How difficult change is depends a lot on your attitude towards it and your resistance to it. Your attitude to change can make the whole transformation process much easier.
Imagine change as a pair of shoes and this will help you understand change and how it works. I am sure that you have ever had a comfortable pair of shoes in your life. A pair of shoes is so comfortable that you really don’t want to get rid of them.
You know you need a new pair, and may even have them, but you don’t want to wear them because you are comfortable with your current pair. Besides, the new pair may hurt your feet, give you blisters(水皰) or be awkward to wear to start with. So, you resist the new shoes. However, you know that this new pair would be much better for your feet, and after the initial discomfort they would probably be even more comfortable, yet you still resist.
Do you know I’m doing this now? I’m wearing my comfortable shoes and they feel good. They have a hole in each heel, and the sole is starting to fall off, but I’m persisting in wearing them.
This describes change exactly; change of our habits, change of our thought patterns. We stick with the old patterns because they are comfortable. Yet once we get over the initial pain of the transformation, the new pattern will be comfortable and feel good until the time comes when we need another new pair of shoes.
小題1:Why do people prefer old shoes to new ones?

A．They have much emotion in the old ones.

B．They are more comfortable.

C．New shoes always harm the feet.

D．They look better than the new ones.

小題2: According to the passage, we know that people ______.

A．don’t realize the benefit of the new shoes very well

B．a(chǎn)re positive and open-minded to accept new things

C．a(chǎn)ctually know the change will finally be good for them

D．don’t accept new patterns because they are not good

小題3: What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Once we form a habit, it’s difficult to change it.

B．Most people pay more attention to the future life.

C．One’s attitude towards something is usually traditional.

D．The more often we change, the better our life will be.

It seems hard to watch someone yawn and not to yawn ourselves. Even reading about yawning can make you do it. Now, a new study has found why yawning has such a powerful force.
Yawning when others yawn, the study suggests, is a sign of pity and a form of social connection. Kids don’t develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four, the study found. Kids with autism (自閉癥) are less likely to catch yawns. In the most serious cases, they never do. Yawning might help doctors to see whether the children are developing rightly. The work could also lead to a better understanding of the ways that people communicate and connect.
"Emotional infection seems to be a born thing that connects us together," said Molly Helt, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Connecticut. "Yawning may be part of that." Inspiration for her study came when she tried to get her own autistic son to clear his ears on an airplane. She repeatedly yawned at him, hoping he would yawn back. He never did.
"The fact that autistic kids don’t do it might mean they’re really missing out on that emotional connection with people around them," she said. "The biggest thing people try to figure out after birth is how we become humans and understand that humans have minds that are different from others’," she added. "Autistic people never seem to understand that."
Like infectious laughter and crying, scientists have found that yawning is a shared experience that promotes social connection. Helt said it could fight stress after a period of being nervous and spread a feeling of calm through a group.
小題1:What does the new study suggest, according to the first two paragraphs?

A．It is easy to stop yawning when you see others yawn.

B．Yawning has some mysterious force which is related to God.

C．Children follow others in yawning just after they are born.

D．Yawning is a form of communication.

小題2:According to Molly Helt, _________________.

A．emotions are infectious, but yawning is not

B．yawning helps clear ears on planes

C．humans differ from animals because they communicate with others

D．yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans

小題3:Which of the following is NOT true about yawning?

A．It is natural to yawn back if people around you yawn.

B．Some kids are too young to yawn after others.

C．Yawning can be used to test children’s development.

D．Kids with autism yawn easily when others yawn.

小題4:The author implies in the last paragraph that ________.

