If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life，one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have.
Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment．Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧，更新）with the friends，relatives and acquaintances we already have．
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is because you have gotten too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time．Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life．Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends，why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities．Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you．
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.
1. The author mainly discusses _______________in this passage.
A. how to spend our spare time
B. how to balance friendship and work
C. whether we should keep friendship
D. whether we should invite friends to dinner
2.Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
A. You feel depressed with others in life.
B. You have someone to have close talks with.
C. You have someone to count on when you are in trouble.
D. You have fun when you are with someone.
3.What does the underlined word “delegated” (Para.7) probably mean?
A. declined B. answered C. appointed D. handled
4.The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that________.
A. you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life
B. you stick to doing everything all by yourself
C. you feel it difficult to keep friendship
D. you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do
5. Which would be the best title for the text?
A. How to Make New Friends B. Too busy for Friendship?
C. How to Spend Your Time D. Too busy with work?
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the younger people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活的),”he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
1.The main subject talked about in this passage is_____________.
A. science on learning a second language
B. language can help brain power
C. man's ability of learning a second language
D. language learning and maths study
2. In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to_____________.
A. make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well
B. prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language
C. to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language
D. say language is also a kind of physical labor
3. The underlined word “bilingual” probably means_____________.
A. a researcher on language learning
B. an English native speaker
C. an active language learner
D. a person who can speak two languages
4.We may know from the scientific findings that_____________.
A. the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time
B. there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language
C. the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain
D. the earlier you start to learn a second language the higher the grey matter density is
5. In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that_____________.
A. early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in study other subjects
B. learning a second language is the same as studying maths
C. Italian is the best choice for you as a second language
D. you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language
“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告)in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight----like tired guests at a party----waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.
1.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
A. Cheap and ugly things. B. Things people no longer use.
C. Things out of season. D. Things of great value.
2.A white elephant refers to _________.
A. something that can cause a feeling of pain
B. something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others
C. something sold at the lowest prices
D. a toy shaped like a fish
3.Most people go to yard sales to________.
A. find valuable paintings B. look for something special
C. find a bargain D. kill their time
4.Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?
A. It may not be held when the weather is very cold.
B. It can last for a whole day.
C. It is usually held with a party.
D. It is held outdoors.
5.We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.
A. people may find something of great value on a yard sale
B. yard sales only attract those who have a low income
C. things on a yard sale can cost people a lot
D. most people don’t want to go to yard sales.
It was a dark and cold night. The car driver didn’t have even one passenger all day. When he went by the railway station, he saw a young man coming out with two bags in his hands. So he quickly opened the door of the car and asked, “Where do you want to go, sir?”
“To the Star Hotel,” the young man answered. When the car driver heard that, he didn’t feel happy. The young man would give him only three dollars because the hotel was not far from the railway station. But suddenly, he had an idea. He took the passenger through many streets of the big city.
After a long time, the car finally arrived at the hotel. “You should pay me fifteen dollars,” the car driver said to the young man. “What! Fifteen dollars? Do you think I’m a fool? Only last week I took a car from the railway station to this same hotel and I only gave the driver thirteen dollars. I know how much I have to pay for the trip. I won’t pay you one dollar more than I paid to the other car driver last week. ”
1.Which of the following is true?
A. The young man went past the railway station.
B. The young man was working in the railway station.
C. The young man had just got off a train.
D. The young man was waiting for his friend there.
2.What do you think of the car driver?
A. He was a nice and clever man. B. He was good at driving.
C. He was a dishonest person. D. He liked to work very hard.
3.The driver felt very ____ when he saw the young man coming out of the railway station.
A. sorry B. happy C. proud D. worried
4. From the passage we know that the young man__________.
A. didn’t want to stay in this city.
B. had been to the hotel several times.
C. knew clearly how far it was from the station to the hotel.
D. must be a stranger and didn’t know the city very well.
5.The driver took the passenger through many streets so as to_________.
A. make the young man happy
B. get more than twenty dollars.
C. let the young man think it was very far from the station to the hotel.
D. let the young man have a good look at the city.
语法填空（共10 小题；每小题1.5分,满分15分）
Americans love pets. In America, there are more families with pets 16 those with children. It is common 17 U.S. homes have some sort of pets, such as monkeys, snakes and even wolves. But Americans’ all-time favorites are cats and dogs, because dogs can offer protection from thieves and unwelcome visitors and cats can help get rid 18 the home unwanted pests. Beneath keeping pets, there lies a basic American belief: Pets have a right to be treated well. In Houston, Texas, dogs can have their dinner 19 (deliver) to their homes, just like pizza. Pets can even go with 20 owners on vacation. Besides, at least 75 animal welfare organizations exist in America 21 provide care and adoption services for 22 (home) and ill-treated animals. To pay for the high-tech health care, people can buy health insurance 23 their pets. Pets are as basic to American culture as hot dogs or apple pie. By now researchers 24 (discover) that interacting with animals lowers a person's blood pressure. Pets even encourage social relationships: They give their owners an appearance of friendliness, and they provide 25 good topic of conversation.
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（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。
The ringing of the phone runs through my head, telling me someone needs help. I pick it up and 1 the routine, “Teen Lifeline, this is Amber.” About 45 minutes later I hang up, feeling pleased because I’ve helped another teen. Volunteering at Teen Lifeline has helped me realize how to deal with my own 2 and help others.
“My mom is always fighting with me. I want to run away.” Some teens feel their 3 is a prison, rather than a place of shelter and safety. They feel parents are only there to make their lives 4 . We try to help the teens realize the danger they could be in 5 giving them advice. All we can do is to ask questions. We also try to find out where the teens would go and how they would survive. We give them a phone number if they 6 don’t want to live in their “prison”.
“I don’t want to 7 any more” is something we hear, and suicide (自杀) calls are some of the hardest to 8 . We try to discover why they want to take their lives and how serious they are by asking them to rate it on a scale of one to ten. One means they are 9 suicide but haven’t decided how, and ten means they are always thinking about it and have a 10 . We ask them to make a promise that they will not hurt themselves. And sometimes we ask for their telephone numbers 11 we can call back to make sure that they are okay.
Although many calls are about relatively 12 problems, volunteering at Teen Lifeline has helped me realize I’m not the 13 person with problems, and has taught me how to 14 with my heart. I have made a 15 and saved many lives — possibly even my own, too.
1. A. set B. stop C. change D. start
2. A. decisions B. disadvantages C. problems D. opinions
3. A. school B. home C. bedroom D. classroom
4. A. simple B. unusual C. happy D. terrible
5. A. for B. of C. without D. besides
6. A. even B. almost C. still D. mostly
7. A. live B. study C. call D. listen
8. A. carry out B. deal with C. believe in D. find out
9. A. accepting B. considering C. objecting D. giving
10. A. plan B. doubt C. purpose D. question
11. A. in case B. if C. so that D. when
12. A. important B. small C. normal D. typical
13. A. very B. only C. exact D. possible
14. A. write B. see C. learn D. listen
15. A. difference B. choice C. promise D. decision
