In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities  of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

  Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

  At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

  Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

  There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

  When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!

Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?

   A. understanding.  B. honesty.   C. reliability.  D. a sense of humor.

 If you have fair weather friends, ______ .

   A. they will give you all that they have when you need help     

B. you will be refused when you get into trouble

   C. you will become rich   

D. you can be sure that you get real friends

Good friends need to ______.

   A. always point out each other's mistakes      B. be helped with money

   C. understand each other's feelings           D. have money or luck

This passage mainly discuss ______ .

   A. the qualities of a friend                  B. where to choose friends

C. how to get along with friends             D. the importance of having a friend

Is losing weight as simple as doing a 15-minute writing exercise? In a new study, women who wrote about their most important values, like close relationships or religion, lost more weight over the next few months than women who didn't. "We have this need to feel self-integrity (正直,诚实）,” says Christine Logel of the University of Waterloo. "When something threatens your sense that you're a good person, like failing a test, we can buffer（缓冲） that self-integrity by reminding ourselves how much we love our children, for example".

   For this study, the researchers recruited 45 female undergraduates, of whom 58% were overweight. Each woman was weighed, and was then given a list of important values, like creativity, music or relationships with friends and family members. Each woman ranked the values in order of how important they were to her. Then half the women were told to write for 15 minutes about the value that was most important to her. The other half, a control group, were told to write about why a value far down on their list might be important to someone else.

    The women came back months later to be weighed again. Women who had written about an important value lost an average of 3.41 pounds, while women in the control group gained an average of 2.76 pounds.

     "How we feel about ourselves can have a big effect," Logel says. Maybe when one of the women who wrote about an important value went home that night, she felt good about herself and didn't eat to make herself feel better. Over a few months, that could make a real difference in her life,

1.How can a 15-minute writing exercise of important values affect people?

  A. They will feel proud of themselves and gain weight gradually.

  B. They may feel good about themselves and then eat less than usual.

  C. They may continue writing and decide to become a professional writer.

  D. They will never have meals at night to make themselves lose weight.

2.What were the females required to do in the study?

  A. Only the control group was given a list of important values.

  B. Both groups ranked the values in order of importance to them.

  C. Each woman was weighed three times in the process of the study.

  D. The overweight women wrote about the value most important to them.

3.Which of the following persons may lose weight according to the new study?

  A. Mary who wrote about her own adventure.

  B. Catherine who described her illness in her writing.

  C. Shirley who wrote how much she loved her children.

  D. Alice who complained her boss in her diary.

4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

  A. Writing Benefits Women a Lot          

  B. Losing Weight Is Very Simple

  C. Writing Contributes to Losing Weight  

  D. Women Values Losing Weight

Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

Recite and repeat in conversation.

When you hear a person’s name，repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

Ask the other person to recite and repeat.

You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.

Admit you don’t know.

Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”

Use associations.

Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair. " To reinforce  your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

Go early.

Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others—an automatic review for you.

53. How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

A. They will be moved.                   B. They will be annoyed.

C. They will be delighted.                 D. They will be discouraged.

54. If you can't remember someone's name, you may __

A. tell him the truth                       B. tell him a white lie

C. ask him for pity                        D. ask others to help you

55. When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __

A. all their names                        B. a couple of names first

C. just their last names                    D. as many names as possible

56. What does the text mainly tell us?

A. Tips on an important social skill.         B. Importance of attending parties.

C. How to make use of associations.         D. How to recite and repeat names.

Colleges may try to do a lot to prepare students for study abroad – telling about culture shock, warning about homesickness, recommending books about the country. But when it comes to adjusting to campus life when they return, schools haven't done as much, even though the transition is sometimes almost as difficult.

   "They can feel disoriented and depressed. They find things are not exactly the way they were when they left," said Antonio Jimenez, director of the Center for International Affairs at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, California, US. "They find that people don't care much about their experiences."

