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 race with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, for his smile.

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

It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered. Everyone must give bad mews from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation dose 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.

 Unfortumately, 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 ye? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter merrily 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 warning. 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 .

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

   A. make a comparison    B. introduce a topic   C. describe a scene    D. offer an argument

54. In the writer’s opinion, his neighbor was _____________.

    A. friendly    B. warm-hearted    C. not considerate     D. not helpful

55. From “Dreams of head-cutting!”(Paragraph 3), 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.

56. What is the main idea of the text?

  A. Delivering bad news properly is important in communication.

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

  C. Receiving bad news requires great courage.

  D. Learning ancient traditions can be useful.

Teenagers who do not get enough of the nutrients commonly found in fruits and fish are easier to have bad lungs, coughing and wheezing （喘息）．Teens who eat the least of fruit and especially vitamin C have weaker lungs compared to the others．

Teens who take in less vitamin E, found in vegetable oil and nuts, are more likely to have asthma（哮喘）, Jane Bums at the Harvard School of Public Health found.

Based on these findings．Bums said that current recommended dose（一剂）of vitamin C, 85 mg a day, may not be enough for teens to have healthy lungs．Teens who eat less fruit and don't take in enough fatty acids （脂肪酸） are more likely to have asthma and the signs of breathing difficulty．

Proper amounts of fatty acids are protective, Bums said, though fish, the best source of fatty acids, is particularly unpopular with teenagers．Fatty acids are also found in some nuts as well as some green vegetables'．Smokers who avoid vitamin C will increase their chances of coughing, wheezing and developing phlegm（痰）．

More than 80 percent of teens are getting their recommended doses of vitamin C - mainly from fruit drinks．"I wouldn't approve of drinking them, but at least they're getting their vitamin C from somewhere," Burns said．

Burns added that there are several different ways to get the necessary nutrients．"I think vitamin supplements are fine．I think adding vitamin D to orange juice is fine．But I do think there are added benefits that we don't fully understand of eating whole foods like fruits and vegetables and fish," she said．The researchers did not account for poverty and other factors that often distinguish less-healthy eaters and may explain their findings．

1.According to the passage, what is the problem with teens who don't get enough nutrients?

A．They are becoming smokers．             B．They don't take enough exercise．

C．They eat too much fruit and fish．          D．They are likely to have weaker lungs．

2.According to Burns, how should teens get the necessary nutrients?

A．By drinking juice as much as possible．

B．By eating more whole foods．

C．By taking vitamin pills．

D．By giving up smoking．

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the researchers in the passage?

A．The amount of nutrients teens should take in a day．

B．How teens can take in enough nutrients．

C．Whether poor teens can prove their findings．

D．The fact that teens don't like fish．

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A．Poor nutrition hurts teens' health．         B．Teens lack proper nutrition．

C．Teens are easy to suffer from diseases．      D．More fruit help keep teens healthy．

In the fall of 1985．I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere．Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell．

My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65．She was the first in our family to reach that goal．But one year after I started college, she developed cancer．I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her．It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait．

Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children．In 1999, we adopted our first son．To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional．A year later came our second adopted boy．Then followed son No．3．In 2003, I gave birth to another boy．

You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo．Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time．But I never gave up on the dream either．I had only one choice: to find a way．That meant talking as few as one class each semester．

The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys．They often wanted me to stay home with them．There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives．

In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina．It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！

I am not special, just single-minded．It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal．Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day．It’s a process．Remember: little steps add up to big dreams．

1.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be         .

2.Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?

3.What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?

4.Which of the following can best describe the author ?

In the fall of 1985. I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.

  My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.

  Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.

  You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 81. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each semester.

  The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.

In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！

I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember；little steps add up to big dreams.

1. When the author went to Howard University, her dream was tobe    

A. a writer

B. a teacher

C. a judge

D. a doctor

2. Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?

A. She wanted to study by herself.

B. She fell in love and got married.

C. She suffered from a serious illness.

D. She decided to look after her grandma. 

3. What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?

A. She was buy yet happy with her family life.

B. She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.

C. She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.

D. She was too confused to make a correct choice.

4.What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A. Failure is the mother of success.

B. Little by little ,one goes far.

C. Every coin has two sides.

D. Well begun ,half done.

5.Which of the following can best describe the author ?

A. Caring and determine.

B. Honest and responsible.

C. Ambitious and sensitive .

D. Innocent and single-minded.

In the fall of 1985. I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 81. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember；little steps add up to big dreams.
【小题1】When the author went to Howard University, her dream was tobe