Have you ever heard the story of the four-minute miles? Many years ago, people believed that it was
impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in
1954.
     What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What
happens when someone, who doesn't know how to swim, falls in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who
has not learnt swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while
the animal doesn't.
     Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might
have thought it is to increase the typing speed. Most people never question it. But the fact is that this system
was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam if the operator typed too
fast.
     These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human
behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers command to your
nervous system.
     I used a snake in my workshops for children to show them how unrealistic some of their beliefs are.
Students of a school in India, said snakes are slippery and slimy and poisonous. After doing an exercise for
changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only
three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
     Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to
change?

1. In the author's opinion, if a person in deep water doesn't know how to swim, he will drown because _____.

A. he is afraid of water
B.he believes he will drown
C. he hasn't learnt to swim before
D. he doesn't want to live in the world

2. The author thinks that the letters organized in a particular order on your keyboard in order to _____.

A. save more space
B. satisfy the operator
C. reduce one's typing speed
D increase one's typing speed

3. The main idea of this passage should be that _____.

A. Beliefs are very powerful
B. Beliefs make us seem stupid
C. Changing your beliefs now is necessary
D. People should always believe in themselves

     One silly question I simply can't stand is "How do you feel?" Usually the question is asked of a man in
action-a man on the go, walking along the street, or busily working at his desk. So what do you expect him
to say? He'll probably say, "Fine, I am all right," but "you've put a bug in his ear"-maybe he's not sure. If you
have a good friend, you may have seen something in his face, or his walk that he overlooked that morning.
It starts him worrying a little. First thing you know, he looks in a mirror to see if everything is all right, while
you go merrily on your way asking someone else, "How do you feel?"
     Every question has its time and place. It's perfectly acceptable. For instance, to ask "How do you feel?" if
you're visiting a close friend in the hospital. But if the fellow is walking on both legs, hurrying to catch a train,
or sitting at his desk working, it is no time to ask him that silly question.
     When George Bernard Shaw, the famous writer of plays, was in his eighties, someone asked him, "How do
you feel?" Shaw put him in his place. "When you reach my age," Shaw said ,"either you feel all right or you are
dead."

1. The passage tells us that some greetings such as "How do you feel?" _____.

A. show one's consideration for others
B. are a good way to make friends
C. should be asked carefully
D. generally make one feel uneasy

2. The question "How do you feel?" seems to be correct and suitable when asked of _____.

A. a man working at his desk
B. a person having lost his close friend
C. a stranger who looks somewhat worried
D. a friend who is ill

3. "you've put a bug in his ear" means that you've _____.

A. made him laugh merrily
B. given him some kind of warning
C. shown much concern for him
D. made him worry about something

4. George Bernard Shaw's reply in the passage shows his _____.

A. cleverness
B. cheerfulness
C. power
D. politeness

     Dr Wayne W. Dyer (called the "father of motivation" by his fans) wrote, "There is no way to happiness.
Happiness is the way." There is no use 1.______ (say) "Some day 2.______ I achieve these goals, get this
car, build this house, and have this business, I will be really happy." Life doesn't work that way. If you wait
for certain things 3.______ (happen) and depend on life to make you happy, you will always feel unfulfilled. 
4.______ will always be something missing. Long-term happiness is based 5.______ honesty, self-esteem,
productive work, and making other people happy.
     Long-term happiness is 6.______ process of moving towards worthwhile goals and adding to the welfare
and happiness of others. It means reaching your goals and then challenging yourself to higher and 7.______
(good) things. It 8.______ means always trying to learn and grow. Work 9.______ (honest) and productively,
and contribute real values to others. In the long run, that's 10.______ happiness is about.

     There is a saying"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." What one person considers beauty may not be
beautiful to another. When we talk about beauty in people, we often refer to their physical attractiveness. Of
course, a beautiful or handsome face is pleasant to look at. But to me beauty is not only something that pleases
the eyes, but also pleases the other senses and the mind. I think true beauty makes you see beyond the lovely
sight. It will give you insight (深刻的了解) or realization of something interesting beyond just the outward
appearance.
     The most memorable "beautiful people" are those who have attractive personalities behind the pretty faces.
In one of my previous classes, there were two beautiful girls, Sue and Lin. Both had almost perfect faces and
slender (纖細的) figures. But Lin was used to getting her own way. She felt that her looks could help her get
anything she wanted, especially among the boys. Sue, on the other hand, treated her beauty in a matter of-fact
way and she was nice to everyone. She was also a member of the debating team. Her personality was mostly
accepted by others and it made her a more outstanding beauty than Lin.
     Inner beauty is another kind of beauty that attracts people greatly. People who have this kind of beauty have
attained (獲得) inner peace. They care about their fellowmen, and try to right the injustices in this world. Two
well-known personalities who exemplify this are Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa. Mandela is willing to
sacrifice his life and freedom to obtain equal rights for the blacks in South Africa. Mother Theresa's mission is
to help the poorest of the world's poor. This inner beauty makes the world a better place.

1. When we talk about beauty in people, we often refer to _____.

A. the beauty of eyes
B. something beyond the lovely sight
C. something that pleases our eyes
D. inner beauty

2. What does the underlined sentence "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" mean?

A. Beauty is a matter of a person's taste and judgment.
B. Beautiful people are very popular.
C. Everybody hopes for beauty.
D. Beauty attracts people's eyes.

3. According to the passage, why did the author think Sue was more beautiful than Lin?

A. Sue had a perfect face.
B. Sue had a good character.
C. Sue became more and more slender.
D. Lin treated her beauty in a matter-of-fact way.

