Get Independence by Ourselves
     The passage is mainly about a father's accompanying his son studying at his university. What makes us
puzzled is that his son is a postgraduate. In most people's opinion, a university student is old e nough to look
after himself.
     I can't understand the father at all. And I am against his idea and action because his son is a postgraduate
and old enough to deal with all the difficulties by himself. All parents should allow their children to face the
reality and win the independence.
      I think independence is important for children. After all, we all will grow up and face the reality by
ourselves. Life is really tough and we will face all kinds of difficulties. We must be independent to solve the
problems. So we should develop our independence from young. After all parents can't accompany us all the
time.
      Certainly all children are facing problems and all parents would like to do all for them. But I think children
should get their inde pendence by themselves and only in this way can they face the real- ity on their own.
     Reading is very important to help you learn English. To learn as much as you can from reading, you need to
read different kinds of English. This book provides not only different kinds of English but also a good way to
check your reading ability.
     There are four parts in the book:
     Part 1 is Messages: In this part somebody wants to send infor mation in writing to somebody else.
     There is a test on timetables and a test on text messages.
     Part 2 is People: In this part all the tests are about people. For example, there is an informal letter between
friends. There is formal (正式的) English in biography (傳記). There is a job application as a model to help
with your writing, as well as testing your reading.
     Part 3 is Places: In this part, too, many different kinds of Eng- lish are shown, some informal and some
formal. There is the informal English of a holiday postcard. There is also the formal English in a letter of
complaint.
      Part 4 is Things: You will find some descriptive writing in this part. There are descriptions of clothes and
of a computer.
     You can do these tests in any order you like, or you can do all the tests with a formal or informal text.
     I enjoyed writing this book and I hope you enjoy using it.

1. We can find the introduction to a product in _____.

A. Part 1
B. Part 2
C. Part 3
D. Part 4

2. Which of the following is most probably written in informal English?

A. A letter of complaint.
B. A computer handbook.
C. A letter to a friend.
D. A story of a president.

 3. The passage is most probably written for _____.

A. test designers
B. students
C. test-takers
D. teachers

4. What is the best title of the book?

A. Test Your Reading
B. Help with Your Writing
C. Learn Different Kinds of English
D. Practise English in Different Ways

     When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived
on a farm. In the winter especially, we wear quite out off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I
packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that my life has its too.
     One big disadvantage is money. It costs so much to go out, not to mention basics like food and housing.
Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from asthma (哮喘), and the air is so that I am afraid to go outside.
Then there is the problem of traveling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it became of the traffic jams.
One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.
     Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever you tastes in culture or
entertainment (娛樂活動). Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important
job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety of goods is very surprising-and, what is more, shops
are often only a short walk away.
     Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is, when you are in your teens (十幾歲) or twenties. However, as
you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I
certainly hope to move back there soon.

1. What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?

A. Staying on the farm.
B. Moving to the countryside.
C. Leaving home for the city.
D. Running away from the school.

2. Which of the following is true about the writer?

A. He is very old now.
B. He is in good health.
C. He prefers driving a car.
D. He lives in the city now.

3. In the passage, the writer tries to _____.

A. express his opinions about way of life
B. describe his life in the countryside
C. an interest in the outside world
D. persuade the reader to live in the city

4. How is the passage mainly developed?

A. By inferring.
B. By comparing.
C. By listing examples.
D. By giving explanations.

     Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are
happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable occupations. Personal consultants give
them better advice for finding jobs. Even jud ges are softer on attractive defendants (被告).But in the adminis
trative circle, beauty can become a liability.
     Although attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the administration ladder, it is harmful
to a woman.
     Handsome male administrators were considered to be more honest than plainer men, though effort and
ability were also thought to account for their success.
      Attractive female administrators were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones, and very
often their success was be lieved to be connected not to ability but to factors such as luck.
     Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attrac tive woman is considered to be more feminine (女性的) and an at- tractive man more masculine (男性的) than the less attractive woman. Thus an attractive
woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but in a traditionally masculine position an attractive
woman appears to lack the "masculine" qualities required.
     This is true even in politics." When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women
differently," says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractive- ness on political
candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of
women, in order of attractiveness. Then the students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them. The results showed that
attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had been ranked most attractive
unchangeably received the fewest votes.

