In our daily life, it is necessary to make small talk in certain situations. It helps to fill time between people when it is completely quiet. You may not feel like talking with someone else or you are very shy at the beginning, but it is sometimes thought to be rude to say nothing.
People use small talk almost every day. It usually takes place when you meet someone you don’t know at all or someone you’re not familiar with. For example, waitresses and hairdressers often make small talk with their customers. If you happen to be outside when the mailman comes to your door, you might make small talk with him, too.
Most often, small talk happens in places where people are waiting for something. For example, you might talk with another person who is waiting for the bus to arrive. People also make small talk in a doctor’s waiting room, or when they are waiting in a line to buy something. At the office, people make small talk in elevators or lunchrooms, especially if there is a line-up. Mingling（交际） is often required among people who don’t know each other very well at a party. In other words, they are expected to walk around and talk with others.
The most common time for small talk to happen is the first time you see or meet someone on a given day. For example, if you see a co-worker in the lounge (休息室) you might say hello and discuss the sports or weather. However, the next time you see each other you might just smile and say nothing. If there is very little noise, it might be the right time to start a pleasant conversation. If someone is reading a book at the bus stop, it is probably not a good idea to start a conversation. Another good time to make small talk is during a break in a meeting when there is nothing important going on. However, it is important to recognize the signal when the other person wants the conversation to stop.
1.Small talk happens most probably except when _____.
A. you’re having your hair cut
B. you’re having a meeting
C. you’re waiting for a bus
D. you’re waiting in a line to buy something
2.It is the right time to make small talk when
A. there is nothing important going on during a break in a meeting
B. the other person doesn’t want to start a conversation
C. On the same day, you see a co-worker in the lounge again
D. someone is reading a book at the bus stop
3.The author develops the last paragraph mainly by _____.
A. giving explanations B. discussing questions
C. telling stories D. providing examples
4.We can learn from the text that small talk _____.
A. won’t happen among strangers
B. can help to break the silence
C. is often thought to be unnecessary
D. always makes people uncomfortable
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
How many coins have you got in your pocket right now? Three? Two？or one？
With a phonecard you can make up to 200 calls without any change at all.
（1）What do you do with it?
Go to a telephone box marked（you guessed it）“phonecard”. Put in your card, make your call and when you’ve finished, a screen tells you how much is left on your card.
（2）Now appear in a shop near you.
Near each Cardphone place you’ll find a shop where you can buy one. They’re at bus, train and city tube stations（地铁）.
Many universities, hospitals and clubs. Restaurants and gas stations on the highway and shopping centers. At airports and seaports.
（3）No more broken payphones.
Most broken payphones are like that because they’ve been vandalized（故意破坏）. There are no coins in Cardphone to excite thieves’ interest in it. So you’re not probably to find a vandalized one.
Get a phonecard yourself and try it out ,or get a bigger wallet.
1.The passage is most probably ________ .
A. a warning B. a note
C. an announcement D. an advertisement（广告）
2.There are three sections（部分） in the passage. Which section do you think is about why phonecards are good?
A. Section 1． B. Section 2．
C.．None. D. Section 3
3.Choose the right order or the steps under “How do you use a phonecard”.
a. Put in your phonecard.
b. Look at the screen to find out how many calls you can still make.
c. Go to a telephone box marked “Phonecard”.
d. Make your call.
A. a, b, c, d B. a, d, c, b
C. c, a, d, b D. c, d, a, b
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Code Offence Points
What is Driving Offence Points System?
After the introduction of this system, certain traffic offences will make the driver lose points besides other punishments (惩罚). A driver makes any of these offences, the points will be recorded．When the driver gets a certain number of points, he will be forbidden (禁止) to drive for a certain amount of time.
what are the purposes of this system?
This is a system designed to make road much safer. It can improve standards (水平) of driving and reduce accidents.
Which traffic offences will result in Driving Offence Points?
Of course, not all traffic offences are covered by this system. Only those that have direct effect on road safety are included．There are fourteen items in all.
1 Causing death by dangerous driving 10
2 Dangerous driving 10
3 Careless driving 5
4 Driving after drinking or taking drugs 10
5 Driving over speed limit by more than15 km/hour 3
6 Driving in a motor race on the road 10
7 Failing to stop after an accident 3
8 Failing to give information after an accident 3
9 Failing to report an accident 3
10 Failing to obey directions of police officers 3
11 Crossing double white lines 3
12 Failing to obey traffic signals 3
13 Failing to give way to walkers at a crosswalk. Failing to stop for people walking 3
14 Failing to stop at school crossing 3
What will happen if you have got up to 10 points?