4. What's the author's opinion on beauty?

A. Beauty is a perfect face and a slender figure.
B. Beauty is something that pleases the eyes.
C. Beauty is an attractive personality behind the pretty faces.
D. Inner beauty doesn't attract people.

     Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end - with commercials
thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want
them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by (滑過) outside the bus window. Only if you sleep,
which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It
Now!"? 
     The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you've traveled that way before.
Usually some things have changed-new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver
has a style of driving and it's fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly careless
or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a horror story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver
move into the right or the left-hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a
while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting, but you've got
to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
     The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there's a kind of
expectation and excitement in that. The seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By
now you've sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests-even
with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at the right time. There just no more ways
to sit.

1. The long bus rides and TV shows are alike, because _____.

A. they both can offer people with thrilling stories
B. they both are boring
C. they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between
D. they both force people to sit for a long time

2. During the whole bus ride, what come to the passengers' eyes most frequently?

A. Some salty food on the bus.
B. The programs on TV.
C. Advertisements on the road.
D. Trucks on the road.

3. In order to pass the middle hours of the ride, you can _____.

A. read the billboards
B. have something to eat
C. watch TV shows
D. sleep

4. The purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. show how much bus rides differ from TV shows
B. teach us how to deal with each period of a long bus ride
C. persuade readers to take a long bus ride
D. give the author's opinion on long bus rides

     How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups and, old people wishing they were young
again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age
gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
     Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents,
he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be
given so much without having to do anything in return. What's more, life is always giving new things to the
child-things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well known. But a child has his
pains: he is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is repeatedly being told not to do something, or being
punished for what he has wrongly done.
     When a young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his
clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing
about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used
to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and
has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.

1. According to Paragraph 2, the writer thinks that _____.

A. life for a child is fairly easy
B. a child is always loved whatever he does
C. if much is given to a child, he must do something in return
D. only children are interested in life

2. The main idea of the passage is that _____.

A. life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains
B. young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard
C. childhood is the most enjoyable time in one's life
D. one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life

3. The paragraph following this passage will most probably discuss _____.

A. examples of successful young men
B. how to build up one's position in society
C. joys and pains of old people
D. what to do when one has problems in life

     Bushwick is a tough place to grow up. This part of Brooklyn, in New York City, has a lot of crime.
More than half of its 100,000 residents rely on aid from the government. Only 50% of students at Bushwick
High School graduate in four years.
     Some people might say, "We should help these poor kids who have so many challenges." But Malaak
Compton-Rock looks at the teens in Bushwick and says, "Go to help kids who have even bigger challenges
than you do." She believes that once young people see the power they have to make things better, they can
handle their own problems more easily. So her service group, the Angel Rock Project, took 30 Bushwick
kids to Soweto, in South Africa, to help poor families there. Soweto is a township outside the city of
Johannesburg. The effort, called Journey for Change, aims to show that any kid can change the world.
     "Kids in Bushwick face pressure to drop out of school or become involved in gangs and drugs." Says
Compton-Rock. "We want them to live a life of purpose and service."
     In Soweto, many parents have died of AIDS, a deadly disease. When that happens, a grandparent or a
child must lead the family. The Bushwick volunteers helped such families. They tended vegetable gardens,
cared for babies and bought groceries.
     "The saddest thing was when we visited an orphanage (孤兒院) and I helped a little boy who had been
abandoned because he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS," says Queen Clyde, 12. "It's been good to be
on this trip. But what's also important is what we do when it's finished. That's what counts." " I never
appreciated what I had until I saw some people who had nothing," says Sadara Lewis, 12 "It's really changed
my attitude. I want to make a difference."
     The trip was two weeks long. But the kids, aged 12 to 15, will spend all year speaking about their
experience, fund-raising and more.

1. What's the main idea of the first paragraph?

A. Bushwick is the poorest place in New York City.
B. Bushwick still needs more care from the government.
C. It is children who suffer most in New York City.
D. Children in Bushwick are living in a bad situation.

2. In Compton-Rock's opinion, the Bushwick kids _____.

A. have few challenges
B. should be kept out of schools
C. can learn to deal with their own problems by helping others
D. are living much better than people in Africa

3. Compared to Bushwick kids, some children in Soweto _____.

A. may have bigger challenges
B. receive no care from the government
C. are much more independent
D. are able to lead the family

4. According to the passage, "Journey for Change" can be best seen as the saying "_____".

A. God helps those who help themselves
B. saying and doing are two things
C. one stone kills two birds
D. a friend in need is a friend indeed

5. From the passage we know that _____.

A. there are few students in Bushwick High School
B. the trip to Soweto will have a long influence in spite of its short time
C. most children are suffering from AIDS in Soweto
D. kids with HIV will be abandoned in Soweto

                                            Good Luck Always Comes With Hard Work
     It is hard work rather than luck that brings people success. Those who 1______ (consider) to be successful
must have been working hard 2______ (achieve) their goal and their success can also benefit others.
     Some people argue that one can not succeed 3______ he works very hard. There are many examples to
show that success comes from hard work. One example is 4______ Madam Curie had been working all day
and all night 5______ she made the great discovery of radium.
     Other people think that luck and opportunity are 6______ (importance) than hard work. They argue that
even if one works hard, he can not succeed 7______ luck and opportunity. For instance, 8______ film star,
Zhang Ziyi, could never be famous if she was not given a chance to play a role in the film.
     I think that 9______ hard work and good luck are important. If one wants to be successful, he has to work
hard on one hand and he has to seize the opportunity and luck on the 10______. These two factors are essential
for one's success.