   Some colleges are now rethinking their approach to study abroad, recognizing that students might need almost as much help adjusting to life back home as they did getting ready to leave: students experience a sort of reverse culture shock when they return to the US.

They might be troubled by the wealth and waste they see back home or they might feel homesick for their new country and its customs. And when they try to talk about their experiences, people quickly lose interest, especially if they haven't lived abroad themselves.

Down the road, they also might find it difficult to translate their time abroad into experience that an employer finds attractive.

Some California universities have organized conferences to help students make the most of their time abroad. During a one-day event, students learn how to adjust after living abroad, talk about their experiences and incorporate them into their lives and future careers.

Blythe Cherney, 22, a senior who has studied in Thailand and Britain, found the workshops helpful.

"Any experience abroad does have an effect on you," Cherney said. "When you come back, it's important to talk about it, especially with people who know what you've been through."

Yet most universities focus more on preparation than reorientation. When students return, they might have a welcome home reception. But for the most part, universities figure students can fend for themselves.

1.Which of the following is NOT the trouble that students face when they return from studying overseas?  

A. Culture shock                       B. Homesick for their new country

C. Losing interest in their homeland   D. Difficult transition

2.The wrier is _________ the help colleges offer for the students when they return from studying overseas?   

A. pleased with                     B. dissatisfied with

C. indifferent with                 D. proud of

3.The underlined word “workshops” refers to _________.   

A. conferences where people share their experiences

B. buildings where machines are made

C. shops where books are bought

D. labs where experiments are conduct

4.After the students come back_________.                   

A. They will easily find a good job.

B. People are very interested in their experiences.

C. They have to waste time and money.

D. They are confused and disappointed.

5.What is the passage mainly about?     

A. Overseas students experience culture shock in foreign countries. 

B. Some universities offer to help students in need.

C. Returned students find it difficult to translate their time abroad into experience.

D. Returning from studying overseas, students face more trouble than they expected.

Shopping in Singapore is really a pleasure for tourists. The Great Singapore Sale is held every year, usually during the summer months. Singapore’s famous shopping stores welcome a great number of visitors from all over the world. Their shopping hours last till midnight. During this time, nice and cheap goods are on sale for tourists to choose from. Tourists can also try delicious foods there and experience the Singaporean nightlife.
Certain stores offer discounts (折扣) of up to 70 percent or even higher if people use their credit cards. For tourists that hold a special Tourist Card, they can enjoy a lot of benefits, such as discounts on watches, jewelry and cosmetics (化妆品). The card also gives discounts when you visit local attractions such as the Singapore Zoo.
It is well worth checking out in the different shopping districts of Singapore during this 8-week Shopping Marathon. Orchard Road is surely the best place for shopping in the city. A large number of restaurants, clubs and cafes can be found in this area. Marina Bay includes both big department stores as well as small shops, so everything you would want to buy can be found here.
Advice for tourists planning to enjoy this festival of shopping: travel light and take a comfortable pair of shoes with you for you are sure to do a lot of walking and return with your bags much heavier.
53. You probably see the Great Singapore Sale when you go to Singapore in ______.
A. January                 B. August               C. May                      D. November
54. We can learn from the passage that ______. 
A. the Great Singapore Sale is held twice each year
B. the Shopping Marathon lasts for more than two months
C. Orchard Road is Singapore’s best shopping street
D. Marina Bay is a narrow street with small shops 
55. Why are tourists advised to travel light if they intend to enjoy the shopping festival?
A. They will buy many goods and have to do lots of walking.
B. It is not safe for them to take heavy bags with them.
C. There is heavy traffic in the shopping districts of Singapore. 
D. Travelling with too many things is not allowed in Singapore.
56. The author wrote this passage mainly to ______.
A. tell readers his or her experience and impression of visiting Singapore
B. help readers find the best shopping centres in Singapore
C. explain what has made Singapore popular around the world
D. introduce shopping in Singapore and attract more readers to go shopping there