Silence is unnatural to man. He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness. In between be does all he can to make a noise in the world, and be fears silence more than anything else. Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence. If he is introduced to another person, and is number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards him- self as a failure ,a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest- headed chatterbox（喋喋不休的人）.He knows that ninety nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure（蜡塑人像）.

The aim of conversation is not. For the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound. There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito(蚊子).But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person. Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind. He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing with his neighbors.

Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish to talk. Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new. Some of them are content if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other people’s ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel. At the end of an evening, during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time. They just prove themselves to be successful conservationists.

1.According to the author, people make conversation to               .

A. exchange ideas

B. prove their value

C. achieve success in life

D. overcome their fear of silence

2.By “the buzzing of a fly”(Para.1),the author means “              ”.

A. the noise of an insect

B. a low whispering sound

C. meaningless talks

D. the voice of a chatterbox

3.According to the passage, people usually talk to their neighbors          .

A. about whatever they have prepared

B. about whatever they want do

C. in the hope of learning something new

D. in the hope of getting on well

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To discuss why people like talking about weather.

B. To encourage people to join in conversations.

C. To persuade people to stop making noises.

D. To explain why people keep talking.

An environmental group called the Food Commission is unhappy and disappointed because of the sale of bottled water form Japan. The water is angrily argues in public, has traveled 10,000“food miles”before it reaches Western customers.“transporting water halfway across the world is surely the extremely stupid use of fuel when there is plenty of water in the OK.”It is also worried that we are wasting our fuel by buying praums（对虾）from Indonesia(7,000 food miles) and carrots from  South Africa(5,900 food miles).

Counting the number of miles traveled done by a product is a strange way of trying to tell the true situation of the environmental damage done by an industry. Most food is transported around the world on container ships that are extremely energy efficient（高能效的）. It should be noted that a ton of butter transported 25 miles in a truck product transported hundreds of miles by sea. Besides ,the idea of “of miles”ignores the amount of fuel used in the production. It is possible to cut down your food miles by buying tomatoes grown in Britain rather than those grown in Ghana; the difference is that the British one will have been raised in heated greenhouses and the Ghanaian ones in the open sun.

What the idea of“food miles”does provide, however, is the chance to cut out Third World Countries from First World food markers. The number of miles traveled by our food should, as I see it, be regarded as a sign of the success of the global（全球的）trade system, not a sign of damage to the environment.

1.The Food Commission is angry because it thinks that     .

A.OK wastes a lot of money importing food products

B. some imported goods cause environmental damage

C. growing certain vegetables cause environmental damage

D. people waste energy buying food fro other countries

2. The phrase“food miles”in the passage refers to the distance        .

A. that a food product travels to a market

B. that a food product travels from one market to another

C. between UK and other food producing countries

D. between a Third World country and a First World food market

3.By comparing tomatoes raised in Britain and in Ghana, the another tries to explain that      .

A. British tomatoes are healthier than Ghanaian ones

B. Ghanaian tomatoes taste better than British ones

C. cutting down food miles may not necessarily save fuel

D. protecting the environment may cost a lot of money

4.From the passage we know that the author is most probably         .

A. a supporter of free global trade

B. a member of the Food Commission

D. a supporter of First World food markets

D. a member of an energy development group

The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me ,eager to sell his bunches（串）of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known he bitterness of life.“Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.”He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 that for the fruit and nuts, When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change. So I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.

When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents bad raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.

I pulled over and rolled down my window, He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’t up?”asked him.

“I…I don’t have money to buy books for school.”I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills.“Will this help?”I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year.“Thank you, sir.”he said.“Thank you very much!”

When driving home. I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a cheat（骗子）?And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I wondered why I did it, Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.

Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out For a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.

“Oh, gosh! Long time.”

“Are you in school now?”I asked.

He nodded.

“That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted.“Here,”I held out a 500 naira bill.“Take this.”He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt.“What’s wrong?”  I asked.“It’s a gift.”

He shook his head again and brought his had form behind his back. His face shone with sweat（汗水）. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said,“I’ve been waiting to give these to you .”

1.What was the author’s first impression of the boy?

A. He seemed to be poor and greedy.

B. He seemed to have his age.

C. He seemed younger than his age.

D. He seemed good at bargaining.

2.The second time the author met the boy, the boy    .

A. told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts

B. wanted to express his thanks

C. asked him for money for his schoolbooks

D. tried to take advantage of him

3.Why did the author give his money to the boy?

A. Because he had enough money to do that.

B. Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.

C. Because he held a higher position in the society.

D. Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.

4.Which of the following best describes the boy?

A. Brave and polite.

B. Kind and smart.

C. Honest and thankful.

D. Shy and nervous.

Have you ever received a gift that was so clearly not your taste that you wondered if perhaps it had been handed to you by mistake? Worse, have you ever given a present and watched your friend look as though she had opened the wrong box? Maybe she responded with a polite “Why, thank you,” but you knew you had missed the mark. Why do presents sometimes go wrong? And what do your choices (good and had) reflect about your personal qualities?

Choosing the right gift is an art, I believe. It calls for empathy－the ability to put yourself into someone else’s head and heart. We’re all able to do this; in fact, we’re born with a kind of natural empathy. After the earliest period of childhood, however, it needs to be reinforced（加强）－by our parents, teachers, friends .When it isn’t, we’re not able to understand other people’s feelings as sharply. This can show in the gifts we select, and so can many other emotional（情感的）qualities.

Think back to the presents you’ve given over the past year, the time and effort you put into your selection, how much you spent, your thoughts while you were shopping ,and your feelings when the receiver opened the package. Keep in mind that what you choose displays your inner world. Of course, you may express yourself differently with different friends, relatives, and other people you know.

We live in a society where exchanging presents is an important part of communication. Ignoring the tradition won’t make it go away. If you really dislike such a tradition, tell your friends abead of time.

1.The underlined expression“you had missed the mark”means“you had failed to     ”.

A.make her feel better

B.keep your friendship

C.receive a present in return

D.get the expected effect

2.Which of the following is the main ideas of the second paragraph?

A.Natural empathy needs to be reinforced.

B.Emotional changes influence one’s choice of gifts.

C.Selecting the right gift is an ability people are born with.

D.Choosing gifts requires one to understand the receivers.

3.In the third garagraph, the author tells us that        .

A.attention should be paid to the receiver’s responses

B.one learns from what he did in the past

C.the choice of girls reflects one’s emotional qualities

D.one should spend more time choosing gifts

4.The best possible title for this passage is “　　　”.

A.Ways of Choosing Gifts

B.An Important Tradition

C.Exchanging Presents

D.Message in a Gift

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1. The audio-magazines in the passage are       .

A. published in European languages

B. read on the computer screen

C. designed in the form of small sized books

D. broadcast on television and the radio

2 The audio magazines are mainly for        .

A. European journalists

B. professional travelers

C. language learners

D. language learners

3. What is mentioned as a feature of the audio-magazines?

A. They are translated into English.

B. They are convenient for the users.

C. They are very easy to read.

D. They are cheap and popular.

4. What does the underlined part “reimburse” probably mean?

A. Return the money you paid.

B. Change the product you bought.

C. Offer you a free repair.

D. Guarantee you the quality.