In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial or ethnic group, if some members are darker skinned than others．
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world．More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks．
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful．
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One of the chemicals has been linked to kidney （肾） damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy．
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．They can even make some skin darker．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse．
Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital，Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．
And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They feel regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．
1.Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “bleaching”?
A．whitening B．changing C．lighting D．pleasing
2.Why has the skin lightening become a common activity all over the world?
A．There are many products that can make the dark skin light．
B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence．
C．Relatively speaking, light skin has more advantages over dark skin．
D．People with dark skin are forced by the pressure of their families．
3.According to the text the following are the risks using the bleaching products EXCEPT________．
A．blackened fingernails B．permanent skin damage
C．emotional damage D．a waste of time and money
4.From the text we can conclude the writer’s attitude toward using the bleaching products is probably ________．
A．supportive B．positive
C．doubtful D．negative
When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault．” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault; the car broke down．” It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser．You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation．However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation．This is the winner’s key to success．
Winners are great at overcoming problems．For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly．Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need．For another example, if your colleague （同事） causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person．Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person．You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well．
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens．Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else．They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents．So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is．” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success．
1.According to the passage, winners ．
A．deal with problems rather than blame others
B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives
C．have responsible and able colleagues
D．blame themselves rather than others
2.The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ．
A．avoid B． accept C．improve D．consider
3.When your colleague brings about a problem, you should ．
A．find a better way to handle the problem
B．blame him for his lack of responsibility
C．tell him to find the cause of the problem
D．ask a more able colleague for help
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A．A Winner’s Opportunity． B．A Winner’s Secret．
C．A Winner’s Problem． D．A Winner’s Achievement．
Chinese girl looking for language exchanger
Posted Feb 10, 2010 16:25 by Sophia
Tag: Seeking Language partners Guangzhou Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Chinese
I am a Chinese girl in my 20’s, can speak and write in English, but I’d like to make some improvement．People always look for making it better, right?
Meanwhile, I also like to meet more friends if we really have some topics to share．
And if you are in Guangzhou or visit here, I am more than willing to show you around in my spare time．
Reply to happycora@hotmail．com or call 15015704625
Tianhe nice apartment for share
Posted Feb 24, 2010 16:47 by Vivian
Tag: Seeking roommates Guangzhou Tianhe District Up to 2000 RMB
I have a room available for rent in a shared apartment in Central Tianhe district．
The room has a big window with a nice view．The apartment itself is on the 22th floor of a new secure building on Tianhe Bei Lu, about 10 minutes walk from metro stations on lines 1 and 3, as well as buses and other transportation methods very close．
If you are interested, please feel free to phone me （Vivian） on 13145751201 （message preferred）, or email me on vivian_liu2003@hotmail．com．
Business Interpreter/Guide
Posted Feb 26, 2010 08:46 by Sony
Tag: Business Services Guangzhou Baiyun District
Dear Foreign Friends, I am a professional interpreter, now looking for a Freelance interpreter job urgently．Please read my CV at below：
Name: Sony Song
Gender: Male
Age: 22 years old
Education: Studied English in Da Shan Foreign Language College
Birth: 9th Oct 1987, Luohe city, Henan province, China．
Ability: Speak fluent English, know Guangzhou city very well, can also guide you to Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Shunde, Macao, Hongkong, etc．
Contact Detail: E-mail/MSN: sonysong4@hotmail．com; cell phone: 15112015812
Looking for flat
Posted Mar 11, 2010 14:03 by Lucy
Tag: Apartments wanted Guangzhou
Hello,
This is Lucy coming from Peru and looking for a short term flat, from 15th April until 4th May 2010．If somebody can give some information, send me pictures, price and address．
Email: lucitamaron@hotmail．com; cell phone: 13800013900
Thanks a lot in advance!
1.If foreigner wants to learn some Chinese and make friends; he / she can call _________．
A．15015704625 B．13800013900
C．13145751201 D．15112015812
2.To share a department where the traffic is quite convenient, you may send text message to ________．
A．Sophia B．Lucy C．Vivian D．Sony
3.What do the four advisers have in common?
A．All of them speak both Chinese and English．
B．All of them are in their twenties．
C．All of them are Guangzhou citizens．
D．All of them are hotmail users．
4.The information above can be probably found_________．
A．in a magazine B．in a newspaper
C．at a website D．in a guidebook
Brave Frenchman Found Half-way Around the World （NEW YORK）
A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn’t think twice before diving into the freezing East River．
Tuesday’s Daily News said 29-year-old Julien Duret from France is the man who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday．
He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Seaport museum．He handed the girl to her father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him．
“I didn’t think at all,” Duret told the Daily News．“It happened very fast．I reacted very fast．”
Duret, an engineer on vacation, was walking with his girlfriend along the pier （码头） when he saw something falling into the water．He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river．In an instant, he took off his coat and jumped into the water．
When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said．Fortunately, when she was out of the water, she opened her eyes．
Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera．An ambulance came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from onlookers．Duret caught a taxi with his girlfriend shortly after．
The rescue happened on the day before he left for France．Duret said he didn’t realize his tale of heroism had greatly moved New York until he was leaving the city the next morning．
“I don’t really think I’m a hero,” said Duret．“Anyone would do the same thing．”
1.Why was Duret in New York?
