Friend is better than fortune. Friend is worse than poison in some cases. The two sentences above
are opposite and seem to be unreasonable but they can be explained as follows: the first refers to all
good friends who drive us towards good while the second all bad ones who lead us to wrong ways.
     My ideal(理想的) friend is of course a good friend whose goodness is shown below-he has no
bad likings, such as smoking and drinking. He lives in frugality(节俭). He studies hard so as not to
waste his golden time. At home he honors his parents and loves his brothers; at school he respects
his teachers and shares feelings of his classmates. He treats those truly who are true to him. In a word,
he has all the good characters better than mine. I can follow him as a model. With his help I am free
from all difficulties,
     Indeed, if I have such a person as my friend, I shall never fear difficulty and I shall never know the
existence of the word "failure".

1. This passage tells us _      _  .   

A. how to make friends with others          
B. how the writer' s friend helps him
C. what kind of person the writer's friend is    
D what kind of person we should make friends with

2. An ideal friend means           .

A. a true friend  
B. a false friend  
C. an imaginary friend  
D. an excellent friend

3. From the passage we can learn that             .    

A. the writer and his ideal friend have a lot to learn from each other
B. the writer has a lot to learn from his ideal friend
C. the writer's ideal friend has a lot to learn from him
D. the writer has only a little to learn from his ideal friend

4. From the second paragraph, we can infer the writer is sure that              .

A. nothing cannot be done with friend          
B. only the first sentence is reasonable
C. he who does not smoke or drink must be a good friend
D. good friends should always help each other

     In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun
together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you
as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I
have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and
reliability (可靠). 　　
     Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person
is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's
place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener. 　　
     At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He
notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me. 　　
     Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet
me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to
help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me. 　　
     There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have
fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who
are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other.
A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of
being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me. 　　
     When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, understanding and humorous, I know I've found a friend!

请根据阅读信息填写下面句子：
1. The writer thinks a good friend should be _________, ____________, ___________, and ___________.
2. What is the meaning for fair weather friends? (用浅显易懂的英语来解释)
    ________________________________________________________________________.
3. Write down a title for this short passage.
    ________________________________________________________________________.

     For the next seven years, sit down each evening and write down ten things you are grateful for each day.
Better still, do this with partner or friend. Before we practice gratitude (感恩), we are in the dark and there
appears to be very little to be grateful for. Once we begin, a new light dawns, sometimes a brilliant light, a
light as bright as heaven itself.
     To whom are you grateful in your life? Do these people know the full extent of your gratitude? Do you
realize how grateful they will be when you tell them? Gratitude is more important than an attitude; gratitude
is philosophy. The philosophy of gratitude being as a hope, grows into a belief, and finally becomes an
absolute knowing. It is a knowing that within any given situation-peaceful or painful or ugly-there is always
a gift waiting, waiting for to see.
     If it appears you have nothing to be grateful for, it is because you are not allowing yourself to receive.
Just because you do not receive does not mean there is nothing to receive. On the contrary (相反), there
is always ____ and so there is always a reason to be grateful. Pray:"Dear God, teach me I am worthy to
receive, teach me how to receive, teach me gratitude". Gratitude is good medicine. One single serving of
gratitude is often enough to open the heart, energise the body, warm the bones, make your hair curl, put a
spring in your step, start you humming, and make you smile like a baby.

1. What's the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
    __________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one? Showing even a bit of gratitude
    can make everything look fine, and it will be of great benefit to you. 
    __________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.
    (Please answer within 10 words.) 
    __________________________________________________________________________________
4. Do you agree with the author's opinion of gratitude? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.) 
    __________________________________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the first paragraph into Chinese. 
    __________________________________________________________________________________

     Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No
card came with it. Calls to the flower-shop were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover
the sender's name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
     But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent
daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged these imaginings. She'd ask me if there was someone
for whom I had done special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I'd delivered
during the winter. As a girl, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.
     One month before my graduation, my father died, I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in
my upcoming graduation dance, and I didn't care if I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own
sadness would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth,
my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia-lovely, strong and perfect with
perhaps a bit of mystery.
     My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. A childhood Dream
B. A Mother's Love
C. A Graduation Party
D. A Special Birthday

2. Why the girl delighted after getting a gardenia?

A. Because she like a white gardenia.
B. Because she have more fun imagining.
C. Because the sender give a girl happiest moments.
D. Because she try to discover the sender's name.

3. The mother insisted that her daughter go to the graduation dance because _____.

A. she could take care of things herself
B. she hoped she would find a boyfriend
C. she wanted her to be happy and strong
D. she thought education was most important

4. Who was the sender of the flower?

A. A boy the writer had run into.
B. One of the writer's neighbors.
C. One of the writer's classmates.
D. The writer's mother.

     Stop wasting your time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize
that the seeds of success were  planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power
to make those seeds grow.
     The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the human mind. Success is a choice
and not a chance. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
      You cannot be successful without first developing your self esteem(自尊). Your level of
self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself,
and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem do not believe that they have any power, or
responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed(摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with
any sudden change in the weather.
      You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible
for whatever happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident while successful
people realize that they are responsible.
     Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause,we can control the effect.
We are responsible for what we consciously choose to accept and believe. Thoughts and beliefs cause
everything. Our attitudes and actions are a result of habits ingrained in us over a period of time. One
generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our
success depends upon our level of confidence. We are responsible for either reinforcing  (强化) good
habits or kicking bad habits and consciously replacing them with consistently practiced good habits.
      If you associate with positive-thinking people ,you are definitely going to achieve success. On the
contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding , planting , and  nurturing (培育)   the  
seeds that contain future victory , born from setbacks.
     In short,in all areas of your life, whether they are financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are
 responsible. Once you recognize this , accept it, and firmly believe it,you are on the road to success.

