I was 13 years old.  My family had moved to Southern California from North Florida a year before.  I hit adolescence with a vengeance.  I was angry and rebellious, with little regard for anything my parents had to say, particularly if it had to do with me.  Like so many teenagers, I struggled to escape from anything that didn't agree with my picture of the world.  A "brilliant without need of guidance" kid, I rejected any overt offering of love.  In fact, I got angry at the mention of the word love.

One night, after a particularly difficult day, I _____________, shut the door and got into bed.  As I lay down in the privacy of my bed, my hands slipped under my pillow.  There was an envelope.  I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, "To read when you're alone."

Since I was alone, no one would know whether I read it or not, so I opened it.  It said "Mike, I know life is hard right now, I know you are frustrated and I know we don't do everything right.  I also know that I love you completely and nothing you do or say will ever change that.  I am here for you if you ever need to talk, and if you don't, that's okay.  Just know that no matter where you go or what you do in your life, I will always love you and be proud that you are my son.  I'm here for you and I love you - that will never change.  Love, Mom. 

That was the first of several "To read when you're alone" letters.  They were never mentioned until I was an adult.

Today I travel the world helping people.  I was in Sarasota, Florida, teaching a seminar when, at the end of the day, a lady came up to me and shared the difficulty she was having with her son.  We walked out to the beach, and I told her of my mom's undying love and about the "To read when you're alone" letters.  Several weeks later, I got a card that said she had written her first letter and left it for her son. 

That night as I went to bed, I put my hands under my pillow and remembered the relief I felt every time I got a letter.  In the midst of my turbulent teen years, the letters were the calm assurance that I could be loved in spite of me, not because of me.  Just before I fell asleep I thanked God that my mom knew what I, an angry teenager, needed.  Today when theseas of life get stormy, I know that just under my pillow there is that calm assurance that love - consistent, abiding, unconditional love - changes lives.

1.What’s the best title of the passage?  

2.Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

I reached out my hands for the letter under the pillow that night when I went to bed ,and I always felt relief with the letter under my pillow.

3.Please fill in the blank in the passage with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(within ten words) 

4.What do you learn after reading the passage?(within 30 words)

5.Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

I live in Japan, where electronic items are a way of life, so it is no surprise that many students carry these little electronic dictionaries. E-dictionaries may be lighter and compacter (簡(jiǎn)潔的) than any paper dictionary.     However, to me, these are pretty much the limits to their advantages.

  I think e-dictionaries should be limited in their use in classrooms.

  E-dictionaries are much more expensive. In Japan, they cost as little as 10,000 yen(US$100)much as 40,000 yen, depending on how many functions you want (or think you want) and depending on how fashionable you are. My trusty Random House paper dictionary is copyrighted at1995, cost me a mere US$12.95 plus tax.

  E-dictionaries are more fragile. Drop your paper dictionary. Go ahead. Hold it above your head and drop it.

  E-dictionaries need batteries. Batteries are temperature sensitive. Batteries cost money, too.

  E-dictionaries have keypads. Typing in the spelling of a word is harder and more time consuming than looking through pages and using the index at the top of each page.

   Sound . Little devices beep (嘟嘟聲) when you press the buttons, but it is very disturbing to some people in a classroom situation or library.

  Finally, let’s consider making corrections or additions. No dictionary is perfect, paper version or electronic. However, when you find something you’d like to change in the e-dictionary, you can’t do anything about it. You can pencil in some notes with the paper type. Similarly, if you learn a word that isn’t in the dictionary, a few notes of a pencil make it easy to increase its memory capacity.   And, for those students whose habit is to mark certain words with a highlight pen for ease of future reference, again, the paper dictionary wins out.

A．But it is impossible to do so with a keypad model.

B．They may even contain more words and expressions.

C.  Let me add a statement about one that really troubles me.

D．Now, try this with any lightweight plastic e-dictionary, and you’ll be picking up the pieces.

E．That huge, heavy paper dictionary that you see in your library looks like a building block in size and weight.

F．E-dictionaries have advantages as well as disadvantages.

G．Let’s take a look at the following reasons.

Learning a Second Language

Some people learn a second language easily. Others have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.

The first step is to feel positive about learning English. If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about taking risks.

The second step is to practice your English. For example, write a diary every day. You will get used to writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving. In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.

The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.

You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.

1.To feel positive about learning English means _______.

2.When you learn English, you do not need to ______.

3.What is not helpful for you to enjoy learning English?

4.What is the main idea of this passage?

5.What does the underlined word “journal” in the 4^th paragraphmean?

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

A good relationship(關(guān)系）with a teacher may help you learn better. But what should you do if you find it difficult to get along well with your teachers? Here are some tips.

If you’re facing problems with a teacher, try to find out why.  1  Or do you like the subject but just dislike the teacher?

If you don’t like the subject, it can affect（影響）your relationship with the teacher. You should try to find the practical value in classes you don’t like. You may hate math.  2 

If you find a subject hard, talk to your teacher to be given more help.  3  It may help you raise your grade gradually.

4 Show an interest in the subject, which may change your attitude towards your teacher. You can also talk to your teacher when he or she is free. Use this time to get extra help , ask questions, or talk about your progress in class. You may be surprised to learn that your teacher is a bit more relaxed and friendly than when lecturing in front of the whole class.

If you don’t agree with your teacher, do not quarrel with him or her.  5 Just as teachers need to be fair and treat everyone equally, students have responsibilities too. You don’t have to like your teacher or agee with what he or she says, but it is necessary to be polite.

A．Do you dislike the subject?

B．What is your opinion about it?

C．What if you just don’t like the teacher?

D．Any teacher will give you some useful advice.

E. And it’s impossible to like everyone all the time.

F. Common respect is a basic requirement of any relationship.

G .But learning it well can help you in everything from sports to leaving a tip（小費(fèi)）.

Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp

Everyone is forgetful, but as we age(變老), we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be a very annoying thing.   1.   Read on for some techniques worth trying.

1.   2. 

People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性癡呆癥), according to a recent study.   3.   Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.

2. Go for a walk

Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain.   4. 

3. Learn something new

Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time.   5.   Or go dancing with your friends.

A. Focus on the future.

B. This can be especially harmful to the aged.

C. It should be something like learning gardening.

D. So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.

E. But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.

F. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.

G. In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.