Assertiveness is the ability to confidently express your opinions, feelings,attitudes, and rights, in a way that doesn't infringe（侵犯） the rights of others.

    Many of us are taught that it is not nice to consider our own needs above those of others. If someone says or does something that we don't like, we should just be quiet and try to stay away from that person in the future.

    Why is Assertiveness important?

     If you don't know how to be assertive, you might experience:

•Depression - Anger, a sense of being helpless, hopeless, or of having no　control over your life.

•Resentment - Anger at others for taking advantage of you.

•Frustration - Why did I allow that to happen?

     Most people find it easier to be assertive in some situations than in others. This　makes perfect sense. It's a lot easier to hold your ground with a stranger than with　someone you love. But the more important the relationship is to you, the more　ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ it is to be assertive. Assertive behavior leads to increased respect from others！

      But before you decide to act assertively, you have to decide if you can live

 with the results. Although assertive behavior usually will result in a positive

 response  (积极的回应)，some people 　might react differently.

   How to be effectively（有效地） assertive:

 •Use "I" statements. Keep the focus on the problem you're having. "I'd like to be able to tell my stories without interruption." instead of "You're always interrupting my stories ! "

 •Use facts, not opinions. "Did you know that shirt has a hole?" instead of　"You're not going out looking like THAT, are you?"

 •Express ownership of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions. "I get angry when he breaks his promises. " instead of "He makes me angry. "

 • Make clear and direct requirements. Don't invite the person to say no. "Will  you please?" instead of　'Would you mind．．．?" or "Why don't you．．．?"

•Keep repeating your point. Use a low level and pleasant voice. Don't try to explain yourself.

1.The writer probably agrees that­­­____________.

A. you should consider others' response before you act assertively

B. you should be assertive if you want to get good marks

C. assertiveness is the ability to infringe others' rights.

D. assertive behavior will bring you bad feelings

2.The expression "hold yourｇround" probably means “_________________”

A. reach an agreement

B. insist on your point

C. keep your word

D. keep on fighting

3.Which of the following helps you to be effectively assertive?

A. Explaining yourself in a soft and sweet voice.

B. Expressing ownership of others' thoughts.

C. Making requirements directly and clearly.

D. Using your opinions instead of facts.

Ruby , the artist , is an Asian elephant . She is 17 years old. She lives in the zoo. Ruby has produced about 100 paintings since last year. She has made more than $40,000 for the zoo. Zoo leaders say Ruby first showed the talent（才能） about four years ago. Zoo workers watched her make the marks （线条）in the sand with her trunk象鼻）. She rubbed（擦掉） out the marks, then made the new ones. The zoo worker gave her brushes and paints（颜料）. Soon Ruby was painting pictures. Newspaper reporters wrote about Ruby, then people asked about buying her pictures. And in this way she made a lot of money for the zoo by painting.

This is how Ruby does the paintings. A zoo worker hold different colour paints. Ruby touches the colours she wants. Then the worker gives her brushes with the chosen colours in her trunk and Ruby begins painting.

(　 ) 71. We can most probably read this story in ______

A. a dictionary of the world of animals

B. newspapers　 C. a book on art　 D. history textbooks

(　 ) 72. Ruby first learned to draw pictures______

A. when it was very young

B. with brushes and paints

C. to sell them to the people

D. in the sand with her trunk

(　 ) 73. People asked about buying Ruby’s pictures because______

A. newspaper reporters bought her pictures

B. her pictures were better than those of real artists

C. they just wanted to have fun

D. zoo workers would let them have a free visit to the park

(　 ) 74. Ruby rubbed out the marks she had drawn in order to ____

A. made other ones　　　 B. clean her trunk

C. dig a hole in the sand　 D. ask for brushes and paints

(　 ) 75. From the story we can know that _____

A. Ruby can paint a picture all by itself.

B. Ruby can draw better pictures than the other animals in the zoo.

C. Ruby has to finish a painting with the help of zoo workers

D. Ruby will ask for money if she finishes a picture

It is very important to be able to control（控制) yourself. Losing control may bring things that you would never want to see. We can learn something from the following story.

