Sometimes, even the best friends have fights. They disagree with each other and begin to argue. Sometimes, they even stop talking to each other. What can be done to help the two friends make up? Finding a good friend who knows both of them very well to be a peacemaker is a good way. Maybe one day you will be a peacemaker for your good friends. Here are some useful communication strategies for you to use.

State your feelings clearly but don’t criticize them. Begin with “I feel” instead of “You always…”.

Don’t stop or finish the other person’s sentences.

Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Try to see the other person’s side of the disagreement.

Look the other person in the eyes when you are talking.

Ask questions to make sure that you understand them.

Repeat the other person’s ideas as you understand them.

Never put anyone down. Saying things like “You’re stupid” makes communication difficult.

Try to find a solution that makes the two friends happy. Never decide who is right and who is wrong. Instead, help them to find their own “win-win” solution. A “win-win” solution allows each of them to feel good. In this way, their friendship can be continued.

1.Which of the following is the suitable language for a peacemaker?

A. “I feel …”           B. “You always…”        C. “You are stupid.” D. “You are wrong.”

2.How should the peacemaker behave when talking with the two friends?

    A. Stop the other person’s sentences in time.      

B. Repeat his own ideas to make himself understood.

    C. Listen to the other person carefully and ask some questions.

    D. Don’t look at the other when you are talking.

3.What does the phrase “put anyone down” mean in the article?

    A. 令人失望         B. 提醒人           C. 把人放下         D. 羞辱人

4.How do you understand a “win-win” solution?

    A. It is a way that helps make new friends.

    B. It is a way that makes both people pleased.

    C. It is a way that tells who is right and who is wrong.

    D. It is a way to understand a person.

When it was getting dark, a wolf was walking along the road. Then he was surprised to see his huge shadow(影子) under his feet.
“Wow, I didn’t know I was so big!” The wolf was happy to know it.
As time went by, the sun was going down and his shadow grew bigger and bigger, so it looked like a giant.
“Oh, look at my shadow. I’m so big!” The wolf thought that he was as big as his shadow. “I’m huge and excellent. I don’t need to be afraid of the lion.”
From then the wolf walked with his shoulders open. He thought of himself as the king of the forest.
“Why should I fear the lion? Lion! Come out! Here is your match（对手）.”It made the lion very angry, so he went to see the wolf.
“Here I am. I heard you said you could beat me. Now I’m here. Why don’t you prove it?”
The lion’s sharp claw(爪子) hit the wolf’s head hard. The wolf was knocked out. “Ah, help me!”
But it was too late when the wolf got to know that he wasn’t as big or strong as his shadow. Unluckily, he became the lion’s delicious supper.
【小题1】. Why was the wolf so surprised?

How can you think in English? I think the best way is to practise as what a football player 26_____ every day. During the __27__  the football player will pass the ball to his teammates over and over again. So he won’t have to  __28___ passing the ball in the game; he will just do it.

You can train yourself ___29 ___in English this way. The first step is to think of the words that you use daily, simple everyday words __30___ book or shoe or tree. For example, whenever you see a “book”, you should think of it in English instead of in your mother language.

After you __31__ to think of several words in English, then move on to the next step-thinking in sentences. Listening and repeating is a very useful way to learn __32___ . Listen first and don’t care too much about ___33 ___you fully understand what you’re hearing. Try to repeat what you hear. The more you listen, the ___34__ you learn. After you reach a higher level, ___35___ having conversations with yourself in English. This will lead you to think in English.

Alexis Rocha is a 13-year-old boy from California, US. He weighs 147 pounds (67 kg). But six months ago, he weighed more than 202 pounds (91 kg). How did he lose all that weight in only half a year?
“One day, I was surprised to find that I weighed about 200 pounds,” Rocha says. “I thought I had to do something.”
Rocha is from a boxing (拳击) family—his father and two older brothers are professional boxers. So he decided to start boxing. He began with simple exercises, like sit-ups and push-ups (俯卧撑). Then Rocha started jogging(慢跑). “No kid likes running,” he says. “I don’t want to do it, either, but I have no choice but to keep on.”
Months later, Rocha joined a boxing club in his city. He is always the first kid at the club to begin exercising, and the last to leave with sweat (汗水) on his face. Every day he boxes for about three hours.
“Rocha works very hard,” says his coach, Hector Lopez. “It’s surprising to see him lose the pounds so quickly. I’ve never seen anything like this in my 20 years of coaching.”
Rocha is very happy with his weight now. There is a family photo in his room from 18 months ago. “Each time I look at the photo, I laugh at myself. I was so big back then,” Rocha says. “I look 100 times thinner and 1,000 times stronger now.”
【小题1】How much weight did Rocha lose in six months?
A. At least 24 pounds.     B. At least 30 pounds.　　    C. At least 55 pounds.
【小题2】 Rocha said he had no choice but to keep on running because_______.
A. he liked running very much
B. he wanted to be thin and strong
C. he wanted to be a professional boxer
【小题3】What makes Coach Hector Lopez surprised?
A. Rocha lost weight so quickly.
B. Rocha was so fat 18 months ago.
C. Rocha comes from a boxing family.
【小题4】What’s the correct order of the following sentences?
a. He did some sit-ups and push-ups.
b. He lost the pounds quickly.
c. He joined a boxing club.
d. He began running.
f. He boxed for about three hours every day.
A. a-d-c-f-b     B. d-a-f-c-b     C. a-d-f-c-b 
【小题5】The writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
A. Rocha is a hardworking boy
B. it is important to get exercise
C. everything is possible if you work hard