You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box. If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance. When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A. tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette

B. share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

C. remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

D. analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

2.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.

A. turn around and greet one another

B. try to keep a distance from other people

C. look around or examine their phone

D. make eye contact with those in the elevator

3.The writer wrote the passage in a tone of ___________.

A. disapproved B. supportive

C. negative D. objective

4.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?

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Throughout history man has had to accept the fact that all living things must die. But people now live longer than they_________. Yet, all living things still show the__________of aging, which will eventually___________death.

Aging is not a disease, but as a person passes maturity (成熟期), the cells of the body and the__________they form do not function as well as they____________in childhood and teenage years. The body provides less__________against disease and is more_________to have an accident.

A number of related causes may___________to aging. Some cells of the body have a fairly long life, but they are not____________when they die. As a person ages, ________ of brain cells and muscle cells decreases. ________ body cells die and are replaced by new cells. In an aging person the________ cells may not be as workable or as capable ________ growth as those of a young person.

Another ________ in aging may be changes within the cells________ . Some of the protein(蛋白质) chemicals in cells are known ________ with age and become less elastic (有弹性). This is why the skin of old people wrinkles(起皱纹)and ________ . This is also the reason why old people ________ in height. There may be other more important chemical changes in the cells. Some complex cell chemicals, such as DNA and RNA, store and ________ information that the cells need. Aging may affect this ________ and change the information carrying molecules(分子) so that they do not transmit the information as well.

1.A. would B. be used to C. used to D. used

2.A. function B. effect C. affect D. sign

3.A. lead in B. give in C. run into D. result in

4.A. hands B. feet C. heart D. organs

5.A. do B. has done C. did D. had done

6.A. energy B. protection C. prevention D. power

7.A. likely B. probable C. possible D. alike

8.A. attend B. lead C. add D. devote

9.A. replaced B. rebuilt C. recovered D. rearranged

10.A. a number B. the amount C. the number D. a great deal

11.A. The others B. Others C. Another D. Other

12.A. old B. left C. new D. other

13.A. to B. for C. of D. in

14.A. factor B. effect C. reason D. element

15.A. for themselves B. of themselves C. themselves D. on their own

16.A. change B. to have changed C. to change D. to be changed

17.A. becomes loose B. is become loosely C. became loosely D. is becoming loose

18.A. increase B. shrink C. lengthen D. decrease

19.A. pass away B. pass by C. pass off D. pass on

20.A. improvement B. possess C. approach D. process

When most people think of artists, they usually forget the part about the artist being a surveyor of beauty. This is because most people do not realize that there is actually a sort of process when it comes to making art so much so that lots of individuals(个人) cannot understand why true artists take their time when creating brilliant works.

The reason as to why artists take their time when creating their works is because they will first have to look for something beautiful which will inspire them. This is because an artist is someone who appreciates beauty and captures(捕获) the said beauty in a portrait, a song, a novel, and any other forms of artistic medium available to man. Rather than those commercial artists who simply paint a picture because they are paid to do so, a true artist will only work if he or she is inspired. The true artist shall not compromise his or her work because of earth temptations(诱惑) and as such they run the risk of being ridiculed(嘲弄)in exchange for their happiness. History has however shown that the true artist who correctly appreciates beauty is one whose works will end up being celebrated.

How does a true artist spot beauty? The only possible way to go about doing this is to actually look at the world. This means that the true artist is someone who loves to walk around and look at new things. Whatever it may be, the point here is that the artist does take a bit of time out to survey the world and find something beautiful which would inspire him. At times it even happens that the object that inspires the artist is not a thing but rather a person. At the end of the day, it must be said that each artist has his own views of what is beautiful and what is not. The true artist is someone who appreciates beauty.

1.What do we learn from the first paragraph?

A. Most people know little about how artists work.

B. People understand only how true artists work.

C. Most people appreciate the work of artists.

D. People tend to ignore the works of artists.

2.True artists are ridiculed because they .

A. have a strange lifestyle

B. resist earth temptations

C. refuse to live a happy life

D. search for something beautiful

3.What is the author's attitude towards true artist?

A. Doubtful. B. Concerned.

C. Appreciative. D. Disapproving.

4.The main purpose of the passage is to .

A. tell us the result of a survey

B. make a comparison

C. make a suggestion

D. argue for a point

I am 26. I’m clear that I’m never going to catch up with Mother Teresa. But I want to do something to help people every single day like her.

