When I was in my fourth year of teaching, I was also (and am still) a high school track and field coach(田径教练). One year, I had a student, John, who entered my class when he was a junior. John changed to our school from Greece, and seemed to be interested in sports, so I encouraged him to join our track team. I explained to him that even though he had never taken part in it before, I did believe that he could do well in any event, and I would be willing to coach him at whichever ones interested him. He accepted the offer, and began to work hard at every practice.

     About a month later, I had found out from other sources that John was a first-class tennis player, winning various junior awards in his home country. I went to him asking, "John, I really appreciate that you came out for the track team, but why didn't you play tennis instead? It seems that would interest you a lot more, since you're so good at it." John answered, "Well, I like tennis, but you told me that you believed in me, and that you thought I could do well in track, so I wanted to try it for that reason."      

     From then on, I often remember my student's reply. I told it to a friend and she suggested I write it down to share somewhere with more teachers. No matter how critical (不满的) students can be of them-selves, I've found that a simple "I trust that you can do it!" can go a long way!

21. The passage is mainly written for _____.

A. teachers             B. parents          C. students             D. players

22. According to Paragraph 1, the author seems to think more about John's ________

A. PE marks    B. self-confidence   C. interest in sports   D. state of health

23. Why did John take part in the track team?

A. He had been an excellent runner.

B. He was encouraged by his teacher.

C. He liked running more than tennis.

D. He had no tennis coach to train him.

24. The purpose of this passage is probably _____.

A. to build a close teacher-student relationship

B. to introduce a new way of sports training

C. to explain the value of sports and games

D. to show the importance of encouragement

Insects(昆虫) are a very healthy food. They have almost as much protein(蛋白质) as meat from a pig or cow and are low in fat. Eating insects is also very good for the environment since they need less land and water than larger animals.

    Marcel Dicke, who studies insects, explained in a talk how insects also produce more meat from the food they eat. For example, imagine a farmer feeds a cow 10 pounds of food. Those 10 pounds of food produce about 1 pound of meat for people to eat. However, imagine the farmer gives a certain number of insects 10 pounds of food. Those 10 pounds of food produce 9 pounds of meat for people to eat!

    Eating more insects can also help people in poor areas. Many people can raise and sell insects, which can provide jobs and food.

    But insects will not replace animal meat very quickly. First, people in some countries would have to change how they think about eating insects. Many people in North America and Europe eat a lot of meat like beef and pork. But they do not traditionally eat insects. In fact, for many people in the west, eating insects sounds crazy. They believe insects are dirty and dangerous. Insects make them feel uncomfortable.

    Some people are trying to deal with this problem. For example, David George Gordon wrote a book named “The Eat-A-Bug Cookbook”, which tries to show people that insects can be delicious. Other insect experts travel around telling people about the benefits of eating insects. But they will still have a lot work to do.

25. The long way eating insects has to go mainly results from __________.

A.     their terrible taste

B.     people’s old beliefs

C.     family traditions

D.     eating methods

26. We can infer from David and other insect experts believe that __________.

A.     people can eat more insects

B.     insects should be better protected

C.     people can make a lot of money from insects

D.     it’s dangerous to eat insects

27. Eating insects __________.

A.     is not healthy

B.     makes people put on fat

C.     helps protect large animals

D.     is environmentally friendly

28. The example of Marcel Dicke is given to show __________.

A.     the high cost of food production

B.     it’s quite easy for farmers to raise insects

C.     the different ways of feeding cows and insects

D.     raising insects is a good choice for farmers

"How are you?" is a nice question. It's a friendly way that people in the United States greet each other. But "How are you?" is also a very unusual question. It's a question that often doesn't need an answer. The person who asks "How are you?" hopes to hear the answer "Fine", even if the person's friend isn't fine. The reason is that "How are you?" isn't really a question and "Fine" isn't really an answer. They are simply other ways of saying "Hello" or "Hi".

     Sometimes, people also don't say exactly what they mean. For example, when someone asks "Do you agree?" the other person might think, "No, I disagree. I think you're wrong…" But it isn't very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say "I'm not sure." It's a nicer way to say that you don't agree with someone.

     People also don't say exactly what they are thinking when they finish talking with other people. For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person says "I have to go now." Often, the person who wants to hang up gives an excuse: "Someone's at the door." "Something is burning on the stove." The excuses might be real, or not. Perhaps the person who wants to hang up simply doesn't want to talk any more, but it isn't polite to say that. The excuse is more polite, and it doesn't hurt the other person.

     Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, or finishing a talk, people don't say exactly what they are thinking. It's an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's part of the game of language.

29. When a person says "I have to go now" "Someone's at the door", the person may be _______.

A. giving an excuse        

B. hurting someone's feeling

C. ill in bed              

D. asking you a question

30. What does the rule of the game of language probably mean?

A. Be polite.                 

B. Don't disagree with people.

C. Always say what you mean.   

D. Never say exactly what you are thinking.

31. When a person in the United States asks "How are you?, he or she wants to hear " _______".

A. How are you?    B. Hello.    C. I don't know.     D. Fine.

32. When a person disagrees with someone, it is polite to say "_______".

A. You're wrong. I disagree.          B. I'm not sure.

C. I'm sure I disagree.               D. No, I disagree.

If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

    According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes(处理) information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles(肌肉).

    The study also found the effect is greater when the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals(双语使用者) ” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans(扫描) showed that grey matter density(密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals who learnt a second language at an early age. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference. “Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.

    It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn. Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活的),” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”

    The findings had the same result in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, wiring, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they stared to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.

33. What can we know from Dr. Andrea Mechelli’s study in paragraph 3?

A.     A bilingual will be more successful than a person who speaks only one language.

B.     The grey matter density in the brain has no difference between early bilinguals and later learners.

C.     The structure of a bilingual’s brain is being changed during his or her learning.

D.     It is never too late to learn a second language.

34. In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that __________.

A.     learning a second language is the same as studying maths.

B.     early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in studying other subjects.

C.     Italian is the best choice for you as a second language.

D.     you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language.

35. The main idea of this passage is __________.

A.     science on learning mother languages

B.     man’s ability of learning a second language

C.     language learning and math study

D.     the benefit of learning a second language

 Remembering names is an important social skill.   36  

●Recite and repeat in conversation.

When you hear a person’s name, repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

●Ask the other person to recite and repeat.

You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone, ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you.    37 

●Admit you don’t know

Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better.   38    What is it again?”

●Use associations

   Link each person yon meet with one thing out find interesting or unusual. For example, you could make a mental note: “Vicki Cheng---tall, black hair.” To reinforce you’re your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

●  39  

   When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

●Go early

   Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time.  40   And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others---an automatic review for you.

A. Remember a name at a time.

B. Here are some ways to master it.

C. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue.

D. That’s fewer names for you to remember.

E. Most people will be pleased with your hard work.

F. Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

G. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names