Real-life Friends
Most people know the saying: A man's best friend is his dog; and that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. However, dogs can’t offer advice or make you a cup of tea when you need one; and precious stones are cold comfort when you need a hug, and a shoulder to cry on.
What are Friends?
There are many ways to describe a friend. Friends are the family you can choose for yourself. Friends are a much better medication（医疗）than medication is, and people who spend time with friends are happier with their lives as they are less lonely.
A good friend will put you to bed when you’re lost consciousness. Ensure you’re not laid on your back, and remember to remove your shoes. You should be able to tell a true friend anything without being judged by them.
How do Friendships Begin?
This is an easy question. Find someone else who has similar interests with you. You now have another person to talk to about your shared interest but remember they like to talk too, so be prepared to shut up and listen once in a while. Hopefully they will have other friends and will introduce you to them, thereby expanding your circle.
Friendships which begin due to location, for example, next-door neighbors or school classmates, rarely survive transitions such as moving to other neighborhoods, schools, colleges, jobs, immigration, and so forth. Attend a school reunion and you’ll wonder what on earth you ever had in common with these people other than your age, although it is possible to have a friendship with someone you met at school. Mutually maintain it, and eventually become godparent or “uncle” to each others’ children.
How Friendships are Maintained
To have a friend you must also be a friend and be prepared to be there for them should they need you. Failure in this respect would label you a fair-weather friend and you would most probably be abandoned.
Boundaries
Like every other relationship you have in your life, there are boundaries you shouldn’t cross with your friends. One of those is money: Don’t lend to your friend and don’t ask for a loan yourself.
Friends are unpaid counselors（顾问）,but phoning them at 2 am because you’re awake and would like a chat is not a good idea. Neither is phoning them at 10 am if you know they’re a shift-worker. Friends are people who need some space and quiet time. Generally, it all boils down to mutual respect and understanding.
It’s not a good plan to interrupt your friend while they’re on a date/on holiday/attending an orchestral recital/at a funeral.
Trust
Trust is the most vital element in any relationship. If you’re not trustworthy then you probably don’t deserve friends, so try to remember that you promised to see that dull film with them or applaud them at their first attempt at a karaoke or an Open Mic night. If you have promised to look after their clothes while they go for a bet, then make sure you do. You might like to carry enough cash to help them out too, as you never know when that situation might be reversed.
Don’t lie to your friend: if they know you well they’ll know you’re lying or will at least be suspicious. If you find out something that you know will hurt your friend, be tactful（圆滑）. Do they need to know? Would they appreciate knowing? Can you tell their mum so she can break the news? Cowardly, yes, but mums usually have a much better way with words. Remember, if you do decide to tell them and it’s painful, they will probably need some time alone, after lashing out at（抨击）the closest thing—you. In that case, play the waiting game. Then don’t beat them up about it afterwards.
A Friend for Life
Strong friendships can last a lifetime with care and consideration. The benefits are multi-folds; you’ve got someone to share birthday cake with, and especially for single people, a pub meal or a trip to the cinema is no fun alone, is it? Plus it’s always nice to know there’s someone there for you, as you’re there for them, through the bad times as well as the good. Altogether now: Oh I get by with a little help from my friends. Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends.
【小题1】According to the passage we can learn that good friends should be ___________.

A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has  come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species

The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant and African savanna elephant

Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石)，mammoths and mastodons， the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.

The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephants and the African forest elephants have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.

There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.

Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.

Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purpose. Since 1950 all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (优先)for conservation purpose .”

1.One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of ________.

A. the Asian elephant                   B. the forest elephant

C. the savanna elephant                D. the mastodon elephant

2.The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 4means “________”

A. evolution        B. exhibition       C. separation         D. examination

 3.The researcher’s conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s _____

A. DNA           B. height          C. weight            D. population

4.What were Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?

A. The conservation of African elephants.      

B. The purpose of studying African elephants

C. The way to divide African elephants into two units

D. The reason for the distinction of African elephants

5.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Naturalist’s Belief about Elephants.     

B. Amazing Experiment about Elephants

C. An Unexpected Finding about Elephants   

D. A Long scientific Debate about Elephants

One day a few years ago, a very funny thing happened to a neighbor of mine. He is a teacher at one of London's big medical schools. He had finished his teaching for the summer term and was at the airport on his way to Russia to give a lecture.

   He had put a few clothes and his lecture notes in his shoulder bag , and he had put Rupert , the skeleton (人体骨架）to be used in his lecture , in a large brown suitcase. At the airport desk, he suddenly thought that he had forgotten to buy a newspaper. He left his suitcase near the desk and went over to the shop.

   When he got back, he discovered that someone had taken his suitcase by mistake. He often wonders what they said when they got home and found Rupert.

