Say you meet with difficulty, what’s the first thing you do? Call your best friend and ask for help? It turns out that doing this may be better for you than you think. Researchers find that friendship has a big influence on your health, well-being and business.
One study from scientists recently found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22% less likely to die during a 10-year period than those with fewer friends. Other researchers discovered that having a strong social network could improve brain health as we age.
Even more interesting, feeling close to your friends may give you a different view on things. Researchers gathered 34 college students out side and asked them to estimate the steepness(估计陡峭程度) of a hill after climbing it. Those standing with friends gave lower estimates, and the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared.
What is the reason that friends can make obstacles seem less difficult? “People with stronger friendship networks feel that there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen A. Roberto, director of the center of the hospital at Virginia Tech. “Friendship is a valued resource (宝贵的资源).”
It is truly the fact. Friends make your life better. They provide support in hard times. They inspire you to make changes in your life, encourage you to set goals and cheer you on every step of the way until you reach them.
Want to find out more about the power of friendship? Read “Be a Better Friend”, “Make New Friends” and “Keep the Old”.
1. According to the author, if you’ve lost your job you should        .
A. turn to your best friend      B. ask for advice from your teacher
C. face it bravely by yourself    D. ask your parents for help
2. We can learn from the study in Paragraph 2 that        .
A. people with a lot of friends can stay away from illnesses
B. people with many friends may enjoy a longer life
C. 22% of the people who have fewer friends have a short life
D. those who have fewer friends may die 10 years earlier.
3. The underlined word “obstacles” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to some thing___________
A. that you are hoping to achieve by a plan
B. that happens to you when you are working
C. that makes it difficult for us to achieve something
D. that you have been trying to do
4. The fifth paragraph was written to tell us that        .
A. we should make many friends  B. true friendship lives long
C. friend ship has changed us     D. friendship should be valued


B
Events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, and tornadoes are all natural disasters. They are mostly related to the weather. Some are predictable ----like a hurricane. Some, like an earthquake, surprise us. It is necessary for us to learn about them, so we can be prepared!
Flooding happens during heavy rains, when rivers overflow, when ocean waves come onshore, when snow melts too fast or when dams or banks break. Flooding is the most common of all natural disasters.
Hurricanes are severe tropical storms that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Evaporation(蒸发) from the sea water increases their power.
Hurricanes have winds at least 74 miles per hour. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars.
Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Tornadoes must always be taken seriously. Tornadoes can be very dangerous ---- sometimes even deadly. They come from powerful thunderstorms and appear as moving. Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour. They cause damage when they land the ground. They can damage an area one mile wide and 50 miles long.
While thunder won't hurt you ----lightning will! So it's important to pay attention when you hear thunder. Thunderstorms happen mostly in summer and every thunderstorm has lightning. Lightning can strike people and buildings, which is very dangerous.
Thunderstorms affect small areas when compared with hurricanes and winter storms. The typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts an average of 30 minutes.
A volcano is a mountain with a large opening at the top through which melting rock, steam, gases escape from time to time with violent force from inside the earth. When pressure increases, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening fill the air with small pieces. Eruptions can cause lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, falling ash and floods, which is likely to knock down entire forests, cause floods and earthquakes. Fresh volcanic ash can cause damage to the lungs of older people, babies and people with respiratory problems.
64. From the passage, we know that ______.
A. all natural disasters can be predicted 
B. all natural disasters are connected with the weather.
C. human beings can do nothing with natural disasters
D. the more we know about natural disasters, the less we will suffer.
65. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Flooding is the most common natural disaster. 
B. Hurricanes and tornadoes can land the ground and cause damage.
C. Thunder can strike people and buildings.          
D. Fresh volcanic ash can cause illnesses.

Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier,have better marriages and have more respectable occupations. Personal consultants give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants(被告).But in the executive circle,beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder,it is harmful to a woman.
Handsome male executives were thought as having more integrity than plainer men;effort and ability were thought to account for their success.
Attractive female executives were considered to have less integrity than unattractive ones;their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more integrity and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly,though,the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was attributed more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able?An attractive woman is thought to be more feminine and an attractive man more masculine(有男子气概的)than the less attractive ones. Thus,an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs,but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the “masculine” qualities required.
This is true even in politics. “When the only clue is how he or she looks,people treat men and women differently,”says Anne Bowman,who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs,one of men and one of women,in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again,in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males utterly defeated unattractive men,but the women who had been ranked most attractive invariably received the fewest votes.
【小题1】The underlined word “liability”(in Para.1)most probably means “________”.

A.misfortuneB.instabilityC.disadvantageD.burden
【小题2】In traditionally female jobs,attractiveness________.
A.reinforces(加强)the feminine qualities required
B.makes women look more honest and capable
C.is of primary importance to women
D.often enables women to succeed quickly
【小题3】Bowman's experiment reveals that when it comes to politics,attractiveness________.
A.turns out to be an obstacle to men
B.affects men and women alike
C.has as little effect on men as on women
D.is more of an obstacle than a benefit to women
【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often________.
A.practicalB.prejudicedC.old­fashionedD.pessimistic
【小题5】The author writes this passage to________.
A.demand equal rights for women
B.emphasize the importance of appearance
C.discuss the negative aspects of being attractive
D.give advice to job­seekers who are attractive

As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
【小题1】The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.

A.show the relationship between parents and children
B.teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C.report on the findings of a study
D.give information about family problems
【小题2】Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A.they are busy serving food to their children
B.they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
C.they have to pay more attention to younger children
D.they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
【小题3】By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.
A.have to help their parents to serve dinner
B.get the least attention from the family
C.are often kept away from the dinner table
D.find it hard to keep up with other children
【小题4】Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
A.why TV is important in family life
B.why parents should keep good order
C.why children in small families seem to be quieter
D.why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
【小题5】Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A.It is important to have the right food for children.
B.It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C.Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D.Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner

As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.

Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general, the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is. ”

The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”

1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ______.

A.report on the findings of a study

B.teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C.show the relationship between parents and children

D.give information about family problems

2.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ______.

A.they are busy serving food to their children

B.they have to pay more attention to younger children

C.they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

D.they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

3.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______.

A.have to help their parents to serve dinner

B.find it hard to keep up with other children

C.are often kept away from the dinner table

D.get the least attention from the family

4.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A.Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

B.It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C.It is important to have the right food for children.

D.Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.

 

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