“Confidence” is probably one of the most noticeable traits（品質(zhì)）in the Americans．They show confidence in the way they talk，the way they smile，the way they dress and the way they walk．Living and competing with all these confidence American students，I find it extremely important to be confident as an international student and instructor．As a student，being confident means you should never hesitate to raise your hand whenever a question or a point comes to your mind．Don’t mind if it sounds simple or silly．Otherwise you will never get a chance to speak in class at all．What’s worse，the professors may think you are not prepared for the discussion or you do not have your own opinion on the issue—this is the last comment any graduate would like to receive．
Being confidence for me as a foreign instructor means calmly asking the student to repeat what he or she has said if I did not get it．Pretending to understand what you actually did not may just bring yourself embarrassment or even disgrace．But the time I most need to be confident is when my students come to my office and bargain about the grades I have given for their Speeches．（The course I’m teaching here is Public Speaking）．Modesty is a trait highly valued in China，but it won’t be of much help here if you want to survive and succeed in a good American graduate program．
小題1:To compete with American students it’s very important to    ．

A．be quite confident

B．be polite and friendly

C．have more discussions with them

D．understand what they think about

小題2:A professor will have the worst opinion of a student who            ．

A．gives a silly or simple answer

B．tries to seize any chance to speak in class

C．shows no interest in the course

D．is considered to have no opinion of his own

小題3:The author is most likely to feel embarrassed if         ．

A．he asks a student to repeat what he has said

B．the students bargain with him

C．he pretends to know what he doesn’t

D．he has to give a speech

小題4:We learn from the second paragraph that      ．

A．we should also remain modest in America

B．modesty doesn’t help you much in America

C．Americans also like modest people

D．modesty can help you through an American graduate program

小題5:The passage is mainly developed by       ．

A．providing examples

B．making comparisons

C．giving different figures

D．telling personal experiences

The world is filled with smart，talented and gifted people．We meet them every day．A few days ago，my car was not running well．I pulled it into a garage，and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes．He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine．I was amazed．The sad truth is，great talent is not enough．
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn．I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100，000 a year．A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors and dentists struggle financially．It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase，“They are one skill away from great wealth．”
There is an old saying that goes，“Job means ‘just over broke（破產(chǎn)）’”．And unfortunately，I would say that the saying applies to millions of people．Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence，most workers“ live within their means”．They work and they pay the bills．Instead I recommend young people to seek work for what they will learn，more than what they will earn．
When I ask the classes I teach，“How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?” almost all the students raise their hands．I then ask，“So if most of you can cook a better hamburger，how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems．The reason why so many talented people are poor is that they focus on building a better hamburger and know little or nothing about business systems．The world is filled with talented poor people ．They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger．
小題1:The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph that    ．

A．he is just one of the talented people

B．he is ready to help others

C．he has a sharp sense of hearing

D．he knows little about car repairing

小題2:The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by   ．

A．spend more than they can afford

B．do in their own way

C．live in their own circle

D．live within what they earn

小題3:Why do talented people earn so 1ittle according to the author?

A．They don’t work hard enough

B．They lack financial intelligence

C．They don’t make full use of their talents

D．They have no specialized skills．

小題4:The success of McDonald's lies in its         ．

A．skills at making hamburgers	B．good business systems
C．talented workers	D．excellent service

小題5:The main purpose of the author is to tell us          ．

A．how young people can find a satisfactory job

B．what schools should teach students

C．why so many talented people are poor

D．how McDonald’s makes much money

In your life，nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck．Everything        to test the limits of your soul．Without these small tests，life would be like a smoothly paved，     ，flat road to nowhere．Safe and comfortable but dull and pointless．
If someone        you or breaks your heart，forgive them for they have helped you        trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart to．If someone loves you，love them back        ，not only because they love you，but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and        to things you would have never felt or seen without them．
Make every day count．Appreciate every        and take from it everything that you possibly can，for you will never be able to experience it again．

