this front part of the brain actually takes a moment of rest between tasks．You may have experienced a prefrontal cortex “moment of rest” yourself if you’ve ever dialed (拨电话) a phone number and suddenly forgotten who you dialed when the line is answered．What probably occurred is that between the dialing and the answering, your mind shifted to anther thought or task, and then took that “moment” to come back．Research has also shown that for many volunteers, job efficiency (效率) declines while multitasking, as compared to when they perform only one task at a time.
Multitasking is easiest when at least one of the tasks is habitual, or requires little thought．Most people don’t find it difficult to eat and read the newspaper at the same time．However, when two or more attention-requiring tasks are attempted at one time, people sometimes make mistakes．
We often don’t remember things as well when we’re trying to manage several details at the same time．Without mental focus, we may not pay enough attention to new information coming in, so it never makes it into our memory stores．That is one of the main reasons we forget people’s names---even sometimes right after they have introduced themselves．Multitasking can also affect our relationships．If someone checks their e-mail while on the phone with a friend, they may come off as absent-minded or disinterested．It can also cause that person to miss or overlook key information being passed on to them．
1.Why are some mental aerobic exercises designed to engage people in multitasking?
A．To make them more productive．
B．To reduce their stress and anxiety．
C．To develop their communication skills．
D．To help them perform daily tasks more easily．
2.According to Paragraph 2, why may a person suddenly forget who has called?
A．He may leave his prefrontal cortex temporarily damaged．
B．He is probably interrupted by another task．
C．He is probably not very familiar with the person he has called．
D．He may need a rest between dialing and speaking.
3.People tend to make mistake when ____.
A．they perform several challenging tasks at a time．
B．new messages are processed one after another
C．their relationships with others are affected
D．the tasks require little thought
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Multitasking has become a way of life．
B．Multitasking often leads to efficiency decline．
C．Multitasking exercises need to be improved．
D．Multitasking enables people to remember things better．
It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers(生产商) follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征) of clothes．What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men．Take a look at the way your clothes button．Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s form the left．Considering most of the word’s population----men and women----are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women．So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here．Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants．For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier．On the other hand, having men’s shirts button form the right made sense, too．Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.
Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning form the left is still the standard for them．Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change．At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned form the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right．After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch．Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts.
1.What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years.
B．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s.
C．It woks better with men than with women.
D．It fails to consider right-handed people.
2.What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons.
B．They were interested in the historical matters.
C．They were mostly dressed by servants.
D．They drew their swords from the left.
3.Women’s clothes still button from the left today because .
A．adopting men’s style is improper for women
B．manufacturers should follow standards
C．modern women dress themselves
D．customs are hard to change
4.The passage is mainly developed by .
A．analyzing causes B．making comparisons
C．examining differences D．following the time order
Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life.
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old．I was born in a war-torn area．Right now I’m a web designer.
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields．For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long．Those are my great memories.
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes．As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family．I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age．However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone．I learnt to be independent.
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area．I would have loved to live with my family in freedom．Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe.
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age．I want to give back what I’ve got．That’s our way．But I am working in another city．My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it．It filters(过滤) out your emotion and leaves your voice only．My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch.
1.In Misbah’s childhood, .
A．he was free from worry
B．he liked living in the countryside
C．he was fond of getting close to nature
D．he often spent holidays with his family
2.What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?
A．A colorful life． B．A beautiful house.
C．Peace and freedom． D．Money for his family.
3.How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?
A．By chatting on the Internet． B．By calling them sometimes.
C．By paying weekly visits． D．By writing them letters.
4.If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?
A．What was your childhood dream?
B．What is your biggest achievement?
C．What is your parents’ view of you?
D．What was your hardest experience in the war?
One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast．I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled．He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone．I asked if I might join him．He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things．We never introduced ourselves．I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat．So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
“My I get you something ?”
“A coffee would be nice.”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee, We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee, Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit．At the door I met one of my friends．He asked,
“How did you get to know Mr．Galbreath?”
“Who?”
“The man you were sitting with．He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”
I could hardly believe it．I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr．Galbreath changed my life．Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and no matter another human being with kindness and sincerity.
1.What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?
A．Unfriendly． B．Untidy． C．Gentle． D．Kind.
2.The author bought coffee for the old man because
A．he thought the old man was poor
B．he wanted to start a conversation
C．he intended to show his politeness
D．he would like to thank the old man
3.How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend?
A．Proud． B．Pitiful． C．Surprised． D．Regretful
4.What is the message mainly expressed in the story?
A．We should learn to be generous.
B．It is honorable to help those in need.
C．People in high positions are not like what we expect.
D．We should avoid judging people by their appearances.
Introduction to Letters to Sam
Dear Reader,
Please allow me to tell you something before you read this book．When my 1, Sam, was born, my heart was filled with joy．I had been sitting in a wheelchair for 20 years before then, and I have been 2ill many times．So I wondered if I would have the 3to tell Sam what I had 4.
For years I have been hosting a program on the 5and writing articles for a magazine． Being 6to move freely, I have learned to sit still and keep my heart 7, exchanging thoughts with thousands of listeners and 8．So when Sam was born, I 9to tell him about school and friendship, romance and work, love and everything else．That’s how I started to write these 10．I hope that Sam would 11them sooner or later.
However, that expectation 12when Sam showed signs of autism (自闭症) at the age of two．He had actually stopped talking before the discovery of the signs．He 13to communicate with others, even the family members．That was 14for me but didn’t stop me writing on．I realized that I had even 15now to tell him．I wanted him to 16what it means to be “different” from others, and learn how to fight against the misfortune he’ll 17as I myself, his grandfather, did．I just 18if I could write all that I wanted to say in the rest of my life.
Now, 19the book has been published, I have been given the chance．Every chapter in the book is a letter to Sam: some about my life, and all about what it means to be a 20.
Daniel Gottlieb
1.A．son B．nephew C．brother D．grandson
2.A．seriously B．mentally C．slightly D．quietly
3.A．ability B．time C．courage D．responsibility
4.A．written B．suffered C．observed D．lost
5.A．radio B．television C．stage D．bed
6.A．ready B．unable C．anxious D．eager
7.A．warm B．broken C．closed D．open
8.A．hosts B．visitors C．readers D．reporters
9.A．began B．stopped C．forgot D．decided
10.A．letters B．emails C．books D．diaries
11.A．find B．read C．collect D．keep
12.A．developed B．disappeared C．changed D．arrived
13.A．tried B．refused C．regretted D．hoped
14.A．exciting B．acceptable C．strange D．heartbreaking
15.A．less B．everything C．more D．nothing
16.A．understand B．explain C．believe D．question
17.A．fear B．face C．know D．cause
18.A．felt B．guessed C．saw D．doubted
19.A．as B．once C．though D．if
20.A．teacher B．child C．man D．writer
