For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts, and rejections with it.
Many weight – conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, and being cherished. We dream about what it will be like when we reach the long – awaited goal. 1.Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. 2. Next time, being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness, self – worth, and, of course, love.
It took me a long while to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. 3.In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it is happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? 4. Many of us try hard to change our body, but in vain. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. 5.
A. Why not look inside?
B. We try every means to be slim, but in vain.
C. We work very hard to realize this dream.
D. When we change our attitudes toward ourselves, the whole world changes.
E. Why not do some make up?
F. Beauty standards vary with culture.
G. Next time, we will keep it off.
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 deal with major life changes and daily difficulties．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, show that the presence of social support helps people protect themselves from 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 coworkers 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 explain 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 distract（转移…注意力）us from our worries and troubles．Finally, other people may give us important support—financial aid, material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us solve and deal with our problems．
1.Research shows that people’s physical and mental health has much to do with .
A．the social medical system
B．the amount of support they get from others
C．their strength for dealing with interpersonal ties
D．their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
2.The underlined word “cushions” probably means “ ”
A．adds up to B．decreases the effect of
C．gets rid of D．lays the foundation for
3.Social companionship is beneficial in that it
A．helps strengthen our ties with relatives
B．enables us to get rid of our faults and mistakes
C．makes our leisure time activities more enjoyable
D．draws our attention away from our worries and troubles
It often happens that a number of applicants with almost the same qualifications and experience all apply for the same position. In their educational background, special skills and work experience, there is little, if anything, to choose between half a dozen candidates. How then does the employer make a choice? Usually on the basis of an interview.
There are many arguments for and against the interview as a way of selection. The main argument against it is that it results in a wholly subjective decision. As often as not, employers do not choose the best candidate. They choose the candidate who makes a good first impression on them. Some employers, of course, reply to this argument by saying that they have become so experienced in interviewing staff that they are able to make a good assessment of each candidate’s likely performance. The main argument in favor of the interview is that an employer is concerned not only with a candidate’s ability, but with his or her suitable personality for the particular work situation. Many employers, for example, will overlook occasional mistakes from their secretary if she has a pleasant personality.
It is perhaps true to say, therefore, that the real purpose of an interview is not to assess the assessable aspects of each candidate but to make a guess at the things that are hard to measure, such as personality, character and social ability. Unfortunately, both for the employers and applicants for jobs, there are many people of great ability who simply do not interview well. There are also, of course, people who interview extremely well, but are later found to be very unsatisfactory employees. Candidates who interview well tend to be quietly confident, but never boastful（自夸的）, direct and straightforward in their questions and answers; cheerful and friendly, but never over-familiar; and sincerely enthusiastic and optimistic. Candidates who interview badly tend to be either very shy or over-confident. They either talk too little or never stop talking. They are either over polite or a bit rude.
1.People argue over the interview mainly because they have .
A．different purposes in the interview
B．different experiences in interviews
C．different standards of selection
D．different ways of selection
2.The underlined word “subjective” means “based on one’s rather than facts” ．
A．personality B．character C．opinion D．ability
3.The purpose of the last paragraph is to indicate
A．a link between success in interview and personality
B．connections between work abilities and personality
C．differences in interview experience
D．differences in personal behavior
4.What is the author’s attitude towards the interview?
A．He thinks it is a good way of selection
B．He doesn’t quite agree with it
C．He is neither for nor against it
D．It is not clear
Having one of those days – or weeks – when everything seems to annoy you? Even if you do nothing about it, your bad mood will probably go away after some time. But with a little effort, you can forget it much faster – often within a day or two.
◇Walk it off
Exercise is the most popular bad-mood buster. A person who’s in a bad mood has low energy and high tension. Taking a fast ten-minute walk, or doing some quick exercises can do wonders towards changing that bad mood.
◇Tune it out
Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make tension go away quickly, because music starts associations with past positive experiences we’ve had.
