Listen carefully, working people, we would like to tell you something that could save your precious time and money! Best of all, it is free!

It’s “no”.

What do you ask? We’ll say it again: “No”.

Sweet and simple “no”.

Say “no” at your office and see how quickly that pile of work on your desk disappears.

“Saying ‘no’ to others means you are saying ‘yes’ to yourself, ” said Leslie Charles, a professional speaker from East Lansing, Michigan.

“Time is precious. People are spending money buying time. And yet we are willing to give up our time because we can’t say ‘no’.”

Susie Watson, a famous writer, said people who always say “yes” need to say “no” without guilt(内疚)or fear of punishment. “I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ than an obligated(强制的) ‘yes’, ” she said.

Susie Watson says she feels “no” obligation to give an explanation when she says “no” either socially or professionally. Does she feel guilty about it? “Not at all, ” said Watson, who is director of advertising and public relations at Timex Corp in Middlebury, Conneticut. “Most people are afraid of saying ‘no’… My advice is to say ‘yes’ only if you don’t mean ‘no’.”

Watson said “no” is the most effective weapon against wasting time. “Every year there are more demands on your time… Other people are happy to use up your time, ” Watson said. Time saving appears to be “no’s” greatest friend.

“No” can be your new friend, a powerful tool to take back your life. “No” may even take you further in the business world than “yes”.

“No” is power and strength. “No” now seems completely correct. “Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy. But finally it’s greatly liberating,” Charles said. But, he added, a “no” project needs to be worked on every day because it is hard to change long-term habit.

But, he also warns: “Don’t go to extremes. Don’t find yourself saying ‘no’ to everything. In return you should learn to hear ‘no’.”

The sentence “Saying ‘yes’ to yourself” means _______.

A. you can have more time to play with others

B. you needn’t care about other’s feeling if you are happy

C. you are selfish and treat others rudely

D. you can deal with your business as you have planned

When you say “no” to others you should say it in a _______.

A. secret way   B. polite way

C. proud way     D. guilty way

In Watson’s opinion, people can save much time on condition that _______.

A. they say “no” at a suitable time

B. they say “no” as much as possible

C. they are afraid of saying “no”

D. they make others angry at them

If a person says “no” to everything, the result he or she receive may be that he or she _______.

A. enjoys a wonderful life     B. makes a lot of money

C. faces difficulty in life  D. forgets to say “yes” in the end

If you are ever lucky to be invited to a formal dinner party in Paris,remember that the French have their own way of doing things, and that even your finest manners may not be “correct” by French custom.For example,if you think showing up promptly(迅速地)at the time given on the invitation,armed with gifts of wine and roses,complimenting(称赞)your hostess on her cooking,laughing heartily at the host’s jokes and then leaping up to help the hostess will make you the perfect guest,think again.
Here Madame Nora Chabal,the marketing director of the Ritz Hotel in Paris,explained how it works.
The first duty of the guest is to respond to the invitation within 48 hours.And,the guest may not ask to bring a guest because the hostess has chosen her own.
Flowers sent ahead of schedule are the preferred gift.They may also be sent afterwards with a thank–you note.It is considered a very bad form to arrive with a gift of flowers vase when she is too busy to do with that.
See,that’s the logic!The type of flowers sent has a code of its own,too.One must never send chrysanthemums(菊花)because they are considered too humble(谦卑)for occasion.Carnations(康乃馨)are considered bad luck,and calla(马蹄莲)are too reminiscent(令人联想)of funerals(葬礼).A bouquet of red roses is a declaration of romantic intent.Don’t send those unless you mean it,and never to a married hostess.And though the French love wine,you must never bring a bottle to a dinner party.Why?It’s as if you feared your hosts would not have enough wine on hand,and that’s an insult(侮辱).You may,however,offer a box of chocolates which the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee.
If an invitation is for eight o’clock,the considerate guest arrives at a quarter past eight.Guests who arrive exactly on time or early are mere thoughtless ones who are not giving the hostess those last few minutes she needs to deal with details and crises.
【小题1】Which of the following is right about sending gifts?

