I'm fat, I'm too skinny．I'd be happy if I were taller, shorter, had curly hair, straight hair, a smaller nose, bigger muscles, longer legs．

Do any of these statements sound familiar? Are you used to putting yourself down? If so, you' re not alone．As a teen, you're going through many changes in your body．And as your body changes, so does your image of yourself．Lots of people have trouble adjusting, and this can affect their self-esteem （自尊） ．

If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself the way you are．This healthy attitude allows you to explore other aspects of growing up, such as developing good friendships, growing more independent from your parents, and challenging yourself physically and mentally．Developing these parts of yourself can help boost （提升） yourself-esteem．

A positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle （such as exercising and eating right） are a great combination for building good self-esteem．

Some people think they need to change how they look or act to feel good about themselves． But actually all you need to do is change the way you see your body and how you think about yourself．

The first thing to do is recognize that your body is your own, no matter what shape, size or color it comes in．If you are very worried about your weight or size, check with your doctor to verify （核实） that things are OK．But it is no one's business but your own what your body is like—ultimately, you have to be happy with yourself．

Next, identify which aspects of your appearance you can realistically change and which you can't．Everyone has things about themselves that they can't change and need to accept—like their height, for example, or their shoe size．

When you hear negative comments coming from within yourself, tell yourself to stop．Try building your self-esteem by giving yourself three good things every day．By focusing on the good things you do and the positive aspects of your life, you can change how you feel about yourself．

The most important thing is to get help if you feel like your body image and self-esteem are affecting your life．

1.If we have a positive body image, we will_____．

    A．concentrate on our body image only      B．not develop strong self-esteem

    C．like and accept ourselves as we are    D．be less independent of our parents

2.______ can NOT help to boost your self-esteem．

    A．Growing independent from your parents

    B．Accepting your own body as it actually is

    C．Having a positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle

    D．Improving your body image as much as you can

3.To improve our body image, we have to _____．

    A．think about ourselves                   B．be happy with ourselves

    C．change the shape, size or color of one's body

    D．check with our doctor to verify that our body is OK

4.Which is probably the best title of the passage?

    A．Importance of Body Image                B．Effects on a Person's Self-esteem

    C．Tips for Improving Body Image           D．Self-esteem and Body Image

When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-kilometre-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

“Storm chasing (追赶)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.

Although anyone can do it, storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm chasing vacations during the storm season.

Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure or excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm chasing. Sometimes you can sit round for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”

However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature. It is the greatest show on Earth.”

36. For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to 　　　　．

　 A. head straight for the center of the storm　 B. get into the car for safety

　 C. wait patiently for the storm to develop　　 D. collect information about a coming storm

37. Beginners of storm chasing are advised 　　　　．

　 A. not to drive in a heavy rain　　　　 B. to do it in an organized way

　 C. not to get too close to a storm　　　 D. to spend more time on it in summer

38. By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that 　　　　．

　 A. storm chasing costs a lot of money　　 B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting

　 C. efforts in storm chasing are well paid　 D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

39. What can we learn from the text? 　　　　．

　 A. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment

　 B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.

　 C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world

D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

40. According to the passage, the right order in which the following things happen is_________.

a. collect information about a coming storm

b. get into their cars and go a long way for the area where the storm will be

c. determine on the months between March and July

d. be patient and waits for the storm to develop

A. c, d, a, b　 B. c, a, d, b　 C. a, c, d, b　　 D. c, a, b, d

When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-kilometre-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

“Storm chasing (追赶)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.

Although anyone can do it, storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm chasing vacations during the storm season.

Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure or excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm chasing. Sometimes you can sit round for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”

However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature. It is the greatest show on Earth.”

36. For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to 　　　　．

A. head straight for the center of the storm　 B. get into the car for safety

C. wait patiently for the storm to develop D. collect information about a coming storm

37. Beginners of storm chasing are advised 　　　　．

A. not to drive in a heavy rain　　　　 B. to do it in an organized way

C. not to get too close to a storm D. to spend more time on it in summer

38. By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that 　　　　．

A. storm chasing costs a lot of money　　 B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting

C. efforts in storm chasing are well paid　 D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

39. What can we learn from the text? 　　　　．

A. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment

B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.

C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world

D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

40. According to the passage, the right order in which the following things happen is_________.

a. collect information about a coming storm

b. get into their cars and go a long way for the area where the storm will be

c. determine on the months between March and July

d. be patient and waits for the storm to develop

A. c, d, a, b　 B. c, a, d, b　 C. a, c, d, b　　 D. c, a, b, d

Much meaning can be conveyed, clearly, with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.
Do you have such kind of experience? In a bus you may look at a stranger, but not too long. And if he is sensing that he is being stared at, he may feel uncomfortable.
The same is in daily life. If you are looked at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you. If nothing goes wrong, you will feel angry toward other’s stare at you that way. Eyes do speak, right?
Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive. But things are different when it comes to stare at the opposite sex. If a man glances at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to avert his gaze, his intentions are obvious. That is, he wishes to attract her attention, to make her understand that he is admiring her.
However, the normal eye contact for two people engaged in conversation is that the speaker will only look at the listener from time to time; in order to make sure that the listener does pay attention to hat the former is speaking, to tell him that he is attentive. 
If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking, as if he tries to dominate you, you will feel disconcerted. A poor liar usually expose s himself by looking too long at the victim, since he believes the false ides that to look straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication.
In fact, continuous eye contact is confined to lovers only, who will enjoy looking at each other tenderly for a long time, to show affection that words cannot express.
Evidently, eye contact should be done according to the relationship between two people and specific situation.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

When we can see well, we do not think about our eyes often．It is only when we can not see perfectly that we come to see how important our eyes are．

       People who are nearsighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes．Many people who do a lot of close work, such as writing and reading, become nearsighted．Then they have to wear glasses in order to see distant things clearly．

       People who are farsighted face just the opposite problem．They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty reading a book unless they hold it at arm’s length．If they want to do much reading, they must get glasses too．

       Other people do not see clearly because their eyes are not exactly the right shape．This, too, can be corrected by glasses．Some people’s eyes become cloudy because of cataracts．Long ago these people often became blind．Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them．

       When night falls, colors become fainter to the eyes and finally disappear．After your eyes have grown used to the dark, you can see better if you use the side of your eyes rather than the centers．Sometimes, after dark, you see a small thing to one side of you, which seems to disappear if you turn your head in its direction．This is because when you turn your head, you are looking at the thing too directly．Men on guard duty sometimes think they see something moving to one side of them．When they turn to look straight at it, they can not see it any more, and they believe they were mistaken．However, this mistake happens because the center of the eye, which is very sensitive in daylight, is not as sensitive as the sides of the eye after dark．

1．We don’t know that our eyes are of great importance until ________．

       A．we think about our eyes                    B．we cannot see clearly

       C．we wear glasses                           D．we have to do much reading

2．According to the passage, a ________ is more likely to be nearsighted．

       A．student              B．doctor              C．guard               D．painter

3．People who are farsighted ________．

       A．can do a lot of close work without glasses

       B．can only see things that are very close to their eyes

       C．have difficulty reading a book if they hold it at arm’s length

       D．can correct their eyes by glasses

4．To see a small thing at night, it is better to look ________ ．

       A．with wide open eyes                          B．with half shut or narrowed eyes

       C．straight at it                               D．in a slightly different direction