I was painfully shy as a child. In high school I would avoid participating in class discussions. I was too afraid to talk to anyone but my closest friends~ I would think about being less shy, wanting the courage not only to ask a girl out, but to speak up in class and say what I was thinking. Yet, it never happened. Fears showed themselves in such self-conscious questions as, " What will other people think?  What if she says no?" I felt a dark presence in my mind holding me back.

This shyness continued into college. One day, the question occurred to me: Is life shy?

The thought surprised me ! Think of the leaves bursting out in the spring time, the bird singing at dawn, the sheer number of different forms of life, all expressing the wideness and scope of divine life. There's nothing shy about it. Life is everywhere and attention-grabbing (引人注意的). So, if my creator isn't shy about all the life that needs expressing, I don't need to be either.

I realized that if I wanted to overcome fear and shyness, I would have to put this law of life into practice~ Shyness, fear, and loneliness were hindering me from living my life as life: God wanted me to live it. Therefore, I decided to live how life saw me.

One example: I wrote a note to a girl, asking her out on a date. Even as I was writing it, the fears of disaffirmation and unworthiness came to me. This time however, instead of shrinking back and hiding from the fear, I put the note in the campus mail in spite of myself. I thought: whether she says yes or no, it's still right for me not to be shy. I can live with the confidence sent from the source of my life. The girl saw me in class the next day and told me that she would love to go out with me. I should not have been so surprised!

Bit by bit, I was proving that the limited view of myself no longer had control over me.  After college, I worked as a newspaper reporter, earned an advanced degree in theater, became a productive writer (a lifelong dream), met a special woman whom I married, and even got a job teaching at a university.

1.The writer was shy as a child because of______.

A．awareness that life is shy

B．lack of courage to speak out in public

C．fear of others' attitude and reaction

D．failure in his participation in class discussion

2."The law" in Paragraph 4 refers to the fact that______.

A．life is attention-grabbing and divine

B．God treats everything and everyone fairly

C．everything in nature is in the favour of God

D．the creator of life which needs expressing isn't shy

3.It can be learnt from Paragraph 5 that the writer______.

A．didn't hesitate before sending the note

B．wouldn't regret sending the note despite the result

C．was not surprised when the girl agreed to go out

D．believed in God and felt encouraged by the wideness of life

4.The underlined word "disaffirmation" in Paragraph 5 probably means______.

A．rejection          B．laughter           C．regret            D．horror

5.The purpose of writing the text is to______.

A．blame those who are shy and unconfident

B．persuade people to have confidence in their career

C．share the personal experience with the readers

D．prove that the overcome of shyness helps achieve success

I took my 9-year-old daughter，Suzan and 5-year-old son，Robbie to the shopping centre．As we got there，we saw a big sign that said，“Petting Zoo”．The kids jumped up and asked，“Daddy，can we go?”

Both my wife and I were out of work．However，I said，“Sure”，giving them a quarter each. They went away, leaving only fifty cents left in my pocket．

A petting zoo is made up of a hundred of little baby animals of all kinds．Kids pay their money and stay in the enclosure(围场)pleased with the little animals while their parents shop．

A few minutes later，I saw Suzan walking along behind me．I was surprised and asked what was wrong．

She said sadly，“Well，Daddy，a ticket for Petting Zoo costs fifty cents．So I gave Robbie my quarter．” Then she said the most beautiful thing I ever heard．She repeated the family motto(座右铭)，which is “Love is Action!”

I knew clearly no one loves little animals more than Suzan. She had watched both my wife and me do and say "Love is Action!” for years，and now she had put it into her lifestyle．It had become part of her，because she knew the whole family motto．It’s not only “Love is Action”；it’s “Love is SACRIFICAL(牺牲的)Action!" Love always pays a price．

I was moved．We went back to the Petting Zoo．Suzan stood with her hands and chin(下巴)resting on the fence and just watched Robbie go crazy petting and feeding the animals．I had fifty cents burning a hole in my pocket. I put my hand into my pocket and took out the money．Sure，I must do that !

1.What is the best title for this passage?

A．A Petting Zoo．                        B．Try Your Best to Help Others．

C．An Attractive Shopping Centre．           D．Love Is Sacrificial Action!

2.The underlined part “the most beautiful thing” in Paragraph 5 refers to ．

A．the Petting Zoo                         B．the family motto

C．their lifestyle                           D．the ticket for Petting Zoo

3.Which of the following best describes Suzan?

A．Unselfish．        B．Healthy．         C．Childish．         D．Clever．

4.What might happen next according to the story?

A．The author would buy Suzan some candies．

B．The author would get angry with Robbie．

C．Suzan would play happily with the little animals．

D．The author would play together with Suzan．

The other day, I received a most unexpected message in response to one of my essays: I am so proud of you and all you have accomplished. I shared your opinion …

It was signed Margaret Leibfried, who was my English teacher — a teacher who appeared at a vital (关键) point in my life and helped me believe that I could become a writer.

Thirty years ago, I entered high school as an introvert (性格内向的人) made all the more shy because I was the school’s only nonwhite student. I always felt in danger of being swept away by a sea of tall white athletes. I spent a lot of time alone, reading and writing stories, hoping to escape being teased.

Ms. Leibfried taught American literature and composition grammar, which involved the usual memorizing vocabulary, but also, thrillingly, reading novels.

Thrilling to me, that is. Many of my classmates expressed dislike for novels because they were “not real.” For once, I didn’t care what they thought. Ms. Leibfried seemed to notice my interest in both reading and writing, and she took the time to make me feel less shy; she even offered me reading suggestions, like one of her favorite novels, “The Bell Jar.”