◇Give yourself a pep talk
Stop and listen to what’s on your mind. Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts. Write them all down on paper, the pessimistic messages you’ve been giving yourself and then give optimistic answers. ( “I still don’t have a job.” Vs “I have two interviews next week.”)
◇Reduce your stress
Relaxation techniques are wonderful mood-lifters. These include deep breathing, stretching and visualizing, all of which sound complicated but aren’t. One easy way to visualize: close your eyes and picture a favorite place, such as the beach. Another simple way to be against distress is to make a to-do list. One reason for being in a bad mood is feeling you have no options. By taking control over certain areas, you realize you’re not helpless. You can make changes in your mood and life.
◇Avoid things that won’t improve your mood.
TV may not help much: You need to increase your energy level and stimulate（刺激） your mind – something that the TV show “Neighbors” won’t do. And before you reach for that piece of cake and coffee, think about how mood and food are linked. Sugar and caffeine contribute to depressed moods. A better choice? Research shows that carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta（面食）,produce a calming effect in people who have a desire for them.
1.Which of the following may help us stop a bad mood?
A．Doing nothing about it. B．Exercising and enjoying music.
C．Writing down negative thoughts. D．Talking about it with neighbors.
2.Why is it suggested that you close your eyes and picture the beach?
A．It helps remove bad mood. B．It brings us a new technique.
C．It is not complicated to do so. D．It is an area to be easily controlled.
3.TV may not improve your mood because it .
A．shows what happens around you B．does not energize you
C．reminds you of eating and drinking D．produces a calming effect
4.Which would be the best title for this passage?
A．Energy Level and Stress B．How to Beat a Bad Mood
C．Bad Mood and Our Life D．How to Control Your Feeling.
A photographer takes a picture of the Chinese bronze rat head and rabbit head sculptures display on the preview of the auction（拍卖） of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge’s art collection at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, Feb, 21, 2009. Chinese lawyers have asked the French court to stop auction house Christie’s putting two bronze relics（文物）looted (掠夺)from China
under the hammer, lawyers said Friday.
A Paris court on Monday ruled against stopping the sale of two
looted Chinese bronze sculptures which come up for auction at
Christie’s on Wednesday. Under the ruling of the Tribunal de Grande
Instance in Paris, the plaintiff（起诉人）, the Association for the
Protection of Chinese Art in Europe（APCAE）,was ordered to
pay compensation（赔偿）to the defendant.
Ren Xiaohong, a lawyer for APCAE, told Xinhua that it was “of great significance” to file the lawsuit. “We hope to arouse public attention in Europe on the fate of numerous Chinese works stolen in the past, to help keep those relics well protected and collected,” Ren said.
The Qing Dynasty（1644—1911）relics, the heads of a bronze rabbit and a rat, were among an original set of 12 bronze animal heads that were once decorated at the imperial summer resort Yuanmingyuan. They were looted when the palace was burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860.
The pair became part of a collection of the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. They have been put up for auction by his partner, Pierre Berge. The two items are expected to fetch between 16 million and 20 million euros.
So far, five of the 12 bronze animal heads have been returned to China, while the whereabouts of five others are unknown.
1.The two bronze animal heads were displayed at the Grand Palais in Paris so that .
A．they could be collected and well preserved
B．the photographers could take pictures
C．the public could see them in advance
D．they couldn’t be sold at auction
2.The significance to stop the sale of two bronze animal heads is to .
A．fetch between 16 million and 20 million euros
B．draw public attention to the Chinese works stolen in the past
C．make the world know more about history of the Qing Dynasty
D．find the other five bronze animal heads and return them to China
3.Which of the following is NOT true?
A．The 12 bronze animal heads have been put up for auction.
B．The 2 bronze animal heads haven’t been returned to China.
C．The 12 bronze animal heads were used as imperial decoration.
D．Yuanmingyuan was once burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces.
4.The passage is most probably taken from .
A．a newspaper B．an advertisement
C．a history textbook D．an introduction of auction
