People often talk as if shyness is a disease or mental condition that can be cured. I prefer to think of it as an emotional disability. It’s something we are born with and something we carry with us in our entire lives. There are many people, however, who seem to be determined to find some way of doing away with their shyness. In my opinion, it’s a waste of time. I don’t mean that we should do nothing about it; quite the contrary, I think we need to separate the basic fact of our shyness from our ability to take part in a social environment.

Look at one of the most famous shy people, Johnny Carson. This man is painfully shy, yet for decades he made a living talking and associating(交往) with different people every night, in front of a national audience. Carson has never done away with his shyness, but he has successfully found a way to deal with it to the extent that he could be, not just a talk show host, but a legend(传奇) among talk show hosts. Look also at Sally Fields, who has recently admitted her problem with shyness. This is a woman who has appeared in many films, TV shows and interviews, yet in her early years she was so shy that she turned down a lunch invitation from Jane Fonda because she was terribly afraid of meeting her.

I guess that our shyness is there because each of us is born with some insecurity and this insecurity prevents us from reaching out to others the way people with a more open personality do. As we groww*w^w.k&s#5@u.c~o*m up, we allow our social skills to grow and develop. But we are still stuck in kindergarten or elementary school or wherever it was when our shyness took root in our soul.

67. In the author’s view, shyness can be explained as ________.

  A. a disease that can be easily cured       B. a not very normal mental condition

C. an emotional disability               D. something we pick up after birth

68. The author believes it’s a waste of time to _________.

  A. develop a healthy personality         B. talk with people as much as possible

C. study where shyness comes from      D. look for ways to do away with one’s shyness

69. Which of the following is TRUE of Johnny Carson?

  A. He dared to speak in front of a national audience.

B. He did away with his shyness carefully.

C. He was described as a hero in some legend books.

D. He failed to become a good talk show host.

70. The underlined word “insecurity” in the third paragraph probably means “________”.

  A. feeling safe     B. feeling supported    C. feeling afraid     D. feeling comfortable

Most people who live in Seattle, Washington, love their city. There is a never-ending flow of fun things to do. But, people who live there do not always enjoy the day-after-day absence of sunshine during the winter months.
It is documented fact that sunshine (or lack of it) plays a major role in how each of us meets the day. It also affects how we perform at school or work. When people are derived of sunlight, they can develop seasonal affective disorder, which makes it difficult for them to feel happy or get things accomplished. No major city in the United States is more affected by the “sunshine factor” than Seattle.
To fight drizzle and fog during the winter months, Steve Murphy created a business that is very popular among the locals. The Indoor Sun Shoppe is more than a little ray of sunshine during the gray days of Seattle’s winter. His shop offers a huge source of plants and artificial lighting for people who are trying to overcome seasonal affective disorder.
Located in Fremont, Washington, The Indoor Sun Shoppe has an amazing collection of exotic plants and “good bugs” in a humid and well-lit environment. At The Indoor Sun Shoppe, you can spend up to $400 for artificial lighting that will chase away the winter blues. It will also keep your plants healthy. You can buy a dawn simulator that will gradually fill your room with a warming wake-up glow. What better way to meet a Seattle morning when real sunshine is nothing more than a happy thought!
Murphy’s in-home waterfalls are also popular with customers. But his plants and lights remain the “main course.” On a cloudy winter day, The Indoor Sun Shoppe is a bright spot in Seattle!
【小题1】Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel(剥……的皮) potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow(肘). Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint. I peeked(窥视) out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf（利益）. She had never let me see her tears.
【小题1】 Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child to peel potatoes?

When I was three years old, my parents discovered I was totally deaf. But instead of sending me to a school for the deaf, they decided to “mainstream” me. All of my peers and teachers world have normal hearing.

I was the only deaf child at Blue Creel Elementary School. From almost the first day there, the other kids made fun of me mainly because of my hearing aid and the way I talked. And I also had difficulty with most of my school work.

When the other kids made fun of me, I was sure that I was a bad person. I saw myself as a boy who wasn’t smart enough to keep up with the class.

Mrs. Jordan, my 5th grade teacher, changed all of that with a simple three-word phrase.

One morning, she asked the class a question. I read her lips from my front-row seat and immediately raised my hand because I was sure I had the right answer. But when she called on me, I was afraid. Here was an opportunity to impress the powerful teacher and show her I was worthy of her love. Maybe even impress my classmates a little. I didn’t want to blow it. despite my fears, I took a deep breath and answered Mrs. Jordan’s question.

I will never forget what happened next. Mrs. Jordan enthusiastically slammed （跺动）her right foot on the floor and turned her tight hand around in full circle until it pointed directly at me. With sparking eyes and a wide smile she cried, “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”

For the first time in my young life, I was a star. I sat a little taller in my chair.

From that day forward, my grades and speech improved greatly. My popularity among my peers increased. It was all because Mrs. Jordan believed in me and wasn’t afraid to express it. “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”

1.What does the underlined word “mainstream”(in Para 1) mean?

2.It can be inferred that when entering Blue Creek Elementary School, the writer     .

3.When the writer answered Mrs. Jordan’s question, he        .

4.From his experience, the writer may conclude that       .

When I was a boy，I belonged to the Boy Scouts（童子军），so I used to go camping every summer，and once something happened which I have never been able to explain.

     We were camping in a place above a river. After arriving，we all rushed down to the river and had a swim. Standing by the river，we noticed that it was surrounded（环绕）by cliffs（悬崖）。If someone wanted to reach the river at this point，he had to walk past our camp.

    Several days later，the scoutmaster had to he away for a day. That afternoon，we had supper early. We were sitting round the fire，eating and talking，when a man walked past and went down towards the river. We all felt that this man looked very strange，but，because each of us was afraid of looking very stupid，no one said anything.

    We ate rather slowly，taking as long as possible. After finishing，we collected our plates together so that we could take them to the river where we always washed them. But no one moved towards the river— we stood looking at each other ashamed. Then all shouting at once， we began talking about the man who had walked past us. We agreed how strange he looked and we wondered what he could be doing by the river. We knew that he could only return by passing through our camp.

    An hour passed. Then one of the boys suggested we should creep（悄悄移动）down by the river so that we could see what the man was doing. Moving very slowly and keeping in the shadow， we crept down towards the bank. One boy climbed a tree so that he could see everything clearly. He called to us that there was no one there，so we ran down to the bank， looking every-where carefully. We could not understand where the man had gone.

    When it got dark，we went back to our camp feeling bewildered. We told the scoutmaster what had happened in the evening. Smiling，he doubted that we had seen the man，but finally suggested we go and look again. We did，but there was no one there.

Many years have passed，but I still remember it as if it were yesterday. What did we see？I do not know.

1. The writer in the text mainly tells us _________.

A. the story of his childhood       B. a strange camping experience

C. about a stranger by the river      D. about a good place for camping.

2.Why did the boys eat their supper slowly？

A. They wanted to delay going to the river bank.

B. They were sailing for their scoutmaster.

C. They had a supper earlier than usual.

D. They were taking while eating.

3. The word “bewildered” in the text probably means _________.

 A. ashamed               B. nervous

 C. unable to understand     D. eager to know something

4. The writer still remembers the event because________.

 A. the boys acted foolishly

 B. the camping place is beautiful

 C. there has been no explanation for the event

 D. he particularly enjoyed his camping that summer.