Reading is a good habit, but the problem is, there's too much to read these days, and too little time to read every word of it. There are hundreds of skills to help you read more in less time. Here are two skills that I think are especially good.

Preview--if it's long and hard. Previewing is especially useful for getting a general idea of heavy reading like long magazine articles and business reports.

Here's how to preview.

●Read the first two paragraphs and the last two paragraphs carefully.

●Then read only the first sentence of the other paragraphs.

Previewing doesn't give you all the details. It keeps you from spending time on things you don't really want--or need--to read.

Skim--if it's short and simple. Skimming is a good way to get a general idea of light reading --like popular magazines or the sports and entertainment of your daily paper.

Here's how to skim.

●Get your eyes to move fast. Sweep them across each line.

●Pick up only a few key words in each line.

Everybody skims differently. You and I may not pick up the same words when we skim the same piece, but we'll get a similar idea of what it's all about.

1.How many skills are recommended in this passage?

A．One.             B．Two.              C．Three.            D．Four.

2.What does the underlined word "preview" mean in Chinese?

A．精读             B．默读             C．朗读             D．略读

3.What should we NOT do when we read sports news in a daily paper according to the passage?

A．Read the last two paragraphs carefully.       B．Get our eyes to move fast.

C．Sweep our eyes across each line.           D．Pick up only a few key words in each line.

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．How to read faster   B．What to read       C．When to read      D．Why we should read

Many people hurt their backs when they try to lift heavy things from the floor. It is easy to hurt your back muscle(肌肉) when you try to pick up a heavy thing. However, there is a correct way to lift things from the floor. If you pick up heavy things correctly, you probably will not hurt your back.

To lift something from the floor correctly, first bend (弯曲) your knees and lower yourself. Keep your back straight. Do not bent over, from your waist (腰) keep your back and hips (臀部) and waist in a line. If you bent over, the muscles in your lower back can became hurt very easily. If you keep your back and hips straight, the muscles are stronger, because they hold up together. The other muscles can then help the lower back muscles.

As you lower yourself, try to get as close to thing as you can, put one knee on each side of the thing. Remember at all times to keep your back straight. Put your hand under the thing that is in front of you, between y our knees.

To lift the thing, you should stand up slowly. Use your leg muscles in order to stand up. In other words, lift with your legs, not with your back.

1.Which part of your body is more easily to be hurt when you lift heavy things?

A．The leg muscles.                        B．The back muscles

C．The hips                              D．The knees

2.Many people hurt their backs when they lift something because _______.

A．they are not strong

B．the things are very heavy

C．the way to lift the things is not correct

D．they are very heavy

3.The muscles are stronger if you _______.

A．keep your back, hips and waist in a line

B．bend over from your waist

C．lower yourself

D．get down on your knees

4.To lift heavy things, the most important of all is to _________.

A．stand up slowly

B．keep your back straight

C．bend your knees

D．put one knee on each side

5.What does “In other words” mean? ________

A．总而言之         B．换句话说          C．在其它话中        D．在其它单词中

When you cough or sneeze, you’d better turn your head away from others and cover your mouth with the full part of your hand. And then, you should say, “Excuse me.”

       This seems so simple, but it is surprising how many kids have never been told to do this. Actually, I notice adults all the time who cough and sneeze in public without placing a hand over the mouth. One important thing I point out to the kids is that after they sneeze or cough on their hands, they should wash their hands as soon as possible. If not, they will be passing those germs(细菌)along to everything and everyone they touch.

       If you come to a door and someone is following you, hold the door. If the door opens by pulling, pull it open, stand to the side, and allow the other person to pass.

       After a few weeks of seeing kids try to get through doors in the school and watching them enter restaurants as the door hit other people, I knew I had to discuss the problem with my students. Teaching them small acts of kindness, such as letting someone else go through a door first as they hold it open, may seem unimportant, but it can go a long way toward helping students realize how to be polite and think others. Once they’ve been told, they’re halfway there.

       When we have to go up moving stairs, we will stand to the right. That will give others who are in a hurry a choice of walking up the left-hand side of the moving stairs. When we are going to enter a lift, the underground, of a doorway, we will wait for others to exit before we enter.

