What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority（优先）over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail— other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical（合乎道义的）or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution（美国宪法）.
1.According to the passage, persuasion means ________.
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A．changing others’ point of view |
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B．exercising power over other people |
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C．getting other people to consider your point of view |
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D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want |
2.The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.
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A．win |
B．fail |
C．speak |
D．listen |
3.The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.
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A．a danger to society |
B．difficult to do well |
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C．unwelcome behavior |
D．never successful |
4.The passage mainly discusses ________.
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A．people’s different opinions towards persuasion |
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B．the reasons why people persuade |
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C．that persuasion is both good and bad |
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D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us |
Sure，you’ve watched extreme pet sports on Animal Planet. But did you know that there’s a whole world of athletic activities for dogs right in our area?
There are some reasons for considering taking part in such activities. Such sports strengthen the close feelings between dog and owner，and also benefit your pup’s body and mind.“ Dogs that are tied with chains often have behavioral problems，” says Lee Morgan. “They love to go out and play as much as we do.”
Of course，many of these sports require some amount of practice，and some breeds are simply better at certain activities than others .But all dogs can participate in the following games.
Frisbee Dogs（投掷游戏用的）飞盘
This sport requires you to throw as many Frisbees as your dog can catch in a 60second time period. The further out your dog catches the Frisbee，the more points you rack up. Extra points are awarded if your pet catches the Frisbee while it’s still in the air. Mid Atlantic Disc Dogs (MADDogs) hosts local competitions and offers informal instruction in local parks or even in people’s backyards.
Flyball Dogs
The sport has been around since 1970s.Flyball is a relay race with four dogs in a team. Each must jump four hurdles (跨栏) spaced with 10 feet apart and then land on a springloaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. The dog must then catch the ball and run back over the four hurdles. Once that’s done，the next dog can go. The first team that successfully completes the course wins the competition. There are a number of local teams，including 4 Dog Night，which holds classes for beginners and intermediate players and is always looking for new team members. The Beltway Bandits is another team，based in Leesburg，that hosts private classes and competitions.
1.Dogs that are always tied with chains often have behavioral problems because ________.
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A．there are no close feelings between dog and owner |
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B．many of them lack enough sports or exercises |
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C．there are no local athletic activities or sports for dogs |
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D．dogs love to go out and play as much as human beings |
2.We can infer that this passage is ________.
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A．probably taken from a travelling diary |
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B．an ad for pet sports training centre |
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C．from a handbook for the methods of raising pets |
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D．a news report about animal sports games |
3.The second paragraph mainly talks about ________.
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A．how to join in such sports activities |
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B．what kinds of pets can take part in sports |
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C．the benefits sports activities can provide |
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D．the disadvantages of pets joining in sports activities |
4.From Flyball Dogs，we know that ________.
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A．it is a relay race with four hurdles done by four dogs in a team |
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B．a long race with four hurdles spaced 10 feet apart by a dog |
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C．the dog which can catch the ball and run back over the four hurdles wins |
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D．the 4 Dog Night is the best local team which has won many games |
The weather predictions for Asia in 2050 read like a story from a doomsday movie．
Many experts and green groups fear they will come true unless there is a united global effort to hold back greenhouse gas outpouring．In the decades to come, Asia—home to more than half the world's 63 billion people—will change from one climate extreme to another, with tired farmers battling droughts, floods, disease, food shortages and rising sea levels．
"It's not a pretty picture," said Steve Sawyer, climate policy adviser with Greenpeace in Amsterdam．Global warming and changes of weather patterns are already occurring and there is more than enough carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to drive climate change for decades to come．
Already, changes are being felt in Asia but worse is likely to come．Sawyer and top climate bodies say, and could lead to mass migration and widespread human disasters．According to predictions, icebergs will melt faster, some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands will have to evacuate or build sea defenses, storms will become stronger and insects and water-borne diseases will move into new areas as the world warms．
All this comes on top of rising populations and demand for food, water and other resources．Experts say environmental worsening such as deforestation and pollution will likely enlarge the results of climate change．
In what could be a sign of the future, Japan was hit by a record of 10 typhoons and tropical storms this year, while two - thirds of Bangladesh, parts of Nepal and large areas of northeastern India were flooded, affecting 50 million people, destroying livelihoods and making tens of thousands ill．
The year before, a winter cold strike and a summer heat wave killed more than 2,000 people in India．
1.This passage is mainly about ____ ．
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A．present situation and predictions of environmental problems in Asia. |
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B．the weather predictions for Asia in the future and the reasons |
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C．how to improve our environment |
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D．reasons why the world will no longer be suitable for us to live in |
2.In the future the Asian farmers will have to face the following except ____ ．
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A．food shortages |
B．droughts |
C．wars |
D．floods |
3.The underlined word "doomsday" in the first paragraph may mean____ ．
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A．the hell |
B．the end of the world |
C．a great world war |
D．disaster |
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
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A．Asian climate will change greatly． |
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B．Some islands may be flooded in the future． |
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C．More than 50 million people have been ill in Asia the year before． |
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D．People may meet with some new diseases borne from water． |
A firm handshake is key to interview success. As any serious job-hunter knows, it helps to dress smartly and smile at that all-important interview. But research has showed that a firm handshake is what really matters when it comes to impressing potential employers.
