If you are in a town in a western country, you'll often see people walking with their dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful animal in the world. But the reason why one keeps a dog has changed Once upon a time, a man met a dog and wanted it to help him in the fight against other animals, and he found that the dog listened to him and did what he told him to. Later people used dogs for the hunting other animals, and the dogs didn't eat what they got until their master agreed. So dogs were used for driving sheep and guarding chicks. But now the people in the towns and cities do not need dogs to fight other animals. Of course they keep them to frighten thieves, but the most important reason is that people feel lonely in the city. For a child, a dog is his best friend when he has no friends to play with. For a young wife, a dog is her child when she doesn’t have her own. For old people, a dog is also a child when their real children have grown up and left. Now people do not have to use a dog, but they keep it as a friend, just like a member of the family.

_______are more useful than a dog in the world.

   A. No other animals  B. Some animals  C. Many animals  D. A few animals

In the past people kept dogs because dogs _________.

   A. could fight against other animals    B. met the people

   C. did not eat other animals           D. helped and listened to people

Now people keep dogs in the cities because dogs_____.

   A. fight other animals              B. are lonely

   C. are like their friends             D. are afraid of the thieves

A dog can be _____.

   A. a child's friend only             B. a young woman's son

   C. old people's real child            D. everybody's friend

So a dog will __ in a family.

   A. always be used                 B. not be useful 

C. still fight                      D. always be a good friend

    When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate（照亮）me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.

     When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say:“Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.

   When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.

     For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think:“Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.

    It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist（心理学家），who will only fill up the healing（愈合的）silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.

In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.

A. become serious about her study          B. go to her friend’s house regularly

C. learn from her classmates at school       D. share poems and stories with her friend

In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means ______.

A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us

B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London

C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared

D. we parted with each other in London

According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.

A. call each other regularly              B. have similar personalities

C. enjoy writing to each other             D. dream of meeting each other

In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.

A. seek professional help              B. be left alone

C. stay with her best friend             D. break the silence

What is the best title for the passage?

A. Unforgettable Experience            B. Remarkable Imagination

C. Lifelong Friendship                D. Noble Companions

When traveling abroad, it is wise to carry your money in traveler's checks because checks are protected against loss or theft. If your checks are lost or stolen, the issuing authority will refund(赔偿) your money.

Not only are they safe, they are also convenient. They are available in different currencies and they can be cashed at most banks throughout the world. Most shops, hotels and restaurants also accept them.

Traveler's checks are very easy to use. When you collect them, you sign each check once. The cashier enters the amount in your passport. When you cash, you sign each check again. The cashier will usually ask to see your passport again too.

To get traveler's checks you usually go to your bank. They can be paid in cash or in other ways. Large amounts, however, must be ordered in advance.

For the safety and convenience of traveler's checks, you are charged two commissions(佣金，酬劳): an insurance commission when you buy them and an encashment commission when you cash them.

It is suitable to make a note of the serial numbers of your checks. Keep this separate from your traveler's checks.（词数191）

People like to carry their money in traveler’s checks when traveling abroad, because______

A. they cannot be lost or stolen     B. they can be used anywhere

C. they are safe and handy         D. they can save travelers plenty of money

If your traveler's checks are lost or stolen, who will refund you?

A. The authority that issues you the passport.    B. The insurance company.  

C. The bank where you buy your checks.

D. The travel agency that arranges your travel.

You sign your traveler’s check for the second time in order to ________.

   A. get your passport        B. cash it

   C. claim insurance         D. pay for commission

Which of the following statement is TRUE?

