Many of us feel uneasy when someone stands too close to us, talks to us too loudly or makes eye contact(接触) with us for too long. But have you ever wondered why those things make you uncomfortable?

It’s all about personal peace, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated(侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume(香水) makes you feel angry.

Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire(渴望) to have space to themselves. In a survey （调查）by TripAdvisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay more for some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.

Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.

Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall.

Preference(偏好) for personal space are different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin(拉丁人的) cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.

1.The writer mainly _________ in this article.

A. tells us how to achieve personal space

B. explains what personal space people need is

C. introduces some knowledge about personal space

D. argues for the importance of keeping personal space

2.Who might feel his personal space is safe according to the passage?

A. A person who has to sit next to a lady putting on strong perfume.

B. A person who has been watched by a stranger for a long time.

C. A person who hears strange noises when reading at home.

D. A Latin boy who is chatting with a friend sitting close to him.

3.What can we know from the survey by TripAdvisor?

A. People need a smaller personal space in recent times than before.

B. People have a strong desire for personal space in recent times.

C. There are not enough seats on the plane to meet people’s needs.

D. Food service is better provided than seats on the plane.

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The space around the body is more needed than that around all the senses.

B. If you hold newspapers on the bus, your personal space won’t be violated.

C. People usually choose the corner seats first in a library for personal space.

D. Different cultures share the same preferences for personal space.

 

I once had a teacher whose husband died suddenly of heart attack. About a week after his death, she  1  some of her thoughts with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight shone  2  the classroom windows, and when the class was nearly over, she  3  a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down.

With a   4  look on her face, she paused and said, “  5  class in over, I’d like to share with all of you a deep  6  which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on  7  to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves.   8  of us knows when this fantastic experience will   9  . It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is the God’s   10  of telling us that we must make the  11  of every single day.”

Her eyes were beginning to  12  , but she went on, “So I would like you all to make me a   13  : From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to  14  . It doesn’t have to be something you see. It could be a   15  of freshly baked bread floating out of someone’s house, or it could be the sound of the soft  16  rustling （使发出沙沙声）the leaves in the trees…Please look for these things, and  17  them, for at anytime they can all be taken away…”

The class was completely   18  .We all picked up our books and went out of the room silently. That   19  , I observed many more beautiful things on my way home from school than usual.

Remember: Life is not  20  by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

1．A．learned                  B．shared                 C．argued                D．discussed

2．A．onto                     B．into                     C．across                 D．through

3．A．removed               B．brushed               C．swept                 D．pulled

4．A．surprised               B．worried               C．gentle                  D．strange

5．A．After                    B．Unless                 C．Before                 D．If

6．A．feeling                  B．understanding      C．love                    D．memory

7．A．business                B．time                    C．duty                    D．earth

8．A．None                    B．All                      C．Each                   D．Neither

9．A．happen                  B．begin                   C．end                     D．gain

10．A．way                    B．singal                  C．plan                    D．arrangement

11．A．least                    B．worst                  C．lowest                 D．most

12．A．ache                   B．water                  C．shine                   D．dry

13．A．promise               B．choice                 C．wish                   D．rule

14．A．buy                     B．enjoy                   C．take                    D．learn

15．A．smell                   B．gift                     C．taste                   D．sight

16．A．wind                   B．hand                   C．light                    D．color

17．A．get                      B．appreciate            C．hide                    D．follow

18．A．puzzled               B．excited                C．quiet                   D．anxious

19．A．morning              B．night                   C．noon                   D．afternoon

20．A．wasted                B．measured             C．saved                  D．lost

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago and suddenly her husband died of a heart attack. One day, about a week after her husband’s       , the teacher said, “Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a (n)        in life that is unrelated to this class, but I feel it is very       .”

 “Each of us is put here on        to learn, share, love and appreciate. None of us knows when this fantastic        will end. It can be        at any moment. Perhaps we must make the most out of every single       .” Her eyes beginning to       , she went on, “So I would like you all to make me a(n)       . From now on, on your way, find something beautiful to       . It doesn’t have to be something you see—it could be a sweet smell or it could be the sound of the      leaves. Please look for these things, and cherish (珍视) them.”

