The road to the mountains _____ by the snow for almost a month.

　 A. has been cut off 　 B. have been cut off

　 C. has been cut down 　 D. have been cut down

Too many hotels have been built and this has _____ prices, making holidays cheaper.
A. cut short　　 B. cut out　　 C. cut off　 D. cut down

In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh（法老）treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off.

　　Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, ”Oh boy, bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it’s going to rain.”I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, for his smile.

　　Several months ago I was racing to catch  a him As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Grey hound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile ,”Oh that bus left five minutes ago.”Dreams of head-cutting!

　　It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered. Everyone must give bad news from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he didn’t get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.

　　Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you’re tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter mainly told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as traveler or diner want to land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces.

　　Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warming .Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said, ” Oh, that’s all right I’ll catch the next one.” Big winners, when they bear bad news ,deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded（被轰炸的）person is sure to have.

1.In Paragraph 1,the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to ____.

A. make a comparison                      B. describe a scene

C. introduce a topic                 D. offer an argument

2.From “Dreams of head-cutting!”（Paragraph3），we learn that the writer___.

A. was mad at the sales agent

B. was reminded of the cruel pharaoh

C. wished that the sales agent would have had dreams

D. dreamed of cutting the sales agent’s head that night.

3.What is the main idea of the text?

A. Learning ancient traditions can be useful.

B. Receiving bad news requires great courage.

C. Helping others sincerely is the key to business success.

D. Delivering bad news properly is important in communication.

IN    THE    BEDROOM

Don’t smoke in bed ------it causes 1000 fires a year, many with fatal (致命的)results.

Don’t overload your electrical points: the right way is “one appliance（电器）, one socket”（插座）.

Don’t use an electric underblanket over you or an overblanket under you. An underblanket , unless of the low- voltage type, MUST be switched off before you get into bed.

Never let furniture or clothing get close to a lighted fire. Make sure that there is a suitable guard for the room heater.

Keep aerosol-type containers （喷雾器）away from heat and NEVER burn or puncture（刺穿）them.

Don’t dim a table lamp by covering it: buy a low-wattage bulb（灯泡）.

Pajamas （睡衣）and nightdresses, especially for children and elderly people, should be made from flame- resistant material.

IF  CUT   OFF　BY  FIRE

Close the door of the room and any fanlight or other opening and block up any cracks （缝隙）with bedding, etc.

Go to the window and try to attract attention.

If the room fills with smoke, lean out of the window unless prevented by smoke and flame coming from a room below or nearby. If you cannot lean out of the window, lie close to the floor where the air is clearer until you hear the fire brigade（队）.

If you have to escape before the fire brigade arrives, make a rope by knotting together sheets or similar materials and tie it to a bed or another heavy piece of furniture.

If you cannot make a rope and the situation becomes intolerable（难耐的），drop cushions or bedding from the window to break your fall, get through the window feet first, lower yourself to the full extent of your arms and drop.

If possible drop from a position above soft earth. If above the first floor, drop only as a last resort.

1. According to the instructions, fires in the bedroom can be caused by ________.

A. one appliance, one socket

B. smoking in bed

C. underblankets, of the low- voltage type

D. all of the above-mentioned points

2. In the bedroom, you are told _______.

A. not to use an electric underblanket or an electric overblanket.

B. to use an underblanket of the low-voltage type

C. to switch off an underblanket of the low- voltage type

D. not to use an electric underblanket over you

3. You should keep furniture or clothes away from a lighted fire because ________.

A. the fire is too low

B. furniture or clothes block light

C. there is no guard in the room

D. furniture or clothes catch fire easily

4. If you are cut off by fire, you should first ______.

A. try to stop smoke from coming into the room

B. lie down and wait for the fire brigade

C. escape by jumping immediately out of the window

D. close the window and call for help