What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”．Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night．
Boys are found everywhere – on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to．Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them．A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face．BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket．
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble – maker and a noise．When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it．
A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand．
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water （in its natural habitat）, large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines．He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime．
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper．Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes．Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things．
A boy is a magical creature – he is your headache but when you come home at night with only shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”
1.The whole passage is in a tone of ．
A．humor and affection B．respect and harmony
C．ambition and expectation D．confidence and imagination
2.Could you figure out the meaning of the underlined sentence?
A．He has altogether five fingers． B．He is slow, foolish and clumsy．
C．He becomes clever and smart． D．He cuts his hand with a knife．
3.According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except ．
A．ice cream B．comic books
C．Saturday mornings D．Sunday schools
4.What does the writer feel about boys?
A．He feels curious about their noise． B．He is fed up with these creatures．
C．He is amazed by their naughtiness． D．He feels unsafe staying with them．
Researchers Look Behind the Tears to Study Crying
Many people found themselves unusually moved by the historic presidential inauguration（就职演说）last week in Washington．Watching the huge crowds，we saw laughter，cheers，hugs---but also many tears．
It made us wonder, why do people cry? Surely tears must be good for us—away to calm the mind and cleanse the body．Yet studies show that crying sometimes makes people feel worse．
Three researchers in Florida and the Netherlands recently looked more deeply into the subject．They examined detailed descriptions of crying experiences．Psychologist Jonathan Rottenberg at the University of South Florida says they wanted to study crying as it happens in everyday life，not in a laboratory．
The team analyzed information from the International Study on Adult Crying．As part of that study，three thousand people in different countries，mostly college students，wrote about recent crying experiences．They noted causes，surroundings and any people involved in the event．They also reported how they felt after they cried．
Professor Roaenberg says the research showed that all crying experiences are not created equal．Crying does not always make a person feel better，he says．About ten percent of people reported feeling worse after they cried．
But a third felt better after crying．And a majority reported the experience as helpful．
The research showed that people who cry alone may not do as well as those with others around．People who reached out for emotional support at the time---and received it---reported better results from the crying experience．
But Professor Rottenberg says those who felt shame or embarrassment while crying were less likely to report that crying had been helpful．
Research has shown that women cry more often and more intensely than men．But it may not have better effect，says the psychologist．The new findings，he says，did not show that a person’s sex was an advantage of beneficial crying．In other words，just because women cry more does not mean they are more likely to have a“good”cry．
The paper entitled “Is Crying Beneficial?”appeared in December in Current Directions in Psychological Science And there is more to learn．Jonathan Rottenberg says the science of crying is still in its infancy．
1.Why did the author mention the presidential inauguration in Washington in the first paragraph?
A．Because he was impressed by the laughter, cheers，hugs and tears．
B．Because he wanted to introduce the topic about crying．
C．Because he wanted to show people’s dissatisfaction with the result．
D．Because it was the historic moment that many people cried
2.How did the researchers carry out the research?
A．They studied crying experiences not only in everyday life but also in labs．
B．They collected the crying experiences of the students at the colleges．
C．They studied the crying experiences of grown-ups from various countries．
D．They noted their own crying experiences and compared with others．
3.We can learn from the passage that ．
A．it may be better to cry alone than with others around
B．some support from others may make crying helpful
C．women who cry more often may have better effects than men
D．the effects will be better if you feel shy while crying
4.The underlined phrase in the last paragraph probably means ．
A．in the early stage B．in a secret state
C．in the first place D．in good condition
Could you survive on your own in the wild if everyone was fighting against you?