A．To meet his girlfriend． B．To work as an engineer．
C．To spend his holiday． D．To visit the Andersons．
2.What did Duret do shortly after the ambulance came?
A．He was interviewed by a newspaper．
B．He asked his girlfriend for his dry clothes．
C．He went to the hospital in the ambulance．
D．He disappeared from the spot quickly．
3.Who dived after Duret into the river to save the little girl?
A．David Anderson． B．A passer-by．
C．His girlfriend． D．A taxi driver．
4.When was Duret most probably found to be the very hero?
A．The day when he was leaving for home．
B．A couple of days after the girl was rescued．
C．The first day when he was in New York．
D．The same day when he was interviewed．
It was the first snow of winter – an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers．Up until now, I had been old enough to dress myself, but today I would need some help．Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher, had been through first snow days many times, but I think she may still remember this one．
I managed to get into my wool snow trousers．But I struggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well．It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes．At least my hat and scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty．Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots （靴子）．
In her calm, motherly voice she said, “By the end of winter, you will all be able to put on your own boots．” I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence （信心）．
I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot．Like most children, I expected grown-ups to do all the work．After much pushing, she managed to get the first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too．
I announced, “They’re on the wrong feet．”
She struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again．
“They’re my brother’s boots, you know,” I said．“I hate them!”
Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying （烦人的） little girl, She pushed and pushed, less gently this time．With a greater sigh, seeing the end of her struggle with me, she asked, “Now, where are your mittens （连指手套）?”
I looked into her eyes and said, “I didn’t want to lose them, so I hid them in the toes of my boots．”
1.The little girl was more satisfied with her_________．
A．trousers B．jacket C．boots D．hat
2.Miss Finlayson had difficulty with the girl’s boots mainly because________．
A．the girl got them from her brother B．the girl put something in them
C．they were on the wrong feet D．they did not fit the girl well
3.Why does the author say Miss Finlayson would remember that first snow day?
A．Because the little girl was in her brother’s clothes．
B．Because it was the most exciting day of the winter．
C．Because the little girl played a trick on her．
D．Because the little girl wore a pretty scarf．
4.We can learn from the text that Miss Finlayson_________．
A．was losing confidence in the little girl
B．gradually lost patience with the little girl
C．became disappointed with the little girl
D．was getting bored with the little girl
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Back in my country, when I was a child, I used to go to “market day” with my mother．One day each week, farmers used to 1their fruit and vegetables into the city．They 2one street to all cars, and the farmers set up tables for their 3．This outdoor market was a great place to 4． Everything was fresher than produce in grocery stores because the farmers brought it in 5after the harvest．My mother and I always got there early in the morning to get the 6produce．
The outdoor market was a wonderful adventure for a small child, 7was like a festival – full of colors and 8．There are red tomatoes, yellow lemons, green lettuce, peppers, grapes, and onions．The farmers did their own 9．They all shouted loudly for 10to buy their produce．“Come and buy my beautiful oranges! They’re juicy and delicious and full of vitamins to 11your children healthy and strong!”
Everyone used to 12with the farmers over the 13of their produce．It was like a wonderful drama in a theatre; the buyers and sellers were the “ 14” in this drama．My mother was an 15at this．First, she picked the freshest, most attractive tomatoes, for example．Then she asked the price．The seller told her．
“What?” she said．She looked very surprised．“So 16?”
The seller looked terribly 17．“My dear lady!” he replied．“I’m a poor, 18farmer．These are the cheapest tomatoes on the market!”
They always argued for several minutes before agreeing 19a price．My mother took her tomatoes and left．Both buyer and seller were 20．The drama was over．
1.A．carry B．take C．bring D．fetch
2.A．opened B．closed C．started D．stopped
3.A．produce B．goods C．food D．product
4.A．buy B．sell C．bargain D．shop
5.A．hurriedly B．immediately C．hardly D．straightly
6.A．best B．finest C．freshest D．cheapest
7.A．who B．that C．which D．what
8.A．voices B．noises C．sounds D．accent
9.A．shopping B．business C．shouting D．advertising
10.A．customers B．producers C．themselves D．sellers
11.A．leave B．let C．except D．make
12.A．argue B．talk C．discuss D．speak
13.A．order B．price C．quality D．form
14.A．viewers B．listeners C．actors D．directors
15.A．actress B．inventor C．advancer D．expert
16.A．wonderful B．exciting C．cheap D．expensive
17.A．injured B．hurt C．damaged D．wounded
18.A．excellent B．fair C．honest D．easy
19.A．with B．to C．in D．on
20.A．disappointed B．encouraged C．satisfied D．tired
