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If practicing an attitude of gratitude(感激） during the storms of life is too much for you right now, that’s OK. When things are tough, most people have a hard time being thankful. They're so caught up in what's wrong in the present moment that they simply can't see some things are still right.
If that's true for you, then accept it. You're going through a particularly difficult or unhappy period of time, and don't like it one bit. Very normal, very human. But remember this: there is always something to be grateful for. It may be only a small comfort right no, but it is a start. Make a list of some of the terrible things that didn't happen. For example:
You're in
debt... but you're not homeless.
You lost
your job... but you didn't lose your health.
You broke
your leg... but you didn't break your neck.
Your
mother has Alzheimers disease... but your father doesn't.
No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse. Start finding gratitude for what might have happened, but didn't. It does help a lot. Of course, you may not be thankful for everything- but you can always be thankful for something.
1.How many "terrible things that didn't happen" are listed in this passage?
A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five
2.The writer thinks it ____ for people to feel unhappy in time of difficulty.
A. necessary B. normal C. great D. helpful
3..What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To discuss ways to make a list of terrible things
B. To explain what is gratitude towards the storms of life.
C. To persuade people to be thankful for what didn't happen.
D. To show people different ways to consider their tough situations.
4.. How is the passage organized?
A. Explanation―Comparison―Topic
B. Argument―Opinion―Discussion
C. Comparison―Argument―Explanation
D. Introduction―Discussion―Conclusion
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Mark Zukerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, an extremely popular social working website that started in the United States.
Now, millions of student users visit Facebook daily and the website is one of the top ten widely visited sites on the Internet worldwide. College and high school students use Facebook to communicate with friends and share both information and pictures for free. The company earns money through advertising.
Many other companies have been rumored(谣传）to be interested in buying Facebook. Just a few years after Mark started the company, he was approached by Terry Semel, who was the CEO of Yahoo. Terry offered Mark one billion dollars($1,000,000,000) to sell Facebook to Yahoo. Mark said no, though. He stands behind his dreams at the very beginning. He knows the value of the company could fall down; however, he is in this to build something unbelievable, not be bought out by another company.
Maybe he was smart. Now Facebook is rumored to be worth billions of dollars and bigger companies like Microsoft or Google want a share of the company. Some private firms are also interested. Facebook could sell 15billion dollars if Mark decides to sell it at all. Perhaps Mark will just keep working from his California office to continue his dream of building something cool.
1..Facebook makes money from _____ .
A. members B. advertisements C. pictures D. students
2..Terry Semel was the CEO of _______.
A. Microsoft B. Facebook C. Google D. Yahoo
3..Which of the following words best describes Mark Zukerberg according to the passage?
A. Determined B. Humorous C. Gentle D. Selfless
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Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth(财富),” wise people say. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.
Speaking about health, I can’t help telling you a funny story.
An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease.
He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day.
A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.
“But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”
1.The writer thinks that .
A. health is more important than wealth
B. work is as important as studies
C. medicine is more important than pleasure
D. nothing is more important than money
2.. The doctor usually tells his patient what to do .
A. without examining the patient
B. after he has examined the patient
C. if the patient doesn’t take medicine
D. unless the patient feels pain
3. The underlined part means “ ”.
A. he will be well again B. he wasn’t a healthy man
C. he was feeling worse than before D. he was feeling better than ever
4. From the last sentence of the passage, we learn the man before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.
A. didn’t smoke B. has smoked so much
C. was a heavy smoker D. began to learn to smoke
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Mini Book Excerpts（节选）
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it… The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J. D. Salinger：A Life by Kenneth Slawenski（Random House,$27）Mystery（疑案小说）
“You’re a smart boy. Benny’s death was no accident, and you’re the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it ? ”The boy was staring stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Ammika,“ Did you …You recognized the man in the car, didn’t you?”
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers,“ Maybe,” he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund（Atria Books, $25. 99）
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class：Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give ,and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers, some who they don’t want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won’t. Some mothers love so their daughters won’t.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna （Riverhead Books,$15）
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times!’s “amusement cycling”is the most fun you can have, legally, in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half to that within a day’s drive of most cities?
Happy And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle（Ecco,$14. 99）
1.. If the readers want to know about the life of Salinger , they should buy the book published by .
A. Ecco B. Atria Books C. Riverhead Books D. Random House
2.. The book Happy And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for .
A. young children B. Disney World workers
C. middle school teachers D. parents with young children
3.. Which book describes women with characters of their own?
A. Happy And Other Bad Thoughts
B. J. D. Salinger: A Life
C. You Are Free
D. Red Wolf
4. After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that .
A. the boy helped arrest the murderer
B. Benny died of an accident
C. the murderer got away with the crime
D. Ammika carried out the crime
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阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从41—60题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。
It was raining．I went into a café and asked for a coffee． 41 I was waiting for my drink, I realized there were other people in the place, but I sensed 42 ．I saw their bodies, but I couldn’t feel their souls 43 their souls belonged to the 44 .
I stood up and walked between the tables．When I came to the biggest computer, I saw a thin, small man 45 in front of it．“I’m Steve,” he finally answered after I asked him a couple of times what his name was．“I can’t talk with you．I’m 46 ,”he said．He was chatting online and, 47 , he was playing a computer game—a war game．I was 48 .
Why didn’t Steve want to talk with me? I tried 49 to speak to that computer geek(怪人), 50 not a word came out of his mouth．I touched his shoulder, but no reaction(反应)．I was 51 ．I put my hand in front of the monitor, and he started to shout, “ 52 !”
I took a few steps back, wondering if all those people in the café were looking at me．I 53 , and saw nobody showed any interest.
54 , I realized that the people there were having a nice conversation with their machines, not with people．They were more 55 having a relationship with the 56 , particularly Steve．I wouldn’t want to 57 the future of human beings if they preferred sharing their lives with machines 58 with people.
I was worried and sank in my thoughts．I didn’t even 59 that the coffee was bad, 60 Steve didn’t notice there was a person next to him.
1.．A．Before B．Since C．Although D．While
2.．A．pain B．loneliness C．sadness D．fear
3.．A．because B．when C．until D．unless
4.．A．home B．world C．Net D．Café
5.．A．sleeping B．laughing C．sitting D．learning
6.．A．busy B．thirsty C．tired D．sick
7.．A．first of all B．just then C．at the same time D．by that time
8.．A．surprised B．delighted C．moved D．frightened
9.．A．once B．again C．first D．even
10.．A．but B．so C．if D．or
11.．A．excited B．respected C．afraid D．unhappy
12.．A．Shut up B．Enjoy yourself C．Leave me alone D．Help me out
13.．A．walked about B．walked out C．raised my hand D．raised my head
14.．A．From then on B．At that moment C．In all D．Above all
15.．A．interested in B．tired of C．careful about D．troubled by
16.．A．computer B．soul C．shop D．geek
17.．A．tell B．plan C．imagine D．design
18.．A．other than B．instead of C．except for D．as well as
19.．A．pretend B．understand C．insist D．realize
20.．A．as if B．just as C．just after D．even though
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----- I had a really good weekend in the countryside,
----- ___________________________.
A. Oh, that’s very nice of you B. Congratulations
C. It’s a pleasure. D. Oh, I am glad to hear that.