A．it is bad manners to yawn on some social occasions

B．yawning can make people feel relaxed

C．yawning is different from infectious laughter and crying in theory

D．the more you yawn, the happier you will be

On a hot summer day in late August, I sought shade and a cool drink at a waterfront café on a Greek island. Over a hundred degrees in    1   air. Crowded. Tempers（脾氣）of both the tourists and waiters had    2  to meet the situation, making it a rather quarrelsome environment（環(huán)境）
At the table next to mine sat an attractive,    3   couple, waiting for    4 .  They held hands, whispered, kissed, and laughed. Suddenly they stood, picked up their    5   and stepped together    6   the edge of where they were sitting to place the table in the sea water. The man stepped   7  for the two chairs. He politely   8  his lady in the knee-deep water and then sat down himself. All people around laughed and cheered.
  9  appeared. He paused for just a second, walked into the water to   10   the table and take their   11  , and then walked back to the    12   cheers of the rest of his    13 . Minutes later he returned carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. Without pausing, he went    14   into the water to     15    the wine. The couple toasted（祝酒）each other, the waiter and the crowd. And the crowd   16  by cheering and throwing flowers to them. Three other tables  17  to have lunch in the water. The place was now filled with laughter.
One doesn’t step into water in one’s best summer clothes. Why not?
Customers are not served    18   . Why not?
Sometimes one should consider   19  the line of convention（常規(guī)）and enjoy   20  to the fullest.

小題1:	A．fresh B．cool C．still D．thin

小題2:	A．managed B．expected C．a(chǎn)ttempted D．risen

小題3:	A．lonely B．curious C．well-dressed D．bad-tempered

小題4:	A．cheers B．service C．a(chǎn)ttention D．flowers

小題5:	A．metal table B．empty bottle C．chairs D．bags

小題6:	A．on B．off C．a(chǎn)round D．a(chǎn)long

小題7:	A．outside B．forward C．down D．back

小題8:	A．led B．seated C．watched D．received

小題9:	A．The manager B．A friend C．A waiter D．The servant

小題10:

A．set B．wash C．remove D．check

小題11:

A．menu B．bill C．food D．order

小題12:

A．loud B．a(chǎn)nxious C．familiar D．final

小題13:

A．tourists B．customers C．fellows D．a(chǎn)ssistants

小題14:

A．a(chǎn)t last B．in time C．once more D．a(chǎn)s well

小題15:

A．change B．drink C．sell D．serve

小題16:

A．replied B．insisted C．a(chǎn)greed D．understood

小題17:

A．prepared B．joined in C．settled up D．continued

小題18:

A．with pleasure B．in the café C．in the sea D．with wine

小題19:

A．following B．keeping C．limiting D．crossing

小題20:

A．life B．wine C．lunch D．time

I live in north Celebes which is near Philippines. Since early December 2010 most tropical regions have been frequently hit by rain. Just like my hometown, tropical regions only have two seasons, including the dry season that usually starts from April to September and the wet or rainy season which usually happens from October to March. But, it could be indeterminate. Sometimes the rainy season can come a month earlier or later. It can be prolonged even more than 4 months and so can the dry season. Even during the dry season, rain can occur several times in certain areas.
The prolonged dry season in tropical areas usually causes a lot of losses. It will be very harmful to local farmers, because most of the tropical areas sre regions of the developing countries. Sometimes agricultural and plantation crops will be damaged because of so much dry land and the fact that the river used to flow the water for rice fields are also dry. Rain is very important for plants because rain contains many nutrients that plants are in great need of.
What’s more, if the prolonged rainy season arrives and then floods usually occur in certain areas of low lands. Even for the capital city of Jakarta floods have struck several times during the prolonged rainy season. In addition to floods, the rainy season can cause many diseases. During the dry season, diseases are usually caused by mosquitoes such as dengue fever. While in the rainy season, people who have the weak immune will be more easily attacked by some diseases such as flu, fever, diarrhea, and much more.
If you live in the other places and want to travel to the tropical regions, make sure that you have known much about the season and the effect for these months in which you want to travel as tourists. Only in that way, can you at least prepare to deal with tropical weather.
小題1:The underlined word “indeterminate” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by “ _____”

A．uncertain

B．unknown

C．untrue

D．unbelievable

小題2:The second paragraph mainly tells us something about _____.

A．the effects of the dry season.	B．the benefits of the rainy season.
C．the growth of dry land	D．the diseases in the dry season

小題3:We can learn from the passage that in the wet season, _____

A．the capital of Jakarta is flooded every year

B．more crops will die after being flooded for so long.

C．mosquitoes will spread more diseases among the crowd.

