By choosing to let go of the past, we sweep out all the ashes that weigh us down and affect every aspect of our health, and our peace of mind.

  My friend Jean was divorced after a thirty-year marriage that produced three daughters, one son and eight grandchildren. Because she actually raised them single-handedly, Jean was hurt and angry that the children didn't take her part after the divorce. For months she refused to attend any family celebration to which her former husband Jim was invited. When I reasoned that her children’s understanding of the relationship with and between the parents was probably altogether different from hers, she stuck to the belief that she was right.

  One day Jean called in tears. “Saturday is my granddaughter's birthday, and I want to be with her, but I can’t bring myself to face my former husband.”  “Jim isn't the problem,” I said gently, “it's false pride. Instead of holding on to the painful past, which is over and done, let the feelings go and get on with your life. You're depriving yourself of the joy of sharing in these important occasions, while Jim feels free to experience them. Tell me, would you rather be right, or be happy?”

  That must have done the trick because when Saturday arrived, Jean appeared at her daughter's home carrying her famous chocolate-chip cookies and a beautiful birthday

cake.

How great it feels to let go! And the more we practice the art of letting go of all negativity, the better able we become to devote our thoughts, our time, and our energy to living joyfully in the present, what ever age we happen to be.

It can be inferred that ____.

   A. Jim did very little to bring up the children during their marriage.

   B. The writer thought Jean and Jim shouldn't have divorced.

   C. The children were on their father's side and didn't invite Jean to any family celebration.

   D. Jean had been too tough on Jim before they divorced.

The underlined phrase “depriving yourself of” is closest in meaning to ____ .

   A. persuading yourself to get              B. taking away from yourself

   C. taking false pride of yourself            D. talking yourself into showing

In the writer's opinion, ____.

A. Jean and Jim should be remarried

B. a broken family could live together in peace

C. to be happy is more meaningful than to be right

D. everyone should look into the future

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic/inter­est may have other choices.

In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situ­ation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.

Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrad­ing. Persuaders may enlighten our mind or prey on our vulnerability. Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of edu­cation is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.

Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

1.According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A. changing others’ points of view

B. exercising power over other people

C. getting other people to consider your point of view

D. getting people to agree with you and do what you want

2.The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means________.

A. win                B. fail              C. speak                    D. listen

3.The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A. a danger to society                        B. difficult to do well

C. unwelcome behavior                     D. never successful

4.The passage mainly discusses ________.

A. how people persuade

B. why people persuade

C. that persuasion is both good and bad

D. that persuasion is important and it is all around us

 

The Chinese invented paper in 105 A. D. They mixed the bark of a tree and rags (破布) with water, put a screen into the mixture, and lifted out a thin piece of wet paper. They dried the paper in the sun.

    The Chinese kept their secret of how to make paper until a war with Muslims in the ninth century. The art of papermaking soon spread throughout the Muslim world.

    The Mayan Indians in Central America and Pacific Islanders also discovered how to make paper, but their knowledge never spread to the rest of the world.

    For centuries, all paper was made by hand. Rags were the main material. Then a French scientist discovered that people could make paper from wood, too. Finally, in the eighteenth century. a Frenchman invented a machine to make paper from wood.

Who discovered how to make paper?

A. The Chinese.                                B. The Pacific Islanders.

C. The Mayan Indians.                         D. All of the above.

When did the Chinese invent paper according to the passage?

A. About 1 ,800 years ago.                    B. About 1, 900 years ago.

C. About 2, 000 years ago.               D. About 2, 100 years ago.

How was papermaking introduced into the rest of the world from China?

A. Through wars.                                 B. Through the Muslims.

C. Through the Mayan Indians.             D. Through the Pacific Islanders.

Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A. The Invention of Paper.              B. The History of Papermaking.

C. Different Ways of Making Paper.   D. The Invention of a Papermaking Machine.

We hear a lot about ten pregnancies and abortions. The word “abortion” brings varied images but the word “pregnancy” paints a baby. Everyone knows what a baby is but the difficult question is, when is a baby a baby?

In the first months of pregnancy, called the first trimester, vital organs are being formed. Three months after fertilization, the egg has already divided and is securely attached to the mother. Two weeks later, a simple brain, spine, nervous system and the beginning of some major organs are formed. By week seven, the face and other organs are forming and the heart starts to pump blood. A week later, the face is recognizable, and all the major internal organs are developed in their simple forms. The tongue is formed and fingers are distinct. It moves a lot but many women may not even know they are pregnant. By week twelve, all the internal organs are formed and most are working. Tiny little fingernails and toenails are growing and the baby can curl his toes, make a fist, frown, purse his lips, open and close his mouth, suck, swallow and urinate. Most abortion occurs during this stage of pregnancy.

