For years, the word “popular',has been demonized(妖魔化)and made thesame as mini-skirt-wearing, hair-coloring cheerleader types like Regina Georgein Mean Girls. Today, teachers and parents inform children that being popularis irrelevant(不相干的),unnecessary and a sure shortcut to upset, misery, anddeath. And some people describe popular students as the ones most likely tobum out and end up as nobody, while their less well-liked counterparts enjoy alife of wealth and fame.

However, the Oxford English Dictionary defines(定义)popularity as:“TheState or condition of being liked, admired, or supported by many people’ Thissounds like a lovely thing, and is not related to such behaviors as “burn books” or “three-way phonecalls" in Mean Girls.

In fact, it is a truth widely acknowledged that young people who feel liked or supported are morelikely to obtain impressive achievements than those who feel lonely, unvalued, and irrelevant socially.So why, then, is popularity given such a bad name? Why is this state of well-likedness so demonized?

Basically, the hatred (恨) shown toward what appears to be a very pleasant thing is caused by lackof understanding. When we, as viewers, see characters such as Regina Georges on TV and in films, werecognize them to be popular. These characters, if not exactly liked,,greatly admired by their peers(同伴).Our mistake comes when we try to understand their cruel and unkind actions using the deduction(推论)method.Humans are imperfect, and even the most intelligent mind is open to dishonesty through a very smallslip in logic. Unfortunately, this occurs here with branding results

We first learn that a character is popular. Since this is important to the plot, it is constantlyemphasized, leading it to be the most common thing in our minds when we consider the character.Later, we see that character do something unkind. The character's most noticeable characteristic (inour minds) is his/her popularity. And now the character is mean and unkind. This character is popular.Therefore, we jump to a quick conclusion (结论) that popular people are mean and unkind.

Things such as improper behaviors and rumor-spreading are terrible and should always be seenin a very serious light. However, it is important to recognize that these are not the behaviors of popularpeople, but bullies.

So, in summary, do not be afraid to be popular and have many friends. If you are kind to everyoneand treat others with respect, there will be few who can criticize you, for being widely liked is not acurse but a blessing. Just remember that being popular does give you a degree of power, and with greatpower comes a large electricity bill!

1.The writer mentions the definition of popularity in paragraph 2 to__.

A. bring up his opinion B. give an example

C. come to a conclusion D. offer his suggestion

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Being popular might offer a shortcut to a life of wealth.

B. Students who feel supported have a better chance to achieve more.

C. Popular students are usually famous but mean and unkind.

D. The less well-liked people consider being popular as something bad.

3.Paragraph 4 and 5 are. mainly about__

A. the importance of being admired by peers

B. the ways to clear up some misunderstanding

C. the advantages and disadvantages of being popular

D. the reasons why people show hatred to being popular

4.The writer probably agrees that__·

A. cheerleader types will surely end up as nobody

B. being popular is unnecessary for most students

C. treating others with kindness is beneficial to popular people

D. famous people are likely to make mistakes and be criticized

In the busy city of New York, such an astonishing thing ever happened.

On a Friday night, a poor young artist stood at the gate of the underground station, playing his violin. Many people slowed down their paces and put some money into the hat of the young man.

The next day, the young artist came to the gate of the underground station, and put his hat on the ground gracefully. Different from the day before, he took out a large piece of paper and laid it on the ground and put some stones on it. Before long, the young violinist was surrounded with people, who were all attracted* by the words on that paper. It said, "Last night, a gentleman named George Sang put an important thing into my hat by mistake. Please come to claim it soon."

After about half an hour, a middle-aged man ran there in a hurry and rushed through the crowd to the violinist and grabbed his shoulders and said, "Yes, it's you. You did come here. I knew that you're an honest* man and would certainly come here."

The young violinist asked calmly, "Are you Mr. George Sang?"

The man nodded. The violinist asked, "Did you lose something?"

"Lottery. It's a lottery," said the man.

The violinist took out a lottery ticket on which George Sang's name was seen. "Is it?" he asked.

George nodded and seized the lottery ticket and kissed it.

The story turned out to be this: George Sang is a manager in a big company. He bought a lottery ticket issued by a bank a few days ago. It opened yesterday and he won a prize of $500,000. So he felt very happy after work and felt the music was so wonderful, that he took out 50 dollars and put it in the hat. However the lottery ticket was also thrown in. The violinist was a student at an Arts College and had planned to study in Vienna. He had booked the ticket and would fly that morning. However when he was cleaning up he found the lottery ticket. Thinking that the owner would return to look for it, he cancelled* the flight and came back to where he was given the lottery ticket.

Later someone asked the violinist: "At that time you were in need of money. Why didn't you take the lottery ticket for yourself?"

The violinist said, "Although I don't have much money, I live happily; but if I lose honesty I won't be happy forever."

1.Where did the poor young artist play the violin?

A.In a nice hall of a big company. B.On the playground of Arts College.

C.Outside the meeting room of a bank. D.At the gate of the underground station.

2.George Sang put _____ into the young artist's hat on Friday night.

A.some stones B.a piece of paper

C.50 dollars and a lottery D.his air ticket and some money

3.The young artist cancelled the flight to Vienna because he thought ______.

A.the owner would return to look for the lottery

B.he didn’t have enough money to pay for his study

C.Arts College asked him to wait for Mr. George Sang

D.people in the underground station didn’t let him leave

4.What do you think of what the young violinist said in the last paragraph? (请用约40词回答)

I became a magician by accident. When I was nine years old, I learned __________ to make a coin disappear. I’d read The Lord of the Rings and went into the________ to look for a book about spells(符咒). Nine was a strange age when you were ___________enough to think that you might find a book of real, actual magic in the library. But in fact, the book I _________ taught me something about magic, and I spent the next months practicing.

At first the magic wasn't any _________ . It wasn't even magic; it was only a trick-- a bad trick. I __________hours each day in the bathroom running through the secret moves in front of the mirror. I dropped the coin thousands of __________in a day, and after two weeks of this, my mom got a carpet and placed it under the mirror to lower the sound of the coin __________again and again.

I heard my dad play pieces of new music on the piano, __________ I knew how to practice -- slowly, going for precision(精确) rather than speed. One day I tried the magic in the mirror and the __________disappeared. It did not look like a magic trick. It __________like a miracle.

One of the lessons I learn very early as a magician is that the most __________ part of a trick has nothing to do with the secret. The secret is simple: a hidden piece of tape, a small mirror, a special playing card. In this case, the _____________was a series of tricks to hide the coin behind my hand in the act of opening it, a dance of the fingers that I learned so __________ that I didn't even have to think. I would close my hand, then __________it, and the coin would disappear not by skill but by real magic.

1.A.how B.when C.why D.where

2.A.restaurant B.library C.hospital D.supermarket

3.A.rich B.strong C.young D.smart

4.A.wrote B.sold C.found D.sent

5.A.wrong B.new C.cheap D.good

6.A.spent B.took C.cost D.paid

7.A.sizes B.reasons C.facts D.times

8.A.flying B.using C.dropping D.rising

9.A.so B.and C.or D.but

10.A.book B.coin C.game D.show

11.A.looked B.sounded C.tasted D.smelled

12.A.boring B.embarrassing C.worrying D.amazing

13.A.answer B.secret C.book D.play

14.A.carefully B.happily C.completely D.comfortably

15.A.break B.throw C.open D.sell

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