There is a famous story about British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was writing a poem when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

This was an age before telephones. Someone was delivering a message. When Coleridge got back to his poem, he had lost his inspiration. His poetic mood had been broken by the knock on his door. His unfinished poem, which could otherwise have been a masterpiece, would now never be more than a fragment.

This story tells how unexpected communication can destroy an important thought, which bring us to the cellphone.

The most common complaint about cellphones is that people talk on them to the annoyance of people around them. But more damaging may be the cellphone’s interruption of our thoughts.

We have already entered a golden age of little white lies about our cellphones, and this is by and large(大体上)a healthy, protective development. “I didn’t hear it ring” or “I didn’t realize my phone had shut off” are among the lies we tell to give ourselves space where we’re beyond reach.

The notion of being unreachable is not a new concept—we have “Do Not Disturb” sign on the doors of hotel rooms. So why must we feel guilty when it comes to cellphones? Why must we apologize if we decide to shut off the phone for a while?

Now time alone, or a conversation with someone next to us which cannot be interrupted by a phone, is something to be cherished. Even cellphone devotees(信徒), myself usually included, can’t help at times wanting to throw their phone away, or curse the day they were invented.

But we don’t and won’t, and there really is no need. All that’s required to take back our private time is a general social recognition that we have the right to it. In other words, we have to develop a healthy contempt for the rings of our own phones.

A cellphone call deserves no greater priority than a random word from the person next to us,though the call on my cellphone may be the one-in-a-million from Steven Spielberg—who has finally read my novel and wants to make it his next movie. But most likely it is not, and I’m better off thinking about the idea I just had for a new story, or the slice of pizza I’ll eat for lunch.

1.What is the point of the anecdote(轶事)about the poet Coleridge in the first three paragraphs?

A.To direct readers’ attention to the main topic.

B.To show how important inspiration is to a poet.

C.To emphasize the disadvantage of not having a cellphone.

D.To encourage readers to read the works of this poet.

2.What does the writer think about people telling “white lies” about their cellphones?

A.It is a way of signaling that you don’t like the caller.

B.It is natural to tell lies about small things

C.It is basically a good way to protect one’s privacy.

D.We should feel guilty when we can’t tell the truth.

3.According to the author, what is the most annoying problem caused by cellphones?

A.People get so obsessed (着迷) with the cellphone rings that they fail to notice anything else.

B.People feel guilty when they are not able to answer their cellphones.

C.Cellphones interrupt people’s private time.

D.With cellphones it is no longer possible to be unreachable.

4.What does the last paragraph suggest?

A.A person who calls us from afar deserves more of our attention.

B.Steven Spielberg once called the author to talk about the author’s novel.

C.You should always finish your lunch before you answer a call on the cellphone.

D.Never let cellphones disturb your life too much.

 

That “Monday morning feeling” could be a crushing pain in the chest which leaves you sweating and gasping for breath. Recent research from Germany and Italy shows that heart attacks are more common on Monday mornings and doctors blame the stress of returning to work after the weekend break.

The risk of having a heart attack on any given day should be one in seven, but a six-year study helped by researchers at the Free University of Berlin of more than 2,600 Germans showed that the average person had a 20 per cent higher chance of having a heart attack on a Monday than on any other day.

Working Germans are particularly not protected against attack, with a 33 per cent higher risk at the beginning of the working week. Non-workers, by comparison, appear to be no more at risk on a Monday than any other day.

A study of 11,000 Italians proved 8 am on a Monday morning as the most stressful time for the heart, and both studies showed that Sunday is the least stressful day, with fewer heart attacks in both countries.

The findings could lead to a better understanding of what is the immediate cause of heart attacks, according to Dr Stefan Willich of the Free University. “We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol(胆固醇)but we don’t know what actually causes heart attacks, so we can’t give clear advice on how to prevent them,” he said.

Monday mornings have a double helping of stress for the working body as it makes a rapid change from sleep to activity, and from the relaxing weekend to the pressures of work.

“When people get up, their blood pressure and heart rate go up and there are hormonal(内分泌)changes in their bodies,” Willich explained. “All these things can have an unfavourable effect in the blood system and increase the risk of a clot(血凝块)in the arteries(动脉)which will cause a heart attack.”