小題1:	A．takes B．occurs C．shows D．breaks

小題2:	A．busy B．muddy C．straight D．enjoyable

小題3:	A．wins B．interests C．influences D．hurts

小題4:	A．look through B．1earn about C．watch out D．a(chǎn)djust to

小題5:	A．unconditionally B．desperately C．intentionally D．instantly

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)rms B．mouth C．brain D．eyes

小題7:	A．success B．failure C．moment D．challenge

Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills. With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence, according to Intermountain Therapy Animals （ITA） in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs（READ）.
The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,” said Lisa Myron, manager of the children’s department.
Last November, the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children's department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “paw graphed” book at the last class.
The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.
小題1:What is mainly discussed in the text?

A．Children’s reading difficulties.

B．Advantages of raising dogs.

C．Service in public library.

D．A special reading program.

小題2: Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think ______________.

A．dogs are young children's best friends

B．children can play with dogs while reading

C．dogs can provide encouragement for shy children

D．children and dogs understand each other

小題3:By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea”, the writer means the library ____________.
A. uses dogs to attract children.
B. accepts the idea put forward by ITA.
C. has opened a children's department.    
D. has decided to train some dogs.
小題4: A “paw graphed” book is most probably_____________.

A．a(chǎn) book used in Saturday classes

B．a(chǎn) book written by the children

C．a(chǎn) prize for the children

D．a(chǎn) gift from parents

A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.
The conversation soon turned into complaints about ____ in work and life. Offering his__ coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and ____ with a large pot of coffee and a   ____ of cups---porcelain(陶瓷), plastic, glass, crystal(水晶), some plain-looking, some expensive, some beautiful—telling them to ____ themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said,“If you have ____all the nice-looking expensive cups have been ____, leaving behind the plain and ____ ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves , that is the ____ of your problems and stress.”
“Be assured that the cup ____ adds no quality to the coffee. ____ it is just more expensive and in some cases ____ hides what we drink.”
“____ all of you really want is coffee, not the cup, ____ you consciously went for the best cups…. And then you began ____ each other’s cups.”
Now consider this:__ __ is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. ____ are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the ____ of life we live. Sometimes , by concentrating only on the cup, we ____ to enjoy the coffee. Value the coffee, not the cups! Don’t let the cups ____ you...enjoy the coffee instead.

小題1:	A．stress B．dream C．sorrow D．truth

小題2:	A．friends B．customers C．fellows D．guests

小題3:	A．carried B．returned C．a(chǎn)rrived D．reached

小題4:	A．kind B．variety C．sort D．number

小題5:	A．devote B．expose C．help D．a(chǎn)pply

小題6:	A．searched B．witnessed C．noticed D．discovered

小題7:	A．taken up B．brought in C．sold out D．cut down

小題8:	A．expensive B．cheap C．beautiful D．usual

小題9:	A．point B．a(chǎn)nswer C．source D．result

小題10:

A．by itself B．on its own C．for itself D．itself

小題11:

A．At no time B．At times C．In no case D．In most cases

小題12:

A．ever B．even C．never D．hardly

小題13:

A．What B．That C．Which D．Whether

小題14:

A．but B．so C．a(chǎn)nd D．for

小題15:

A．looking B．liking C．envying D．looking at

小題16:

A．Love B．Life C．Future D．Failure

小題17:

A．They B．We C．You D．What

小題18:

A．quantity B．style C．quality D．standard

小題19:

A．have B．hesitate C．forget D．fail

小題20:

