---How do you find the latest movie Avatar by James Cameron.

 --- _______. I can’t think too highly of it.

 A. It’s not to my taste            B. It all depends.

 C. Quite by accident .            D. It’s really wonderful.

An elderly woman died and several other passengers were critically injured when a crowded Virgin express train crashed in Cumbria last night.

     A huge rescue operation involving RAF helicopters and dozens of ambulances arrive. After passengers were trapped in the train for more than four hours because fallen power line poles made access for emergency workers difficult.

     Authorities reported up to 80 injuries. Thirteen people were taken to hospital in a“critical or serious condition.”

     Between 180 and 200 passengers were on the 5:15pm Virgin service from London Euston to Glasgow Central when all nine carriages left the rails between Oxenholme and Tebay. Witnesses said that the train shook violently before toppling(倾斜) over into an embankment(筑堤)with at least four carriages overturning. Early this morning, authorities confirmed an elderly woman had died and some other passengers had suffered injuries including back strains, head wounds and broken bones.

     Ruth Colton, a passenger on the train, said she was reading a book when the journey became uncomfortable. It seemed that the train was being beaten by heavy winds,“as if we were on a plane”.

     The accident brought concerns that Britain's busiest rail route would be crippled(瘫痪)for some time. The line between Preston and Carlisle was postponed as Virgin Trains promised a rapid investigation into the “serious incident”—the company's first big crash.

     It is understood that the investigation will examine whether there was an obstacle on the track and the possibility of speeding or mechanical breakdown. The driver, who was injured, will be interviewed and a black-box recorder installed in the train will be examined.

What made the rescue come so late?

    A. It's not accessible to reach the accident spot.

    B. No enough helicopters and ambulances could be found at that time.

    C. It was too far from hospital to Cumbria.

    D. No one called the emergency center.

According to the passage, the busiest rail route in Britain is          

    A. From Preston to Carlisle         B. Between Euston and Glasgow

    C. From Oxenholme to Tebay       D. Between Virgin and Pendolino

What does the underlined word “critical”mean?

     A. Important.      B. Careless.     C. Dangerous.      D. Surprising.

Which of the following is the possible cause of the accident?

     A. Careless driving.                 B. Heavy wind.

     C. Over loading.                    D. Obstacle on the track.

We can learn from the passage that Virgin Trains               

     A. made no quick reaction to this accident

     B. seldom had so serious an accident before

     C. had made full preparations for the accident

     D. didn't mind how many passengers the train can hold

Are you an optimist? Do you look at your glass and see it as half full? Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that things generally turn out for the best? Do you believe that if something is meant to be, it will be? If you reply “yes” to all of these questions, then you are an optimist. You probably are enthusiastic, cheerful and outgoing. You may be successful at work and in love.

But you may be misguided because things don’t turn out for the best. You may believe that when one door closes another one opens (for example, you may fail to obtain a new job; another chance will come around soon). Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams (砰然关上) in your face. That’s bitter reality.

Now a book has been published which confirms what pessimists (悲观者) have suspected all along. It’s called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism. Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results. Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear, anxiety and worry. Defensive pessimists prepare for the things by setting low outcomes for themselves. They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems. And this gives them a sense of control. Lawrence Sanno, a psychology professor, says, “What’s interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people, so their low opinion of the situation’s outcomes is not realistic. They use it to motivate themselves to perform better.”

So far, so good. This is not rocket science. Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan. There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” And “Don’t count your chickens until they hatch.” To have a confident and optimistic approach to life’s problems is good. But listen to what Woody Alien, the American comedian says, “Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”

There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist. Don’t feel bad if you see the glass half empty. You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A. A book that has recently been published.

B. How to become successful in life.

C. The dangers of being too optimistic.

D. The benefits of defensive pessimism.

2.The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” (Para. 4) means __________.

A. it’s not a dangerous thing to do

B. it is quite simple to understand

C. the cost is not so high   

D. there is no real proof

3.Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?

A. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

B. The glass is half full not half empty.

C. Whatever will be, will be.

D. Every cloud has a silver lining.

4.The writer would probably describe himself as __________.

A. an optimist            B. a   defeatist           C. a realist                  D. a scientist

  根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项是多余的。  

Shopping is not as simple as you may think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand of product on the shelf.

  1  . Health foods are packaged in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors. Ice cream packers are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver.

  2  . Recently, some kind of pain killer was brought out, but researchers found it didn’t sell well, because the color made the product look weak and ineffective. Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package -- because we think of blue as safe, and white as calm.

 3  . But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to.

    It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 percent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!

The most successful producers know the troth:   4  . The founder of Pears soup, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote their goods, came to the conclusion: “  5  .”

A. It’s not enough to have a good product.

    B. Coloring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell.

    C. Any fool can make soup, but it takes a genius to sell it.

    D. The colors tricked the customers into shopping.

    E. The size of a product can attract a shopper.

    F. A good product is an advantage.

G. The colors turned the customers off.

If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, it is worth examining your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.

   Setting a Bright Alarm Clock

   The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.

   Counting Sheep

When you just can’t  fall asleep, it’s useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you’ll be going back to bed really tired.

   Exercising Late at Night?

Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That’s why you don’t want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的)  physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level—both are bad for a good night’s sleep.

1.What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?

A. It’s not good to fail to fall asleep at night.

B. People in a good company often have sleeping problems.

C. There are many people who have sleeping problems.

D. You should find someone to talk to if you can’t fall asleep.

2.The underlined part “hitting the sack” in the last paragraph means “______”.

A. going back home                      B. going to bed

C. going to the gym                      D. falling asleep

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. The bad results of getting too little sleep.

B. Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake.

C. What to do if you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes.

D. Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy.