What can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school, the more money you'll earn later.
The idea that popularity could have a serious effect on one's earning potentia（潜在性） shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The researchers found that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work..
“If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in all kinds of different situations," said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally agreed with the recent finding. "Also, friends always help each other. They not only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you feel bad," said Xu. She believed that all this helps you "earn a higher salary”.
Maybe that's why some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendalholism (交友狂症). A woman even complained that the networking website Facebook's 5,000-friend limit was too low for her large number of social contacts.
But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency（货币）?
“Call me uncoil, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom I enjoy actually seeing. It seems, however, that this is no longer the definition (定义) of ‘friend',” said Meghan Daum, who works with The Los Angeles Times in the US.
Daum dislikes the idea that quantity trumps quality in the age of friendaholism. She thought the idea of friendship, at least among the growing population of Internet social networkers, was to get as many of not-really-friends as possible. For example, a friend might be someone you might know personally but who could just as easily be the friend of a friend of some other Facebook friend you don't actually know. Although she agreed that social ties grease (润滑) the wheels of life, she also wamed, "Too bad one thing money can't buy is a real friend."
1.What will be needed if you are to achieve success according to the researchers?
A.Social skills, friends, good mood and fortune.
B.Social skills, talent, hard work and facebook.
C.Social skills, networking, potential and fortune.
D.Social skills, networking, talent and hard work.
2.What can friends do in the eyes of Xu Yanchun?
A.They can help you with your schoolwork.
B.They teach you how to make more money.
C.They introduce their friends to you.
D.They help you to get rid of sadness and cheer up.
3.We learn that Meghan Daum's attitude towards friends is somewhat _____.
A.up-to-date B.traditional
C.confused D.optimistic
4.What does the word "trumps" in the last paragraph mean?
A.is worse than B.is equal to
C.is better than D.is similar to
Does stress cause gray hair? Many people believe that tension and stress can cause your hair to lose its color. In fact, it is an old-wives’ tale that being upset all the time can result in premature graying. Here is a closer look at this situation and why some believe that this old wives’ tale could be true.
As one ages, the hairs on the head also age. In fact, just about everything on the human body begins to show signs of wear and tear (磨损) after a while. The joints wear and become stiff and skin wears and becomes wrinkled. Hairs on the head grow and eventually die. They are replaced, but in the process something else happens.
When new hairs are replacing the old ones, the color or pigment (色素) is also added to them. However, as one ages, this pigment becomes less and less available. At first, hairs will have a limited amount of pigment and they will appear to be grayish in color. In time, they will lose all of their pigment and will be white. Many things are known to cause graying, and genetics is a very powerful factor. If one of your parents turns gray at an early age, there is a good chance that you will too. Some people begin the graying process in high school, while others may be over the age of forty.
Constant worry and tension can have many harmful effects on the human body. It is a known fact that stressful times can cause one to suffer hair loss. It would make sense that if it can cause these problems, perhaps it also may contribute to graying. However, there is no sound evidence to support this.
On the other hand, many medical professionals believe that there may be a link between graying and a constant state of anxiety or tension. Does stress cause gray hair? There is no scientific evidence to support the theory, but it is best to avoid stressful situations.
1.The underlined phrase in the first paragraph most probably means________.
A.clever remarks B.silly remarks C.exciting remarks D.disappointed remarks
2.The second paragraph mainly tells us __________.
A.every part of body is replaced with age B.hairs will grow weak but not die
C.skin becomes wrinkled with age D.every part of body ages with age
3.What might play the most important role in the graying process?
A.Genetics and the amount of sleeping time.
B.The amount of food people eat and living environment.
C.The amount of pigment and genetics.
D.Genetics and the amount of water people drink
4.From the passage we can infer that________.
A.stress causing gray hair is still in question
B.gray hair has nothing to do with tension
C.stressful situations can be of benefit
D.sound evidence has been found
The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and pushed the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. “How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy in my old age.”
Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others.
Frank began,“My Dad was a fisherman. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home.”
Frank's voice dropped a bit. “When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me good-bye!”
He paused and then went on, “I remember the day I thought I was too old for a good-bye kiss. When we got to the school, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, ‘No, Dad.’ It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, ‘Dad, I'm too old for a good-bye kiss. I'm too old for any kind of kiss.’ My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear. I had never seen him cry. He turned. ‘You're right,’ he said. ‘You are a big boy ... a man. I won't kiss you anymore.’”
For the moment, the tears began to well up in Frank's eyes. “It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back.”
I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again.“Guys, you don't know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek.”
1.Why did Frank feel embarrassed when his father kissed him good-bye at that time?
A.Because he didn’t want his father to drive him to school.
B.Because his classmates would laugh at him.
C.Because everybody was standing around and watching him.
D.Because he thought he was too old for a good-bye kiss.
2.When Frank refused his father's kiss that day, his father__________.
A.felt surprised and didn't know what to do
B.felt a little angry but agreed not to kiss him anymore
C.felt very sad but agreed not to kiss him anymore
D.felt very relieved because his son grew up
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT correct?
A.Frank's father was hardworking and very responsible.
B.Frank's father drove him to school everyday when he was 12.
C.Frank regretted refusing his father's kiss very much.
D.Frank didn't think the good-bye kiss an embarrassment anymore.
4.Frank told us this when everyone told a story about the embarrassing moment maybe because the following reasons EXCEPT__________.
A.he regretted to have refused his father's kiss
B.he wanted to remind us to cherish the time with family
C.he still thought this was the most embarrassing thing
D.he understood his father's love and missed him
In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette first asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Serving in restaurants is often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.
Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.
1.Which statements is true?
A.American people like sitting with people they don’t know.
B.Hostess always seats a small group at a large table.
C.American people never sit with people they don’t know.
D.American people would not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking.
2.What do American people always do when servings are too large for them?
A.They take the food home with a doggie bag for their dogs.
B.They leave the food on the table and go away.
C.They take the food home with a doggie bag and enjoy the food later.
D.They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them.
3.What can you learn about “tips” according to the passage?
A.Customers often add tips to their check.
B.Tips are supposed to be left on the table when customers leave.
C.People don’t need to pay tips.
D.The price of the meal usually includes the tip.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
“Ouch!” I howled in pain as I dropped the hammer onto my foot. I felt foolish.
It was pouring with rain, and lame for a moment, I hopped around to the driver's side.
“No luck?” said George. We had a flat tyre (轮胎) and I was trying to change the wheel. But it was stuck firm.
We had driven ten hours along the road through the jungle without seeing another soul. In the distance was an ox working in the field.
“So what do we do now? How can we find a garage?” asked George, as I got back into the car.
About fifteen minutes later, the rain stopped. Out of the jungle came an old woman. She walked towards us carrying something long and thin.
“Uh, oh, here comes danger!” said George,” She's got a spear. ”
She was wearing traditional garments, with short sleeves, a colorful necklace and other jewelry. As she got closer, we saw the spear was just a wooden pole. I got out.
“Hello!” I said, in English,” Can you help us?” I pointed to the wheel.
She stared at it, and then made a gesture to follow her back to the jungle. George and I looked at each other, and then set off after her.
Soon we came to a tent under some trees. It had a firm framework of wooden poles. It looked like the one the woman was carrying, covered with heavy cloth, and fastened with rope made of some kind of loose plant fiber. All round were corn plants. It was harvest time for the grain, and a spade, a fork and other tools were lying on the ground. Nearby were some chicks and a rooster, and a pig tied to a post.
The woman folded back a cloth and invited us in. My eyes had to adjust to the darkness inside. The tent was furnished with a few mats on the floor, and a low table with a teapot. She picked up a photo and showed it to us. Was it her husband? The man in the photo was bare to the waist. He looked much too young. She was probably a widow (寡妇).Maybe her son or her nephew?
Our hostess poured some tea and watched smiling as we drank.
“Say something.” said George.
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
I was wondering what to say when I heard the sound of footsteps out of the tent.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Together we walked back to the car.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
根据所给汉语或首字母写出空缺处单词的适当形式，使句子完整，语法正确，每空一词。
1.People tend to make a _________about you based on your appearance.
2.The new vaccine is highly e ___________against this disease.
3.In 60% of the patients, all symptoms c___________ to what we expected.
4.There was a long list of r ________at the end of the paper.
5.The city is easily a_________ by road, rail, or air.
6.Once you have all the_________(相关的) information, we can make a decision.
7.She seems very much_______(反对) to your going abroad.
8.It___________(惊讶) me that no one has thought of this before.
9.In the study families are______________(归类) according to their incomes.
10.He refused to comment on the___________(结果) of the election.