1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they_________. 

A. are ready to change their minds
B. are easily affected by windy weather
C. don't have the power to face their fate
D. can't exercise control over themselves

2. Losers would think that____________.    

A. success is the result of hard work
B. working hard will lead to success
C. their failure is only because of bad luck
D. they don't make efforts to succeed

3. It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that____________.   

A. whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes
B. developing confidence is the key to future success
C. thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind
D. setting our expectations is essential before taking action

4. The last paragraph serves as ___________.   

A. the proof of the author's points
B. the conclusion of the argument
C. an introduction to another topic
D. a comparison between two views

5. Which is the best title for the text?________.

A. Success is a choice
B. The secrets of success
C. Develop our confidence
D. How to achieve success

     As the United States continues to argue over the future of the illegal immigrants traveling across its
borders ,I went on a joumey to discover what hardships people crossing the border from Tijuana, Mexico must face.  I worked at a soup kitchen, where I came into contact with many poor citizens who had
recently arrived in Tijuana. One of the people I served was a Guatemalan named Juan , who washed cars
for low pay in the US. After we spoke for 10 minutes,Juan introduced me to his girlfriend,a local stripper who offered to give me a free lap dance if I ever decided to visit the club across the street. I certainly didn't need to respond to this.  
     I also visited a shelter for the recently deported and those who have recently arrived in Tijuana from other Mexican states. Tijuana is home to more than l.5 million people and is populated by many migrants who
arrive and leave mostly for reasons of unemployment. Having dinner at the shelter,l talked with those who planned to stay the night. Seated at my table was a man in his 40s. He had recently been deported from
Los Angeles for not having the proper legal  documentation. The only belongings he carried with him were
a few clothes and an album  filled with pictures of  his wife and  three daughters in  Los  Angeles.  I was
surprised by how open he was in sharing his story. I feel bad for  not learning his name  before  I  left.
Returning to my country on the final day of my trip awakened a strange feeling inside me.
    I went on this trip with an open mind and heart and was given the chance to communicate with so many
different people that I wouldn't have met in my everyday life. I felt guilty for taking so many things for
granted, while people a few hundred miles away are already satisfied with the simpler things that they have.

1. The strange feeling inside the writer is that_________.

A. he didn't value the chance to communicate with those people in the shelter
B. he didn't discover enough hardships the deported experienced
C. he took many things f'or granted
D. so many Mexican people should be refused to enter the US

2. From the selection we know that_________.

A. the writer served soup the anyone arriving in Tijuana
B. the United States has decided to take in more immigrants
C. Tijuana has a population of 1.5 million
D. Juan's girlfriend was a dancing girl

3. The illegal immigrants met with the following hardships FXCEPT_________.

A. having to be strippers            
B. getting low pay
C. finding no work                    
D. being deported

4. We can infer from the selection that__________.

A. washing cars in the US brings in low pay
B. the write showed little interest in strip dancing
C. Juan wasn't open-minded at all
D. the writer got a real lesson from his journey

     A brief act of kindness brings an unexpected insight (领悟).I was shopping at a department store and
had just boarded the clown escalator  (电动扶梯)  when I noticed a woman standing to the side. She
looked about 65, and her expression told me she was scared. I turned toward her and asked, “Do you
need help?"
     As the escalator continued moving, I heard the woman  reply  softly, “I’m afraid." There was a hint of
doubt in her voice. "Want me to come back and get you?" I called to her. She nodded. But by the time I
reached her, the woman had reconsidered. "I don't think I can do it", she said.
     I  was  suddenly  aware that I had made a far greater investment than I expected. "I know we can do
it," I said. "I can  hold  on  to you." She looked down  at the beast  (庞然大物). Then  her eyes came
back  to  mine,  looking  doubtful "This has never happened to me before," she said, as much to herself
as to me. I felt that her  sudden  fear had to do with the escalator's mechanical nature, its basic inhuman
untrustworthiness.
     I took her arm. "Shall we?" She made a little sound of  alarm as we stepped on, but  we'd passed  the
point of no return. She relaxed slightly as the stairs moved us downward. "I don't understand this at all,"
she said. As we neared the bottom, her grip (紧握) tightened again, but we did fine. "I'm so grateful."She
began. "It was nothing," I said. "I was happy to do it.
     "Happy? Yes. I do very little to help others. I am busy caring for a family and  working full time. For
a brief moment, I had a flash of insight into why someone would become a nurse or a social worker
or a priest. When I helped the woman, I felt pure and whole, purposeful. It was a happier moment than
I'd had in weeks.

1. Why did the old woman look scared at first? Because ______.

A. she was afraid to talk to strangers.
B. she didn't dare to go down the escalator.
C. she couldn't carry her heavy things downstairs.
D. she felt she might be robbed of her things.

2. What does the sentence "I don't think I can do it" imply? The old woman couldn't ______.

A. hold on to the escalator.          
B. give the author a hand.
C. accept the author's help.              
D. afford to buy necessary things.

3. We know from the text that the old woman ______..

A. bought so many things.
B. was very thankful to the author.
C. couldn't go out shopping alone.
D. believed in the author from the beginning

4. The author learned from the experience that ______.

A. she should become a social worker.
B. she should first perform her own duties well.
C. the most important was to understand each other.
D. people needed other people's help in the society.