The US research looked at 98 undergraduates taking part in mock (模拟) interviews with businesses. As each undergraduate was graded on their overall performance, five "handshake raters" also marked them on their grasp, strength, duration, vigor and eye contact.
Professor Greg Stewart, from the University of Iowa, who led the study, said those who scored highly with the handshake raters were also considered to be the most hirable by the interviewers. Students with " wimpy" shakes were judged to be more timid and less impressive.
The study also found women with a firm handshake were likely to be evaluated more favorably than their male counterparts.
Professor Stewart said: "We've always heard that interviewers make up their mind about a person in the first two or three minutes of an interview. But we found that the first impression begins with a handshake that sets the tone for the rest of the interview. We don't consciously remember a person's handshake but it is one of the first non-verbal clues we get about the person's overall personality, and that impression is what we remember."
Women were less likely to have a highly rated handshake, partly because traditionally they shake hands less than men. But when women did possess a firm handshake, they were likely to be evaluated more favorably than their male counterparts.
Body language experts warn, however, that the firmness needs to be just right, - as an over enthusiastic "bone crusher" handshake can indicate self-importance, a controlling personality and a lack of trustworthiness.
The handshake is thought to have originated in medieval Europe as a way for kings and knights to show that they did not intend to harm each other and possessed no hidden weapons.
1.The passage is probably intended for ______.
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A．job-hunters |
B．an undergraduate |
C．employers |
D．handshake raters |
2.From the first paragraph we know that in an interview ______.
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A．dressing smartly is more important than a firm handshake |
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B．smile has no effect on impressing potential employers |
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C．a firm handshake is more important than dressing smartly, and smile |
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D．dressing smartly, smile and a firm handshake are of the same importance |
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
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A．The firmer your handshake is the better impression you leave. |
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B．The undergraduates without a firm handshake are thought to be less impressive. |
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C．Generally speaking, women shake hands less with others. |
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D．It's said that the handshake dates back to medieval Europe. |
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
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A．Women with a firm handshake were likely to leave a better impression than men. |
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B．A successful job interview starts with a firm handshake. |
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C．Dressing, smile and a firm handshake are all important to a successful job interview. |
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D．Job interview success depends on interviewees' body language. |
“You will never walk again．You will have to use a wheelchair．” I heard his 36 fall heavily on my ears, numbing my soul．If I had never felt hopeless before, I felt hopeless then．
The car accident has left me unconscious．When 37 , I found both legs in casts（石膏）．While I had other serious injuries, my 38 were my first concern．Working as a special needs teacher and busy and active by nature, I couldn’t imagine being 39 in a wheelchair．
Lying in my bed, I wondered how I 40 give my ten-year-old son hope that mom would 41 ．He’d been cheerful on every visit, but I saw 42 in his eyes． He needed the ray of hope that I would not be in a wheelchair forever．
Just maybe, I thought, I could use this experience to teach him what to do when misfortune 43 ．
It didn’t take me long to become 44 with my limited movements and even with the pace the doctors were willing to go with me．I was determined to learn everything they showed me．
Every night in my private room, as soon as I knew I wouldn’t be 45 or discovered, I would move myself from the bed to the floor, 46 on to the bed rail（床栏杆） for dear life, and slowly putting my weight 47 my feet．After several weeks of such difficult 48 , my strength and confidence continued to 49 ．
It came the time to share my accomplishments with the person most 50 to me．One night, when I heard my son greet the nurses at the station, I 51 myself up．As he opened the door, I took a few small steps． 52 , he could only watch as I turned and started back to bed．All of the pain, the fear, and the struggle 53 as I heard the words I had longed to hear, “Mommy, you can walk!”
I am now able to walk alone, sometimes using a stick．I am able to take public transportation to shop and visit friends．My life has been blessed with many 54 of which I am proud．But none has ever brought me the satisfaction and joy 55 by those four little words of my son．
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—Mary, let’s go to the bookshop this weekend. Will you be ______?
—Sorry, but I’m going to visit my uncle in the countryside.
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A．vacant |
B．suitable |
C．convenient |
D．available |
