Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''
1.Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
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A．Because she didn't want others to hear her play. |
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B．Because she didn't mean to disturb others. |
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C．Because she didn't have her own room. |
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D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors. |
2.Brenda started to give concerts _______.
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A．after she practiced in her space bubble |
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B．when she became part of the unique space journey |
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C．after she became a real musical astronaut |
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D．when people came to see her in the space bubble |
3.Brenda became famous because _______.
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A．she was good at music and science |
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B．she became a real musical astronaut |
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C．she invented a special way of practice |
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D．she played well and had a talent |
4.Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
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A．Kind, hardworking and clever. |
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B．Brave, kind and hardworking. |
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C．Lovely, brave and kind. |
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D．Nervous, kind and clever. |
5.It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
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A．He laughs best who laughs last |
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B．It's never too old to learn |
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C．Two heads are better than one |
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D．One good turn deserves another |
Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock. He tried to shave（刮脸）quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing（熨）, so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter（表）. He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.
In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.
1.Harry had__________________________.
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A．a lucky day |
B．an unlucky day |
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C．a busy day |
D．a good day |
2.Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.
a. The man who read the electricity meter came.
b. Harry ironed his shirt.
c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt.
d. There was a knock at the door.
e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.
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A．a, b, c, d, e |
B．b, a, d, c, e |
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C．b, a, c, d, e |
D．c, b, d, a, e |
3.Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it?
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A．The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt. |
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B．The only other needed ironing. |
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C．He had only one shirt. |
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D．He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt. |
4.Harry was taken to the police station because .
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A．his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there |
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B．there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi |
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C．a man killed a woman with a knife |
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D．the murderer was seen to run away in a taxi |
5.His boss told him to go away and find another job because .
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A．he had been kept by the police |
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B．there was blood on his shirt |
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C．he was late for work |
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D．he had killed a woman |
Recently, researchers in the US have carried out a study on laughing, one of the most natural characteristics of human behavior.
Jo-Anne Bachorowsky, a psychology professor at Vandebilt University, 36 a team of researchers who 37 a total of 11 short videos to 97 young adult volunteers in the US. They found that the participants produced a 38 of sounds when they laughed, 39 grunts(呼噜声) and snorts(哼声).
The researchers found that some of the 40 were dependent 41 gender(性别). Men laughed with grunts and snorts more often than women, 42 women’s 43 was more song-like.
They also found that people’s laughter could change, 44 who they were with at the time. Whether they were with a man or a woman and 45 person was a friend or a 46 both played a part in laughter.
The researchers found that women’s laughter was very high with a 47 pitch(音高) when they were with male strangers. And women taking 48 in the study laughed more often when they were with a male friend than when they were with a(n) 49 friend or a male stranger. But men laughed more freely with friends of either sex than with strangers of either sex.
Scientists believe that the 50 consumed in laughing 100 times is 51 to 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Another 52 of laughter is 53 it improves our mental health. Laughter reduces our levels of stress. It also helps us 54 serious illness.
55 ,we think laughter can make us feel good.
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— I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have used up all the money so quickly.
— __________. What’s done is done.
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A．It’s none of my business |
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B．Forget it |
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C．Remember next time |
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D．Good luck |
Many areas were stricken by the typhoon, and it was quite difficult to ______ the exact losses.
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A．figure out |
B．set out |
C．put out |
D．carry out |
Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, "In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence". Given that this is the case, why aren't students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive ears, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult (侮辱). For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn't in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution (解决) : stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or she should choose words that will calm the other person down as well Rude words, name-calling, and accusations only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy (策略) for conflict resolution : listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker's position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. This doesn't mean trying to figure out what's wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn't, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn't mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, "64 percent of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75 percent of the teachers reported an increase in student co-operation; and 92 percent of the students felt better about themselves'. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.
1.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that_______
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A．violence is more likely to occur at lunchtime |
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B．a small conflict can lead to violence |
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C．students tend to lose their temper easily |
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D．the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight |
2.Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?
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A．To find out who is to blame. |
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B．To get ready to try new things. |
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C．To make clear what the real issue is. |
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D．To figure out how to stop the shouting match. |
3.After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that______
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A．there was a decrease in classroom violence |
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B．there was less student cooperation in the classroom |
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C．more teachers felt better about themselves in schools |
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D．the teacher-student relationship greatly improved |
4.The writer's purpose for writing this article is to_______
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A．complain about problems in school education |
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B．teach students different strategies for school life |
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C．favor teaching conflict management in schools |
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D．inform teachers of the latest studies on school violence |