D．people with weak immune might be attacked by some diseases

小題4:The main purpose of this passage is to introduce _____.

A．some interesting facts of tropical regions

B．some knowledge about tropical regions to travelers

C．some knowledge about how to live well in different regions.

D．some differences between dry and wet seasons in tropical regions.

Dear Parents,
As we start the second half of the spring term, I thought it important to update you on some key developments.
Post-16 Collaboration(合作)
We have entered into an exciting new collaboration with Bassaleg Comprehension School, Duffryn High School, St Joseph’s High School, and Coleg Gwent—The Newport West Post-16 partnership. We will be working together to deliver nearly 40 different courses at other schools and likewise, students from other schools will study some subjects here. Information about the courses available to students can be found on the partnership website www. Newftartwest. corn. uk.
Uniform
I would take this opportunity to remind all parents that students are not permitted to wear non-school uniform cardigans (開襟羊毛衫) in Newport High School. It is the responsibility of parents to make sure your son or daughter wears the correct uniform to school. This includes completely black shoes. Over the next half term we will be working with students to develop a cardigan with the school logo which will provide an alternative to the current school jacket.
School Catering.
We are currently seeking a new company to provide school meals. Our new catering provider will be in place at the start of the summer term and will be working with students, parents and staff to provide improvements to our current provision. I look forward to keeping you updated on this development.
Some key dates for you to be aware of over the next half term are:

Tuesday 15March	Year 9&10 Revision Conference
Wednesday 23 March	Year 12& 13 Parents Evening (4：00—7：00 p.m.)
Thursday 31st March	Academic Review Day
Friday 1st April	Teacher Training Day (school closed to students)
Friday 15st April	End of Spring Term
Tuesday 3rd May	Start of Summer Term

Thank you for your continued support.
Your faithfully,
Karyn Keane
小題1:Karyn Keane wrote the letter on behalf of ______.

A．Bassaleg Comprehensive School	B．Newport High School
C．St Joesph’s High School	D．Duffryn High School

小題2:What can be learned about the new collaboration?

A．It involves four schools altogether.

B．Course information will be mailed to every student.

C．Students can choose as many courses as they want.

D．It allows students to learn at other schools.

小題3:When will the new catering company start working?

A．In May

B．In April

C．in March

D．In June

小題4:What do we know from the passage?

A．Students will develop a logo for the school.

B．All parents will be invited to school on 23rd March

C．Students won’t go to school on 1st April.

D．The letter was written at the start of the spring term.

Come for Dinner by Leslie Revsin
Make every meal a feast and every moment with loved ones an occasion with Come for Dinner. Revsin, the former owner and chef of Manhattan’s Restaurant Leslie, offers a collection of over 150 recipes designed for small get-togethers of friends and family. There are various ethnic dishes that draw from Asia，the Mediterranean, Latin cultures and more. Revsin believes cooking at home provides the opportunity to connect with friends and family on a good level.
Retro Beach Bash by Linda Everett
Grab your beach blanket and your surfboard — it’s time for a beach party! With more than 100 recipes (菜譜) for beach picnics and barbecues, Retro Beach Bash, is the beach lover’s companion for fun in the sun.
Half information and half cookbook, you can browse the pages that are filled with beach fun tips and advice. The second half of this book is a cookbook, complete with delicious picnic and grilled foods to satisfy every taste on the beach.
Entertaining Edibles by Sidney Escowitz
You’ve seen them decorating plates at restaurants, admired them at weddings, and expressed great surprise at the chefs who designed them — and now you can produce them at home.
Sidney shares lots of practical tips that will give your finished food sculptures a professional look and send you on your way towards creating your own original works of food art.
Recipes from a Tapas Bar by Olivier Said
If you’re a fan of Spanish Tapas bars, this book is a must-have for your library. Even if you don’t cook, you’ll still want this book if you’re a fan of Tapas bars, only for the lively discussions of the cheeses of Spain along with other Spanish wines and spirits.
小題1:If you want to prepare a delicious dish for your family at home, you’d better choose _____.
A. Entertaining Edibles                              B. Retro Beach Bash
C Recipes from a Tapas Bar                        D. Come for Dinner
小題2: Retro Beach Bash tells us _____.