The class was completely quiet. We all        our books and got out of the classroom       . That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from        than I had that whole term. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and        what she had said, and I try to appreciate all of those things that        we all ignore.

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today.      on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to        an ice cream. For as we get       , it is not the things we did that we often feel       , but the things we didn’t do.      

1.A. death          B. illness              C. news                D. birthday

2.A. plan   B.answer           C. lesson                     D. suggestion

3.A. clear       B.sweet             C. different                          D. important

4.A. foot        B.earth                C. business                    D. holiday

5.A. game      B.experience               C. story                 D. party

6.A. taken away       B.worked out           C. put off           D. held up

7.A. place      B.word                 C. bill             D. day

8.A.dry           B.open     C. water             D. roll

9.A.exam  B.promise C. date                D. trip

10.A.notice            B.eat  C. learn              D. carry

11.A.dead             B.dirty         C. growing                   D. falling

12.A. turned over       B.brought in           C. picked up              D. passed on

13.A. carefully       B.quietly              C. patiently                    D. happily

14.A. school           B.hospital             C. factory                      D. church

15.A. hear              B. write             C. remember            D. understand

16.A. finally           B. never              C. unusually              D. sometimes

17.A. Walk              B. Live      C. Work              D. Study

18.A. spare             B. get        C. make              D. smell

19.A. closer           B. taller      C. older              D. stronger

20.A.excited           B. surprised                    C. proud                     D. sorry

 

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Taking Care

From a very early age, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. My mother was a nurse and I have always  36  her and the way she took care of everyone. I wanted to be just like her.

So, here I am, a   37  for the last seven years. I love my work. Now, my father is quite   38  . He is 71 and has heart failure, and a lot of other medical  39  . Up until April of this year, he was able to live alone, drive, and   40  all of his own needs. His health has broken sown swiftly. I’m the only girl out of the five children. Being the only girl and a nurse  41  me at the top of the caregiver list. Taking care of a sick parent is very  42  , not at all like taking care of other patients. I have to   43  my own family to be here with Dad. I know this is   44  I need to be but it is still hard. I   45  abut 12-15 hours day taking care of him. I want to spend all of the time that I can with him because I know that our   46  left together is short.

At the same time, I find myself  47  that my brothers don’t help more. Sometimes, it is days between their   48  . they all have families of their own and busy lives but…so do I. My eldest brother does help some. He   49  at night. He comes in at 8 or 9pm and lets me go home. But he is up and   50  to hit the road at about 6 am. My   51  brothers pop in for 10-15 minute visits. It is   52  annoying. They say they  53  stand “to see Daddy this way” which I understand. It hurts me to see him so sick  54  weak, too. But …he’s our Dad. He has taken care of us our whole lives. I just  55  like we should all do our part to take care of him now.

A．missed   B．admired    C．cheered     D．loved

A．nurse     B．mother     C．doctor      D．daughter

A．stubborn       B．healthy     C．lonely       D．ill

A．puzzles  B．difficulties       C．problems  D．matters

A．give up  B．take care of      C．watch over       D．take up

A．put B．encouraged      C．obliged     D．showed

A．necessary      B．easy  C．important  D．difficult

A．refuse    B．support     C．abandon    D．own

A．when     B．how  C．where       D．why

A．waste   B．spend       C．kill    D．pass

A．money  B．pleasure    C．emotion    D．time

A．angry   B．calm  C．enthusiastic      D．anxious

A．trips     B．favours     C．visits D．meals

A．lives    B．appears     C．sleeps       D．stays

A．likely   B．ready C．sorry D．glad

A．other    B．dear  C．busy  D．pitiful

A．even    B．ever  C．still   D．really

A．mustn’t       B．needn’t     C．can’t D．shouldn’t

A．or B．and   C．yet    D．but

A．feel      B．sound       C．smell D．look