Who wrote the story?

   A. Rupert's teacher.                           B. The neighbor's teacher.

   C. A medical school teacher.                    D. The teacher's neighbor.

Why did the teacher put a skeleton in his suitcase?

   A. He needed it for the summer term in London.

   B. He needed it for the lecture he was going to give.

   C. He wanted to take it to Russia for medical research.

   D. He wanted to take it home as he had finished his teaching.

What happened at the airport?

   A. The skeleton went missing.                 B. The skeleton was stolen.

   C. The teacher forgot his suitcase.              D. The teacher took the wrong suitcase.

Which of the following best tells the teacher's feeling about the incident?

   A. He was angry.                            B. He thinks it very funny.

   C. He feels helpless without Rupert.             D. He feels good without Rupert.

Which of the following might have happened afterwards?

A. The teacher got back the suitcase but not Rupert.

   B. The teacher got back neither the suitcase nor Rupert.

   C. The teacher got back Rupert but not the suitcase.

   D. The teacher got back both the suitcase and Rupert.

I’ve often puzzled over something that happened to me one winter when I was eight. Over the years I had been wondering if my  31 was nothing more than a kid’s imagination.
There was a  32  near our house. In winter it was the greatest  33 place in the world. One  34 all I wanted to do was go skating. I had been waiting for weeks  35  the water was frozen solid. Mom had one rule: “Never ice-skate alone.” But I couldn’t  36 any longer that afternoon. So I  37 my skates under my coat and ran to the pond. Several people were skating near the shore, and some kids were playing hockey．I was not really  38 ．
The hockey game had attracted   39 audience, so I skated in the other direction until their cheering  40  . But another noise came soon. The ice was cracking beneath me. Freezing water  41  my body, and I sank like a rock.  My feet  42   the bottom. Just when I thought I wouldn’t last another 43 , I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” someone said. I swung my 44 around. I couldn’t see anybody. But I heard the voice again，“Push your feet into the bottom and you’ll shoot straight up to the surface.” I did as I was told and  45 . I crawled to the shore and lay down,  46 ．The next thing I knew was people were   47   around me, covering me with coats.   
When I awoke, I was home in my own bed. Mom sat next to me,   48  my hand. “I saw nobody there. It must be an angel that came to my  49 ．” I said. Mom smiled, “I just thank God you’re safe.”
For a long time I thought I would  50 a more realistic explanation if I just thought hard, but I never did.

You can tell a lot about a person from the clothes they wear, but you can also tell a lot about a person simply from the handbags they carry. It's hard to believe, but you can find out a number of things about a woman's personality just by looking at the type of handbag she carries. Below you will find a number of handbag styles and colors as well as what each specific type of handbag says about the owner.

Styles:

Under-the Shoulder – handbags which are smaller and fit tightly underneath the shoulder indicate class and sophistication. A women working in an upscale office or someone of high status would choose this form of handbag.

Big and Bulky – Big, bulky and oversized bags are casual and are often associated with younger individuals. These are used for individuals who carry a number of things (binders, books etc) and require a lot of space. Down-to-earth, lower-maintenance women would carry this type of handbag.

Designer – Designer handbags often cost an arm and a leg and therefore are usually associated with high-maintenance females. Females who are confident and require top of the line accessories will settle for nothing less than a name-brand designer purse. Guys watch out for these girls, they tend to be a handful.

Cigar Box Purses – A women who carries a cigar box purse likes to be unique and stand out from the crowd. These women have minds of their own and cannot be told what to do. They are comfortable in their own skin and tend to be very independent.

Leather with Buckles and Zippers – women who choose leather purses with lots of buckles and zippers are leashing out their wild sides. These women tend to act before they think and are always ready for a good time. The extra buckles and zippers tend to signify a "bad girl" image.

Colors:

Bright Colors – Bright colored handbags like pink, purple, bright blue and green indicate that the woman is fun, friendly and approachable. Women who are out-going and sociable will tend to choose these colors. This is the type of woman who will strike up a conversation with a complete stranger.

Black and Brown – women who choose black or brown handbags tend to be more formal in manners and are often mistaken as being snobby or restricted. These types of handbags are often associated with down-to-earth women, who are shy at first, but open up after a while. They tend to exude a shy confidence, which is sometimes mistaken as someone who thinks she's better than others.

The style and color of your handbag says a lot about you. Choose your handbag very carefully and remember you can choose more than one style. You may feel like being reserved one day and the center of attention another…it's natural to want different things in life.

1. Who is likely to start a conversation with a complete stranger according to the passage?

2.Women who choose leather purses with lots of buckles and zippers probably ______.

3.A woman who carries a cigar box purse likes to ______.