That year’s big project was a book report, to be read aloud to the class. However, Ms. Leibfried suggested I do something “a little different.” Instead of a report, I chose a passage from “The Bell Jar” that I considered as the best to recite.

The morning of the presentations, I remember my hands sweating so badly as I walked to the front of the class that I kept my hands crossed, so I wouldn’t wipe them on my blouse.

When I finished, to my surprise, the class applauded. “Marie has picked out a particularly sensitive piece of writing and delivered it beautifully,” Ms. Leibfried said, smiling. I felt, maybe for the first time, confident.

1.What was the author’s high school life like before she met Ms. Leibfried?

2.In Paragraph 5, the author mainly tells us         .

3.Why did Ms. Leibfried ask the author to recite a passage in front of the class?

4.How did the author feel when she made the presentation?

5.What was the author’s purpose in writing the text?

Eating foods high in trans-fats(fats present in artificial form in industrially-produced cakes and fast food...) and saturated (饱和的) fats increases the risk of depression, according to a Spanish study, confirming previous studies that linked “junk food” with the disease. Researchers also showed that some products, such as olive oil, can fight against the risk of mental illness.

Authors of the wide-reaching study, from the universities of Navarra and Las Palmas, followed and analyzed the diet and lifestyle of over l2,000 volunteers over six years. When the study began, none of the participants had been diagnosed with depression; by the end, 657 of them were new sufferers.

“Participants with an increased consumption of trans-fats presented up to a 48 percent increase in the risk of depression when they were compared to participants who did not consume these fats,” the head study author said. “The more trans-fats were consumed, the greater harmful effect they produced in the volunteers.”

The research team found, at the same time, that after assessing the effect of polyunsaturated fats made up of larger amounts of fish and vegetable oils and olive oil, these products are associated with a lower risk of suffering depression.

The report, published in the online journal PLOS ONE, noted the research was performed on a European population that enjoys a relatively low intake of trans-fats—making up only 0.4 percent of the total energy taken in by the volunteers. “Despite this, we observed an increase in the risk of suffering depression of nearly 50 percent,” said researcher Miguel Martinez. “On this basis we think it of great importance to take this effect into account in countries like the United States, where the percentage of energy derived from these fats is around 2.5 percent.”

The report pointed out that the current number of depression sufferers in the world is around l50 million people, and has increased in recent years. This rise is attributable, according to the authors, “to great changes in the sources of fats consumed in Western diets, where we have replaced certain types of beneficial fats in nuts, vegetable oils and fish with the saturated and trans-fats found in meats, butter and other products such as mass-produced cakes and fast food.”

1.What's the best title of the text?

A．Junk Food and Depression                B．Depression Prevention

C．Types of Fats and Depression               D．Depression Research

2.Which of the following increases the risk of suffering depression?

A．Fish.             B．Vegetable oil.       C．Olive oil.          D．Butter.

3.The study tells us that         .

A．2.5% Americans suffer mental illness

B．l2,000 volunteers in Navarra took part

C．a minority of participants became new sufferers

D．l50 million Europeans enjoy a healthier lifestyle

4.The underlined word “derived” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to         .

A．obtained          B．chosen           C．separated         D．preserved

5.More and more Westerners are suffering depression because         .

A．they have less time for exercise

B．they eat more nuts, vegetable oils and fish

C．the sources of fats in their diets have changed

D．less meat, butter, and cakes are included in their diets

These days, young children can enjoy directly what it is like to be a marine biologist (海洋生物学家) at a marine association. What they discover can lead them to appreciate and protect the ocean and also the animals living in it.

At the present time, learning isn’t only limited to the classroom. It’s quite common for kids to learn from outdoor experiences. Teachers commonly take their pupils on field trips to museums as well as other interesting areas. If you wish to help pupils to take care of the ocean, one of the best areas to take them to is a marine association, the place where the ocean biome (生物圈) is shown.

Taking your pupils to a marine association is a prefect way to help them learn. Education professionals agree that there are topics that children can learn more successfully whenever they experience them directly.

Several organizations that focused on protecting the ocean now operate on the coast of different areas in America and all around the world. It’s quite common for marine associations nowadays to open their doors several times a week to kids, parents, and ocean lovers to learn more about the ocean biome.

A marine association has different programs for children of different ages. You’ll find programs that are developed specially for pupils. Pupils are involved in interactive (互动的) learning. This learning experience allows young children to recognize the value of the role each species performs in their environment. They not only get to research creatures from the ocean, but they also get to see, touch, and smell most of these animals and plants. This type of exposure offers students an idea about the life of a marine scientist. It could help them choose a career afterwards.

These programs are generally held on Saturdays and Sundays in order that kids and parents can have more hours in which to have fun. Teachers who want to arrange these activities for their students can call a local marine association near them.

1.According to the text, pupils can have a better understanding of the ocean biome by _______.

A．learning about it from books

B．going to a marine association

C．attending marine biologists’ meetings

D．taking part-time jobs at marine associations

2.In Paragraph 5, the author mainly wants to tell us _______.

A．the advantage of learning at a marine association

B．different activities offered by a marine association

C．a marine association’s working conditions

D．the way to develop children’s interest in ocean

3.The underlined word “exposure” in Paragraph 5 probably means _______.

A．the way of explaining something

B．the way of choosing a career

C．a marine association’s working condition

D．the way to develop children’s interest in the ocean

4.Which of the following is TURE?

A．Young children can enjoy indirectly what it is like to be a marine biologist at a marine association.

B．To help your pupils to take care of the ocean, the best area to take them to is a marine association.

C．Children can learn the topics more successfully when they experience them directly.

D．A marine association has the same program for children of different ages.

5.The text is most probably taken from _______.

A．a teacher’s presentation

B．a marine biologist’s report

C．a student’s field trip journal

D．an introduction to a marine association