       After college when I moved to London, I was surprised at how polite everyone was in the subways. I was even more touched when I traveled to Japan. In both places, people made effort to make way for others. On moving stairs, everyone stood to the right and walked to the left. On lifts, everyone would stand over to the side and allow others to exit before they would begin to enter.

1.When you cough or sneeze, you should _________.

A. touch everything   B. cover your mouth  

C. point out to the kids  D. pass the germs to others

2.If you come to a door and someone is following you, you’d better ________.

A. hold the door          B. pass through           C. close the door               D. stand to the side

3.From the passage we can know the writer is a _________.

A. doctor                   B. traveler                  C. parent                         D. teacher

4.The passage is mainly about _________.

A. the rules of behavior in public                     

B. the ways of communication

C. the acts of kindness among people               

D. the knowledge of social life

Animals, including insects, don’t have a ‘language’ like ours. They do not ‘talk’ to each other in words and sentences. But if we watch them, we can see that they do have their ways of communicating (交流) with each other.

Can you see the rabbit’s tail? When rabbits see this white tail moving up and down, they run away. They know that they are in danger. The rabbit has told them something without making a sound. It has given them a signal.

Many other animals use this kind of ‘language’. When a cobra（眼镜蛇）is angry, it raises its head and makes itself look powerful（有力的）. This warns other animals. When a bee（蜜蜂）has found food, it goes back to its home. It cannot ‘tell’ the other bees where the food is by speaking to them, but it does a little dance. This tells the bees where the food is.

Some animals ‘say’ things by making sounds. A dog barks, for example, when a stranger comes near. A cat purrs when it is pleased. Some birds make several different sounds, each with its own meaning. Sometimes we human beings speak in the same way. We make sounds like “Oh” or “Ah” when we are frightened or pleased or when we drop something on our toes.

1.Which one is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Animals have languages like human beings.

B．Bees communicate with each other by dancing.

C．Animals can use words.                                                 D．Animals are brave.

2.A rabbit uses its tail to ___________.

A．warn other rabbits when they are in danger   B．tell other rabbits where food is

C．make itself look powerful                 D．help it to run fast

3.When a cobra is angry, it __________.

A．makes a loud noise                      B．raises its head

C．moves up and down                     D．does a little dance

4.Several different sounds can be made by a __________.

A．rabbit            B．bee              C．bird              D．fish

5.From the passage, we know that ________ use words and sentences to express ideas and thoughts.

A．all living things      B．all animals         C．some birds        D．human beings

Values join us together and set us apart. Today, our society has a terrible lack（缺乏）of values. Here are some social values that everyone needs.

◆Respect

Respect means to respect（尊重）others in everyday life. Even if you are against a person, it is important to have respect. It is this respect that makes us human. Without this respect, we become  animals. We need to respect our friends for our friendships. We even need to respect our enemies, because they help us to grow up and be stronger. Respect is one of the crucial values in a relationship.

◆Love

Love is everything. With love in our hearts, we feel no need to hurt another. With love in our hearts, we will pay more attention to the similarities in opinions rather than the disagreement. If we want others to be good to us, we need to be good to them. After all, we give love to get love, right?

◆Loyalty

People often forget the meaning and importance of loyalty（忠诚）. Loyalty is necessary for people to believe in each other. In no matter what kind of relationship, we need to believe in each other so that we can work together towards the same goal.

◆Honesty

Honesty is to show other people who we really are. Honesty helps us do better, because it makes us realize our problems and find ways to solve them. It is this honesty, that will make others help you out, not because you need it. But, because they have problems too, which you can help out with. This honesty will help us follow the other values in society and, truly, "heal the world"!

1.The Chinese meaning of the word “value” in the passage is probably “___________”.

A．价格             B．价值观念          C．生活习惯         D．爱好

2.According to the passage, we are different from animals because of ____________.

A．Loyalty           B．Honesty           C．Love             D．Respect

3.With love in our hearts, we will ____________.

A．grow up and become stronger

B．believe in each other

C．never hurt another and be good to others

D．realize our problems and find ways to solve them

4.The best title of the passage can be “___________”.

A．Values we need for our society             B．Love and honesty

C．Our society                            D．How to change our society