It might have been a really bad stressful day,feeling trapped inside by the cold and snow which
surrounded us.My husband was the first to shift his consciousness.He dressed  accordingly and
announced that he was going outside to build a giant snowman.
     At first he stood alone,piling massive amounts of snow.Soon after a neighbor joined my husband
to embrace the opportunity the winter presented.Maintaining less than desirable attitudes,we reluctantly
put on our snow gear (用具) and headed outside.It wasn't long before we were smiling and enjoying the
abundance of snow that Mother Nature had provided.Others came to our yard one by one to give a
hand in the making of our giant snowman.
     In the end we all stood back and marveled at what we had created.He was eleven feet high,twentyfive
feet around at the base and decorated with many household items supplied by various families.There he
stood,our glorious,gigantic (巨人般的) snowman.
People drove by and smiled.Some even stopped to enjoy his existence.The spirit that went into creating
him seemed to catch on and we all enjoyed it while the cold temperatures allowed.
     With the passing of time,the spring made its way back into our yard and the snowman changed form
considerably.In a final effort to save what we created for just a little bit longer,somebody stopped by and
changed the snowman's remains to look like a rabbit.
     As I prepared for the start of another week,I decided to check my email before going to bed.I found
a curious message that contained the subject line:enjoy the snowman.I decided to read the message even
though I did not recognize who sent it.The words it contained melted my heart.
     The email said:...your neighbor looks on in disbelief!I am sure you people are enjoying the sounds and
smells,along with sights of spring.The energy displayed in Mr Snowman or Ms,is filled with vigor and
joyous energy.You and your family keep it up,as this is what the world needs now.Love sweet love.
More power to you and your loved ones,keep sharing with the world around.
     Perhaps it was more than snowman we built that day.I'd like to agree that it was.The message seems clear.Our circumstances will turn out to be what we make of them.The possibilities are endless and the choice is ours.

1. How did the author plan to spend that cold day at first?

A. By having a busy day.  
B. By staying at home.
C. By building a snowman.  
D. By visiting neighbors.

2. The reason for her husband to make a snowman was that________.

A. he had to please his neighbors
B. he was better at it than others
C. he wanted to cheer himself up
D. he must get the last chance before spring

3. From the passage we can know that the snowman________.

A. was built only by the author's family
B. was surprisingly big in size
C. made people more forgiving
D. made building snowman popular

4. Which of the following is NOT expressed in the email?

A. Likes of the nice snowman.
B. Sorry for snowman's leave.
C. Thanks for the family's efforts.
D. Appreciation of the author's style.

5. The author told us the story in order to show that________.

A. there is a large collection of chances in our life
B. choices are more practical than possibilities
C. we must have our own ideas about our decision
D. we can determine our way of life through our choice

      ①Some people who find themselves facing a problem react by just giving up.But it is not good to
escape from problems by giving up or by making excuses for failures.You may be sure that all young
people go through the same difficult process that you are going through:meeting new situations,developing
new skills,and testing their abilities.
      ②If you are unhappy about something,face it.Try to state the problem in a few words,so  that you
will know exactly what you are_up_against.Then see if you can "put your finger" on the cause of your
unhappiness.
     ③In many eases,we only "think" there is no solution to a particular problem.But often we can
overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack.
     ④For example,a boy wanted to be a debater (辯論家). When he tried out for the debating team as
a freshman,the coach thought he was hopeless.He was shy; he had a highpitched voice; and his posture
(體態(tài)) was poor.Although he was given little hope of success,he took advantage of every opportunity
to debate.He studied successful speakers and evaluated his own weaknesses and advantages.Then he
spent many hours learning all the facts on the topics for debate,and worked at developing good posture
 and at speaking clearly.By his junior year,he made the school debating team,and in his senior year he
was on the winning team in his state.He achieved his goal because he had made a direct attack upon his
problem.
      ⑤Although direct attack is often the bestway to meet problems,we have to be realistic (現(xiàn)實的) in
judging situations.Sometimes it is necessary to change either the method or the goal.
     ⑥A boy who wants to be a great football player may not be too strong and not quite fast enough for
football.In this situation,becoming a great football player may be an unreasonable goal for him.However,
he may become outstanding in tennis or golf,and satisfy his desire to take part in sports.
     ⑦A girl who is not goodlooking may decide that she cannot win popularity with her face,and so she
may try to develop an interesting personality,which eventually will get her much further.In this situation,
she must change her method of achieving her goal.
     ⑧So,although direct attack is often the best way to handle problems,it is important to study the
situation and make a wise decision about what to do.

1. From the first paragraph,we can learn that________.

A. it is really hard to escape from problems
B. people can solve all the problems that they meet
C. it is important for people to face the problems
D. few people like making excuses for failures

2. The underlined phrase "are up against" in the second paragraph could be best replaced by______.

A. are interested in  
B. are faced with
C. come over  
D. look after

3. Which decision was made by the boy who wanted to be a debater?

A. Adjusting the goal.  
B. Judging situations.
C. Changing his styles.  
D. Making a direct attack.

4. Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?

