For many years there’s been a debate about rewarding our children. Does it work? Is it effective?
Some people think we should establish a standard with our kids and give them something for meeting this standard as a reward. Punishment is given out in much the same way, but it’s used when certain standards of performance, behavior, etc. have not been met. Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment, and work harder when promised a valuable reward. The problem is what happens when you aren’t around.
To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas. One of these ideas is that everyone pitches in and helps in your family. Another idea is that there can be enjoyment in doing any task if we choose to make it so. When a task is for a worthy cause ( our family can enjoy the house more because I helped clean it), this message can have a big impact.
This is how we help our kids develop a sense of responsibility. When our children develop this responsibility, they’ll be more disciplined, and they’ll control their emotions better. When we give rewards to our kids, we reduce the sense of responsibility. We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren’t likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them. 
“Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior,” said Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards. “Good values have to be grown from the inside out.” Parents can help give their children a sense of shared responsibility and discipline which can last a life time. The real rewards that your children receive will be their readiness for the complex and demanding world that waits for them—a world that rewards those who have learned the secrets of discipline responsibility. So keep those shiny rewarding to yourself, and let your kids find their own rewards.
【小題1】According to the passage, when children are threatened with punishment, ______.

A．they may lose interest in their work

B．they may appear to be well-behaved

C．they may change to another person

D．the results will be worse than usual

【小題2】What can we know from Paragraph 3?

A．Parents should promote certain ideas to help children develop.

B．Children should be responsible for their discipline.

C．Children should help build a good family atmosphere.

D．No children will adapt to society without their parents’ help

【小題3】 The underlined part “the carrot” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to _____.

A．rewards

B．a(chǎn)ims

C．a(chǎn)pologies

D．doubts

【小題4】According to the passage, Alfie Kohn would agree that parents should ______.

A．never pay attention to the way their children do things

B．show their children how to behave by example

C．never punish their children

D．help their children establish good values

【小題5】What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Do you often reward your children?

B．Should parents reward their children?

C．When should parents reward their children?

D．What can parents reward their children with?

How to improve my life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my fate, my destiny. I cannot change it."
Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your destiny depends on you, not on any other external factors.
I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that God has intended for her to live; that her luck can only change if God wills it.  Of course God wants us to be happy and live our life to the fullest, but we have to do our share of exerting(運用) the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you reap what you sow. You just don't sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary setback; but use it as feedback. Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone's life is in the trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand (or sit ) there, do something to improve your life.
【小題1】According to the woman mentioned in Para.3, her life ____________. 

A．Doesn't need improving	B．couldn't be improved
C．will be better some day	D．Will be worse in the future

【小題2】What does the author think of the woman's life?

A．positive

B．satisfying

C．colorful

D．passive

【小題3】Which of the following statements is the author's opinion?

A．Your temporary problem is not discouraging.

B．Your luck can be changed by your efforts

C．You can only achieve success when God wills it.

D．You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends.

【小題4】In Para.5, the author emphasized the importance of _____________.

A．positive action

B．positive thinking

C．hope for the best

D．intention to succeed

【小題5】The text is mainly written to advise you to ____________.

A．understand yourself	B．improve your life
C．believe in yourself	D．change your normal way

Knowing how to communicate well needs very personal attention between you and another human being. Is there a better way to learn how to communicate effectively? Yes, there is. Please follow the 3 basic steps below.
1. Relax and Breathe.
Whether it’s a business meeting or the first date, the first thing you must do in order to communicate is to relax. When you relax you are in control. You control your reactions and your reactions do not control you. Breathing is central to relaxation. Take a few deep breaths and your body will begin to be more at ease. This will help you apply what you already know about how to communicate well.
2. Think and you will be prepared.
Have you ever heard the old saying, "think before you speak"? Well, it is true. By thinking ahead about how the conversation might flow, you will be better prepared, more at ease and more confident.
3. Follow the flow of the conversation.
If you are uncomfortable, being silent will only make it worse and make the other person uncomfortable as well. So when all else fails, follow through with small talk until a common topic appears.
A good way to keep a conversation going is to ask the other person questions. People love to talk about themselves and if you do this they will think very highly of you. Learning good communication skills is not something out of reach. If you make an effort, you will succeed.
【小題1】Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．Preparation and Conversation	B．How to Communicate with Anyone You Meet
C．Personal attention and Communication	D．How to Keep Your Conversation Going

【小題2】If you want to talk with others successfully, the most important thing you should do is      .