1. What is the main idea of the passage? ( No more than 15 words. )
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. The underlined word "liability" in Paragraph 1 means___________________. ( No more than 5 words. )
3. According to this passage, In what jobs do attractive women have their advantages?
   ( No more than 10 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Why did Anne Bowman carry out the study?( No more than 15 words.)
______________________________________________________________________________________
5. What is your idea of being an attractive person?( No more than 20 words.)
______________________________________________________________________________________

     Being connected to the Internet has become a necessary part of modern life. Some people actually need it
as they cannot do their jobs without it, and others simply feel they need it as they cannot imagine life without it.
     To think that something that did not even exist 50 years ago has come to play a crucial role in our lives like
this in just about 15 years makes one wonder-just what will the future bring?
     In 2004, a survey was conducted in the US asking a group of technology experts their opinions on the
Internet in the next ten years. 57% of them agreed that virtual classes will be more widely adopted in schools,
allowing students to learn with those at the same level and with interests in the same subjects. It's quite possible
that, by the year 2030,every child in every school will do all their school- work on their own laptop with all
their textbooks available (現(xiàn)成可使用的) on the Internet. No more heavy books to carry around and no more
pens and paper!
     At work, we already use email to deal with people both inside and outside our offices and video
conferencing (電話會議) is occur- ring more frequently. This means that meetings can be held between offices
in different countries without the trouble caused by business travel. Business travel will stop to exist in the
future, and so will offices as people all start to work from home.
     It has also become a trend for people to use pocket computers such as Blackberries. With this helpful
equipment, people can send and receive emails, surf the Web, and read multimedia files from absolutely
anywhere even if we are on a beach holiday.
     The Internet will have a revolutionary (突破性的) effect on entertainment in the future. Already we can buy
and download music and movies from the Internet but it is still possible for us to buy a CD or go to the DVD
stores to rent the latest movies. However, it's quite possible that in the future, CD shops and DVD rental stores will close and cinemas will no longer exist. Entertainment will be- come completely virtual although hopefully
people will still want to get outside to play sports and entertain themselves in more healthy ways.
     With the Internet we need only relax in the rocking chair. The Internet, however, has problems to be solved.

1. The expression " play a crucial role in" can be understood as_____.

A. change a dull role into
B. play an interesting part in
C. act a cruel character in
D. have an important effect on

2. According to the passage people are satisfied with all the following changes EXCEPT that _____.

A. CD shops and cinemas will shut down as a result of the a doption of virtual entertainment
B. virtual classes can make students' dream of getting rid of their schoolbags come true
C. people can be kept informed anytime and anywhere with the help of convenient equipment
D. people won't have to make business travel any more thanks to the video conference

3. What will the writer probably discuss after the last paragraph?

A. The possible school life in the future.
B. Bad effects the Internet can have on us.
C. More excitements the Internet will bring us.
D. The likely ways to solve the problems.

4. What is probably the best title for the passage?

A. Virtual reality, our best friend!
B. Goodbye, textbooks and offices!
C. What will future life be like with the Internet?
D. How can human beings deal with the Internet?

      Men are happier with money, while women find greater joy in friendships and relationships with their
children, co-workers and bosses, a new global study shows.
      The online study of 28,153 people in more than 51 countries by global marketing and information firm
Nielsen found that as the world struggles with a recession (衰退) and financial (經(jīng)濟) mar kets keep falling,
many people are reminding themselves that money can't buy happiness.
     The Nielsen Happiness Study found that globally, women are happier than men in 48 of the 51 countries
surveyed in August 2009,and only in Brazil, South Africa and Vietnam were men found to be happier than
women." Because they are happier with noneco nomic factors, women's happiness is more recession-proof
which might explain why women around the world are happier in general than men are," Nielsen Vice Ptesident
of Consumer Research Bruce Paul said in a statement.
      Japanese women reported the greatest difference and are 15 percent happier than Japanese men. Women
are also more optimistic about the future, scoring higher than men on predictions (預(yù)言 ) of their happiness
in the next six months.
     Women were also more pleased with their marriage life, the study found. Japanese and New Zealand
women reported the grea test. difference in satisfaction with their marriage life.
     Men are generally happier with their physical health than women, and this is especially pronounced in
South Africa. Egypt bucks the trend (趨勢), with women rating their happiness with their health much higher
than men.
     Globally, men rated their happiness with their mental health higher than women. It was the same in Belgium, South Korea, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Egypt, and Israel.
     There are three main factors of happiness globally, according to the study: personal financial situation,
mental health and job/ca- reer. Being satisfied with your partner is also important for happi ness.

1. Compared with women, men tend to be happier with ____.

A. money, friendship and their family
B. financial situation, health and marriage life
C. the future, mental health and money
D. mental health, physical health and money

2. The underlined word in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. strengthens
B. opposes
C. follows
D. continues

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT right?

