When travelling abroad, your safest bet is to limit gestures as much as possible. However, you may find that your gestures happen out of habit. Understanding appropriate gestures of the country you’re visiting may prevent you from communicating the wrong message. In North America, eye contact communicates to the speaker that you’re interested and listening. In Asia, people look away to concentrate on what the speaker is saying. Taking the time to get yourself familiar with the gestures of the country you’re visiting will help you connect with the people of the foreign environment.

Gestures in Brazil

Much like the Italian culture, a Brazilian snaps his fingers（打响指）and uses exaggerated（夸张的）hand movements when stressing a statement. The sense of warmth and friendliness with each other is shown through the gesture of eye contact when communicating and standing close together in lineups or when talking to each other. Communicating a greeting is more than the gesture of a handshake, but also involves the touch of the forearm.

Gestures in China

China is affected by Confucius’ way of thinking, which is reflected through its reserved culture. You communicate a greeting in China with the gesture of a slight nod and bow. To communicate respect, you keep your head lowered. In China, the gesture of standing close during a conversation prevents having to communicate with a raised voice. A person will communicate his surprise during a conversation with the gesture of breathing in air loudly, rather than a loud outburst.

Gestures in Russia

Gestures considered common to Americans may be considered rude in Russia. The American gesture to communicate “okay”, with the forefinger and thumb touching and three fingers up, is considered rude in Russia. Looking at your watch is a rude gesture communicating impatience. Russians also feel upset about the gesture of communicating directions by pointing.

Gestures in India

Gestures used in India represent its traditional culture. In India, the gesture of holding out the hand to communicate giving or receiving must be done with the right hand as a person in India uses his left hand for washing. The gesture of communicating respect at a religious ceremony is done by removing your shoes. The proper way of communicating direction is to use either the whole hand or by using your chin. The proper form of communicating a greeting is to press the palms（手掌）together with fingers upward and say, “Namaste”.

1. In China people stand close while talking to ________.

   A. avoid a loud voice                                   B. show their surprise

   C. exchange greetings                                         D. express their respect

2. Which of the following is considered bad manners in India?   

   A. Receiving gifts with the left hand.             B. Using the whole hand to show the way.

   C. Removing shoes at religious ceremonies.   

D. Pressing the palms together upward while greeting.

3. In which country is looking at the watch considered impolite during communication ?

   A. Brazil.                 B. Russia.                     C. India.                              D. China.

4. The passage is mainly about ________.

   A. some traveling tips for visitors                        B. the advantages of using body language

   C. some gestures in communication              D. the comparison between different cultures

Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’ t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics, but sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves .If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.

　　Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about US. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.

　　The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.

　　It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.

　　The best way to get rid of a negative serf-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!

5. You need to build a positive self-image when you _________.

　　A. dare to challenge yourself                             B. feel it hard to change yourself

　　C. are unconfident about yourself                          D. have a high opinion of yourself

6. According to the passage, our serf-images _________.

　　A. have positive effects                                           B. are probably untrue

　　C. are often changeable                                           D. have different functions

7. How should you change your serf-image according to the passage?

　　A. To keep a different image of others.              B. To make your life successful.

　　C. To understand your own world.                           D. To change the way you think.

8.What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. How to prepare for your success.             B. How to face challenges in your life.

　　C. How to build a positive self-image.            D. How to develop your good qualities.

Evidence of violent storms that destroyed a lost town known as Britain’s Atlantis has been uncovered. The finds were uncovered off the coast of Dunwich, Suffolk - a small village which in the 11th Century was one of the largest towns in England.

The town was hit by a series of storms in the 13th and 14th centuries and is now largely below the sea. Researchers said sediment(沉积物) gathered from the cliffs independently proved the historical record.

“They were like the south coast storms of 2013, at least once a year for decades,” Professor David Sear, of the University of Southampton said.

The three-year research off Dunwich has been funded by Touching the Tide, a £900,000 Heritage Lottery Fund plan to explore the changing Suffolk coast.

A diver used ultrasound(超声波) to “illuminate” findings on the seabed, and the marshes(沼泽) and eroding cliffs were surveyed. “It offers a marvelous history of climate change and coastal erosion,” said Prof Sear with regards to the findings.