A．to follow the flow of the conversation.

B．to take as many deep breaths as possible

C．to make a good preparation for the conversation

D．to keep calm and relax yourself fully

【小題3】Why does relaxation play an important part in your good communication?

A．Because it can help you put your communication skills that you know into use.

B．Because it will help you organize good sentences for your communication.

C．Because it can help you keep excited and react quickly in the communication.

D．Because no one likes to communicate with a nervous person.

【小題4】 If you feel uncomfortable, you’d better        .

A．keep silence in order to give the chance of speaking to others

B．talk small things until you find a topic you both like

C．speak freely so as to run across the topic you like

D．a(chǎn)sk questions which you are interested in

【小題5】 What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence?

A．Good communication skills can be learned if you try.

B．You will be good at communication if you try.

C．Not all people can learn good communication skills.

D．Communication skills can be improved easily.

When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously（同時的）about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen.
During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts.
Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours.
There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author of Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked  to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond to the brain bias of their children. Since a girl’s brain is better organized to send and receive speech，we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply.
【小題1】 While watching TV with others, women Usually talk a lot because they

A．a(chǎn)re afraid of awkward silence with their families and friends

B．can both talk and watch the screen at the Same time

C．think they can have a good time and develop relationships

D．have to explain the plot and body language to their husbands

【小題2】After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to              .

A．experience the happy time again	B．keep a close tie with her
C．recommend her a new scenic spot	D．remind her of something forgotten

【小題3】What does the author want to tell us most?

A．Women' s brains are better organized for language and communication

B．Women love to talk because they are more sociable than men.

C．Men do not like talking because they rely more on facts.

D．Social conditioning is not the reason why women love talking.

【小題4】 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Women Are Socially Trained to Talk	B．Talking Maintains Relationships
C．Women Love to Talk	D．Men Talk Differently from Women

My grandfather came from Hungary and was the only one in his family who settled down in the United States. The rest of his family remained in Europe. When World War I broke out, he seemed to have become another man, downhearted. Such obvious change was not born out of concern for his welfare, but out of fear: if his only son, my uncle, had to go to war, it would be cousin fighting against cousin.
One day in 1918, my Uncle Milton received his draft notice. My grandparents were very upset. But my mother, at the age of 10, felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war. Realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and all of her friends, my uncle bought them all service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service. All the little girls were delighted.
The moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers, without any training but all in uniforms, boarded the train. The band played and the crowd cheered. Although no one noticed, I’m sure my grandmother had a tear in her eye for the only son. The train slowly pulled out, but not about a thousand yards when it suddenly paused. Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station. There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out. Someone shouted, “The war is over!” For a moment, nobody moved, but then the people heard someone bark orders at the soldiers. The men lined up in two lines, walked down the steps, and with the band playing, marched down the street, as returning heroes, to be welcomed home. My mother said it was a great day, but she was just a little disappointed that it didn’t last a tiny bit longer.
【小題1】What the grandfather was most worried about was           .

A．the spread of the world war	B．the safety of his two cousins
C．a(chǎn) drop in his living standards	D．his relatives killing each other

【小題2】 The underlined phrase “draft notice” means “        “

A．order for army service	B．train ticket for Europe
C．letter of rejection	D．note of warning

【小題3】What did the “service pins” (in Para.2) stand for in the eyes of the little girls?

A．Strength.

B．Courage.

C．Victory.

D．Honor.

【小題4】Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story?

A．Disappointing.

B．Unexpected.

C．Uncertain.

D．Inspiring.

