C
The financial climate, the job market, family tensions, Obama moving into the Lincoln bedroom. Even the climate's getting in on the list. Yup, change is everywhere in 2009. If you're not careful, all kinds of strange things might happen in your otherwise ordered life, so it's best to work at avoiding change whenever it rears its head(出现).
Here are 5 ways to do just that:

1．Ignore any opportunities How many times have you taken a chance, only for things to go wrong? How many times have you seized an opportunity only/'or it to slip between your fingers? There's always another mess waiting for you, so it's better to stay right where you are. Where you are right now is a known quantity－it's safe, warm and comfortable. Doesn't that sound better than going out there, messing up and looking stupid?

2．Set your expectations low If you're one of the people out there looking to make a change in 2009 rather than having change made for you, you'd better set your expectations low.

3．Keep on running and don't look back The best thing to do is to set things out so that you can do everything. It's good to be busy and running around after everyone else will mean that everyone's happy and there's no room for change to happen. It's a win－win!

4．Recognize that most changes are too big Face it; there are some tasks you're just not up to. Landing that exciting new job, getting a promotion, taking on the 'big project' or building a relationship that really works－these are all big challenges and you don't want to bite off more than you can chew.

5．Ignore that little voice inside You might sometimes hear a little voice in your head that tells you you're not happy or that something has to change. This little trouble maker can speak up at any time and throw the Spanner of Confusion in the works, and it has only one thing on its mind－to take you out of your comfort zone and make you change.

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated(愤怒的) when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for ________.

A. wasting gold                         B. wasting wrapping paper

C. putting the box under the Christmas tree   D. bringing the gift to her father

What’s inside the box according to the little girl?

A. nothing           B. air 

C. kisses            D. gold wrapping paper

The father remembered the love of his daughter by ________.

A. kissing the gold box.                    B. putting gold into the box.

C. taking out an imaginary kiss from the box.   D. keeping the little girl’s ash box by his bed.

Choose the best title for the passage.

A. The kisses in the box.      B. A girl and his father 

C.  A love story            D. The box under the Christmas tree.

True love and kindness is needed in this world. It comes from appreciating the object, and rejoicing in the object, wanting the object to be happy and well, but holding it lightly, not tightly. And this goes for possessions too. You are in an extremely materialistic society in which the possession of more and bigger and better is held up as the total criteria(标准) for being happy.
What we own is not the problem; it’s our attitude towards our possessions. If we have something and we enjoy it, that’s fine. If we lose it, then that’s OK. But if we lose it and we are very attached to it in our heart, then that’s not fine. It doesn’t matter what the object is, because it’s not the object which is the problem. The problem is our own inner grasping mind that keeps us bound to the wheel, and keeps us suffering. If our mind was open and could just let thing flow naturally, there would be no pain. Do you understand? We need our everyday life to work on this, to really begin to see the greed of attachment in the mind and gradually begin to lessen and lessen it.
There is a famous story of a coconut, which is said to be used in India to catch monkeys. People take a coconut and make a little hole just big enough for a monkey to put its paw through. And inside the coconut, which is nailed to a tree, they have put something sweet. So the monkey comes along, sees the coconut, smells something nice inside, and he puts his hand in. he catches hold of the sweet inside, so now he has a fist. But the hole is too small for the fist to get out. When the hunters come back, the monkey is caught. But of course, all the monkey has to do is let go. Nobody’s holding the monkey except the monkey’s grasping greedy mind. Nobody is holding us on the wheel; we are clinging to it ourselves. There are no chains.
54. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Clinging Causes the Pain                       B. Don’t Learn from the Monkey
C. Giving Up is Holding                               D. Possessions are Pains
55. According to the first paragraph, which of the following statements is true?
A. The world now is lacking in true love.
B. Owning more means being happier in today’s society.
C. Today’s society is very realistic.                    
D. The society needs better criteria.
56. According to the passage, the monkey is caught because___________      .
A. the hunter is cleverer than the monkey   
B. the monkey wants to eat the sweet
C. the hole is too small for the monkey’s fist
D. the monkey doesn’t know giving up
57. Why did the author tell the story of the monkey?
A. Because he liked monkeys very much.
B. Because the story is very interesting.
C. Because he wants to explain the idea further.
D. Because he wants to make the passage attractive.

—Was it there _______ you were away to see your friend off?
—I’m not sure . But when I got back, it was gone.

       HANS Christian Andersen put Denmark on the map of the world literature with his stories The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid （小美人鱼） and The Ugly Duckling．Now Copenhagen, the country's capital, has become the center of the world political map, with 190 world leaders attending the climate talks there, not to mention thousands of reporters．

Just how much do you know about the Scandinavian country?

Denmark is famous for its design culture．At the heart of “Danish Design” is the idea that, as poet and designer Piet Hein puts it: “There is one art, not more, nor less, [and that is] to do all things with artlessness （朴实）”．

      Danish design places equal emphasis on practicality and quality．From Lego toys to furniture, Danish products are known for their clean lines, simplicity and functionality．“Remove material where it's not needed．Keep things simple and functional and make them carefully,” explained Hans J．Wegner, the first Danish designer to achieve worldwide fame: “The aim is not to create a work of art, but to produce a good chair．”

       “The Danes have done a better job than most in promoting arts in Europe, considering their country's size and population, in the fields of architecture, sculpture and design,” writes Helena Smith, reporter with British newspaper the Guardian．

       The simplicity of Danish design may extend to the quality of life there．Some even claim that the Danes have the highest quality of life of any nation in the world．

       Kate Vial, a 55-year-old American who has lived and worked in Denmark for more than 30 years, explaining why she chooses to live in Denmark rather than the US, told Germany's biggest news weekly Der Spiegel: “I just chose a simpler lifestyle, one where I could ride my bike all over and where I don't have to make a great living to survive．”

What’s the writer’s purpose of mentioning Denmark’s literature?

     A．To show the readers that Denmark is best known for its stories．

     B．To arouse readers’ interest in Denmark．

     C．To tell the readers that this passage is related to literature．

     D．To show why Denmark can attract so many political leaders．

What is Denmark famous for according to the passage?

     A．Design culture      B．Making chairs      

       C．Writing poems      D．Climate prediction

Which statement is true according to the passage?

     A．Danish design pays more attention to arts than its function．

     B．Danish products don’t need much material．

     C．Danish people like to keep simple life．

     D．Compared with other countries in Europe, Denmark does little in promoting arts．

In Piet Hein’s opinion, the characteristic of Danish culture is _____________．

     A．Creative            B．Complicated         C．Impractical      D．Simple

What is the best title for the passage?

     A．Danes conquer the world with simple designs．

     B．Denmark—a new political center．

     C．Life in Denmark．

     D．Designer’s idea of Denmark．