　 Once a boy often made trouble. His mother gave him many nails（钉子）. She told him to hammer（锤，钉）one in the garden fence every time he lost his patience and fought with someone. The first day he hammered 27 nails. In the following weeks he learned how to control himself better and the number of nails hammered became smaller and smaller. He learned it was easier to control himself than to hammer nails.

　 The day finally came when he didn’t hammer any nails. He went to tell his mother about it. Then his mother told him to pull off a nail from the fence each time he didn’t lose his patience. After some days he told his mother that all the nails had been pulled off, Thus, she took him to the fence and said to him, “You’ve behaved well, but look at all the holes in the fence. The fence will never be again like it was before. When you fight with someone, you leave wounds（伤口）in him like these. The trouble may be over, but the wounds will always be there.”

　 So, learn to control yourself before you hammer the nail in the fence. Try not to leave any holes in your past.

(　 ) 51. Why did the mother give her son nails?

　 A. To put the garden fence right.　　　　 B. To help him understand something.　　　　

　 C. To put them away.　　　　　　　　　 D. To make him lose patience.

(　 ) 52. When did the boy hammer a nail?

A. When he brought things to his mother.　　 B. When he repaired his fence.

C. When he fought with others.　　　　　　 D. When he leave a hole in the garden.

(　 ) 53. What’s the best title of this passage?

A.A Special Way My Mother taught me　　　 B. How to Hammer Nails

C. How to Pull Off a Nail　　　　　　　　 D. Never Fight with Others

Assertiveness is the ability to confidently express your opinions, feelings,attitudes, and rights, in a way that doesn't infringe（侵犯） the rights of others.
Many of us are taught that it is not nice to consider our own needs above those of others. If someone says or does something that we don't like, we should just be quiet and try to stay away from that person in the future.
Why is Assertiveness important?
If you don't know how to be assertive, you might experience:
?Depression - Anger, a sense of being helpless, hopeless, or of having no　control over your life.
?Resentment - Anger at others for taking advantage of you.
?Frustration - Why did I allow that to happen?
Most people find it easier to be assertive in some situations than in others. This　makes perfect sense. It's a lot easier to hold your ground with a stranger than with　someone you love. But the more important the relationship is to you, the more　ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ it is to be assertive. Assertive behavior leads to increased respect from others！
But before you decide to act assertively, you have to decide if you can live
with the results. Although assertive behavior usually will result in a positive
response  (积极的回应)，some people 　might react differently.
How to be effectively（有效地） assertive:
?Use "I" statements. Keep the focus on the problem you're having. "I'd like to be able to tell my stories without interruption." instead of "You're always interrupting my stories ! "
?Use facts, not opinions. "Did you know that shirt has a hole?" instead of　"You're not going out looking like THAT, are you?"
?Express ownership of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions. "I get angry when he breaks his promises. " instead of "He makes me angry. "
? Make clear and direct requirements. Don't invite the person to say no. "Will  you please?" instead of　'Would you mind．．．?" or "Why don't you．．．?"
?Keep repeating your point. Use a low level and pleasant voice. Don't try to explain yourself

1. 1.

   The writer probably agrees that______.

   1. A.
      you should consider others' response before you act assertively
   2. B.
      you should be assertive if you want to get good marks
   3. C.
      assertiveness is the ability to infringe others' rights
   4. D.
      assertive behavior will bring you bad feelings
2. 2.

   The expression "hold yourｇround" probably means “______”

   1. A.
      reach an agreement
   2. B.
      insist on your point
   3. C.
      keep your word
   4. D.
      keep on fighting
3. 3.

   Which of the following helps you to be effectively assertive?

   1. A.
      Explaining yourself in a soft and sweet voice
   2. B.
      Expressing ownership of others' thoughts
   3. C.
      Making requirements directly and clearly
   4. D.
      Using your opinions instead of facts