When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously（同时的）about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen.
During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts.
Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours.
There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author of Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond to the brain bias of their children. Since a girl’s brain is better organized to send and receive speech，we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply.
1. While watching TV with others, women Usually talk a lot because they
A. are afraid of awkward silence with their families and friends
B. can both talk and watch the screen at the Same time
C. think they can have a good time and develop relationships
D. have to explain the plot and body language to their husbands
2.After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to .
A. experience the happy time again B. keep a close tie with her
C. recommend her a new scenic spot D. remind her of something forgotten
3.What does the author want to tell us most?
A. Women' s brains are better organized for language and communication
B. Women love to talk because they are more sociable than men.
C. Men do not like talking because they rely more on facts.
D. Social conditioning is not the reason why women love talking.
4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Women Are Socially Trained to Talk B. Talking Maintains Relationships
C. Women Love to Talk D. Men Talk Differently from Women
My grandfather came from Hungary and was the only one in his family who settled down in the United States. The rest of his family remained in Europe. When World War I broke out, he seemed to have become another man, downhearted. Such obvious change was not born out of concern for his welfare, but out of fear: if his only son, my uncle, had to go to war, it would be cousin fighting against cousin.
One day in 1918, my Uncle Milton received his draft notice. My grandparents were very upset. But my mother, at the age of 10, felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war. Realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and all of her friends, my uncle bought them all service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service. All the little girls were delighted.
The moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers, without any training but all in uniforms, boarded the train. The band played and the crowd cheered. Although no one noticed, I’m sure my grandmother had a tear in her eye for the only son. The train slowly pulled out, but not about a thousand yards when it suddenly paused. Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station. There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out. Someone shouted, “The war is over!” For a moment, nobody moved, but then the people heard someone bark orders at the soldiers. The men lined up in two lines, walked down the steps, and with the band playing, marched down the street, as returning heroes, to be welcomed home. My mother said it was a great day, but she was just a little disappointed that it didn’t last a tiny bit longer.
1.What the grandfather was most worried about was .
A. the spread of the world war B. the safety of his two cousins
C. a drop in his living standards D. his relatives killing each other
2. The underlined phrase “draft notice” means “ “
A. order for army service B. train ticket for Europe
C. letter of rejection D. note of warning
3.What did the “service pins” (in Para.2) stand for in the eyes of the little girls?
A. Strength. B. Courage. C. Victory. D. Honor.
4.Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story?
A. Disappointing. B. Unexpected. C. Uncertain. D. Inspiring.
Remembering names is an important social skill．Here are some ways to master it．
Recite and repeat in conversation．
When you hear a person’s name，repeat it．Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips．You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial．
Ask the other person to recite and repeat．
You can let other people help you remember their names．After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you．Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names．
Admit you don’t know．
Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed．Most of them will feel sympathy if you say．“I’m working to remember names better．Yours is right on the tip of my tongue．What is it again?”
Use associations．
Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual．For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair.” To reinforce (加强) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.
Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.
When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.
Go early.
Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others -- an automatic review for you.
1.How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?
A. They will be moved. B. They will be annoyed.
C. They will be delighted. D. They will be discouraged.
2.If you can't remember someone's name, you may __
A. tell him the truth B. tell him a white lie
C. ask him for pity D. ask others to help you
3.When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __
A. all their names B. a couple of names first
C. just their last names D. as many names as possible
4.What does the text mainly tell us?
A. Tips on an important social skill. B. Importance of attending parties.
C. How to make use of associations. D. How to recite and repeat names.
Although I love my life, it hasn’t been a lot of fun as I’ve been ill for 28 years.
Music has always been a great love of mine and, in my 20s, when my 16 was more manageable , I 17 ten years as a professional singer in restaurants, playing and singing folk songs. 18 that was years ago and times have changed. 19 I live with mother on a country farm.
Two years ago, I decided that I would need to have some kind of extra work to 20 my disability pension (残疾抚恤金). 21 I needed to sleep in the afternoons, I was limited in my 22 . I decided that I would consider 23 to singing in restaurants.
My family are all musicians, so I was 24 when I went into our local music store. I explained that I wanted to sing again but using recorded karaoke music. I knew that discs were very expensive and I really didn’t have a lot of 25 to get started. And 26 you find only three to four songs out of ten on a disc that you can 27 use.
When I told the owner of the shop about my 28 ; he gave me a long thoughtful 29 . “This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” he said. “Come with me.”
He led me 30 the crowded shop and to a bench with a large professional karaoke box on it. He placed his large hand 31 on his treasure and said, “I have 800 karaoke songs in here. You can take your 32 and I’ll record them for you. That should get you started.”
I 33 . Thanking him, I made a time with him to listen to all the songs and choose 34 that I could sing. I have come full circle with his help.
His 35 still warms my heart and makes me do just that bit extra, when I have the chance.
1.A. loneliness B. sadness C. tiredness D. sickness
2.A. set B. enjoyed C. kept D. shared
3.A. Gladly B. Eventually C. Unfortunately D. Surprisingly
4.A. Now B. Then C. Sometime D. Meanwhile
5.A. add up to B. make up for C. get rid of D. take advantage of
6.A. If B. As C. Though D. Before
7.A. movement B. condition C. choices D. positions
8. A. reaching out B. living up C. getting on D. going back
9.A. recognized B. interviewed C. found D. invited
10.A. money B. time C. energy D. knowledge
11.A. thus B. once C. seldom D. often
12. A. actually B. hardly C. nearly D. formerly
13.A. job B. family C. idea D. offer
14.A. face B. view C. look D. sight
15.A. over B. along C. towards D. through
16.A. unhappily B. lovingly C. pitifully D. gratefully
17.A. pick B. turn C. role D. step
18. A. had to cry B. ought to cry C. should have cried D. could have cried
19.A. more B. the ones C. few D. the rest
20. A. courage B. devotion C. kindness D. trust
Our teacher wasn’t blaming anyone ; he _______ said errors like this could be avoided．
A．nearly B．mostly C． rarely D．merely
----Do you play football after work ?
---Yes, ________ ． Playing football is not my favorite sport．
A．more or less B．once in a while
C． time and again D．sooner or later
