A couple of years ago, I learned this lesson. That day, I took a taxi to Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, got out of his car and started yelling bad words at us. The taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to hospital!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call “the law of the garbage truck.”

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and if you agree, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump their problems on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy at what you do.

I started thinking, how often do I let garbage trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people? That day I said, “I’m not going to do that anymore.”

What about you? What will happen in your life if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.

21. The taxi driver smiled and waved at the driver of the other car          .

A. to show his kindness and friendliness       B. to thank him for his politeness

C. to satisfy his reaction                                D. to please the author

22. What does the underlined word “frustration” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A. destruction             B. confusion                C. defeat                     D. rubbish

23. What can be the best title for the text?

A. Secret of Success                              B. Don’t Let Bad Feelings Affect You

C. Take Care of the Danger around You       D. The Law of the Garbage Truck

A walk in a farmers’ market often brings one to explore new food options, and now more locally-farmed protein (蛋白质) choices are available to help bridge the gap between our meals and the farms on which they grew. More and more local small farms are popping up in opposition to factory farms.

Today’s commercial farms do not fit the image that comes to mind while happily singing along to “Old McDonald.” Instead, most of the nation’s food comes from CAFOs – Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations – where animals are kept in tightly enclosed conditions as they are fattened up and readied to be killed for food.

Fortunately, knowing exactly where one’s food comes from has led to an increase in the availability of what is known as “grass-fed” beef. Technically, all cattle are grass-fed for at least a limited amount of time, but what makes the meat significant is that it is grass-finished, not force-fed corn, soy or grains. This change in diet makes all the difference since corn is not part of the cow’s traditional diet, and therefore causes major health issues for it. To deal with the health issues, antibiotics (抗生素) are used and some of the antibiotics used to treat the cattle are similar to those given to humans, so they can decrease the effectiveness of medicine when a consumer is sick.

A healthier diet for the cattle leads the meat to lower in both fat and calories. And when cooking grass-fed beef, you’d better use a slightly lower temperature to make it more delicious.

24. The underlined words popping up ( 1st Para.) probably means              .

A. improving         B. appearing               C. profiting           D. fading

25. The song “Old McDonald” describes             .

A. commercial “farms providing fast food      

B. commercial farms providing unpopular foods

C. animals raised freely on local farms

D. animals kept in tightly enclosed conditions

26. Some medicines are less effective for beef consumers probably because              .

A. some cattle feed on grains

B. all cattle eat grass

C. some antibiotics are used by both cattle and people

D. some medicines are used to treat sick cattle

27. We can infer from the text that                .

A. food from local farms can help add to the variety in our daily meals

B. soy or grains are on the list of traditional diets of the cattle

C. corn for the cattle leads the meat to lower in both fat and calories

D. low temperature makes grass-fed beef more delicious

It is commonly believed that all over the world, boys and girls attend a mixed school, where they study together. But boys' schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music.

Always boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to correspond to(和…相符) the "boy code" of hiding their emotions to be a "real man".

Surprisingly, the findings of the study go against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.

George Carl, headmaster of Eton, warned that boys were being failed by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.

The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when girls do better earlier in speaking and reading skills.

But in single-sex schools teachers can adjust lessons to boys' learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study's author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia.

Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with "boy-focused" approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have more acute vision, learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given "hands-on" lessons where they are allowed to walk around. "Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine（女性的) and prefer the modern genre (类型) in which violence and sexism are major themes," James wrote.

Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel that they had to be "masterful and in charge" in relationships. "In mixed schools, boys feel forced to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means," the study reported.