A.If someone in France is dead, send chrysanthemums or calla.
B.If someone in Paris is ill in hospital, send carnations.
C.If you are invited to a dinner party in UK, never bring a bottle of wine, because that’s an insult.
D.If you are invited by a single French hostess whom you love, send red roses.
【小题2】What does the word “considerate” in the last paragraph mean?
A.thoughtful B.shamefulC.respectfulD.grateful
【小题3】If you are invited to a French dinner, the correct custom is to ______.
A.compliment your host on his cooking
B.arrive fifteen minutes behind schedule
C.hurry to help the hostess
D.show up promptly at the time given on the invitation
【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?
A.Different flowers have different meanings
B.How to send flowers
C.Good manners at a French dinner party
D.Different countries have different manners


三、阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
A
What exactly is a lie? Is it anything we say which we know is untrue? Or is it something more than that? For example, suppose a friend wants to borrow some money from you. You say, "I wish I could help you but I'm short of money myself." In fact you are not short of money but your friend is in the habit of not paying his debts and you don't want to hurt his feelings by reminding him of this. Is this really a lie?
Professor Gerald Gullion of the University of Southern California has made a scientific study of lying. According to him, women are better liars than men, particularly when telling a "white lie", such as a woman at a party telling another woman that she likes her dress when she really thinks it looks awful. However, this is only one side of the story. Other researchers say that men are more likely to tell more serious lies, such as making a promise which they have no intention of fulfilling. This is the kind of lie politicians and businessmen are supposed to be particularly skilled at: the lie from which the liars hopes to profit or gain in some way.
Research has also been done into the changes of people’s behavior in a number of small, clearly unimportant ways when they lie. It has been found that if they are sitting down at the time, they tend to move about in their chairs more than usual. To the trained observer they are saying “I wish I were somewhere else now”. They also tend to touch certain parts of the face more often, in particular the nose. One explanation of this may be that lying causes a slight increase in blood pressure. The nose is very sensitive to such changes and the increased pressure makes it itch (痒).
Another gesture which gives away is what the writer Desmond Morris in his book Man Watching calls “the mouth cover”. He says there are several typical forms of this, such as covering part of the mouth with fingers, touching the upper-lip or putting a finger of the hand at one side of the mouth. Such a gesture can be understood, as an unconscious attempt on the part of the liar to stop himself or herself from lying.
Of course, such gestures as rubbing the nose or covering the mouth, or moving about in a chair cannot be taken as proof that the speaker is lying. They simply tend to occur more frequently in this situation. It is not one gesture alone that gives the liar away but a whole number of things, and in particular the context in which the lie is told.
41.According to the passage, a “white lie” seems to be a lie _______.
A.that other people have interest in
B.that other people cannot believe
C.told in order to avoid offending(冒犯) someone
D.told in order to take advantage of someone
42.Research suggests that women _______.
A.are better at telling lies than men do     B.generally lie far more than men
C.often make promises they later break    D.lie at parties more often than men do
43.Researchers find that    when a person tells lies.
A.his or her blood pressure increases greatly
B.he or she looks very serious and moves about more
C.he or she tends to make small changes in his behavior
D.he or she uses his unconscious mind
44.One reason people sometimes rub their noses when they lie is that_______
A.1ying causes a slight increase in blood pressure
B.the nose is sensitive to physical changes caused by lying
C.they want to cover their mouths
D.they are trying to stop themselves from telling lies
45.Which of the following may best betray (出卖) a liar?
A.The touching of the tip of one’s nose.  B.The change of one’s behavior.
C.“The mouth cover” gesture.           D.The situations in which his lies are told.


B
For years I wanted a flower garden.I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.
But then we had Matthew.And Marvin.And the twins, Alisa and Alan.And then Helen.Five children.I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was tight, as well as time.Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I’d have to say, " Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know."
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own.I started thinking again about having a garden.
I wasn’t sure, though.I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no - frills budget.
Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen.Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by.I looked out of the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard.I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches.Then I put my glasses on—and I couldn’t believe what I saw.There was a money tree in my yard !
I went outside to look.It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree.Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: "IOU eight hours of digging time.Love, Marvin."
Marvin kept his promise, too.He dug up a nice ten - by - fifteen foot bed for me.And my other children bought me tools, ornaments, a trellis (棚架) , a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.
That was three years ago.My garden’s now very pretty, just like I wanted.When I go out and weed or tend my flowers, I dont seem to miss my children as much as I once did.It feels like they’re right there with me.
I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short.But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out of my window and think of the flowers.I’ll see next spring in my little garden.I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes—every time.
I’m still not sure that money grows on trees.But I know love does!
60.By saying "Do you see a money tree outside……, "the mother actually means "__________".
A.Observation is the best teacher         B.Seeing is believing.
C.The outsider sees the most of the game D.It is not easy to gain money
61.The best title for the passage would probably be_______________ .
A.My flower garden           B.Marvin helps to realize my dream
C.Love in Michigan           D.Money grows on trees
62.The underlined word "no-frills" in the fifth paragraph is similar in meaning to ____.
A.wasteful   B.tight  C.absurd      D.helpful
63.From the last but the third paragraph we can infer that the mother is ________________.
A.divorced when she was young        B.not caring for her kids any longer
C.alone but not at all lonely                  D.prouder

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