“When people return to work after a weekend off, the pace of their life changes. They have a higher workload, more stress, more anger and more physical activity,” said Willich.

1.Monday morning feeling, as this passage shows,         .

A.is not so serious as people thought

B.is harmful to working people in developed countries.

C.is the first killer in Germany and Italy.

D.is created by researchers in Germany and Italy

2.To protect people from suffering from heart attack, doctors have paid much attention to    

A.people’s working time

B.people’s living place

C.people’s diet and lifestyle

D.people’s nationalities

3.It can be learned from this passage that heart attack has nothing to do with     .

A.blood pressure                         B.heart rate

C.hormonal changes                       D.blood group

4.If the researchers give us some advice to avoid Monday morning feeling, what might it be?

A.Stop working on Monday

B.Create a pleasant working environment

C.Get up late on Monday morning

D.Go to work with a doctor

 

Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Sure, there are times when we need to be alone. We don’t always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.

No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don’t get along well. That doesn’t mean they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very sad. We miss them very much. But we can call them and write to them. Maybe we wound never see them again. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named in this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.

There is more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people who don’t have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.

1.According to the author, why sometimes friends don’t get along well? Because________

A.friends move away                      B.we don’t call them and write to them

C.we have made new friends                D.no two people are the same

2.Which of the following places people name after their friendly people is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. A town                              B. A room

C. A school                             D. A library

3.Why do people who have friends live longer?

A.They feel happier and healthier.

B.They know more about friendship.

C.They take less care of themselves.

D.They care more about their friends.

4.This passage mainly tells us ______

A.that people are all friends                 B.that people need friends

C.how to get to know friends                D.how to name a place

 

Most people hate change, which is sad since we often go through intense changes in life. And for some of us, even the smallest changes can upset our day. So the question is: Why do most of us find making adjustments to our lives so hard?

Fear of change is nothing new. Over a century ago, the Parisians were unhappy over a particular addition to their city: the Eiffel Tower. In fact, the citizens were so angry about the plans for the tower that they protested its construction. As strange as it may seem, their anger was completely natural. They were given no choice about the huge change that was going to be made, so they became angry.

But we get upset over changes even when we do have a say in the matter and think about them carefully. Changes are brought about every day by the decisions we make: which school to attend, which job to take, whom to marry. Voluntary changes also make most of us uneasy because we don’t know how those changes will affect our future.

People have discovered that the key to overcoming the fear and anger associated with change is to be flexible(可弯曲的). When they are flexible, people can adapt to new situations more easily. Being flexible is especially important in the 21st century as technology makes change occur faster than ever before. Those who oppose change, especially with technology in the workplace, may find themselves out of a job.

When change comes, and you have no choice but to face it, embrace it. A positive attitude helps a lot. In fact, the change may turn out to be the best thing for you. That new job you got may end up being much better than your old one. You may make the best friends of your life in the new city you moved to. Don’t merely focus on how you feel about change; instead decide to accept the change. The change is the reality, and it’s up to you whether the change will be a success or a failure. You never know – your next change may be your life’s Eiffel Tower!

1.Why did the building of the Eiffel Tower make the Parisians unhappy?

A.Because they didn’t like the design of the Eiffel Tower.

B.Because they couldn’t avoid accepting the Eiffel Tower.

C.Because it was no use building the Eiffel Tower.

D.Because the Eiffel Tower seemed strange.

2.According to the passage, it can be inferred that what won’t disturb us are _____________.

A.the changes that have agreement with one’s will

B.the small changes we meet in our daily life

C.the changes whose effect we can predict and control

D.the changes that we discuss or consider thoroughly

3.How should we overcome negative emotions that the changes bring?

A.We are not supposed to face the changes and let them alone.

B.We should actively accustom ourselves to the new circumstance.

C.We should not take the changes seriously and avoid them as much as possible.

D.We should know that the changes merely bring us bad influence.

4.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A.The change will probably make you fail like the Eiffel Tower.

B.The change is like the Eiffel Tower which is not good for our future life.

C.Your future life is never known just like the Eiffel Tower unknown to the Parisians.

D.Your future life is likely to be a great achievement due to the change.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A.The Psychology of Change                 B.The ways to Overcome the Fear

C.Changes That Disturb Us                  D.The Bad Effect of Changes

 

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