(①～⑧stand for "Paragraph 1～Paragraph 8")


5. The author showed the example of the girl in order to explain________.

A. how important the appearance is
B. how hard to develop a good personality
C. how to achieve the goal in a different way
D. how to win popularity in a short time

     Fear is an emotion like others such as happiness,  anger,  hurt,  sadness.We need emotions to process
information we receive and decide how to respond.Being afraid of fast cars,  for example,  is something
that might protect us from harm.Being afraid of the consequence of a choice may prevent us getting into
trouble.
     Fears in young children commonly center on certain animals like snakes or big dogs.Fears are caused
often because of experiences or ideas expressed by others,  and at times,  the media.Many normal fears
during the early years,  like men with beards,  or large dogs,  disappear with age.Those relating to
personal failure and ridicule (嘲笑) remain through adulthood and may need special help to overcome.
     Children's fears are often small,  but that doesn't mean they should be dismissed as trivial (微不足道的). They need to be recognized and accepted as real for that child.Only when we help children
understand their fears can they grow normally in their ability to settle them.
     Research shows that as a child grows up,  the center of his fears changes a lot.Things like divorce,  a
teacher who "shouted at me",  people with guns,  bullies,  big boys,  or "making fun of me" top the list of
childhood fears."
     We cannot always prevent these experiences from happening,  but it is essential that children be
allowed to freely express their emotions without judgment.Sympathy and a caring listener will help ease
pain of these fears.Read books and stories to your child about children who have experienced similar
fears.This helps children talk about their fears and find ways to cope.With all emotions,  fears become
less of a problem for children as they gain selfconfidence and they find that fear is normal and can be
dealt with.

1. According to Paragraph 2,  we can know that fears in young children________.

A. only center on frightening animals
B. are not born but learned
C. can make sure of their safety
D. need special help to deal with

2. Children's fears are often ignored because________.

A. they exist widely in the world
B. they will disappear with age
C. people thought they are not worth considering
D. they are often imaginary

3. In dealing with children's fears,  the final goal of the parents is to________.

A. stop unpleasant experiences happening to children
B. let children know about the nature of fear
C. create an environment where there is nothing to fear
D. develop children's ability to treat their fears on their own

4. From the passage we can learn that________.

A. some childhood fears may have a lasting influence
B. children should avoid the media to reduce their fear
C. fears can be judged according to the environment
D. children with similar fears can communicate easily

5. What's the best title for this passage?

A. Children's fears.
B. How to overcome children's fears.
C. The kind of children's fears.
D. The bad effects of fears.

     Lisa, a 25year old from Beijing, recently places a number of very unpleasant statements on the
Internet regarding the elderly.They include things like "don't  rely on others", "don't expect others to
help", "don't be talkative", and "dont't be so stubborn". The underlying message was that elderly
people should not take advantage of their old age to demand special favours from others, particularly
from the young.This of course flies_in_the_face_of the Chinese tradition of respecting the elderly.But,
in my opinion, Lisa's "requests" might not be totally unreasonable.Old people do sometimes behave
like they're "stubborn"and "talkative". Still, the young woman is rudely insensitive to why the elderly
behave that way.As people get old, they become increasingly weakened physically.So it's natural for
them to ask for more help from others.As their memories decline, they tend to be talkative because
they easily forget what has just been said.The American psychologists D. R.Atkinson and G. Hackett
said that the brain is characterized by flexibility.It has the ability (most pronounced up to the age of 12)
to change itself as a result of experience.But, as the brain ages, this flexibility decreases.As a result, the
elderly are often inflexible in their ways.
      Therefore, old people need real care and deserve to be taken care of.Many have devoted most of
their lives to the wellbeing of the family or social.Their aging is no reason for showing prejudice (偏見)
to them. According to Chinese tradition, older people are to be respected.As are Westerners.
     I live in the US for eight years, and in Hong Kong for 13.Never have I seen or heard anyone who
would openly tell old people "to behave themselves".
     We may encourage old people to be more selfreliant.But rudely demanding that they do so is ageism.
That's where the difference lies.

1. What does Lisa think of the elderly?

A. The elderly hate to rely on the others.
B. The elderly should take advantage of their old age.
C. They are not talkative but stubborn.
D. The elderly always demand special favors from the young.

2. The underlined part in the first paragraph can be replaced by"________".

A. expresses the apparent meaning of
B. shows disagreement with
C. deals with the surface meaning of
D. draws a conclusion from

3. What's the writer's attitude towards this problem?

A. The young woman is too sensitive to why the elderly behave that way.
B. The elderly naturally ask for more help from others, because their brain is characterized by flexibility.
C. The elderly are often inflexible in their ways, which makes the young suffer.
D. The elderly deserve to be taken care of and we shouldn't show our prejudice because of their aging.

4. The last three paragraphs really want to show that________.

A. we should respect the elderly
B. the people in the US or Hong Kong respect the older people
C. old people should be encouraged to be more selfreliant
D. different ideas about the elderly are allowed to exist