It must be hard, as 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen has found out in the book The Hunger Games, written by American author Suzanne Collins, the novel has stayed on the New York Times best-seller list for 51 weeks．
The novel takes place at a time when the United States no longer exists．North America has become Panem, and its biggest city is called the Capitol．The rest of Panem is divided into 12 districts．
Long ago, the districts started a war against the Capitol and lost．Giving up the fight, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to appear in an annual TV event called “The Hunger Games”．
The teenagers have to fight each other in a desolate （荒凉的） environment．The rules and audience may change but one rule always stays the same: kill or be killed．
Katniss lives with her mother and younger sister in District 12, the poorest district of Panem．She struggles to support her family by secretly hunting beyond the border of her district．When Katniss’ sister is chosen by the lottery, Katniss steps up to take her sister’s place in the reality TV show．However, her friendship with the other District 12 contestant （选手）, a baker’s son named Peeta Mellark, makes her situation even more complicated. Katniss knows it may be her death sentence．In order to survive, she must choose which is most important: her own survival or humanity; life or love．
The twists and turns of her adventure make it hard to put the book down．You can feel Katniss’ pain, confusion, love and hatred. And this is how a novel should be: you don’t just read it; you live it．
1.The purpose of writing this passage was mainly to _______．
A．give us an example of how to survive in the wild
B．introduce to us a New York Times best-seller
C．teach us how to win The Hunger Games
D．tell us what might happen in North America in the future．
2.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A．“The Hunger Games” is a televised competition held every two years．
B．Katniss takes her sister’s place to compete because she loves adventure．
C．The new country Panem is divided into 12 parts altogether．
D．The young competitors in the Hunger Games are forced to kill or be killed
3.The word “complicated” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _______．
A．difficult B．hopeless C．advantageous D．impossible
4.In The Hunger Games, Katniss faces more challenges because she has to think about _______．
A．who will support her family
B．what is most important in life
C．how she can defeat her opponent
D．why she has to compete in such a violent game
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Thursday, January 3 |
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Book a Librarian One-on-One Computer or Internet Training Session |
Location：Main Library Training Center（5th F1．） Address：100 Larkin St．（at Grove） Library Sponsored Public Program Event Time：4 p．m．－6 p．m． Description： Do you need personalized help Using a computer or the Internet? During the month of January，the library is offering limited one-on-one training sessions（培训课程）．Sessions are limited to 30 minutes and require signing up in advance．Call（415）557-4400 to book an appointment or for more information． |
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Friday, January 4 |
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Beyond Journal Writing for Teens |
Location：Main Library Paley Rm．（3rd F1．） Address：100 Larkin St．（at Grove） Library Sponsored Public Program Event Time：4 p．m．--- 5：30 p．m． Description： In this nine-week（January 4 through February 29）class，you will have the opportunity to develop and share your writing （poetry, biography and more） in a supportive group led by a Writers Corps teacher．Open to teen writers aged 13-19． For information，communicate with Betsy Levine，Teen Librarian，at （415）557-4497 or Dmail blevine@sipI．org．
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Tuesday, January 8 |
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Power Panels and Films by World Savvy |
Location：Main Librarv Koret Auditorium Address：100 Larkin St．（at Grove） Library Sponsored Public Program Event Time：5 p．m．-8 p．m． Description: World Savvy，The Global Film Initiative team up to take you on a world tour through explorations of art，media and film．Come and share how film and media affect youth，education and our global community at large．To book a position，communicate with Jennifer Collins at（415）557—4268 or jennifercollins@sfpl．org．
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Wednesday, January 9 |
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Business Counseling Sessions |
Location：Main Library（Fourth Floor Business Center） Address：100 Larkin St．（at Grove） Library Sponsored Public Program Event Time：10 a．m．-3 p．m． Description： SCORE—Service Corps of Retired Executives（行政人员）offers free，one-hour business counseling（咨询）sessions from 10 a．m．to 3 p．m． To schedule an appointment with a SCORE counselor, call（415）744-6827．Cosponsored by the Business，Science and Technology Center．
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1.If a boy wants to improve the skill of writing poems he can call ．
A．（415） 744-6827 B．（415）557-4268
C．（415） 557-4497 D．（415）557-4400
2.Who would be most likely to attend the event on Wednesday, January 9？
A．A science teacher B．A retired worker．
C．A school headmaster． D．A supermarket owner．
3.Which event doesn’t need booking in advance?
