On a cold winter day, I waited in line to see my hero, Jack Canfield, the author of The Success Principles．

During his talk, Jack   1   his wallet, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and said, “Who wants this?”   2   shot up in the audience; people leaned forward to see whom Jack would   3  ．But I jumped up, ran up the   4   to the stage, and grabbed the bill．As I was launching myself in the air, thoughts   5   through my mind — was I about to be humiliated （羞辱） in front of 800 people? Would they   6   security guards and take me from the stage?   7   my desire for brave action was louder than any   8   voice．

As I got the bill from his hand, he said, “That’s it! We can’t wait for the   9   to come to us．We must take action to   10   what we want!”

After his talk, I managed to formally meet Jack and bravely asked for his   11   email address．Over the next months, I sent him emails   12   my vision and dreams with him．He kindly emailed back lots of encouragement．But my life got   13   with other things．I stopped e-mailing Jack．

A year later, my dreams had worn away．I thought Jack would inspire me into action, like a giant   14   that would show me the way．

I emailed him, and then again — but got no   15  ．As I sat down at my computer to check my emails, I   16   woke up．What was I doing? I was waiting! Now I remembered the crowd, most likely   17   that hundred-dollar bill, while they sat   18   to their chairs．

Usually we all have a “Jack” for whom we wait — whether it’s a person, a place or a thing．We    19   believe the gifts of life are just around the corner, and that everything will come in a（n）   20   way．So we don’t try．We give up．But as Wayne Gretzky said: “You’ll always miss 100% of the opportunities you don’t take!” So I stopped waiting and started my writing career．

       Now what are you waiting for?

1．A．stretched out         B．reached for          C．stuck to              D．handed in

2．A．Cheers                  B．Shouts                C．Heads                 D．Hands

3．A．offer                     B．greet                   C．like                     D．choose

4．A．path                      B．road                    C．steps                   D．route

5．A．raced                    B．started                 C．a(chǎn)ppeared             D．existed

6．A．a(chǎn)sk                       B．call                     C．demand               D．order

7．A．And                      B．So                      C．But                     D．Or

8．A．careful                  B．doubtful              C．meaningful          D．helpful

9．A．opportunities         B．times                   C．results                 D．a(chǎn)ims

10．A．a(chǎn)ttract                B．a(chǎn)ccept                 C．repair                  D．create

11．A．professional         B．secret                  C．public                 D．personal

12．A．speaking              B．describing            C．presenting           D．sharing

13．A．quick                  B．busy                   C．full                     D．loose

14．A．hand                   B．gate                    C．exit                     D．entrance

15．A．news                  B．notice                  C．response             D．reaction

16．A．gradually             B．suddenly              C．immediately         D．slowly

17．A．desiring               B．claiming              C．begging               D．valuing

18．A．lost                     B．stuck                  C．opposed              D．devoted

19．A．sincerely             B．honestly              C．falsely                 D．correctly

20．A．difficult               B．impressive           C．early                   D．natural

AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!

Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut （初次登臺(tái)）．

       Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle．Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group．

       Earphones

       These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s．They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears．

       Martian language

       They have created their own code-like online language．It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand．This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers．

      Self-Portrait

       Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation．A little bit of narcissism （自戀）never hurts anyone．It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online．

      Text-messaging

       They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak．This is a generation that respects efficiency．However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style．

1．According to the passage, if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will ____________ ．

       A．just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths．

       B．have your own symbols and lifestyle．

       C．have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s．

       D．like music and dance very much．

2．According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90．

       A．Li Hua likes music and always wearing ipod

       B．Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently．

       C．Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends．

       D．Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line．

3．According to this passage, which is FALSE?