A．how to make picnics on the beach	B．how to repair your surfboard
C．how to make Spanish wines	D．how to satisfy your taste at home

小題3:Who can tell you how to make the works of food art?

A．Leslie Revsin.	B．Linda Everett.
C．Sidney Escowitz.	D．Olivier Said.

小題4:The books mentioned in the text are mainly about _____.

A．people

B．traveling

C．cooking

D．sports

Maybe you’ve just invented something better than the iPhone or a solar-powered car. You don’t want anyone to steal your design. What should you do? Patent (申請專利) it! Patents are the best way to get credit for your work and help others continue advancing in that field. Here’s what you need to know.
A patent gives you the right to an invention. The patent protects its owner, which means the invention can’t be copied or sold without their agreement. In exchange, the owner must reveal information about the invention. This contributes knowledge that helps other inventors improve on their own research. A patent usually lasts about 20 years.
The first step to getting a patent is the application. The person applying must name the invention, explain its use and describe it clearly. The invention must be practical and contain some new characteristic — something that hasn’t been seen or used before. But not everything “new” can be patented. Many countries don’t allow patents on things like new concepts, scientific theories, medical procedures or substances already found in nature.
You may not be able to see patents, but they’re connected to nearly everything. There are patents on things you use every day, like plastic, medicine and your computer. There are patents on things that are unavailable on the market, too. Apple is well-known for its patents on potential products, such as the “iBike” or the “iKey”.
Of course there are also patents on inventions like this. Take the anti-eating face mask for example. This device locks around your head with a metal cage covering your mouth. You can breathe and speak, but you can’t eat!
Although many patented inventions can be failures, there’s plenty of room for success. So if you have a cool invention, try to patent it.
小題1:Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

A．A patent can last for around 20 years.

B．Everything new can be patented.

C．Your invention is protected after you have applied for a patent.

D．Some patents are on the things that we use every day.

小題2:We can infer that Apple’s iBike is _____.

A．a(chǎn) popular product	B．a(chǎn) mere new concept
C．a(chǎn) famous brand in the world	D．a(chǎn) practical bike on the market

小題3:The underlined word “device” in Paragraph 5 can best be replaced by “_____”.

A．weapon

B．medicine

C．equipment

D．strength

小題4:The purpose of writing this passage is to _____.

A．a(chǎn)dvertise

B．persuade

C．warn

D．inform

My First Job
I was six when I joined my father and two elder brothers at sunrise in the fields of Eufaula. Okla.  36  the time I was eight I was helping Dad fix up old furniture. He gave me a cent for every nail I  37  out of old boards.
I got my first  38  job, at JM’s Restaurant in town, when I was 12. My main responsibilities (職責(zé)) were  39  tables and washing dishes,  40  sometimes I helped cook.
Every day after school I would  41  to JM’s and work until ten. Even on Saturdays I  42  from two until eleven. At that age it was difficult going to work and  43  my friends run off to swim or play. I didn’t necessarily like work, but I loved what working
  44  me to have. Because of my  45  I was always the one buying when my friends and I went to the local Taste Freeze. This made me  46  .
Word that I was trustworthy and hard-working  47  around town. A local clothing store offered me credit (賒帳)  48  I was only in seventh grade. I immediately  49  a $68 sports coat and a $22 pair of shoes. I was  50  only 65 cents an hour, and I already owed(欠) the storekeeper $90! So I learned  51  the danger of easy credit. I paid it  52  as soon as I could.
My first job taught me self-control, responsibility and brought me a  53  of personal satisfaction few of my friends had experienced. As my father,  54  worked three jobs, once told me, “If you  55  sacrifice (奉獻(xiàn)) and responsibility, there are not many things in life you can’t have.”How right he was.