If you have got 10 points or above, but still less than 15 points, you will receive a warning letter from the Transport Department. This letter will tell your record of Driving Offence Points and remind you of the result of getting more points. It is hoped that this warning will change your driving behavior for the better.
What will happen if you have got 15 points?
If you have got 15 points or more within two years, a court will take away your driving license. The first time you are found guilty you will not be able to drive for three months, but if you are caught a second time you will not be able to drive for six months.
1.The underlined word “Offence” (Paragraph 1 ) refers to ______.
A. a driving habit
B. an action against the traffic law
C. bad behavior in the office
D. an official of road safety
2.The Driving Offence Points _________.
A. are points earned because of dangerous driving
B. is a system that helps to improve the driving standards
C. shows traffic offences of different kinds
D. is a guide dealing with traffic offences
3.What will happen to you if you have got 13 points?
A. You will be punished for the points.
B. Your driving license will be taken away.
C. You will get a warning letter from the Transport Department.
D. Your record will be sent to the Transport Department.
4.What will happen to you if you are caught driving dangerously and two months later you are caught careless driving?
A. Your license will be taken away.
B. You will be taken to the police station.
C. You will not be able to drive for 6 months.
D. You will not be able to drive for 3 months.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As each semester begins, my colleague greets his students wearing a jacket and tie.
“You make only one first impression,” he says. So while the rest of the semester he teaches class in his usual, more casual clothes, the first week he presents a different image.
His thought is that students will remember their first meet positively and more readily think highly of him as the semester goes on because that favorable first impression has an influence on them.
The sequence (顺序) that we meet matters in how we judge subsequent (后来的) information. The big influence of first impressions is related to the halo effect, where the perception (看法) of positive qualities in one thing or part gives rise to the perception of similar qualities in related things or in the whole.
Here is an example: You meet a friendly person at a party and later are asked to collect money for a worthy cause. You call that person because you think she will make a contribution. In reality, there is no connection between being pleasant and being generous. Yet the halo effect leads you to think that the two are related.
The halo effect is powerful, but it is questionable whether it matters much in long-term relationships, such as that between teacher and student. While dressing up may make students think the teacher must know his subject matter because he creates a professional first impression, the effect wears thin if the person turns out to be a poor teacher after all.
First impressions matter but they don’t have the final word. Facts speak louder. If you had never seen or heard of Einstein, the first time you saw him your impression would most likely be negative. Now his face is connected with genius (天才), not madness because he is the person who has come to define what genius is.
The problem is that few of us are Einsteins and we often don’t get the chance to change a negative first impression.
1. The author explains the halo effect mainly by _____.
A. following the order of importance
B. making a comparison
C. setting down general rules
D. giving an example
2.In the author’s eyes, the halo effect _____.
A. is surprisingly powerful
B. matters more in the long run
C. makes some teachers irresponsible
D. may affect our judgment of others
3. The author uses the example of Einstein to show the importance of _____.
A. appearance B. impressions
C. truth D. fairness
4.The author seems to advise readers _____.
A. not to follow others’ judgments
B. not to judge a book by its cover
C. to mind their first impressions
D. to pay no attention to the halo effect
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读填句
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项,选项中有两项为多余选项。
We all know that we have to eat to live, so it is important for us to develop healthy eating habits. The following tips may help you.
1. Take a hard look at your eating habits. Do you eat more when you feel stressed? Do you withhold food from yourself in order to feel like you’re in control? Carefully think about whether you have an unhealthy emotional attachment to food.
Drink plenty of water. 2. Drink water during and after meals to aid digestion (消化), and try to drink between 2 and 3 liters (升) per day.
3. Ideally, you should eat three meals per day, with two snacks in-between. Doing this allows you to eat slightly less at your meals, giving your body a more manageable amount of food to digest.
Don’t skip breakfast. 4. Research shows that people who skip breakfast are usually fatter than those who eat a well-balanced breakfast.
Eat slowly. Have you ever gorged (狼吞虎咽) on a huge meal and felt fine immediately after, but suddenly felt like exploding 15 minutes later? This happens because it takes some time for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s full. 5. That way, by the time you get the message and start feeling satisfied, you haven’t eaten too much extra food.