       A．Not all teens are cautious about posting photos．

       B．They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking．

       C．The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a   necessary part of life．

       D．They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing．

4．The main idea of the passage is about________．

       A．the Gen-90s’ happy life

       B．the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

       C．the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings

       D．the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

      Beauty has always been thought of as something we value most．Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs．Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs．Even judges are softer on the accused who are attractive．But in the executive （主管的） circle, beauty can become a liability．

Although to be attractive can have positive effect for a man if he wants to be an executive leader, it is harmful to a woman．Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than unattractive men: effort and ability were thought to lead to their success．

Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck．All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives．Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight successes．

Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine and an attractive man more manly than the less attractive ones．Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the “manly” 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 attractiveness on political candidates（候選人）．She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness．The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices．They were asked to rank then again, in the order they would vote for them．

The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes．

1．The underlined word “l(fā)iability” （Para, 1） most probably means “_______”．

       A．disadvantage        B．a(chǎn)dvantage            C．misfortune           D．trouble

2．In traditional female jobs, attractiveness _______．

       A．makes women look more honest and capable

       B．strengthens the feminine qualities required

       C．is connected with inability

       D．helps women in their jobs

3．Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness _______．

       A．turns out to be a disadvantage to men

       B．is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women

       C．a(chǎn)ffects men and women alike

       D．has as little effect on men as on women

4．The author writes this passage to _______．

       A．give advice to job-seekers who are attractive

       B．discuss the disadvantages of being unattractive

       C．say something for attractive female executives

       D．state the importance of appearance

As is known to all, colors appear in every language to express people’s feeling and thoughts．Then, what is the situation in American English?

Red is a hot color．Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair．They are red hot when they are very angry about something．The small hot-tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery taste．Fast loud music is popular with many people．They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland Jazz．

Pink is a lighter kind of red．People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health．The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century．It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health．

The color black is often used in expressions．People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day．People or things on a blacklist are connected with things illegal now．But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations．

The color green is natural for trees and grass．But it is an unnatural color for humans．A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green．A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green．

Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has．That person may say he is green with envy．Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks．Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the color of the back side of the paper money．

1．Americans use “red hot” to describe the following EXCEPT _______．

       A．something unfair                                  B．small hot-tasting peppers

       C．the person who is very angry                D．popular music like Dixieland Jazz

2．People use “in the pink” to express they are in good health because _______．

       A．the expression has a very long history

       B．the color pink makes people feel happy

       C．people think the color pink is gentler than red

       D．healthy babies are born with nice pink skin

3．When we say someone feels a little green, it means he/she _______．

       A．enjoys himself in boating                      B．is hit by a high wave

       C．has a stomachache                               D．likes trees and grass

4．In the writer’s eyes, what is related to a black day?

       A．Being sent a beautiful gift．                  B．Passing a very difficult test．

       C．Failing in an important interview．        D．Being invited to an exciting party．

       A child who has once been pleased with a tale likes, as a rule, to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts．It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual circumstances（情況） of the time and the individual child, is an improvement on the printed text, that’s much better．

       A charge made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking．To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often guilty of cruelty than those who had not．As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story．Often, however, this arises from the child who has heard the story once．Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered．

       There are also people who are opposed to fairy stories in that they are not true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc．do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught how to adapt to reality by studying history and mechanics．I find such people, I must say so strange that I do not know how to argue with them．If their cases were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girlfriend．

No fairy story has ever claimed（聲稱） to be description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was．

1．The author considered that a fairy story is more effective _______．

       A．when a story is repeated without any change

       B．when we treat a story as a joke

       C．when the parent makes some changes about a story

       D．when the story is set in the present time

2．According to the passage, when can great fear take place in a child?

       A．When a story is in a realistic setting．    B．When a story is heard for the first time．

       C．When a story is repeated too often．     D．When a story is told in a different way．

3．What is the advantage claimed for repeating fairy stories to young children?