Everybody thinks we just serve food and soda. The safety training is serious and stressful. Caring for 49 people in a business class in 90 minutes is not easy. I had a roommate who was a waitress; she just left a candle and a table cloth burning, and I used a fire extinguisher (灭火器) to put out the fire. If something goes bad at her job, she calls the police. But if something happens up in the air, it’s up to us.

I’m single and have no kids. I’ve flown every Christmas since 1995. If I fly, someone else can be with their kids. Christmas in an airport can be depressing, but it’s the little things that make a difference.

We’re not robots. It’s hard to put on a smile and just pretend everything is great when it isn’t. I’ve seen co-workers lose a family member the day before a trip and just pull themselves together (take control of their feelings and behave in a calm way). At the end of a 14-hour flight, it’s like, “It was really nice to help you, but I’m ready for you to get off the plane.” Those last 15 minutes can be the longest 15 minutes of your life. You can’t wait to turn off the flight attendant’s voice and get something to eat without anyone saying “Excuse me.”

Sometimes I go all day and never hear a “please” or a “thank you.” When you say thank you, it’s huge. It makes us feel like you actually see us as fellow humans. We’re up there together at a height of 30,000 feet, enjoying the miracle (奇迹) of the modern flight.

1.What’s the author’s attitude towards Mother Teresa?

A. Grateful. B. Fearful.

C. Doubtful. D. Admiring.

2. How did the author like her roommate’s job?

A. It was the same as hers.

B. It was more interesting than hers.

C. It was easier than hers.

D. It was more serious than hers.

3.Why does the author fly every Christmas?

A. Because she has nowhere to go.

B. Because she’s trying to be a helpful co-worker.

C. Because she owes her co-workers some favors.

D. Because she’d like to earn more money.

4.What does the author imply by saying the underlined sentence “We’re not robots”?

A. Flight attendants are not stronger than robots.

B. Flight attendants also experience emotions.

C. Flight attendants get tired while robots don’t.

D. Flight attendants need to rest now and then.

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阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从第1—20 各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C 和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。

On a cold winter evening, I was walking home, tired and hungry, when suddenly came screams(呼喊声) from behind some tress.____, I slowed down to listen, and ____ that what I was hearing were the sounds of a fight. A woman was being ____ not far from where I stood.

“Should I go to help her?” I thought. I was worried about my own ____,and I regretted having suddenly decided to take a new way home that night.“What if I am ____ too? Shouldn't I just ____ to the nearest phone and call the police?” But already the girl's ____were growing weaker. I knew it was time for me to act fast because I could not ____ the life of this unknown woman,____ it meant risking my own life.

I am not a ____ man. I didn't know where I found the ____ and physical strength(体力), but once I had finally ____ to help the girl, I became suddenly changed. I ran behind the bushes and ____ the attacker off the woman. Struggling, we fell to the ground, where we fought for a few minutes ____ the man jumped up and ran away.

____ heavily,I stood up and came up to the girl, who was crying behind a tree. In the ____,I could not see her clearly, but I could certainly ____ her shock. Not wanting to frighten her any further, at first I spoke to her from a distance.

“It's OK,” I said ____.“The man ran away. You're safe now.”There was a long stop and then I heard the words, said in both wonder and ____.“Dad, is that you?” And then, from behind the tree, stepped my youngest ____, Katherine.

1.A. Excited B. Frightened C. Interested D. Disappointed

2.A. knew B. understood C. realized D. imagined

3.A. attacked B. killed C. robbed D. caught

4.A. money B. safety C. future D. family

5.A. happy B. sad C. excited D. hurt

6.A. move B. take C. run D. go

7.A. cries B. noises C. cheers D. sounds

8.A. save B. ignore C. change D. decide

9.A. although B. because C. as D. but

10.A. kind B. powerful C. mean D. brave

11.A. courage B. belief C. attitude D. idea

12.A. agreed B. planed C. promised D. decided

13.A. took B. dropped C. pulled D. got

14.A. unless B. if C. since D. until

15.A. Walking B. Drinking C. Breathing D. Looking

16.A. daylight B. afternoon C. darkness D. midnight

17.A. feel B. see C. guess D. find

18.A. angrily B. softly C. sadly D. happily

19.A. shame B. peace C. pain D. surprise

20.A. son B. daughter C. grandson D. cousin

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