Have you ever heard the phrase, “Love is blind”? If so, you are already   21   with a type of mistake in our attempts to understand others: halo effects. This type of mistake    22   to the fact that once we form an overall impression of somebody, it could have strong effects on our   23     of his personality.   24  , halo effects are both common and powerful. For example, most organizations contain one or more “superstars”--- people who have earned the reputation for being unusually   25    and capable. Once they have gained such a “halo”, everything they do receives good   26   . Ideas that would be regarded as just so-so if suggested by someone else are seen as    27   when proposed by these persons. And actions that might be considered risky if taken by others are seen as brave when carried out by these “chosen” men and women.

As you can see, halo effects carry high costs. They may lead some persons to have an   28     high opinion of their own worth, while making things  29   for others who are equally deserving. Further, by giving too much influence to persons who are not ready to receive it, and by preventing hidden talent from being   30   , they can harm organizations as well as individuals. Clearly, then, it is important to recognize the existence and impact of halo effects; only then can their harmful effects be avoided.

21. A. familiar                            B. wrong                      C. connected                 D. bored

22. A. adds                          B. extends                    C. keeps                       D. refers

23. A. choices                      B. memories                 C. judgments                D. requirements

24. A. Unfortunately             B. Probably                  C. Hopefully                 D. Generally

25. A. amusing                     B. conscious                 C. fashionable               D. talented

26. A. comment                   B. reply                        C. effect                       D. opportunity

27. A. average                      B. excellent                  C. funny                       D. similar

28.A. unexpectedly               B. understandably          C. unreasonably            D. unsuccessfully

29. A. difficult                            B. disorderly                 C. valuable                   D. significant

30. A. harmed                      B. discovered                C. wasted                     D. protected

Have you heard of the saying, “If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well”? The proverb is a piece of advice to make effects towards perfection in whichever job one does. It could be a small task like folding up your clothes, or a major one like organizing a business meeting in your later life.

Perfection just needs paying attention to details. If it is your job to dust the furniture at home, dust it so that not a single spot of dirt shows from any direction. If your task is to make the beds, make them so that not a single crease（皱纹）shows on the bed-covers.

There are only two ways to do a job: either sloppily, or well. If you choose the latter, you need to realize that any job that qualifies as (取得…的资格)“your” work deserves your best. Perfection is an attitude that can be developed with just a little effect. It is a habit that is helpful to a person in later life. Let us prove with an example: you may be asked to turn in an essay on, for example, wildlife, for a school project. Instead of writing carelessly a few facts that you already know, you could make the project more effective by looking up a reference books, encyclopedias（百科全书）or websites for additional information. You could then go over the finished essay for slips（疏漏）and errors, and provide pictures where necessary. If you make it a habit to put in extra effort in your school homework, will it not help you to handle more difficult projects at the college or university level?

As Michelangelo, the famous 16th century sculptor and painter, once put it: Trifles（琐事）go to make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.

According to the passage, to achieve perfection is _______.

   A. to realize the quality of the work

   B. to pay attention to details of one’s work

   C. to do as many jobs as possible

   D. to form the habit of doing things ahead of time

The underlined word “sloppily” in paragraph 3 may mean _______

   A. badly     B. patiently        C. carefully        D. slowly

What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

   A. It is necessary to provide pictures for your essay.

   B. Websites are the sources of information you want.

   C. Perfection is a habit that promises a good future.

   D. You should make much effort to develop perfection.

The purpose of writing this passage is to _______.

   A. introduce the famous painter Michelangelo

   B. advise us to do the things that are worth doing

   C. explain to us the meaning of the perfection

   D. expect us to give our best to our work

Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly? Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it? Are you afraid to ask a boy (girl) for a date？

Many people are afraid to assert themselves (insist upon their own rights). Dr Robert Alberti, author of Stand Up, Speak Out, and Talk Back, thinks it’s because their self-esteem(自尊) is low. “Our whole set-up makes people doubt themselves,” says Alberti. “There’s always a 'superior' around — a parent, a teacher, a boss — who 'knows better’”.

But Alberti and other scientists are doing something to help people to assert themselves. They offer “assertiveness training” courses (AT). In the AT courses people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to be aggressive(敢闯, 闯劲儿) without hurting other people.

In one way, learning to speak out is to overcome fear. A group taking an AT course will help the timid person to lose his fear. But AT uses an even stronger motive—the need to share. The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels. AT says you can get to feel good about yourself. And once you do, you can learn to speak out.