We've all heard the old saying，“Sticks and stones can break my bones，but words can never hurt me.” Don't you believe it？Words are powerful，and they can hurt—a lot. In fact，if you're not careful，you can even hurt yourself，by using the wrong word in your writing.
Recently a friend sent me a copy of an e-mail she received from the customer service department of her credit card company，after she contacted them with a question about her account. She was happy with their positive response. But as I read the e-mail，one line jumped out at me：“In lieu of good customer service...”
Did they really mean they were offering her a few extra reward points instead of good customer service？I doubt it. More likely，what the customer service department meant to say was，“Because good customer service is important to us...” followed by the details of what they were doing to make sure she remained a happy customer.
So why didn't the writer say that？I can only guess that perhaps the writer liked the phrase “in lieu of”，thought it sounded more interesting than saying “because”，and so used it—without bothering to check the true meaning.
Have you ever done that？Try to impress others with a big word，only to find out you've used the word incorrectly？It's just the opposite effect，isn't it？You may impress people all right，but it's not the impression you were going for.
When you write，remember to choose your words carefully. People may still disagree with what you say，but they won't be able to dismiss you because you made careless mistakes in how you said it.
【小題1】What's the writer's purpose in giving the saying?

A．To amuse the reader.	B．To persuade the reader.
C．To support a conclusion.	D．To lead to the topic.

【小題2】What does the phrase “in lieu of” most probably mean?

A．Because of

B．In honour of

C．Instead of

D．In favour of

【小題3】According to the writer，the customer service department ______.

A．didn't prefer to use familiar words to attract customers

B．didn't express what they really meant

C．didn't need to offer their customers extra reward points

D．succeeded in impressing their customers

It’s interesting that the arrival of snow has a different effect on people in different countries. For some countries it is an important happening to celebrate each year, while for others it is a catastrophe (災(zāi)難).
There are countries between these two extremes that normally expect snow some time over the winter months, but never receive snow regularly or in the same quantities every year. Britain is one such country, for which the arrival of snow quite simply creates problems. Within hours of the first snowfall, however light, roads are blocked, trains and buses stop in the middle of traffic. Normal communications are affected as well, telephone calls become difficult and the post immediately takes more time than usual. Almost within hours, there are also shortages(缺乏) –bread, vegetables and other things – not because all these things can no longer be produced or sent to shops, but mainly because people are frightened, and go out to store up these commodities, “just for fear that something bad should happen.”
Why then does snow have this effect? After all, the Swiss, Austrians and Canadians don’t have such problems. It is simply because there is not enough plan and preparation. We need money to buy equipment to deal with snow and ice. To keep the roads clear, for example, requires snow ploughs and machines to spread salt. The reason why a country like Britain does not buy some ploughs is that they are only used for a few days in any one year, and the money could be more useful in other things such as hospital education or helping the old.
【小題1】According to the writer, Britain is a country____.

A．which has regular snow	B．which is not well prepared for snow
C．for which snow is not a catastrophe	D．for which snow is a wonder

【小題2】The arrival of snow in Britain affects all of the following except____

A．traffic

B．communication

C．food supplies

D．service quality

【小題3】After a few hours’ snowing there are often shortages of food because______

A．shops have closed down	B．people buy as much as they can
C．farmers can’t produce any more	D．people eat more vegetables in winter

【小題4】The first reason why the British don’t buy snow ploughs is that______

A．spreading salt is good enough	B．old people need more money
C．snow ploughs are not used often	D．the hospital is more important

Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks (平裝本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全書), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.
【小題1】It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge.

B．cinemas are the best choice in getting information.

C．reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun.

D．newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself.

【小題2】What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?

A．People only need reading, though.

B．Reading is still necessary today.

C．Reading is more fun than television.

D．Watching television doesn’t help reading.

【小題3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Fewer and fewer people will buy books.

B．A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

C．Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

D．More people like TV programs about famous men.

