Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human condition is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances. Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with major life changes and daily hassles (困难). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over a range of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, reveal that the presence of social support helps people fend off (挡开) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives, and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Engaging in leisure-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support—financial aid, material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.
1.Research shows that people’s physical and mental health ________.
A. relies on the social welfare systems which support them
B. has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
C. depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
D. is closely related to their strength for coping with major changes in their lives
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “cushions”in paragraph 2?
A. adds up to.
B. does away with.
C. lessens the effect of.
D. Lays the foundation for.
3.Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of ________.
A. instrumental support
B. informational support
C. social companionship
D. the strengthening of self-respect
4.Social companionship is beneficial in that ________.
A. it helps strengthen our ties with relatives
B. it enables us to eliminate our faults and mistakes
C. it makes our leisure-time activities more enjoyable
D. it draws our attention away from our worries and troubles
If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe(衣柜) packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste.Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; necklines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability(耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.
1.To the writer, the fact that women alter their old-fashioned dresses is seen as______.
A. a waste of money B. a waste of time
C. an expression of taste D. an expression of creativity
2.The writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the _______ of clothing.
A. cost B. appearance
C. comfort D. suitability
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women.
B. The constant changes in women's clothing reflect their strength of character.
C. The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society.
D. Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women.
4.By saying "the conclusions to be drawn are obvious" the writer means that ______.
A. women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at
B. women are better able to put up with discomfort
C. men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers
D. men are more stable and reliable in character
背诵填空，一空一词
1.As a , I eat; as a man, I read.
2.Similarly, to our minds, we need information and knowledge, which can be through reading.
3.Worrying and sleep can lead to failure in tests or exams, which is a big problem for many students.
4.When we difficulties in life, we notice that some of us choose to their heads in the sand.
5.Life is a between work and relaxation.
语法填空
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
My family spent a few weeks in London last year. We went there in the autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually quite good and there are not too many 1. (travel) in October.
We stayed at 2. small hotel in the West End. We did most of our sightseeing 3. foot. We went to look at the places 4. all travelers would like to see. We went shopping and spent too much money 5. (buy) a lot of things. What we liked most was going to the theater. We didn’t have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English restaurants are very bad. We didn’t think so. It is true 6. most of the restaurants are French, Italian, or Chinese, 7. Britain had some very delicious meals.
In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already decided 8. (go) there again next year. And we 9. (take) our umbrellas. I’m sure we’ll need 10. sometimes.
完形填空
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。
As we know, it is impossible to make no mistakes all one’s life. My grandpa Nybakken is no _________ . Several decades ago he made a mistake — a (n) _________ mistake, though.
On a cold Saturday, Grandpa was building some wooden cases for the clothes his _________ was sending to an orphanage (孤儿院) in Congo. On his way back home, he _________ into his shirt pocket for his glasses, but they were gone. So he drove back to the church. His search proved_________ . When he _________ replayed his earlier actions, he realized what happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket and _________ into one of the cases. His new glasses, having _________ him ＄20, were heading for Congo that morning! He had to drive home _________ .
Several months later, the director of the orphanage came to give a report at my grandfather’s church, which Grandpa also attended.
The director said, “I must thank you for the _________ you sent last year. The bandits (土匪) had just swept through the orphanage, _________ everything, including my glasses. _________ I had the money, there was simply no way of _________ the broken pair of glasses. _________not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day. Then your cases _________ . When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on top.”
Then, with the _________ , he continued: “When I tried _________ the glasses, it was as though they had been made just for me! It was amazing!”
The people listened, _________ for the miraculous glasses. But the director must have _________ their church with another, they thought. There were no glasses on their _________ of things to be sent overseas. But Grandpa was sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face.
1.A. similarity B. success C. luck D. exception
2.A. perfect B. foolish C. formal D. common
3.A. factory B. church C. family D. country
4.A. turned B. reached C. filled D. put
5.A. proper B. reasonable C. useless D. necessary
6.A. mentally B. physically C. softly D. directly
7.A. fallen B. jumped C. forced D. broke
8.A. offered B. spent C. paid D. cost
9.A. disappointed B. pleased C. nervous D. satisfied
10.A. cases B. clothes C. glasses D. wishes
11.A. cutting B. destroying C. defending D. recording
12.A. Unless B. As long as C. Until D. Even though
13.A. replacing B. selling C. wearing D. changing
14.A. Except for B. Along with C. Rather than D. As for
15.A. disappeared B. flew C. arrived D. broken
16.A. preparation B. regret C. satisfaction D. wonder
17.A. out B. over C. for D. on
18.A. sorry B. happy C. bored D. stressed
19.A. confused B. connected C. combined D. compared
20.A. case B. order C. list D. search
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Question: My 14-year-old son is very disrespectful to my husband and me, and we don’t know what to do. He often gets home after dark. And we have a big argument after he comes back. Can you help us?
Answer: Your son should, of course, come back before dark, not because you say so, but because it is his responsibility and because you would worry about him if he didn’t come home when he promised. 1. . Just tell him that he has to be home on time if he wants to go out next time — and that this is his choice, not yours.
His disrespect is part of a bigger issue. Your son desires independence because the young always do when they hit puberty (青春期). New hormones (荷尔蒙), a new need to pull away from their parents results in this desire. 2. .
Your son may also be acting up because your discipline hasn’t kept up with his growth. A child hates to be corrected when his parents use the same words they used when correcting him a year ago. 3. .
He won’ t even argue with you too much, if you listen to his rants (咆哮) and consider his reasons when you have to say no. You need to know that your respect is as important as his respect. 4. . This doesn’t complete anything and must worsen your relationship.
Your child not only needs your respect. 5. . They need your pity for him when things go wrong, rather than tell him what he should have done. Now is the time to give as few orders as possible (but stick to the ones you give).
A. But don’t worry.
B. But don’t argue about it.
C. He wants you to react to him at the age he is today.
D. So boys and girls are so eager to spread their wings.
E. If you don’t listen and consider, he won’t hear a word you say.
F. He is growing physically, mentally, emotionally and even morally.
G. He also needs you to encourage his dreams, no matter how strange they are.