A．One-on-One Computer or Internet Training Session．
B．Beyond Journal Writing for Teens．
C．Power Panels and Films by World Savvy．
D．Business Counseling Sessions．
In today’s society, a college degree tells little about what you know in comparison to what it tells about what you can learn．For instance, the IT world is constantly changing．Anything you learn today will probably be useless in a few short years．The point is to learn to learn．
Blogging works exactly the same way．And I believe this to be true regardless of your end goal．If you’re trying to make money, this is abundantly clear．There’s always more money to be made．If you’re teaching on a subject, you are constantly looking for new information to share．Even if you’re just sharing your words with others for pleasure, you’re continuously improving your writing and storytelling, so people don’t get bored of you．
This is one of the reasons that bloggers burn out．They forget this．They think they have an unlimited amount of content just waiting to burst from their brain．They get comfortable．Then they start to run out of juice．Sure, at times it seems that some bloggers just have it．They are experts in their fields and will simply feed us with invaluable content forever．But this is not true．Pay attention．Even famous bloggers would run out of content eventually without constant learning．
The point is apparent．Don’t think you’ve succeeded. There are plateaus, but there are no peaks．What happens when someone thinks they’ve hit the peak? They quickly begin sliding down the other side．Always be learning from your experiences．See what posts work for your readers．Which get the best response? Which are completely ignored? Which bring in the most Google traffic, or get the most Absence clicks? Don’t settle or your blog will close for good eventually．
1.Judging from the article, if you have got a college degree, say, in engineering, it means ______．
A．you’re good at engineering B．you’ve finished learning engineering
C．you’ve chosen to learn engineering D．you can find work relating to engineering
2.The writer thinks Blogging works in a way that it requires the writers to ______．
A．be constant learners B．have academic degrees
C．keep on writing D．know everything before starting
3.Which is NOT a possible purpose of people’s blogging?
A．To increase their income． B．To help others to learn．
C．To entertain the readers． D．To keep private records．
4.The writer uses the word “it” in the underlined sentence “Sure, at times … have it” to refers to ______．
A．the failure in keeping on writing B．the knowledge needed for blogging forever
C．the ability of constant learning D．the comfort enjoyed from blogging
5.The questions in the last paragraph are asked to advise bloggers on how to ______．
A．learn from their experiences B．learn from others
C．update their knowledge D．reach blogging peaks
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
The story goes that some time ago, a man had a very lovely little daughter．One day the man 1his 3-year-old daughter for 2a roll of gold wrapping paper．Money was tight and he became 3when the child tried to decorate a 4to put under the Christmas tree． 5, the little girl brought the gift to her 6the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy．"
The man was 7by his earlier 8, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was 9．He yelled at her, stating, "Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is 10to be something inside?" The little girl looked 11at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty 12．I blew kisses into the box．They are all for you, Daddy．"
The father was crushed. He 13his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her 14．Only a short time later, an 15took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many 16and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an 17kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there．In a very real sense, each one of us, as human beings, has been given a gold container 18unconditional love and kisses．．．from our children, family members, friends and God. There is simply no other 19, anyone could hold, more 20than this．
1.A．asked B．praised C．begged D．punished
2.A．wasting B．stealing C．selling D．holding
3.A．glad B．angry C．sad D．upset
4.A．room B．hall C．box D．ball
5.A．Nevertheless B．But C．Therefore D．And
6.A．father B．mother C．teacher D．sister
7.A．puzzled B．surprised C．scared D．embarrassed
8.A．overwork B．overreaction C．overcoat D．overpass
9.A．empty B．heavy C．full D．wet
10.A．happened B．seemed C．supposed D．used
11.A．down B．back C．up D．forward
12.A．at all B．after all C．above all D．in all
13.A．put B．turned C．handed D．gave
14.A．kindness B．forgiveness C．sadness D．carelessness
15.A．overcoat B．incident C．accident D．action
16.A．days B．months C．nights D．years
17.A．imaginary B．kind C ．gentle D．warm
18.A．filled with B．pleased with C．crowded with D．equipped with
19.A．world B．feeling C．possession D．love
20.A．expensive B．precious C．comfortable D．interesting
