President Barack Obama's speeches are proving a best-seller in Japan -- as an aid to learning English. An English-language textbook, "The Speeches of Barack Obama," has sold more than 400,000 copies in two months, a big hit in a country where few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.

  Japanese have a fervor for learning English and many bookstores have a corner dedicated (专门用于) to dozens of journals in the language, many of them now featuring the new U.S. leader's face.

"Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates(候选人) are excellent as listening tools to learn English. Obama's are especially so. His speeches are so moving, and he also uses words such as 'yes, we can,' 'change' and 'hope' that even Japanese people can memorize," said Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling text book.

  Speeches by George W. Bush and former nominee(提名) John Kerry's four years ago did not have the same interest, however, and nor do those made by Japanese politicians. “We have to turn to a foreign president for someone in whom to place our hopes”, Yamamoto said.

  The 95-page paperback features Obama's speeches in English from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and during the Democratic Party primaries(初选), in which he defeated Hillary Clinton. They are accompanied by Japanese translations.

  The 1,050 yen ($12) book, which includes a CD of the speeches, tops the bestseller list on bookseller Amazon's Japanese Website, http://www.amazon.co.jp/. He said lawmakers from Japan's main opposition Democratic Party had bought the book to study Obama's speeches.

  Following Obama's inauguration(就职典礼), Asahi Press plans to issue a sequel(续集) that includes his inaugural address, as well as President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech. It will also feature a reading of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address of 1863.

64. Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates are excellent as listening tools to learn English because ________.

the speakers are all great

B. the speakers have high speech skills

C. the language is full of humor

D. the contents are good and the words are easy to catch

Why do Japanese place their hopes in a foreign president?

A. Because they don’t have politicians who have such a positive influence.

B. Because they have the same attitude as the foreign presidents.

C. Because they have never made a political speech.

D. Because they hope to have a foreigner as their leader.

Which is true about “The Speeches of Barack Obama”?

A. It contains all Obama’s speeches .

B. It has 1,050 pages with a CD.

C. It includes his inaugural address.

D. It is an especially popular book in Japan.

Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage?

A. Japan speaks highly of Obama president .

B. Japan learns English from Obama speeches textbook .

C. Obama gains his fame from his election speeches.

D. Obama gives Japanese speeches on how to learn English.

Honesty may well be the policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze(注视) of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed.
Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an-honesty box alongside a kettle ,with tea, coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks, they alternated each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers.
Dr. Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study, said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. They effect may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival. Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group, rather than act selfishly.
"If nobody is watching us, it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we're being watched,we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us, "Dr. Bateson said.
"We thought we'd get a slight effect with eyes, but it was quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious(潜意识的) level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved(进化) to respond to."
The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of eyes could promote ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior.
【小题1】This passage is mainly about _______________.

A.the policy of honesty
B.an honesty box to collect money
C.evolution on honesty
D.an experiment on honesty
【小题2】The reason for doing the experiment secretly is that the researchers _____________.
A.wanted to get a comparatively more exact result
B.had known they wanted to do something illegally
C.meant to get the co-operation of their colleagues
D.intended to sell the hot drinks at a higher price
【小题3】People behave honestly under watchful gaze of eyes because _____________.
A.they want to leave a good impression
B.they fear to be laughed at by others
C.they've got the nature through evolution
D.they take the photo for a real pair of eyes
【小题4】The underlined phrase" sheds light on" in the last paragraph means _____.
A.causes somebody to become cheerful
B.makes something easier to understand
C.comes upon something by accident
D.brings something into the broad daylight

I would like to talk to you about one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I was born and raised there and now I visit it from time to time. My family moved to the city, so I only go back to see friends or to camp and fish.
I grew up in a small town called Antonito Co. It is surrounded by mountains. So camping is a big source of happiness in the valley. There are so many beautiful places to hike.
The town itself is very small. It is said that if you blink when you’re going through it, you’ll miss it. This has some truth in it considering the size of the town. We have one grocery store, a tiny post office, and a tiny bank. There are also a few gas stations, bars, some excellent restaurants, a small hospital and of course several schools. However, for clothing and shoes, you have to drive thirty miles to Alamosa to shop there.
Everyone in the town is nice and we all know each other. The crime rate is zero unless you count some weekend fights that break out because some people drink too much. The classes in school are small, so you get a lot of attention from the teacher.
You’re probably wondering why I don’t live there. Well, I can’t get a job there. A lot of the businesses are family-owned. And they never fire their employees. So the employees work there usually until they retire. Most people have to go to other places to get a job .
【小题1】What is this passage mainly about?