In the passage, the writer talks about the problem that _______.

A. some people are too easy-going

B. some people are too timid

C. there are too many superiors around us

D. some people dare not stick up for their own rights

The effect of our set-up on people is often to _______.

A. make them distrust their own judgment

B. make things more favorable for them

C. keep them from speaking out as much as their superiors do

D. help them to learn to speak up for their rights

One thing AT doesn’t do is to _______.

A. use the need of people to share

B. show people they have the right to be themselves

C. help people to be aggressive at anytime even when others suffer

D. help people overcome fear

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Love is blind”? If so, you are already   21   with a type of mistake in our attempts to understand others: halo effects. This type of mistake    22   to the fact that once we form an overall impression of somebody, it could have strong effects on our   23     of his personality.   24  , halo effects are both common and powerful. For example, most organizations contain one or more “superstars”--- people who have earned the reputation for being unusually   25    and capable. Once they have gained such a “halo”, everything they do receives good   26   . Ideas that would be regarded as just so-so if suggested by someone else are seen as    27   when proposed by these persons. And actions that might be considered risky if taken by others are seen as brave when carried out by these “chosen” men and women.

As you can see, halo effects carry high costs. They may lead some persons to have an   28     high opinion of their own worth, while making things  29   for others who are equally deserving. Further, by giving too much influence to persons who are not ready to receive it, and by preventing hidden talent from being   30   , they can harm organizations as well as individuals. Clearly, then, it is important to recognize the existence and impact of halo effects; only then can their harmful effects be avoided.

21. A. familiar                            B. wrong                      C. connected                 D. bored

22. A. adds                          B. extends                    C. keeps                       D. refers

23. A. choices                      B. memories                 C. judgments                D. requirements

24. A. Unfortunately             B. Probably                  C. Hopefully                 D. Generally

25. A. amusing                         B. conscious                 C. fashionable               D. talented

26. A. comment                   B. reply                        C. effect                       D. opportunity

27. A. average                      B. excellent                  C. funny                       D. similar

28.A. unexpectedly               B. understandably          C. unreasonably            D. unsuccessfully

29. A. difficult                            B. disorderly                 C. valuable                   D. significant

30. A. harmed                      B. discovered                C. wasted                     D. protected

Have you ever thought about what determines the way we are when we grow up? Remember the TV program Seven Up? It started following the lives of a group of children in 1973. We first meet them as wide-eyed seven-year-olds and catch up with them at seven-year intervals: nervous 14-year-olds, serious 21-year-olds and then grown-ups.

Some of the stories are inspiring, others sad, but what is interesting in almost all the cases is the way in which the children’s early hopes and dreams are shown in their future lives. For example, at seven, Tony is a lively child who says he wants to become a sportsman or a taxi driver. When he grows up, he goes on to do both. How about Niki? She says, “I would like to find out about the moon.” And she goes on to become a space scientist. As a child, soft-spoken Bruce says he wants to help “poor children” and ends up teaching in India.

But if the lives of all the children had followed this pattern, the program would be far less interesting than it actually was. It was the children whose childhood did not prepare them for what was to come that made the program so interesting. Where did their ideas come from about what they wanted to do when they grew up? Are children influenced by what their parents do, by what they see on television or by what their teachers say? How great is the effect of a single important event? Many film directors, including Steven Spielberg, say that an early visit to the cinema was the turning point in their lives. Dr. Margaret McAllister, who has done a lot of research in this area, thinks that the major factors are parents, friends and their wider society.

What does the text mainly discuss?

A. New ways to make a TV program interesting.

    B. The importance of TV programs to children.

    C. Different ways to make childhood dreams come true.

    D. The influence of childhood experience on future lives.

What does the underlined word “influenced” mean in the last paragraph?

    A. Impressed.     B. Improved.        C. Affected.          D. Attracted.

What are the examples in Paragraph 2 meant to show?

    A. Many people’s childhood hopes are related to their future jobs.

    B. There are many poor children in India who need help.

    C. Children have different dreams about their future.

    D. A lot of people are very sad in their childhood.

Spielberg’s story is meant to show that _______.

    A. going to a movie at an early age helps a child learn about society

    B. a single childhood event may decide what one does as a grown-up

    C. parents and friends can help a child grow up properly

D. films have more influence on a child than teachers do