A. Have a healthy attitude towards food.
B. Choose the right food to eat.
C. Eat 5 times per day.
D. Eating less meat can have several benefits.
E. You should eat your food more slowly.
F. It can improve your sense of healthiness and help you feel full.
G. Many people do because they don’t feel hungry in the morning.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Lang Lang is a world-class young pianist who grew up in Shenyang. He went to a piano school in Beijing when he was just eight. “You need .” his father said．“But if you don’t work hard, no fortune will come.” What made him sad was his piano teacher in Beijing didn’t like him. “You have no talent. You will never be a pianist.” a nine-year-old boy, Lang Lang was badly He decided that he didn’t want to be a any more. For the next two weeks, he didn’t touch the piano. , his father didn’t push, but waited．
Luckily, the day came when his teacher asked him to some holiday songs. He didn’t want to, but as he placed his fingers on the piano keys, he that he could show others that he had talent .That day he told his father he had been waiting to hear---that he wanted to study with a new teacher. that point on, everything turned around! He started competitions. In the 1994 International Young Pianists Competition, when it was that Lang Lang had won, he was too to hold back his tears. Soon was clear that he couldn’t stay in China forever---he had to play on the world big . In 1997 Lang Lang again, this time to Philadelphia, U.S. There he spent two years practicing, and by 1999 he had worked hard enough for fortune to take over. After his performance at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, gigs(特邀演出) in Lincoln’s Center and Carnegie Hall started ,Lang Lang finally worked to reach the place where fortune spots him, and lets him .
1.A．exercise B．fortune C．knowledge D．wealth
2.A．whether B．why C．when D．that
3.A．Like B．With C．To D．As
4.A．hurt B．weakened C．ruined D．frightened
5.A．singer B．pianist C．conductor D．player
6.A．Hopefully B．Patiently C．Wisely D．Painfully
7.A．play B．sing C．write D．study
8.A．seemed B．admitted C．noticed D．realized
9.A．in all B．above all C．after all D．at all
10.A．that B．what C．which D．when
11.A．From B．As C．Since D．After
12.A．receiving B．accepting C．winning D．beating
13.A．told B．mentioned C．announced D．recognized
14.A．excited B．encouraged C．shocked D．satisfied
15.A．this B．it C．that D．what
16.A．concerts B．tours C．competitions D．stages
17.A．started B．left C．moved D．performed
18.A．successful B．cheerful C．respectful D．meaningful
19.A．pulling B．breaking C．falling D．pouring
20.A．brighten B．shine C．admire D．Develop
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案填写在答题卷相应的位置上。
1. elderly builder was ready to retire．He told his 2. （employ） of his plans 3. （leave）the house building business to live a more comfortable life with his wife．He would miss the pay-check, 4. he wanted to retire．They could manage．
The employer 5. ( be )sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a 6. (person) favor．The builder said yes, but at that time 7. was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He built it 8. (care) and used poor materials. It was an 9. (fortunate ) way to end his career(working life)．
When the builder finished his work, the employer came 10. handed the front-door key 11. the builder．“This is your house”．he said．“my gift to you．”
The builder was 12. (shock) ! 13. a shame! If he 14. (know) he was building his own house, he would have done it all differently．Now he had to live in the home he 15. (build)none too well．
16. it is with us. We build our lives carelessly, a day at a time, often 17. (put) less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we find that we have to live in the house 18. we have built．If we had realized, we would have done it differently．
Think of 19. (you )as the builder．Think about your house．Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or set up a wall．Someone once said,” Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. 20. , build wisely．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
When I was a child, I hoped to live in the city. I think I would be happy there.
Now I am living in a city, but I miss my home in countryside. There the air is clean or the mountains are green. Unfortunately, on the development of industrialization, the environment has been polluted. Lots of studies have been shown that global warming has already become a very seriously problem. The airs we breathe in is getting dirtier and dirtier. Much rare animals are dying out. We must found ways to protect your environment. If we fail to do so, we’ll live to regret it.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
以“Form a Good Habit”为题，谈谈早起的好处。要求言之有理，内容连贯，可参考以下提示：
1. 有些学生迟到，是因为晚起；
2. 晚起不仅影响学习，而且也是一种坏习惯；
3. 早起是一种好习惯，因为它能给你带来很多好处。早起有助于身体健康，有助于学习，有助于品德培养。希望大家养成早起的习惯（注：品德培养 train character）
难度: 困难查看答案及解析