       A．Making them less fearful．

       B．Developing their power of memory．

       C．Making them believe there is nothing to be afraid of．

       D．Encouraging them not to have strange beliefs．

4．The author’s mention of sticks and telephones is meant to suggest that _______．

       A．fairy stories are still being made up

       B．there is some misunderstandings about fairy tales

       C．people try to update old fairy stories

       D．there is more concern for children’s fears nowadays

Farmers grow cocoa trees in the shady areas of rainforests near the Earth’s equator．These trees can be difficult to grow．They require an exact amount of water, warmth, soil and protection．After about five years, cocoa trees start producing large fruits called pods．The seeds inside these pods are harvested to make chocolate．

Today we travel around the world exploring the history of chocolate．Its story begins with a plant whose scientific name, The obroma cocoa, means “food of the gods”．People have been enjoying the rich flavor of chocolate, a product made from this plant．

Most people know that chocolate is made from cocoa and that the origins of chocolate can be traced back to Central and South America．For centuries, the natives there regarded cocoa as a gift from the gods．But how did chocolate go from being the food of the gods to being the food of love?

Historians believe the Maya of Central America first learned to farm cocoa plants around two thousand years ago．The Maya took the cocoa trees from the rainforests and grew them in their gardens．They cooked the cocoa seeds, and then crushed them into a soft substance．They used the cocoa bean as the main part in a dark, bitter drink that we would call “chocolate”．They believed that chocolate had mystical characteristics — but cocoa also had commercial （商業(yè)的）value．In fact, cocoa beans were used as a form of currency that was worth its weight in gold!

The explorer Christopher Columbus brought cocoa seeds to Spain after his trip to Central America in 1502．But the Spanish explorer Conquistador Hernando Cortez was the first European explorer to realize cocoa’s commercial possibilities．When he arrived in the New World in 1519, he soon established his own cocoa plantation．In 1529, Cortez returned to Spain and introduced chocolate — as a drink mixed with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon — to European society．

The wealthy people of Spain first enjoyed a sweetened type of the chocolate drink．Later, the popularity of the drink spread throughout Europe．The English, Dutch and French began to plant cocoa trees in their own colonies．Chocolate remained a drink that only wealthy people could afford to drink until the eighteenth century．During the period known as the Industrial Revolution, new technologies helped make chocolate less costly to produce．

It caught on — especially with the noble people, who enjoyed hot chocolate as an aphrodisiac （a kind of medicine）．As its popularity spread, people found new ways to make and use chocolate．These days, chocolate is enjoyed as both a tasty treat and a romantic indulgence everywhere．

1．According to historians, cacao trees were first planted in             ．

       A．South America                                     B．Central America   

       C．Spain．                                              D．Africa

2．What does the underlined word “substance” here mean?

       A．An illegal drug．                       B．An important idea．

       C．A liquid material．                    D．A solid material．

3．The passage implies that             ．

       A．Christopher Columbus brought cacao seeds to Central America．

       B．The wealthy people of Spain first enjoyed a chocolate drink．

       C．Many people over the world enjoy a good taste of chocolate．

       D．Cocoa trees need an exact amount of water, warmth, soil and protection．

4．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

       A．History of chocolate, as rich as its taste．

       B．Chocolate, food of the gods．

       C．Value of chocolate, as costly as gold．

       D．Chocolate, food of love．

最近，你班同學(xué)就“課間是否播放音樂(lè)”為主題展開(kāi)了討論。請(qǐng)你根據(jù)下表所提供的信息，寫(xiě)一篇短文，客觀的介紹一下討論情況。

       注意：1．開(kāi)頭已為你寫(xiě)好。2．詞數(shù)：100左右。

       3．參考詞匯：atmosphere n．氣氛；tiredness n．疲勞

       Our class held a discussion about whether music should be played during a class break or not…

_______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________  

Though she tried several times, she failed and had to          ．

A．give away       B．give in          C．give out           D．give up

He completely recovered from his big failure and was determined to build a new life out of the

        of his career．

A．a(chǎn)dvantage       B．ruins          C．efforts          D．imagination

They offered a lot of useful information for your report．I can understand how          you must be feeling now．

A．frightened          B．upset            C．grateful         D．curious