A.An introduction to the writer’s hometown.
B.A travel guide of the writer’s hometown .
C.The history of the writer’s hometown .
D.The scenery of the writer’s hometown .
【小题2】By the underlined part in paragraph 3, the writer wants to show that the town is           .
A.beautifulB.smallC.excitingD.faraway
【小题3】What can you find in the writer’s hometown ?
a bank     b. a post office     c. some gas stations and bars     d. a clothing store
e. a shoe shop    f. some restaurants and a hospital
A.abceB.bdefC.abcfD.cdef
【小题4】What do we know about the classes given at the schools in the writer’s hometown ?
A.The classes are usually very short .
B.Students usually don’t get much attention .
C.One teacher has to teach many classes
D.Each class has just a small number of students .
【小题5】We can learn from the last paragraph that in the writer’s hometown             .
A.not many job opportunities are provided
B.employees don’t make much money
C.most people live a very hard life
D.only the old still live there

You wake up in the morning, the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings, you say hello, and the drama starts. The person on the other end has a depressing tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to. You are still in a wonderful mood? Impossible!   
Communicating with negative people can wash out your happiness. It may not change what you think, but communicating long enough with them will make you feel depressed for a moment or a long time.
Life brings ups and downs, but some people are stuck in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer. They only feel glad when they make others feel bad. No wonder they can hardly win others’ pity or respect.
When you communicate with positive people, your spirit stays happy and therefore more positive things are attracted. When the dagger(匕首) of a negative person is put in you, you feel the heavy feeling that all in all, brings you down.
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people. This could be a co-worker, or a relative. In this case, say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to the negative person, but all this is to lower you to that same negative level and they won’t feel ashamed of themselves about that.
Negativity often affects happiness without even being realized. The negative words of  another at the start of the day can cling to(附着) you throughout the rest of your day, which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness. Life is too short to feel negative. Stay positive and avoid negativity as much as possible. 
【小题1】The purpose of the first paragraph is to __________.

A.make a comparisonB.offer an evidence
C.introduce a topic D.describe a daily scene
【小题2】 How can negative people have effect on us?
A.By changing our ways of thinking
B.By telling us the nature of life
C.By influencing our emotion
D.By comparing their attitudes to life with ours
【小题3】Some negative people base their happiness on __________.
A.other people’s respect for them
B.other people’s pity for them
C.building up a positive attitude
D.making other people unhappy
【小题4】According to the passage, to reduce negative people’s influence on us, we are advised to __________.
A.show our dissatisfaction to negative people
B.communicate with negative people as little as possible
C.change negative people’s attitudes to life
D.make negative people feel ashamed of themselves

We have all heard the old phrase “attitude is everything”, and that phrase is certainly true.Your attitude can have a great impact on your personal motivation, so it is important to keep a positive attitude no matter what challenges you face.

As a matter of fact, keeping your attitude positive in the face of difficulties is the motivation tip that most successful business owners will tell you.The most successful business owners, from Sam Walton to Bill Gates, have all been able to triumph in the face of unpleasant situations.It is those successful business owners who tell you that attitude is everything.But how you deal with that knowledge will determine your level of success.

One of the most important ways to carry out “attitude is everything” is to observe who you associate with and who you surround yourself with.That is because when you surround yourself with negative people, their negative attitudes will infect you.So keeping your associates, colleagues, co-workers and friends as positive as possible is a great way to put the phrase “attitude is everything” into practice.

Whatever you decide to do in life, your attitude will have a great effect on the success you achieve.Success , whether in the world of business or in your personal life, is directly related to your attitude, and the attitude you bring to your work.A positive attitude will help you achieve greater success in your job, no matter what your current level of employment.

1.According to the text, Sam Walton __________.

   A.is more successful than Bill Gates

    B.has given readers some tips about success

    C.has never dealt with unpleasant situations

    D.is one of the most successful businessmen

2.One useful way of carrying out “attitude is everything” is__________.

   A.not letting others affect your decisions

   B.not making friends with people who are unsuccessful

   C.keeping the people who surround you positive

   D.getting some advice from successful business owners

3.What’s the best title for the text ?

   A.Attitude Determines Your Success

   B.Motivation Tips From Successful People

   C.Ways To Deal With Unpleasant Situations

   D.Making Friends With Positive People

 

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