The more people I meet, the more I love my dog. Every day I am reminded why I love him so much.

Three weeks before Christmas in 2008 at about 2:00 in the morning, my dog woke us up out of a sound sleep because someone was knocking at our door. He barked in front of me as if to protect me from the stranger who was knocking. My husband answered, and it was a local police officer telling us that my father-in-law had called the police because he forgot our number. My mother-in-law was suffering from a brain disease and was in the hospital. We thanked the officer and raced to the hospital. We would have taken him, but the hospital would consider him to be a dirty pet.

After visiting the hospital we drove home and hugged our dog once more. At this point it was unlikely that little dog remembered waking us up. What he did remember was that we left him alone for several hours and he missed us. He thought we missed him, too, so he greeted us at the door with his tail wagging (摇摆).

Someone tried to break in our house that summer, but, once again, our little dog saved the day. Our curtains were damaged, but no one got in. When I got home from work, I found parts of my curtains lying on the floor. We called the police and the officer said that he did a great job.

My dog is a loving sweet dog who just wants some attention. I worked with him for months and now he sits, dances, sings, shakes hands, and so much more. The best part is he looks out for me as much as I look out for him.

My husband says the dog is spoiled (宠坏的); I say he finally has a loving home.

1.The author’s dog woke her up to tell her that _____.

A. her mother-in-law was ill

B. her father-in-law called her

C. someone was knocking at the door

D. someone had broke into her house

2.Why did the police say the dog did a great job?

A. The dog saved the author.

B. The dog stopped the thief.

C. The dog did well what people told it.

D. The dog helped to find the thief.

3. The purpose of the text is to tell readers _____.

A. why the author’s dog is her best friend

B. what the proper attitude towards dogs is

C. what dogs can bring us

D. how to raise dogs

I love seeing Europeans line up in airports to applaud arriving refugees. But humanitarianism (人道主义) will not guide policy for long. We liberals need to argue from Europe’s self-interest: our continent has the need, the space and the ability to accept people.

Many European countries are gradually turning into old people’s homes. Germany, Italy, Spain and others have some of the lowest birth rates in human history. It is predicted that about one-third of their populations will be aged over 65 in 2050. Germany needs to import at least 350,000 people a year to keep its workforce stable. Suddenly, young ambitious workers are pouring into the country as if called by a genie (精灵) with a lamp. No wonder Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, has been more welcoming than David Cameron, British Prime Minister. But all over Europe, carers for old people are already in need. Norway found oil under the seabed but it would have been better off if it had discovered 50,000 nurses there instead.

Many rightwingers think we have reached our limits. This feeling is widespread. And it’s true that Western Europe is one of the most densely populated regions on earth. Indeed, density has long been Europe’s unique selling point: with so many people of different nations closely packed together, we have always traded goods and exchanged ideas fast. That’s why the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries happened here.

But we have plenty more room. Many European cities aren’t dense enough. Now east Germany, north-western Spain and gorgeous mountain villages in Italy are losing people. Lots of cities have unused industrial land.

Humans inhabit a slice of the EU’s territory. Only about 2.5 per cent of the EU’s land is used for housing, estimates the European Commission. By contrast, a whopping 43 per cent was used for agriculture in 2009, it says. That’s too much. We could turn more land into forest or into green landscapes where people can relax and play. Making that transition is feasible because we now use agricultural land inefficiently.

Migrants often spend years locked up together in serious government-funded “migrant centers”. However, the way to learn a new country’s language, make friends and find work is to live with a local. This crisis has shown that lots of Europeans are willing to take refugees into their homes. After Iceland’s government said it could take only 50 Syrian refugees, many Icelanders came forward offering to take a far greater number into their own homes. People aren’t just sitting around waiting for government to do something.

We need migrants, and we can accommodate them. If opponents just don’t like foreigners, they should say so instead of pretending to be hardheaded pragmatists (实用主义者).

1.Why is Angela Merkel willing to take in refugees according to the passage?

A. Germany has already stepped into aged society.

B. Birth rates in Germany are the lowest in history.

C. She is kind and shows sympathy for homeless people.

D. Refugees can make up the shortage of labor in Germany.

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. No other region is more densely populated than Western Europe.

B. Density has become Europe’s most outstanding characteristic.

C. All European cities are not crowded together in great numbers.

D. Large quantities of unused industrial land will turn into forest.

3.It can be inferred that _______.

A. nurses are more badly needed than petrol in Europe

B. liberals always do something for the Europe’s benefit

C. aging problem in Germany is the worst in Europe

D. Europeans have already made intelligent use of the land

4.What is the last paragraph but one mainly about?

A. Migrants can privately be accommodated.

B. Migrants had better not live in migrant centers.

C. Everyone can live with migrants to help them fit in.

D. Everyone has done their own part to help migrants.

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority(优先)over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.

In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.

Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical(合乎道义的)or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.

Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution(美国宪法).

1.According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A. changing others’ point of view

B. exercising power over other people

C. getting other people to consider your point of view

D. getting people to agree with you and do what you want

2.The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.

A. fail B. win C. speak D. listen

3.The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A. unwelcome behavior B. difficult to do well

C. a danger to society D. never successful

4.The passage mainly discusses ________.

A. people’s different opinions towards persuasion

B. the reasons why people persuade

C. that persuasion is both good and bad

D. that persuasion is important and it is all around us

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