小題1:	A．Before B．Within C．From D．By

小題2:	A．pulled B．put C．picked D．pressed

小題3:	A．usual B．real C．main D．particular

小題4:	A．sweeping B．packing C．clearing D．emptying

小題5:	A．or B．so C．but D．even

小題6:	A．head B．turn C．change D．move

小題7:	A．studied B．worked C．played D．slept

小題8:	A．helping B．having C．watching D．letting

小題9:	A．a(chǎn)sked B．told C．promised D．a(chǎn)llowed

小題10:

A．study B．power C．a(chǎn)ge D．job

小題11:

A．proud B．friendly C．lucky D．hopeful

小題12:

A．ran B．got C．flew D．carried

小題13:

A．a(chǎn)lthough B．while C．if D．since

小題14:

A．sold B．borrowed C．charged D．wore

小題15:

A．keeping B．making C．paying D．taking

小題16:

A．gradually B．greatly C．hardly D．early

小題17:

A．out B．over C．a(chǎn)way D．off

小題18:

A．point B．level C．part D．sign

小題19:

A．he B．that C．who D．whoever

小題20:

A．understand B．demand C．offer D．fear

Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a self-effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful, there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.
　　Sometimes you remember things that did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remembered locking it carefully the night before.
Memory “trick” works the other way as well. Once in a while you remember not doing something, and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barber(理發(fā)師) shop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barber shop across the street from my office.
　　We always seem to find something funny in incidents（小事） caused by people’s forgetfulness or absent-mindedness(心不在焉). Stories about absent-minded professors have been told for years, and we never got tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however, absent-mindedness is not always funny. There are times when “trick” of our memory can cause us great trouble. （words: 169）
小題1:If you want to have a good memory, ________.

A．you should force yourself to remember things

B．you should make a self-effort of practice and exercise

C．you should never stop learning

D．you should try hard to remember things

小題2:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．One night the writer forgot to lock the front door.

B．One night the writer forgot having locked the front door.

C．The writer remembered to lock the door.

D．The writer remembered unlocking the front door.

小題3:From the sentence "We never get tired of hearing new ones", we can infer that______.

A．we enjoy hearing new stories about absent-mindedness of professors

B．we don’t want to know anything more about absent-mindedness of professors

C．we will never get rid of（擺脫） listening to new stories about absent-mindedness

D．a(chǎn)bsent-mindedness happens not only to professors but to many other people

A firm handshake is the key to interview success. As any serious job-hunter knows, it helps to dress smartly and smile at that all-important interview. But research has showed that a firm handshake is what really matters when it comes to impressing potential employers.
A US research looked at 98 undergraduates taking part in mock（模擬）interviews with businesses. As each undergraduate was graded on their general performance, five “handshake raters（評估人）” also marked them on their grasp, strength, duration, vigor and eye contact.
Professor Greg Stewart, from the University of Iowa, who led the study, said those who scored highly with the handshake raters were also considered to be the most hirable by the interviewers. Students with “wimpy” shakes were judged to be more timid（膽怯的）and less impressive.
The study also found women with a firm handshake were likely to be evaluated more favorably than their male counterparts.
Professor Stewart said: “We’ve always heard that interviewers make up their mind about a person in the first two or three minutes of an interview. But we found that the first impression begins with a handshake that sets the tone for the rest of the interview. We don’t consciously remember a person’s handshake but it is one of the first non-verbal（非語言的）clues we get about the person’s general personality, and that impression is what we remember.”
Women were less likely to have a highly rated handshake, partly because traditionally they shake hands less than men. But when women did possess a firm handshake, they were likely to be evaluated more favorably than their male counterparts.
Body language experts warn, however, that the firmness needs to be just right, —as an overenthusiastic “bone crusher” handshake can indicate self-importance, a controlling personality and a lack of reliability.
The handshake is thought to have originated in medieval Europe as a way for kings and knights to show that they did not intend to harm each other and possessed no hidden weapons.
小題1:The passage is probably intended for_______.

A．job-hunters

B．a(chǎn)n undergraduate

C．employers

D．handshake raters

小題2:Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．The firmer your handshake is the better impression you leave.

B．The undergraduates without a firm handshake are less competitive.

C．Generally speaking, women shake hands less with others.

D．The handshake dates back to medieval Europe.

小題3:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The handshake determines a person’s personality.

B．A successful job interview starts with a firm handshake.

C．The first few minutes of the interview really counts.

D．Job interview success depends on a number of factors.