A．force B．drive C．puzzle D．a(chǎn)maze

A man and his girlfriend were married. It was a large celebration. All of their friends and family came to see the lovely ceremony. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true.
A few months later, the wife came to the husband with a piece of advice, “I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage,” she offered. “Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together.”
The husband agreed. So each of them tried to think of the things that annoyed them about the other and wrote down what they came up with. The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists.
“I’ll start,” offered the wife. She took out her list. It had many items on it, enough to fill three pages. In fact, as she started reading the list of the little annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in her husband’s eyes because he never thought that he had so many shortcomings.
The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages to her husband. “Now, you read your list and then we’ll talk about the things on both of our lists,” she said happily.
Quietly the husband stated, “I don’t have anything on my list. I think that you are perfect. I don’t want you to change anything for me. You are lovely and wonderful and I wouldn’t want to try and change anything about you.” The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for her and his acceptance of her, turned her head and wept.
In life, there are enough times when we are disappointed, depressed and annoyed. We don’t really have to go looking for them. We have a wonderful world that is full of beauty, light and promise. Why waste time in this world looking for the bad, disappointing or annoying when we can look around us and see the wonderful things before us?
小題1:Why were there tears in the husband’s eyes when the wife read his annoyances?

A．Because he had no courage to face his shortcomings.

B．Because he never thought he had so many annoyances in his wife’s eyes.

C．Because he was sorry that he didn’t find any annoyance about his wife.

D．Because he didn’t think he deserved to have such a perfect wife.

小題2:After hearing the husband’s words, the wife felt _________. 　　　　.

A．moved and ashamed	B．sad and disappointed
C．satisfied and proud	D．surprised and confused

小題3:The story is intended to tell us that ___________. 　　　　.

A．disappointment cannot be avoided in our life

B．young couples should be more tolerant (寬容的) to each other

C．we should turn a blind eye to other people’s blame

D．we should try to look for and see the wonderful things around us

What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
　　Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice-cream. Just ask John Harrison, an＂Official Taste Tester＂for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream－－as well as for developing over 75 flavors (味道).
　Some people think that it would be easy to do this job: after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No－－there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this＂cool＂field.
　　In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12℉. Harrison explains,＂You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.＂
　　While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance.＂Tasting begins with the eyes,＂he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself,＂Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?＂Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy－－working at one cool job.
小題1:What is John Harrison’s job?

A．An official.	B．An ice-cream taster.
C．A chemist.	D．An ice-cream manufacturer.

小題2:According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the＂cool field＂, it is helpful to ______.

A．keep a diary of work	B．have a degree in related subjects
C．have new ideas every day	D．find out new flavors each day

小題3:What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?

A．He stirs the ice cream.

B．He examines the color of the ice cream.

C．He tastes the flavor of the ice cream.

D．He lets the ice cream warm up.

小題4:Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?

A．Tasting with Eyes	B．Flavors of Ice Cream
C．John Harrison’s Life	D．One Cool Job

Growing up, I remember my father as a silent, serious man—not the sort of person around whom one could laugh. As a teenager arriving in America, knowing nothing, I wanted a father who could explain the human journey. In college, when friends called home for advice, I would sink into deep depression for what I did not have.
　　Today, at twenty-seven, I have come to rediscover them in ways that my teenage mind would not allow—as adults and as friends with their own faults and weaknesses.
　　One night after my move back home, I overheard my father on the telephone. There was some trouble. Later, Dad shared the problem with me. Apparently my legal training had earned me some privileges in his eyes. I talked through the problem with Dad, analyzing the purposes of the people involved and offering several negotiation strategies(策略).He listened patiently before finally admitting, “I can’t think like that. I am a simple man.”
　Dad is a brilliant scientist who can deconstruct the building blocks of nature. Yet human nature is a mystery to him. That night I realized that he was simply not skilled at dealing with people, much less the trouble of a conflicted teenager. It’s not in his nature to understand human desires.
　　And so, there it was—it was no one’s fault that my father held no interest in human lives while I placed great importance in them. We are at times born more sensitive, wide-eyed, and dreamy than our parents and become more curious and idealistic than them. Dad perhaps never expected me for a child. And I, who knew Dad as an intelligent man, had never understood that his intelligence did not cover all of my feelings.
　　It has saved me years of questioning and confusion. I now see my parents as people who have other relationships than just Father and Mother. I now overlook their many faults and weaknesses, which once annoyed me.
　　I now know my parents as friends: people who ask me for advice; people who need my support and understanding. And I have come to see my past clearer.
小題1:What was the author’s impression of her father when she was a teenager?

