Modern life is a lot les s to the advantage of friendships and neighborliness than it used to be. The average American moves every five years. People drive straight into their garages, hire lawn services, hang out in their backyards instead of their front porches (前走廊). These days, neighbors don't even know each other's names. 

Good neighbors and good friends are a lot like electricity or running water: We don't know how much we depend on them until we don't have them. In fact, the authors of a recent book, Refrigerator Rights, claim that refrigerators are signs of close relationships--after all, you wouldn't snatch a drumstick(鸡腿) from the refrigerator of a stranger.

The surprising thing is that all it takes to strengthen your relationship with friends and neighbors is respect for their feelings, concern for their property, and a helping hand when it's needed. Here's how to develop your relationships with two types of vitally important people in your life. 

_________________. A true friend doesn't flee when changes occur. The sign of a good friend is one who stays true through it all--marriage, parenthood, new jobs, new homes, the losses. Just because situations change doesn't mean the person has to.

Friendships fade away if there isn't an balance between the give and the take. So make sure you aren't being a burden to your friends. Be sensitive to how much your friend can and can't offer you--be it time, energy, or help -- and don't step over the line. Meanwhile, friendships that drain(耗尽) you will not last. If a friendship is out of balance in this way, you'll need to talk the situation through.

1. Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

A true friend will stay the same even when the situations change. 

2. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with a proper sentence. (Within 10 words)

3. What advice is given in the last paragraph? (Within 10 words)

4. What do you think the author will go on talking about if the passage continues?(Within 10 words)

5. Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese．

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition（试镜）for My Kind of People, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn’t perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Susan was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.

Susan suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death, Susan put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother, Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan’s possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain’s Got Talent. We used to watch it together,” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”

In 1999, Susan used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo（样本唱片）tape, which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Susan began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O’Neil.

In 2007, her mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn’t come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone”. She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O’Neil urged her to try out for Britain’s Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Susan auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream, a hit song from the musical Les Miserables（《悲惨世界》）, in the first round of the show, which was aired on April 11, 2009.

The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast（对比）to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.

Bridget Boyle’s attitude towards her daughter’s musical talent can be described as ___.

   A. critical    B. doubtful     C. indifferent     D. confident

From Paragraph 4, we can learn that Susan _____.

A. was slightly discouraged by her voice coac B. entered Britain’s Got Talent to prove her ability

C. decided to give up her singing career    D. was deeply affected by her mother’s death

Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

A. Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008. B. Her audition for My Kind of People failed.

C. She has never stopped singing since 1995.  D. She was the winner of Britain’s Got Talent. 

We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. Susan Boyle was convinced by her brother that her plain looks were disadvantageous to her success

B. It was at the age of forty that Susan Boyle established a student-teacher relationship with O’Neil.

C. Susan Boyle was so struck by her father’s death that she shut herself out from the neighborhood.

D. The online views of Les Miserables numbered over 40 million within a week in 2009.

In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ______.

A. tell us how Susan’s dream come true       B. let us know more about Susan’s personal life

C. show how Susan was influenced by her family D. explain how to enter and win a talent show

Before she appeared on the reality show (真人秀) Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle­aged British woman.Now all this is going to change.

She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town.Because of learning difficulties, she doesn't have much education.But what she does have is a very good voice.As a kid, she sang in church and choirs and school plays.For a living, she sang at local pubs.

When she took the stage on April 10th her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just_one_step_up_from rags.The audience laughed at her.

But then she opened her mouth.A few bars into the song and the laughing audience went silent.A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables.Everyone was amazed.At the end of her song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.

Almost overnight, Susan became a household name.She won fans and millions of admirers.Her online videos have drawn over 85.2 million hits.

Susan's story proved the truth of an old saying: “Never judge the book by its cover.” Susan may look ordinary, and doesn't have much dress sense, but she can certainly sing.

Susan's fans admire her courage, as much as they do her voice.She has experienced mockery and many disappointments, but her love for music has kept her going, which is worth anyone's respect.

1.According to the passage, Susan Boyle ________.

A．is a famous young actress                 B．became famous after a show

C．used to be a good student                 D．is good at dancing and has millions of admirers

2.The underlined phrase “just one step up from” in the third paragraph probably means ________.

A．far from          B．close to           C．different from      D．the same as

3.The audience jumped and applauded wildly because ________.

A．her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags

B．she looked very funny

C．she sang so well that everyone was amazed

D．she made a foolish mistake in the end

4.Susan Boyle has many fans now because of ________.