A. Clobally, women are happier than men in general.
B. Women in Vietnam are not as happy as men.
C. Women score higher than men on predictions of their future.
D. Women's happiness is less likely affected by financial crisis.

4. Which country has the biggest difference in happiness between men and women?

A. Japan.
B. New Zealand.
C. Egypt.
D. South Africa.

     Please, please, please! Hug your kids every single day and tell them that you love them! Let that be your
nightly routine. Let them go to sleep feeling loved and good about themselves, even if you have been fighting.
I have a seventeen-year-old son who hugs every- day.
     Every night before he goes to bed we do a devotional together and pray. I will continue this with him as
long as he is under my roof. I have showered him with love his whole life, as well as my family, and he is
one of the most loving kids I have ever seen. Every human being needs physical touch, especially young
children and teenagers. We need 7 hugs a day to be healthy. Each hug we receive rtuses our hemoglobin (血
紅素). And as one of the other parents had commented, so many teenagers that do not get any physical touch
at all from their parents will seek to get it in inappro priate ways. We only have them for just a little while, they
will soon be gone and we won't be able to show them our love then! Shower them every single day! You will
never regret it and they will always feel loved!
     My nephew, who is like a son to me, started to become embar rassed at around age 13 for me to hug him
in public. I would only get to see him on the weekends and the first time he pulled away we were at a baseball
game and there were people everywhere. I just grabbed and hugged even harder when he tried to pull away
and said" I don't care if you like it or not! I love you so much and I will hug you every time I see you! "He
turned very red but smiled.
     Dr. Dobson says that our teenagers need our love and care e- yen more as they grow older because of all
of the self-doubt that the media puts on them to be perfect. Make them feel loved every day! If you don't do
it, who will? It may be uncomfortable at first but I promise it will just become second nature if you do it every
day!

1. The underlined word "routine" in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by _____.

A. Dream
B. Work
C. Bath
D. Habit

2. As a parent, the author and her son _____.

A. hug every day and share love in the life
B. hug more than seven times every day
C. never hug because he is a shy boy
D. never hug because he is independent

3. According to the author, seven. hugs a day _____.

A. make hemoglobin in our body decrease
B. help you keep in a good condition
C. make your study better at school
D. help you make more friends

4. What does the author's nephew react to her forced hug?

A. He was hateful and angry with the author.
B. He was shy but accepts the hugs happily.
C. He laughs at the author's performance in public.
D. He finds more reasons to refuse the author's demand.

     The idea of getting fresh water from icebergs that are pulled to populated areas and dry areas of the world
was once treated as a joke more fit for cartoons than real life. But now it is being consid ered quite seriously
by many nations, especially since scientists have warned that the human race will outgrow its fresh water
supply faster than it runs out of food.
     Glaciers (冰川) are a possible source of fresh water that has been overlooked until recently.
     Three-quarters of the Earth's fresh water supply is still tied up in glacial ice, a reservoir of untapped fresh
water so huge that it could carry on all the rivers of the world for 1,000 years.
     Floating on the oceans every year are 7,659 trillion metric tons ofice covered in 10,000 icebergs that break
away from the polar ice caps, more than ninety percent of them from Antarctica.
     Huge glaciers that widen over the shallow continental shelf give birth to icebergs throughout the year.
Icebergs are not like sea ice, which is formed when the sea itself freezes, rather, they are formed entirely on
land, breaking off when glaciers spread over the sea. As they flow away from the polar region, icebergs
sometimes move mysteriously in a direction opposite to the wind, pulled by subsurface currents. Because they
melt more slowly than smaller pieces office, icebergs have been known to drift as far north as 35 degrees
south of the equator in the Atlantic Ocean. To hold them and guide them to parts of the world where they are
needed would not be too difficult.
       The difficulty appears in other technical matters, such as the prevention of rapid melting in warmer
climates and the guiding of fresh water to shore in great volume. But even if the icebergs lost half of their
volume in drawing, the water they could provide would be far cheaper than that produced by removing salt
from water.

1. Why more countries consider getting fresh water from icebergs now?

A. The population across the world changes too often.
B. The huge glaciers bring too many floods recently.
C. The warning from scientists and the serious situation.
D. There are too many icebergs waiting for being dealt with.

