Most of us long for relationships in which we are loved and accepted. Our hearts’ desire is to give and receive love in relationships that make us feel that even if others disagree with what we do or say, they still love us, accept us, and appreciate what we give to the world. While it would be wonderful to have these types of relationships with all people, we know that’s hard to do. However, we can have such relationships with some others, but only when we first have them with ourselves—and, strangely, this is often the hardest relationship of all.
Do you love yourself? You may think you do, but do you really? There’s only one way to find out— by taking a close look at what you think, say, and do. You may not like some of what you find, but if you are serious about really loving yourself, you can use this insight to do some positive inner work. Here’re three ways for gaining greater personal insight for deeper love:
Listen Closely to Your Thoughts
Your thoughts will determine your actions. One thing helping you to listen to your thoughts is keeping a journal. It is not necessary for you to write in it every day, but it helps to record various insights you gain as you go about your life. Instead of using a big notebook, you might use a small notepad that you can keep in your pocket for easy access to record your thoughts as they occur to you. Whichever method you choose, what’s most important is that you write your thoughts down. It will help you know what’s in your heart.
Be Honest with Yourself
To do this, you should pay attention to your actions. Actions speak louder than words, and they always tell the truth. If you say you love your job, but your actions say otherwise, which do you think is more reliable? On the other hand, if you say you’re not good at a certain job, but your actions say otherwise, that’s also important. What do you do with this insight? You can use it to make more positive choices in your life. By being honest with yourself, you will act according to truth instead of just what you tell yourself.
Take Quiet Time to Listen to Your Inner Voice
This is similar to the first point, but it takes a step further— beyond the natural mind to the heart that cannot be seen. You may want to use your quiet time to think deeply. However you use this time, the key is to shut out all of the noise around you by focusing deep within yourself. Breathing deeply during quiet time will also help you focus. I know it’s hard to find quiet time during a particularly busy day, but it’s so important— even if it’s just 10 minutes a day and you have to hide somewhere to get it. Quiet time can really make a difference in your life.
Despite what your mind may be telling you, you can have love with no limits. The key is to unconditionally love yourself first.
【小题1】. By looking deep into what we think, say, and do, we can         .

Dear Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul,

Most people don’t really know what pressures a typical teenager has to go through. Sure, our parents and grandparents were once teens, but things are so different now. It has never been to tougher (严格)to a teenager.

It had never been more important to be in the “right group” or to have the “right brand” of shoes. And those are the easy things to deal with. We also face problems with family, friends, relationships and school pressures.

When it gets to be too much, I turn to my friends. One friend I could not live without is Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Your books have been so inspiring to me and have helped me to deal with and understand the problems I go through.

For example, I went through a confusing time with my friends when we got to junior high. I had known these friends since kindergarten, and when we began junior high it seemed like some of them began to change. We started hanging out with different groups, and we slowly grew so far apart that it seemed as if we had never been friends. I felt confused and hurt.

Sometime during this period I read the story Friends Forever in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Ⅱ.I felt so much better after reading it. It was like a weight had been lifted from me when I realized that many friendships went through changes and that we weren’t the only friends to experience them.

People change, but that doesn’t mean we have to lose the friendships we once shared. My friends and I still spend time together when we can and care about each other a lot. That things are different doesn’t mean I have to forget about all the good times we had. I will always keep the memories in a safe place in my heart.

Sincerely,

Peter

1.According to the author, parents and grandparents

A．didn’t have to overcome difficulties when in their teens.

B．don’t fully understand the pressures of being a teenager now

C．can easily deal with things such as choosing friends and shoes.

D．don’t need to give help to teenagers with pressures and problems

2.Why did the author feel confused and hurt when he got to junior high？

A．Because he was afraid that he had lost his friends.

B．Because he and his friends weren’t in the same school.

C．Because he was too busy to be with his friends.

D．Because his friends refused to hang out with him.

3.What does the underlined word “them” in Para．5 refer to？

A．Friendships．      B．Changes．         C．Friends．         D．Pressures

4.In the letter the author mainly tells us that

A．people change but friendships always last.

B．changes sometimes cause hurt and confusion

C．people will go through many changes in life

D．friendships should be kept with skills

.

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

Most painters discover a style(风格) of painting that suits them and stick to that, especially if people admire their pictures. But Picasso, the great Spanish painter, was like a man who had not yet found his own particular style of painting. He kept on struggling to find the perfect expression till his death in 1973.

Some of Picasso's paintings are rich, soft coloured and beautiful. Others are ugly and cruel and strange. But such paintings allow us to imagine things for ourselves. They force us to say to ourselves, “What does he see that makes him paint like that?” And we begin to look beneath(在…之下) the surface of the things we see.

Picasso painted thousands of pictures in different styles. Sometimes he painted the natural look of things. Sometimes he seemed to break them apart and throw the pieces in our faces. He showed us what the mind knows as well as what the eye sees. At the age of 90 he remained as curious about the world as he had been when he was young. That is why people have called him “the youngest painter in the world”.

56. In the passage the writer wants to tell us _________.

A. about some pictures which have different styles

B. about Picasso's style of painting

C. it is not easy for a painter to find his own style

D. that Picasso had not found his own particular style

57. The ugly, cruel and strange paintings by Picasso _________.

A. make us try to notice something latent(潜在的) in the things

B. allow us to ask questions about them

C. force us to question anything we see

D. cause us to think what Picasso saw was different from what we see

58. The sentence“sometimes he seemed to break them apart and throw the pieces in our faces” means _________.

A. sometimes he tore his pictures into pieces

B. he broke something he was painting and threw them away

C. sometimes he showed some broken pictures to others

D. things in some of his pictures seemed to be in disorder

59. Why have people called Picasso “the youngest painter in the world”?

A. Because he looked young when he was old.

B. Because he observed things with the eye and the mind.

C. Because he never stopped painting even when he was old.

D. Because he never gave up looking for something new.

60. What do you suppose the writer thinks of Picasso's paintings?

A. He doesn't understand some of them.

B. He thinks some of them are valuable, some are not.

C. He admires them, including the ugly ones.

D. He doesn't like some of them, but he admires the painter.

Like some of my classmate, I can’t live up to my teachers’ expectations; ______, I let them down

1. A.
   in other words
2. B.
   after all
3. C.
   what’s more
4. D.
   more or less

Dear Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul,
Most people don’t really know what pressures a typical teenager has to go through. Sure, our parents and grandparents were once teens, but things are so different now. It has never been to tougher (严格)to a teenager.
It had never been more important to be in the “right group” or to have the “right brand” of shoes. And those are the easy things to deal with. We also face problems with family, friends, relationships and school pressures.
When it gets to be too much, I turn to my friends. One friend I could not live without is Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Your books have been so inspiring to me and have helped me to deal with and understand the problems I go through.
For example, I went through a confusing time with my friends when we got to junior high. I had known these friends since kindergarten, and when we began junior high it seemed like some of them began to change. We started hanging out with different groups, and we slowly grew so far apart that it seemed as if we had never been friends. I felt confused and hurt.
Sometime during this period I read the story Friends Forever in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Ⅱ.I felt so much better after reading it. It was like a weight had been lifted from me when I realized that many friendships went through changes and that we weren’t the only friends to experience them.
People change, but that doesn’t mean we have to lose the friendships we once shared. My friends and I still spend time together when we can and care about each other a lot. That things are different doesn’t mean I have to forget about all the good times we had. I will always keep the memories in a safe place in my heart.
Sincerely,
Peter
【小题1】According to the author, parents and grandparents