28. The writer argues that a single-sex school would __________.

A. encourage boys to express their emotions more freely

B. help boys to be more competitive in schools.

C. force boys to be their emotions to be "real men"

D. naturally strengthen boys’ traditional image of a man

29.  Traditionally, in a mixed school boys __________.

A. behave more responsibly.                         B. perform relatively better.

C. grow up more healthily.                      D. receive a better education.

30. In Abigail James’ opinion, one of the advantages of single-sex schools is _____.

A. boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in

B. boys can focus on their lessons without being distracted

C. teaching can be adjusted to suiting the characteristics of boys

D. teaching can be designed to promote boys' team spirit

31. The underlined word “acute” in paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ______ .

A. lovely                      B. serious            C. sharp               D. dull

Often a nickname is a shortened form of a person's name, and it can also be a descriptive name for a place or a thing. Many American cities have nicknames. These can help build up an identity, spread pride among citizens and build their unity. Nicknames can also be funny.
    Los Angeles, California is the second largest city in population, after New York City. Los Angeles has several nicknames. One is simply the city's initials, L.A. It is also called the City of Angels because Los Angeles means "the angels" in Spanish.
    Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather. So another nickname is City of Flowers and Sunshine. New York is called The Big Apple. So Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city's warm climate.
    The American movie and television industries are based in Los Angeles. So it is not surprising that it is called The Entertainment Capital of the World. Many films are made in the area of Los Angeles called Hollywood. Millions of people visit the area. No trip to Los Angeles is perfect without seeing the word "Hollywood" spelled out in huge letters on a hillside.
    Many movie stars live in Los Angeles. The city is sometimes called Tinseltown. This nickname comes from the shiny, bright and often unreal nature of Hollywood and the movie industry.
    Another nickname for Los Angeles is La-La Land, using the first letters of Los and Angeles. This means a place that is fun and not serious, and maybe even out of touch with reality.
    A good place for watching unusual-looking people is Venice, an area on the west side of Los Angeles. A system of waterways designed after the Italian city of Venice has been built there. Many people love Los Angeles for its warm sunny weather, beautiful mountains and beaches, and movie stars. That includes Randy Newman, who sings about his hometown.

On the whole, Los Angeles is growing attractive just for its rich nicknames.

32. Choose the one that isn’t the function of a nickname of a place.

A. Uniting surrounding cities                   B. Entertainment  
       C. Bringing pride to the locals          D. Establishing characteristics

33. Which of the following can best replace the underlined sentence?

A. Seeing the big letters "Hollywood" on a hillside means you've been really to Los Angeles.

B. Not seeing the word "Hollywood" on a hillside means you haven't been to Los Angeles.
       C. If you visit Los Angeles you should first pay a visit to "Hollywood" s on a hillside.
       D. Your trip to Los Angeles is not complete if you miss the big letters "Hollywood" on a hillside

34.What’s the number of the nicknames given to Los Angeles?

A. 5                      B. 4                      C. 7                      D. 6

35. According to the passage, the true statement is ________.

A. Los Angeles was built after the Italian city of Venice

B. Hollywood alone adds fame to Los Angeles

C. Los Angeles is most famous for its nicknames

D. All the nicknames increase the charm of Los Angeles

A major source of teen stress is school exams, and test anxiety is not uncommon. When you recognize your teen is under stress, how can you help your teen stay calm before an exam?

Be involved. You need to be involved in your teen’s work.   36   What he looks for is your presence­ –to talk, to cry, or simply to sit with him quietly. Communicate openly with your teen. Encourage your teen to express his worries and fears, but don’t let him focus on those fears.

Help your teen get organized.   37   Together, you and your teen can work out a timetable in which he can study for what he knows will be on the test.

Provide a calm setting. Help your teen set up a quiet place to study and protect his privacy. Give him a nutritious diet. It’s important for your teen to eat a healthy, balanced diet during exam times to focus and do his best.   38   If this happens, encourage your teen to eat light meals or sandwiches. A healthy diet, rather than junk food, is best for reducing stress.

   39   Persuade your teen to get some sleep or do something active when he needs a real break from studying. Marking time for relaxation, fun, and exercise is all important in reducing stress. Help your teen balance his time so that he will fell comfortable taking time out from studying to spend time with friends or rest.

Show a positive attitude.   40   Your panic, anxiety and blame contribute to your teen’s pressure. Make your teen feel accepted and valued for his efforts. Most importantly, reassure your teen that things will be all right, no matter what the results are.

A. Your attitude will influence your teen’s emotions.

B. Exam stress can make some teen lose their appetite(食欲).

C. They will only make the situation worse.

D. Encourage your teen to relax.

E. The best thing is simply to listen.

F. Help your teen think about what he has to study and plan accordingly.

G. Your teen may also make negative comments about themselves.