In the second three months, the second trimester, eyebrows, eyelashes and hair are growing. The heart can be heard with a special device. Arms and legs are well developed. The baby is very active and can respond to noises outside the womb. By the end of this trimester, the limbs are well-developed and the baby tries them out regularly. He can also cough and hiccup. Some abortion are still performed at this stage of pregnancy.

In the final stretch before birth, the third trimester, the baby can already feel and respond very much like a full term baby. Born now, it can survive with special care. In some cases, abortions are still performed at this stage. In fact, in certain countries, partial birth aborted is practiced in which the baby is aborted prior to birth.

Killing a baby outside a mother’s womb, newborn or older, healthy or sickly, is a crime called infanticide. Thus arises the question of when does a baby’s life begin? When is abortion the scraping away of unwanted cells and when is it the snuffing out the flame of life? Is there a magical point somewhere in which a mass of cells becomes a rightful individual? Does birthing somehow mysteriously and instantly confer personhood to a fetus? Moreover, on whose definition and authority does a baby receive the right to complete its quest for life outside the womb? Truly, these are heart questions that each must answer.

The word “pregnancy”         .

is a painting of a baby.            B. brings to mind the image of a baby.

C. is a famous painting of a baby.        D. is the art of drawing a baby.

Which of the following is true within the first months of pregnancy?         .

A. All the vital organs are formed.

B. The egg becomes fertilized.

C. The egg becomes securely attached to the womb.

D. The egg has become more than one egg.

The first trimester of pregnancy represents         .

A. the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

B. the most important stage for developing al the vital organs.

C. the determining of whether the baby will be a boy girl.

D. the addition of details and refinement to the baby.

The second trimester of pregnancy represents         .

the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

the most important stage for developing all the vital organs.

the determining of whether the baby will be a boy or a girl.

the addition of details and refinement to the baby.

The third trimester of pregnancy represents         .

the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

the most important stage for developing all the vital organs.

the determining of whether the baby will be a boy or girl.

the addition of details and refinement to the baby.

There are many thoughts on the origins of civilization. One of the major factors involved was the increase in population. The development of techniques, primarily irrigation and flood control, which permitted agriculture in special areas such as the flood plain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made possible the support of large population. Once populations reach a certain number, the older pattern of social organization breaks down and new ones develop. Specifically the older system, whereby each individual participated in food production and maintained a similar standard of living and whereby kinship(家属关系) served as the basic method of social organization, was replaced by the occupational division of labor, political and religious hierarchies(等级制度), public works such as road and public building construction, class systems, codes of law, markets, new forms of warfare, and urban centres. Allied with these important sociological traits are material traits, such as monumental architecture and the development of science and, in many cases, metallurgy(冶金学) and writing sustems.

The earliest civilization, Sumer, developed in the Middle East. This was the Bronze Age of the Old World, during which people first developed the art of metallurgy, civilization also arose in other parts of the Old World, first in Eygpt, China, and India, and later in Europe and Africa. At this time, civilization also developed independently in the New World, in the Mexican area and in Peru and its adjacent(邻近的) areas.

In the Old World the Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age, which saw the rise and fall of great empires and the shift of power from the Middle East to Greece and Rome and then to Western Europe. In the 1700s the Industrial Age began, leading directly to the modern civilization of today.

46. The author of this passage __________________________________.

   A. gives a comparison between ancient civilization and modern civilization

   B. suggests that population increase is most important in the development of civilization

   C. tries to explain how civilization developed in human history

   D. explore the relation between agriculture and industry

47. According to the first paragraph, the increase in population _____________________.

   A. resulted in the development of agricultural technology

   B. resulted from the breakdown of old social organization

   C. caused the occupational division of labor

   D. was impossible without the development of agriculture

48. The word “traits” in Paragraph One most likely means ___________________________.

   A. main appearances                    B. great achievements

   C. distinguishing features                D. outstanding successes

49. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

   A. The Bronze Age is one of the earliest civilizations.

   B. The Industrial Age started in the Middle East.

   C. The Bronze Age developed into the Iron Age.

   D. The use of metal instruments started from the Bronze Age.

50. Which of the following is NOT included in the expression “the Old World” used in the passage?

   A. American continent.                  B. Both Western and Eastern Europe.

   C. African continent.                    D. Asian countries.