The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and lives in Antarctica. The male and female are similar in size, reaching 122 cm in height and weighing anywhere from 22 to 45 kg. The back and head are black, contrasting sharply with the pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ears. Like all penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and their wings stiffen and flatten into flippers(鰭狀肢) for a marine habitat.
Its diet consists primarily of fish, but can also include animals with hard shells. In hunting, the species can remain underwater up to 18 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 m. Its unusually structured hemoglobin(血紅蛋白)allows it to function at low oxygen levels.
The emperor penguin is perhaps best known for the journeys adults make each year in order to mate and to feed their babies. The only penguin species that breeds(繁殖) during the Antarctic winter, it goes on a long journey of 50-120 km over the ice to breeding areas which may include thousands of individuals. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated(孵化)by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed; parents take turns searching for food at sea and caring for their chick. They both care for the chick until it is able to enter the water to find food on its own. During the process of incubation, the male can lose up to 1/3 to 1/2 of his body weight. One of the coolest things about the male is that if the chick comes out its egg before the female returns, the male can actually produce a special liquid to feed the chick. He can only do this for a short time. If the female doesn’t return, he must leave the chick to go on with his own life. The emperor penguin can typically live for 20 years in the wild, although observations suggest that some individual may live to 50 years of age.
【小題1】We can learn from paragraph 1 that ____.

A．the emperor penguin is the world’s largest kind of penguin

B．the emperor penguin has pale-yellow ears

C．the male and female emperor penguins are of different sizes

D．the emperor penguin lives in the most northern area on the Earth

【小題2】The emperor penguin can stay underwater for a long time mainly because of its ____.

A．strong wings

B．streamlined body

C．structured hemoglobin

D．special diet

【小題3】The emperor penguin differs from other penguin species in that ____.

A．it gives birth in the Antarctic winter	B．it feeds mainly on fish
C．the male won’t search for food on his own	D．it can only live for a short time

【小題4】According to the passage, ____.

A．the egg of the emperor penguin is mainly incubated by the female

B．many emperor penguins will stay together to breed

C．the male emperor penguin will give up his own life to feed the chick

D．the female emperor penguin will leave the chick forever once it lays an egg

Flying across the globe, whether on business or for leisure, is usually effortless——you just have to book your ticket, pack your bags and show up at the airport with your passport. You board the plane and several cocktails and movies later, you arrive at your destination, and hopefully, your baggage does too. Here are some tips on how to be a clever traveler.
Easy check-in
Avoid the queue and check yourself in by using the MAS Web Check-In (malaysiaairlines.com) in the comfort of your own home or office. Passengers can now check in online anytime from 24 hours to 90 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time. This is available for flights departing from all MAS stations ——except Paris, Kunming, Xiamen and Bandar Seri Begawan——to all MAS destinations. You can even select preferred seats online.
Bag hygiene
No, we’re not talking about the cleanliness of your bags! It’s the aviation talk for a bag that doesn’t carry any old baggage tags with barcodes that could confuse the baggage sensor（傳感器）.
If you find yourself arriving in Sydney while your bag lands in Tokyo, it could be because of your old baggage tag. Another reason why bags go missing could be the printing quality of the barcode; bags are misdirected because the sensors can’t read the codes correctly.
Less is more
Most airports around the world now set a weight limit of 32kg per piece of baggage. This will not only help protect the airline workers’ health, but also be easier for you to carry your bags around.
Avoid packing dangerous goods or placing valuables inside your check-in luggage. Ensure that locks are properly secured as a lot of baggage locks are found caught between the conveyor belts（傳送帶）. Smaller and softer bags are usually placed inside a tray at check-in to protect the locks from contact with the conveyor belt.
【小題1】According to the passage, airplane passengers ______.

A．can check in without going to the airport

B．have to check in 90 minutes earlier

C．a(chǎn)re required to check in on the MAS web

D．can select their favorite seats when getting aboard

【小題2】What’s the meaning of the underlined word “hygiene” in the passage?

A．Disappearance.	B．Protection.
C．Check.	D．Cleanliness.

【小題3】Why does baggage sometimes go missing according to the passage?
a. The bags are too old and dirty.
b. The sensors can’t read the barcodes correctly.
c. The old tag is still on the bag.
d. The bags are too heavy to check.

A．a(chǎn), b

B．b, c

C．c, d

D．b, d

【小題4】 Which of the following statements is TRUR about check-in baggage?

A．Each piece can weigh 30 kg at the most.

B．Smaller and softer bags should be separated from other ones.

C．Valuable things should be kept inside a tray.

D．Bags containing dangerous things can be caught on the conveyor belts.