A．her beautiful face                       B．her knowing how to dress

C．her good education                      D．her beautiful voice and courage

5.The passage is mainly about ________.

A．how to win fans                         B．how to sing well

C．a woman's sudden success                D．a woman's simple life

When we talk about stars ,especially women stars ,it seems that they are always young, pretty and own charming body shapes. But recently a Britain's Got Talent（英国达人）star Susan Boyle has changed our views absolutely.

Simon Cowell ,one of the judges of the talent show spoke of his shock over Ms Boyle's voice. "This lady camp up ,and I'm thinking, 'This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea'. That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed to Dream from Les Miserables. She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face through -it was one of my favorite moments," Cowell said.

The performance was posted on line and before long, the 47-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world.

Speaking from her home in Scotland, Ms Boyle said that she hasn't thought of changing her appearance. She said that her friend helped her with make-up. "I mean, that's hardly a makeover," she added.Ms Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her vocal talents, "I was kind of slow at school, so getting like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and thus it built my confidence."

1.Susan Boyle is _________

A．a judge           B．a reporter         C．a beautiful         D．a Scottish woman

2.Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because______.

A．she was confident of her singing

B．she was satisfied with the judges

C．she was pretty and in good shape

D．she sang the song I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables

3.According to the passage, which is NOT true?

A．It was the vocal talents that built Susan's confidence

B．Susan Boyle was not good at her lesson when at school.

C．Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance.

D．Simon Cowell didn't think Susan Boyle a good singer at the first sight.

4.What can we learn from Susan Boyle's success

A．It's never too old to learn.

B．It's easier to succeed at the age of 47.

C．If you have a dream, try to make it come true!

D．If you are not able to study well, to be a singer instead.

Dublin City Hall

Inside City Hall is an interesting exhibition about Dublin’s history, with historical items from the old city and multimedia presentations. The building, which dates from 1779, once badly damaged, was recently renovated. Guided tours are available. Open Monday to Saturday 10:00 a.m.~5:15 p.m., Sunday and holidays 2:00 p.m.~5:00 p.m. Admission is ?6.50. Phone 672- 2204.

Dublin Castle

This is a joy for anyone interested in archaeology or history. Dublin Castle was built in the 13th century on top of the foundations of a Viking structure. The castle served as a military fortress, prison, court of law and the core (核心) of British administration in Ireland until 1922. It’s now used for state functions and government conferences. Guided tours are available. Open Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m.~4:50 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and holidays 2:00 p.m.~4:50 p.m. Closed during state functions. Admission is ?4.50. Phone 677- 7129 or 677- 7270.

Trinity College

The sole college of the University of Dublin, Trinity was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The reason most visitors venture to Trinity is to take a look at the Book of Kells, which is on display at the Old Library. The ticket price includes admission to the Long Room, a striking space that contains 200,000 of the college’s oldest books. Open Monday to Saturday 9.30am~5pm, Sunday noon~4:30 p.m. (from 9:30 a.m. June to September). College Green. Phone 608 -1177.

Irish Museum of Modern Art

Housed in the beautifully restored (修复) Royal Hospital Kilmainham (which was modelled (复制) on Les Invalides in Paris), the museum exhibits contemporary art and has an impressive permanent collection that includes pieces representing the cutting edge of Irish and international art. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 a.m.~5:30 p.m., Sunday and holidays noon~5:30 p.m. The museum has no admission charge. Military Road, Kilmainham. Phone 612- 9900. 

James Joyce Centre

James Joyce is one of Dublin’s most famous 20th century writers. Author of such works as Dubliners, Ulysses and his autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce’s name is forever linked to the city of Dublin. The James Joyce Centre is dedicated to promoting the life and works of James Joyce to novices and scholars alike. Open Tues.~Sat. 10:00 a.m.~5:00 p.m., Sun. 1: p.m.~5:00 p.m., admission costs ?5.00 for adults. North Great George’s Street. Phone 878- 8547.

1.According to the passage, we can know ________.

A. Dublin Castle was used for government conferences

B. the sole college of the University of Dublin was established by Queen Elizabeth II

C. Dublin Castle served as a court of law in the 1930s

D. the novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is about James Joyce’s life

2.The underlined word “renovated” in the first paragraph means ________.

A. reviewed             B. recreated            C. repaired        D. destroyed

3.Which place do you pay the least money to visit?

A. Dublin City Hall.                                                               B. Dublin Castle.

C. Irish Museum of Modern Art.                                       D. James Joyce Centre.