2. The underlined word "overlooked" in Paragraph 2 should mean _____.

A. having a careful look
B. succeeding in passing
C. taking seriously
D. failing to notice

3. What makes getting fresh water from icebergs difficult?

A. The high cost and fewer glaciers.
B. Climate changes and practical actions.
C. The slow moving speed of the icebergs.
D. The time of waiting the icebergs' melting.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. lcebergs Cause Global Warming
B. Get Fresh Water From Icebergs
C. Solve the Problem of Water Shortage
D. Look for a Better Way to Get Water

     1. Anna: I get really frustrated easily, and sometimes I end up yell ing at people I love. I'm not very sure
why it happens, but I have no control over it. How can I stop?
     2. Smith:Some kids are making fun of me because I'm doing very well at school. Isn't that something to
be proud of? I need advice.
     3. Wilkins: I am not sociable. I am really shy, and I am already a freshman in high school. I have some
new friends, but I am still shy to the cool kids. Can you help me, please?
     4. Crick: I always say what I feel immediately and without thinking. Sometimes I get in trouble for it or
feel sorry about it later. Is speaking your mind a good or a bad thing?
     5. June: I love to read! But I don't have any time to read because of all of my activities. I don't want to
quit anything. What should I do?

A
     Instead of feeling upset, you should definitely be proud of your- self. Intelligence is a quality that everyone
wants, and as you get ol- der it's going to be what people love and respect about you. Still water runs deep.
I'm sure as time goes by, some of those kids making fun of you might realize how cool you actually are.
B
     Everyone has to learn how to adapt to society and mix socially with others. No man is an island, as the
saying goes. To become a so- ciable person, you must be naturally friendly. Besides, do something for a social
situation. A teacher once gave me this great advice: Pre parea conversation in your head before going into an
uncomfortable social situation. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's easy and it works! Get involved in activities
that interest you and you will make new friends fast.
C
     Always keep a book with you so that you can read during pock- ets of free time. Turn some of your TV
or computer time into reading time. Read for a little while right before bed, and find time to read on weekends.
Also, talk to your parents about your schedule. You might not want to quit anything, but you might need to
find more free time in order to have a happy balance in your life.
D
     That feeling is your conscience, and it's telling you that you need to confess what you did. Be brave and
tell your parents. Even if they get upset when they hear about it from you, they would be even more upset to
hear about it from your friend's mom. So pick a quiet time and say. Mom, Dad, I need to tell you something,
but I'm a fraid. Then spill the beans. No matter what they say, you'll be re lieved not to have this secret any
more. 
E
     First, identify what is frustrating you, then learn to calm your- self down. The next time you start feeling
frustrated, stop what you're doing and breathe deeply. Count to ten. Get up and walk around. Clear your
mind before you come back to the frustrating task. If you keep a cool head, you'll be less likely to snap at
others. And if you do yell at someone, apologize and admit that it's not that person's fault. Then calm down
and try again.
F
     Speaking your mind can be a really good thing. Far too many people don't, except when talking about
someone behind that person's back. However, there are times when honesty does more than good like when
a girl asks if she looks fat. So in situations in which there's no real good, you are better off keeping your
thoughts to yourself. In situations in which that is not the case like when your brother asks if his breath stinks
feel free to tell the truth. Just be prepared to take it in return.

     Since the prehistoric times, man has had an urge to satisfy his needs, but as we climbed the steps of
evolution with giant leaps, we somehow left behind common. sense and logical thinking-we forgot that we
have stopped thinking ahead of times.
     If you are hungry, what do you do? Grab a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet after that?  1   But
it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your favorite star and many such absurd
things. When mind looses its freedom to grow, creativity gets a full stop. This might be the reason why we
all sometimes think " What happens next?" " Why can't I think?". Well this is the aftermath of using our brain
for thinking of not-so-worthy things.
      Hunger of the mind can be actually satisfied through extensive reading. Now why reading and not
watching TV?    2    Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to take advantage of reading.
You have innumerable number of books in this world which will answer all your "How to?" questions.    3    
Now this seed is un- knowingly used by you in your future to develop new ideas. The same seed if used many
times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, of which you would have never thought of in your wildest
dreams! This is nothing other than creativity. The larger number of books you read, your mind will open up
like never before. Also this improves your speaking skills to a large extent and also makes a sig nificant
contribution to your vocabulary in writing.    4    
     Actually, I had a problem in speaking English fluently, but as I read, I could improve significantly.    5   So
guys do join me and give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading. Now what are you
waiting for?

A. Soon you will find no difficulty employing the right words when speaking.
B. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed.
C. I am still on the path of improvement to satisfy my thirst.
D. Just like your stomach, even your mind is hungry.
E. Because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from the childhood.
F. Within no time you never seem to run out of the right words at the right time.
G. Because watching TV too often will make you a" couch potato".