Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.

Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and he does not.

1.A greenhorn now refers to ____.

A. a cow without horns B. a new solider

C. a young horse D. a person who is new in a job

2.A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.

A. whose garden is greener than others’

B. whose thumbs are of green color

C. who is good at growing plants

D. who is younger than his neighbors

3.The author is actually talking about ____.

A. language B. colors

C. politics D. agriculture

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier.

B. The Green Revolution may have some connection with green thumbs.

C. The green-eyed monster was probably created by William Shakespeare.

D. The green-eyed monster can be used to describe a person who is jealous.

There is one type of illness in the world that has a severe effect on more people than anything else and is very deadly. If untreated, this illness could affect everything you do. What is this illness? Depression. Serious depression requires professional treatment. Self-induced depression is something each of us can change.

Everyone’s circumstances are different, but the causes of self-induced depression are common: low self-esteem, hurtful thinking and a bad attitude.

So how can we change the way we think, feel, and have a cheerful attitude?

First we must look at ourselves, truly and honestly examining our motives for what we wish to accomplish. If you are dissatisfied because you feel you haven’t or can’t do anything, then one step is needed—to set goals.

Always start your goals relatively small and easy to attain. Think of them as sand; one grain may be insignificant(微不足道的) but as a group they form the beach. Once you have set and attained small goals for yourself, move on to slightly larger, more challenging goals.It takes not just setting goals but positive thinking. How can we obtain this?

There are a number of factors that can make us think negatively and one of those is diet.In my opinion, a person who eats a lot of take-out and fast food is feeding their body junk. Start by eating better foods which give the body much NEEDED minerals. If your physical body is happy, it’s much easier for your mental body or “thinking ability” to be happy.[

Next, exercise. Half an hour a day is recommended for positive well-being. Then think about good memories you had, or generally think of things that make you smile. Remember, everything you wear costs money but to wear a smile is free. A smile can be the difference between an average day and a great day.

If you follow these steps, positive change is on the way.

1.Which of the statements about depression is TRUE?

A. Depression is a kind of illness that can’t be cured like some cancer.

B. Depression can all be cured successfully by doctors in an easy way.

C. Those who suffer from depression live in the same circumstances.

D. Those who suffer from depression hold negative attitudes.

2.According to the passage we can learn that ________.

A. a practical goal can help people to achieve a sense of success

B. we shouldn’t be satisfied with small goals that are insignificant

C. we should avoid challenging goals that may result in failure

D. people can enjoy happiness even if they set inappropriate goals

3.What can we infer from the reading passage?

A. Those who can achieve small goals can surely achieve big ones.

B. Depression has something to do with the food people eat.

C. You can only exercise half an hour if you want to get rid of depression.

D. Smile makes no sense to the feeling in daily life.

The quick action of Nick helped five people escape a fire on Hope Road.Nick said he usually left his house about 5:30 a.m.to do exercises,but he decided to stay at home to get his daughter ready for school.As he looked at his neighbor's house,he realized that it was on fire.“I saw smoke and flames and ran over and started beating on the side of the house shouting,‘Your house is on fire! Your house is on fire!’” Nick remembered it was about 9 a.m.that the firefighters put out the fire.

Beverly Penny and her husband,Clark,along with their younger daughters,were sleeping in the living room,next to the kitchen,when they heard Nick beating on the walls.She opened the bedroom door and black smoke came in.She managed to get her kids out.Her dog tried to hide under the bed,but Penny caught it by the leg and threw it out of the door.However,chickens in one of the rooms weren't so lucky.

Firefighters got the call about 7:05 a.m.“When we arrived with our fire trucks,there were heavy flames outside on the house,” Jerry said.He called Nick a hero,saying that without his quick response (反应) the result could have been much worse.The firefighters were fast.”Nick said.“They arrived here within about three minutes.”

“They did a great job,and I can't thank them enough.” Penny said,then looked at what remained in the house and shook her head as tears rolled down in her eyes.“Everything I have is gone.Luckily nobody was hurt in the fire.” She said the fire could have been caused by an electrical problem.“We've been having problems with mice,so that could have had something to do with it,”she added.

1.What do you know about Nick?

A. He left his house at 5:30 a.m. that day.

B. He has a son who goes to school.

C. He lives next to Beverly Penny.

D. He had a day off on Thursday.

2.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Clark got hurt in the fire.

B. Penny's dog saved her kids.

C. Penny's dog was killed in the fire.

D. Penny's chickens were killed in the fire.

3.When did the fire break out?

A. At about 5:30 am. B. At about 7 am.

C. At about 8 am. D. At about 9 am.

4.According to Penny,which of the following might be criticized for the fire?

A. Her dog. B. Her husband.

C. Her chickens. D. Some mice.

There is a common ,usually round object that you can see every day and it appears in many expressions—buttons! Buttons, which are made of metal or plastic, are found on all sorts of clothing. They fasten or connect one piece of clothing to another to make sure your clothes don’t fall off.

To be cute as a button is an old saying, which means to be attractive or sweet, but in a small way. Babies are often described as cute as a button. Language experts don’t know why. But they do say the expression dates from the late 1860s.

Here is another expression associated with button: button-down. People often wear button-down shirts to the office. Button-down as an adjective means to be conservative. People described as button-down stay as close as possible to the normal way of dressing and behaving.

When buttoning a button, you slip it into a buttonhole. A buttonhole traps the button. So, to buttonhole someone means you have trapped him in a spoken conversation. Now, let’s say you find yourself buttonholed in a conversation at a party. Someone just keeps talking and talking and talking! Finally, you can’t stand it any longer. You tell him to button it! This is a direct, but a little rude way of saying “Stop talking!”Button your lip is another equally rude way to stop a person who talks too much.

Another kind of difficult person is someone who pushes one’s buttons. To push one’s buttons means to know how to get that person annoyed or upset. People who like to push other people’s buttons usually do it for selfish reasons.

1.What do you think of someone who wears a button-down shirt to the office?

A. Crazy. B. Traditional.

C. Funny. D. Fashionable.

2.What will you probably say to get rid of a long and boring talk?

A. Be cute as a button.

B. Push your button.

C. Button your lip.

D. Be button-down.

3.How does the fourth paragraph mainly develop?

A. By giving examples.

B. By making contrasts.

C. By listing figures.

D. By analyzing cause and effect.

4.What does the underlined phrase in paragraph mean?[

A. Shouts loudly.

B. Learns of one’s secret.

C. Gets someone to lose his temper.

D. Argues with someone.

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