A．Friendly but irresponsible.

B．Intelligent but severe.

C．Cold and aggressive.

D．Caring and communicative.

小題2:Why did the author feel depressed when her friends called home?

A．She did not have a phone to call home.

B．Her father did not care about her human journey.

C．Her father was too busy to answer her phone.

D．Her father could not give her appropriate advice.

小題3:After the author overheard her father on the telephone, _________ .

A．he blamed her for impoliteness.

B．he rediscovered human nature.

C．he consulted with her about his problem.

D．he changed his attitude towards the author.

小題4:Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．My Parents as Friends.

B．My Parents as advisers.

C．My father—a serious man.

D．My father—an intelligent scientist.

On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore. “It was going down pretty quickly,” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran toward the water. Water is going to be cold, she thought.
She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.
Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy’s suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterward, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket. “For ten or 15 minutes, I couldn’t stop shaking,” she said.
There’s nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mom with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run toward danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson, the Granite Mountain Hotshots (能手，高手)---19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona--- every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: what makes them brave?
Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.
小題1:It can be learned from the passage that _______.

A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse

B．it was spring when the accident happened

C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son

D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous.

小題2:What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?

A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy..

B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce.

C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson.

D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson.

小題3:How does the writer find other people on the dockside?

A．Warm and ready to help	B．Thoughtful
C．Kind of cold-blooded	D．Not skillful at swimming

小題4:What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?

A．To set us thinking what makes people brave.

B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson.

C．To remind people of risk while saving others.

D．To show people bravery can be learned.

September is an exciting month in every college freshman’s life. For many, it’s the first time that they’ve left home to live in a new environment. But after the hustle and bustle of a few weeks, excitement gives way to a less enjoyable emotion— homesickness.
Homesickness manifests itself in many ways. You may miss mum’s cooking, your pets, or even your old bed. All this becomes a fond memory of the past. Homesickness can be a bitter feeling for many students, especially when faced with the challenges of settling into an unfamiliar environment.
But remember, you’re not alone. According to a recent BBC article, 70 percent of British college students experience homesickness. In this increasingly globalized world in which people migrate to faraway places for a relationship, education or work, homesickness is a feeling shared by many adults.
Homesickness can have similar symptoms to depression and in extreme cases it can develop into a panic attack. As for the term, homesickness or nostalgia wasn’t invented until the 17th century. It was considered a disorder by a Swiss physician, who attributed soldiers’ mental and physical discomfort to their longing to return home, “nostos” from Greek, and the accompanying pain, “algos”.
Studies in recent years, however, have shown that nostalgia may have some benefits to our mental health. After a decade of surveys and researches, Constantine Sedikides, a US social psychologist, found that nostalgia is what makes us human. He explains that nostalgia can resist loneliness, boredom and anxiety. Therefore, it’s necessary for college students to learn some ways to overcome the uncomfortable feeling.
小題1: From the first two paragraphs, we can infer that __________.

A．homesickness means a fond memory of the past

B．only a few students will experience homesickness

C．homesickness is an enjoyable emotion among freshmen

D．college freshmen usually suffer from homesickness after weeks

小題2:According to the passage, we can know that _________.

A．homesickness may cause mental diseases

B．homesickness is a feeling only shared by adults

C．homesickness won’t do any good to our health

D．homesickness is also called nostalgia in Switzerland

小題3:What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．some benefits about homesickness

B．other problems in college freshmen’s life

C．how to make campus life more meaningful

D．some tips on how to cope with homesickness

小題4:The attitude of Sedikides towards homesickness is _________.

A．negative

B．supportive

C．skeptical

D．critical

小題5:What is the best title for the passage?

A．Let’s embrace homesickness

B．How to fit into the college life

C．A harmful emotion—homesickness

D．The disadvantages of homesickness