People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.
【小题1】We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.

1. 1.

   We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

   1. A.
      the spelling mistakes in the messages make her very annoyed
   2. B.
      only writing letters will bring friends and neighbors much closer
   3. C.
      she talks to plants more because no one shares her joys and sorrows
   4. D.
      gestures and the pen can express a lot more than the cold keyboard
2. 2.

   According to the writer, which of the following can support her opinion?

   1. A.
      She has been separated from all his classmates many years.
   2. B.
      No doctors write prescriptions by hand because of computers.
   3. C.
      In communication, we should write more letters than send messages.
   4. D.
      Less shy than school girls, boys rarely write letters to their friends.
3. 3.

   According to the passage, we can conclude that ________.

   1. A.
      the writer is a person full of emotions and treasures friendship and affections
   2. B.
      the writer becomes excited when she gets priceless gifts from other people
   3. C.
      her classmates would write to each other because they couldn’t send messages
   4. D.
      people put a smiley face at the end of a message just to show they are happy
4. 4.

   What message is conveyed in the passage?

   1. A.
      The writer wastes much time in reading many rubbish text messages every day.
   2. B.
      Few people can write letters well in modern society owing to texting messages.
   3. C.
      Now people are too busy to communicate with each other face to face often.
   4. D.
      The writer prefers personal communication rather than electronic equipment.
5. 5.

   Why does the writer mention the telegram?

   1. A.
      Because she thinks the annoyance of reading text messages is originated from it.
   2. B.
      Because we have more options to keep in touch with each other than ever before.
   3. C.
      Because advanced technology partly takes the blame for lacking the human touch.
   4. D.
      Because she thinks humans today become colder with the development of society.
6. 6.

   Which of the following best describe the tone of this passage?

   1. A.
      Optimistic.
   2. B.
      Critic.
   3. C.
      Sympathetic.
   4. D.
      Pessimistic.

Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?

Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists（心理学家）are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.

Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.

However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.

All emotions affect our thinking and motivation（动机）, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.

1.According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?

A．To think about happy times.

B．To make many decisions at a time.

C．To stop feeling regretful about the past.

D．To learn about the process of decision-making.

2.Damasio’s study suggests that _________.

A．emotions are the enemy of decision making

B．our brain has nothing to do with decision making

C．people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds

D．our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions

3.Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?

A．They often forget their past choices.

B．They make decisions without much thinking.

C．They tend to save time when shopping.

D．They are too angry to bargain.

4.What do we learn from the text?

A．Emotions are a part of decision making.

B．Sad people always make worst choices.

C．No emotion seems to help us make good choices.

D．Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.

What is it that you love to do but never feel that you get it quite right? Perhaps you don't even try any more because you think what you do is not ? ? ? enough．

Discouragement seems to follow us a good part of the time, ? ? ? however hard we work, it seems that there is ? ? ? someone else who can do it much better．

I have always enjoyed music and it is? ? ? ? to me that every musician has a ? ? ? of their own．My father _ ? ? several instruments and when he played with other people, it was not difficult to ? ? ? his sound in a group．Whether it was guitar or another instrument, he had his own ? ? ? sound．

I ? ? ? heard of a music teacher who commented to a discouraged student, " ? ? ? else can make the sound that you make．" The sound that you make may not be the same as someone else's, but who is to say which is ? ? ．It is said that, " ? ? ? is in the eye of the beholder .” . Perhaps it could be said that a delightful sound is in the ear of the ? ? ? ．

Every person has a different tone of voice that ? ? ? only to them, ? ? ? we all know people with an unforgettable laugh or a way of ? ? ? that is unique to them．It might not be the sound of your music or your voice at all．It ? ? ? be the way you whistle or the sound of your footsteps．

Each person has a（an） ? ? ? on the world in some way．Someone else can do what you do, but they cannot do it ? ? ? in the same way that you do it．The next time you feel ? ? ? , remember nobody else can make the sound that you make．

1.A．easy ????????????? B．good ????????????? C．simple ????????????? D．hard

2.A．because ????????????? B．although ????????????? C．when ????????????? D．if

3.A．seldom ????????????? B．always ????????????? C．never ????????????? D．sometimes

4.A．satisfying ????????????? B．convincing ????????????? C．inspiring ????????????? D．interesting

5.A．gift ????????????? B．sound ????????????? C．life ????????????? D．song

6.A．played ????????????? B．designed ????????????? C．created ????????????? D．checked

7.A．turn down ????????????? B．call up ????????????? C．pick out ????????????? D．give off

8.A．loud ????????????? B．powerful ????????????? C．perfect ????????????? D．special

9.A．once ????????????? B．yet ????????????? C．even ????????????? D．still

10.A．Anybody ????????????? B．Somebody ????????????? C．Nobody ????????????? D．Everybody

11.A．bigger ????????????? B．better ????????????? C．deeper ????????????? D．lower

12.A．Beauty ????????????? B．Interest ????????????? C．Patience ????????????? D．Honesty

13.A．speaker ????????????? B．receiver ????????????? C．listener ????????????? D．looker

14.A．devotes ????????????? B．adds ????????????? C．adapts ????????????? D．belongs

15.A．but ????????????? B．yet ????????????? C．and? ????????????? D．for

16.A．running ????????????? B．walking ????????????? C．jumping ????????????? D．speaking

17.A．must ????????????? B．might ????????????? C．would ????????????? D．should

18.A．choice ????????????? B．opinion ????????????? C．duty ????????????? D．effect

19.A．exactly ????????????? B．carefully ????????????? C．cautiously ????????????? D．seriously

20.A．annoyed ????????????? B．puzzled????????????? C．discouraged????????????? D．bothered