In the 11th Century, Dunwich was the 10th largest town in England, but now has about 120 residents. Two great storms in 1286 and 1326 resulted in the loss of its harbour and started its decline. Prof Sear said analysis showed how “people gave up on Dunwich” after 1338, when another great storm choked up the port for good, and food production declined. Sediment gathered from the cliffs, he said, “independently confirmed the sequences of storms recorded in the historical record”.

The underwater research has been carried out using acoustic(声学的) imaging technology, and has unearthed a series of buildings. We found the ruins of about four churches and we’ve also found ruins of what we think was a toll house. We’ve also found shipwrecks(沉船), which no-one’s known before.

A dig in 2015 discovered evidence of Dunwich’s prehistoric origins, as well as evidence it was “a substantial Saxon port, prior to its rapid growth following the Norman invasion”.

Bill Jenman, from Touching the Tide, said: “We found loads of pottery, a lot more than we’ve found before, so sort of High Medieval - the peak of the wealth of Dunwich. We know it was a fairly major town in the Anglo-Saxon period.”

9. Evidence shows that Dunwich declined in history due to ______.

   A. the rise of sea level                        B. sediment from the cliffs

   C. the Norman invasion                      D. a series of storms

10. What can be learned from the text about Dunwich’s present condition?

   A. It is completely below the sea           B. It still exists with about 120 residents.

   C. It is still hit by storms every year.        D. It is still an important port in England

11. With the help of modern equipment, the researchers have found all the following things underwater EXCEPT_____.

   A. shipwrecks unknown before                           B. ruins of churches and other buildings

   C. the seabed that was like a busy harbour

D. lots of pottery dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period

12. From the discoveries, we can conclude that______.

   A. Dunwich was thoroughly ruined by the Norman invaders

   B. no one believed those ships could have sink at Dunwich

   C. Dunwich was a prosperous town before its decline

   D. no historical records about Dunwich were kept after 1338

In many parts of the world, cars play an important role in daily life and many societies would not exist without them.13.    But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously, not only by government but also by car manufacturers(制造商).

The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughborough in the UK is part of an international research program. 14.     That will mean much saving, no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21st century will drive itself, 15    Instead, we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing.

According to Dr.David Davis, who leads the research team, these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture, which had blocked up our cities, polluted our air, and caused more deaths than both world wars put together.

Davis says, cars will be fitted with some intelligent devices(装置) to regulate(调节) the distance between one car and another.16.    Computers are much safer drivers than people, so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people.

By 2010, Dr.David Davis believes, car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road, whatever the weather conditions, by projecting an image（影像）of the road ahead on to the car’s windscreen. 17.      Cars will be connected by an electronic bar to the car in front to form “road-trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the normal amount of fuel.” says Davis.“ But all the others in the train would burn about ten percent of the normal amount, and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.”

A. The team there believes that by 2030 all cars will be computerized.

B. They believe that cars will become more important in 20 years.

C. And it will not be owned by one individual.

D. And by 2030, cars will travel in line, linked to each other electronically.

E. So the idea that in 20 years’ time, no one will own cars may be hard to believe.

F. Every driver will use less fuel in the car he owns.

G. The car will automatically speed up or slow down to match the speed of the front car.

    Long ago，people believed that in the future we would work less, have more free time and get more relaxed．But 1._______(luck)，this has not happened yet．

    Today we work harder, work longer hours and have more stresses than ten years ago． 2._______ we use machines that save us time，we still have less free time than our parents and grandparents．But what is this doing to our health? An American journalist says that people are suffering from “hurry 3.________(sick)”－we’re trying to do more things in less time． 4._____ a result，our lives are stressful．He says that 5._______ we slow down，we won’t live as long as our parents．For most people, faster doesn’t mean better.

    In the USA，there is a book called “One－Minute Bedtime Stories for children”．These are shorter versions of traditional stories，specially 6._______(write) for “busy parents” who want to save time! Some answer phones now have “quickplayback” buttons so that we can replay people’s messages faster—we can’t waste time 7.__________(listen) to people speaking 8.____ the normal speed!

   The only thing  9._____ is slower than before is the way we drive．Our cars are faster but the traffic is worse, so we drive more slowly．We spend more time sitting in our cars，feeling 10._______(stress). Experts predict that in ten years the average speed on the road in cities will be only 17 km／h．