   A. You need not pay a commission for the safety of your traveler’s checks.

   B. People usually get traveler’s checks from foreign banks.

   C. Traveler’s checks can be exchanged for the money of the country you visit.

   D. You cannot get your passport until you get your traveler’s checks.

When you are at odds with someone close to you，the One-Minute Drill can show you how to express your feelings effectively-and how to listen more skillfully．All it requires is two individuals who are committed to improving their relationship．

    Set aside at least ten minutes，and then sit facing each other．Decide who will be the Talker and who will be the Lastener．It makes no difference，because later you will change roles．

    How to perform the One-Minute Drill

    For approximately 30 seconds，the Talker can say anything he or she wants．Your job will be to express your thoughts and feelings．You can discuss problems you’ve had a hard time talking about．Remember to limit yourself to about 30 seconds．When the Talker finishes，the Listener will summarize what the Talker just said，as well as how the Talker was feeling inside，as accurately as possible．

   The Talker now gives the Listener a grade between 0 and 100 percent to indicate how accurate the summary was．If the rating is 95 percent or more，you can change roles；the new Talker can continue with the same topic or move on to something entirely new．

However，if the grade is below 95 percent，the Talker should point out what the Listener missed or got wrong，and repeat the process until the overall rating is 95 percent or more．Then you can change roles and repeat the exercise for as long as you both like．

    How it works

Thirty seconds of emotionally charged information is sufficiently challenging for anyone．Express your feelings in strong，clear，direct language，but as your partner will be listening attentively，you won’t need to shout，exaggerate or put your partner down．

The Listener should sit and listen respectfully without interrupting．Look into your partner’s eyes，but avoid using negative body language． If you like，take a few notes．

    So the Talker might say：“When I come home from work， I feel tired and I need some quiet time．But you tell me I’m supposed to spend time with the kids．This makes me feel frustrated．I work hard and I’m exhausted at the end of the day．I feel like I deserve a little time to relax，not listen to more demands．”

    In response，the Listener might summarize like this：“You just told me that you feel exhausted when you come home at night because you’ve been working hard all day．When l tell you l want you to spend time with the kids，you feel frustrated and ticked off because you’re tired and you need time to relax．You see me as very demanding，and you’re probably feeling like I don’t appreciate you．”

    The first time you attempt the One-Minute Drill，you may get a low score．Don’t worry，because you’ll get up to speed quickly．Once you’ve tried this exercise a few times，you’ll find that you can nearly always get ratings of 95 percent or better on the first or second try．

Who is the One-Minute Drill intended for？

    A．Those who are preparing for the interview in order to make a good first impression．

    B．Those who have difficulty communicating with their colleagues or family members．

    C．Those who have troubled relationships with their friends or family members and try to improve them．

    D．Those who are to act some roles in a certain play for the first time in their life．

Which of the following is NOT true？

    A．The Talker should talk about his/her thoughts and feelings in a brief way．

    B．The Listener should listen carefully，respectfully and later summarize accurately．

    C．After the Talker finishes talking，the Listener is to give him/her a grade．

    D．In the One-Minute Drill，the Talker and the Listener change roles in the process．

From the example given in“How it works”，we can guess that the talk might be between      ．

   A．father and son       B．mother and daughter

   C．sister and brother       D．husband and wife

What does the underlined part“ticked off”probably mean in this reading？

    A．very angry           B．burst into tears    

    C．marked with a symbol     D．fast asleep

When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter（炼铜厂），and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest．One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area．Paul knocked him down．From then on, something happened inside him.

Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office．He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back．The answer from that big industry was “No”.

Paul then went to college to study the science of plants．Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds．It would be a waste of his life to try to do it．Everyone knew that, he was told．Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted．

Paul later got married and had some kids．But his dream would not die．And then one night he did what he could with what he had．As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote．Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.

And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass．For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense．Slowly rabbits appeared．Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.

Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has．It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.

When Paul was a boy，______________.

       A．he had decided never to leave his hometown

       B．the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter

       C．no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution

       D．he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area

Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants？

       A．Because he wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself.

       B．Because he was interested in planting trees since he was young.

       C．Because he wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him.

       D．Because he thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive.

What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?

       A．That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.

       B．That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.

       C．That no one would like to join him in the efforts.

       D．That he had to keep everything he did secret.

The company hired Paul to plant trees and grass because___________.

     A．they realized the importance of environmental protection

     B．What Paul was doing moved them

     C．Paul persuaded them to help him

     D．they had legal pressure

The message of the passage is that _____________.

       A．action speaks louder than words

       B．perseverance（持之以恒）will work wonders

       C．God helps those who help themselves

       D．many hands make light work