A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone 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 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. But 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, solves problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, 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!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. 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 true? 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 motive 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 author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
A．words will never hurt us at all
B．words have lasting effects on us
C．positive effects last longer than negative effects
D．negative words last longer than positive effects
2.Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
A．Almost everybody has the habit of talking to oneself.
B．It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone.
C．Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems.
D．Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health.
3.The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _________.
A．blame ourselves B．punish ourselves
C．praise ourselves D．talk to ourselves
4.Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
A．It is better to think twice before talking to others.
B．It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten.
C．Words always possess long positive effects.
D．Kind words are sometimes not needed at all.
In 1971, readers around the world were astonished by some photographs which appeared in newspapers. Hidden deep in the rainforests of an island in the Philippines, was an ethnic (种族的) 36 called the Tasaday. Not until that moment did anyone have any 37 of these people. They didn’t have an agricultural economy; they hunted animals and 38 fruit from the plants in the rainforest. They carried tools made of stone, lived in 39 and wore clothes made of leaves. Unknown until 1971, they 40 became world famous. After that, there were TV 41 and books about them; people said their simple lives showed that human beings could be good and kind if they were not 42 by modern life. Then after 1974 the region was closed by the government and the world 43 about them.
In 1986, a Swiss journalist, Oswald Iten, decided to visit the Tasaday. The journey 44 thick rainforests and across rivers was hard and dangerous. Mr. Iten was 45 killed by the soldiers, villagers and businessmen who wanted to take the wood from the rainforest. Finally, Mr. Iten 46 and found the caves of the Tasaday 47 . The people were living in nearby huts and they were all 48 jeans and T-shirts, not leaves. He thought that perhaps they were not an ethnic minority 49 .
When he 50 to Switzerland, Mr. Iten wrote about the Tasaday people in the newspapers. He said he thought that they were just ordinary farmers, poor, but not 51 from anyone else. He believed that in 1971, the government told “the Tasaday” to 52 they were native people from thousands of years ago, so that tourists---and money---would start 53 into the region.
One group of experts said that they really were people who had no 54 with modern life before 1971; another group said they were just 55 the part. So who are these people, really? Perhaps we’ll never really be sure.
1. A. man B. group C. chief D. tradition
2. A. knowledge B. impression C. doubt D. fear
3. A. grew B. enjoyed C. collected D. stored
4.A. huts B. houses C. apartments D. caves
5. A. certainly B. suddenly C. absolutely D. privately
6. A. advertisements B. services C. stations D. programs
7. A. refused B. separated C. spoilt D. conquered
8. A. forgot B. knew C. talked D. thought
9. A. around B. through C. over D. along
10.A. once B. almost C. often D. even
11.A. arrived B. left C. hid D. began
12.A. dirty B. valueless C. accessible D. empty
13. A. making B. selling C. wearing D. designing
14. A. in all B. at all C. after all D. above all
15. A. returned B. went C. traveled D. drove
16. A. absent B. secure C. different D. free
17. A. agree B. pretend C. admit D. consider
18. A. looking B. falling C. turning D. pouring
19. A. contact B. competition C. agreement D. patience
20. A. learning B. forming C. acting D. missing
— We were all missing you at the party!
— Sorry. I was busy with my project research. Otherwise, I ___________ it.
A. attended B. would attend
C. had attended D. would have attended
— I’d like to go to the cinema with you, Dad.
— Sorry, my darling, but the film is ___________for adults only.
A. appointed B. intended C. constructed D. exposed
These mistakes are very___________ among students, so we’re not surprised if you also make such mistakes.
A. grand B. common C. considerate D. popular
Everybody was touched ___________ words after they heard her moving story.
A. beyond B. without C. of D. in
