Brrriiinnng．The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning．You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think．A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing．Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters．In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work?

The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking．Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused．If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed．Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving．By not giving yourself time to tune into your wandering mind, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer．

The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either．The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons(神經(jīng)細(xì)胞), making inspirations less likely to occur．And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done．

So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full capacity for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead．We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation．We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic．And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer．

1.According to the author, we are ore creative when we are________?

A. focused． B. relaxed

C. awake． D. busy．

2. What does the author imply about newspapers?

A. They are normally full of bad news．

B. They are solution providers．

C. They are a source of inspiration．

D. They are more educational than websites．

3. By“tune into your wandering mind”in Para．2, the author means “_______”．

A. wander into the wild

B. listen to a beautiful tune

C. stop concentrating on anything

D. switch to the traffic channel

4.The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______．

A. establish a routine for the future

B. summarize past experiences

C. advocate diverse ways of life

D. offer practical suggestions

Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty. In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.

Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.

The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.

The researchers considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.

The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.

1. What is the best title of the passage?

A. The older a person is, the more stressed he feels.

B. The more lighthearted a person is, the happier he is.

C. The older a person is the more clever he grows.

D. The older a person is, the happier he grows.

2. We can learn from the research that _________.

A. only when people get older, will they feel happier

B. older people usually have no worries in their life

C. stress levels among the youngest are the highest of all

D. older people are more likely to be thankful in life

3. According to the researchers, what is probably the reason why people grow happier when they get older?

A. When people get older, they can’t remember bad experiences.

B. When people get older, they have no young children to care about.

C. When people get older, they learn to adjust their feelings.

D. When people get older, they don’t care about their feelings.

4. What would the writer probably deal with in next paragraph?

A. Advice to the young people on how to keep happy.

B. Advice to the old people on how to live longer.

C. Why women at all ages are more sad, stressed and worried.

D. Why people will grow happier with their ages.

Online Money Earning

Yes, you can earn money online without any investment or without anytime limit. I have many useful easy methods for earning easy money while we all spend our useful time on the Internet by surfing, chatting, downloading and other work. There is no need to stop any other work. We can earn with or without our daily routine. Here I tell you the complete method for online earning.

First Method

Earn money with“Bux. to”. You can earn money through “Bux.to” by clicking on ads on“Bux. To” site. First you need to open an account at“Bux. To”.

“Bux. To” is a new international and free English based service that allows advertisers to reach thousands of potential customers by displaying their ads on our“Surf Ads”page. An exact calculated percentage of all advertising income is paid to our members. “Bux. to” makes money through advertising.

How you make money

You view websites in 30 seconds through the “Surf Ads” page. Once the 30 seconds is up, you’ll either get a green tick(對號) sign or a red “x”. The green tick sign means you’ve earned $0.01and the “x” means you have not earned money for the visit. You’ll get red “x”s when you have more than one website from the “Surf Ads” page open. When this happens, you get no credit.

Earnings example

You click 10 ads per day =$0.10

20 referrals(轉(zhuǎn)送) click 10 ads per day =$2.00

Your daily earnings =$2.10

Your weekly earnings =$14.70

Your monthly earnings =$63.00

How to get paid

If you have at least $10.00 accumulated, you can click on your account balance within your states area and it will meet your request. At present, it only makes payments through “AlertPay”. It will soon be using other methods of payment.

AlertPay is the payment processing solution that we use to pay members. Your AlertPay address is the e-mail address you use to register with AlertPay. You can get a free AlertPay account at http:// alertpay. com.

Method 2 will publish soon…

1. What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?

A. To tell an interesting story.

B. To introduce a surprising way to earn money.

C. To solve a puzzling problem.

D. To present an exciting research.

2. You can earn money by ________.

A. chatting online

B. advertising some products

C. clicking on advertisements

D. choosing green ticks or “x”s

3. The underlined word “accumulated” can be replaced by “________”.

A. wasted. B. spent.

C. lost. D. gathered.

When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure (確保)that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended. The way to achieve this may not be simple. It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation. The United Nations Organiztion(UNO) could undertake to direct the distribution of aid. Here however rises the problem of costs. Also tied with this is time. Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women is every country who can speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes.

More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster, it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times. A common proverb says, “Give me a fish and I eat for day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves. For example, a country could share its technology with another. This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites. Even small country is able to help less developed nations. Sometimes what is take for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems. It does not cost much to share such simple things. Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site. They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back form time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves. Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands.

Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills. It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses. Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build-up of friendships to consider. Giving direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies. However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge.

1. According to the author, how could international aid reach the victims in time ?

A. By solving the cost problems

B. By solving the transportation problems

C. By setting up a body of devoted people in every country.

D. By relying on the direct distribution of the UNO.

2. What does the author try to express in the underlined sentence ?

A. Providing food is vital

B. Learning to fish is helpful

C. Teaching skills is essential

D. Looking after others is important.

3. The second paragraph is developed mainly _________.

A. by example B. by process

C. by comparison D. by contrast

4. What can we infer about international aid from the passage ?

A. It is facing difficulties.

B. It is unnecessary during normal times

C. It should be given in the form of materials

D. It has gained support developed countries

Stress is a feeling of physical and mental of emotional strain of tension, which disturbs or interferes with normal physiological balance. Stress can be overwhelming for anyone, but it can be especially difficult for a teen that has not yet developed effective coping skills. A major source of teen stress is school exams, and test anxiety is not uncommon. So, how can parents help their teen stay calm before an exam?

Recognize when your teen is under stress.

Teens can feel an immense pressure to do well on exams. For some teens, just the idea of taking the test can bring them into a panic(恐慌). 1. Emotional symptoms include: excessive of uncontrollable drying, aggression or mood swings, and panic attacks.

What should parents do?

--Be involved

Parents need to be involved in their teen's work. What they look for is your presence--to talk, to dry, or simply to sit with them quietly. Communicate openly with your teen. 2.

--Help them get organized

Help your teen think about what she has to study and plan accordingly. 3.

--Give them a nutritious diet

It's important for your teen to eat a healthy, balanced diet during exam times to focus and do her best. 4. If this happens, encourage your teen to eat light meals or sandwiches. A healthy diet. rather than junk food, is best for reducing stress.

--Show a positive attitude

5. If you panic, blame, or apply to much pressure, your teen will have an undue increase in their stress levels. Make your teen feel accepted and valued for her efforts. Most important, reassure your teens that things will be all right, no matter what the results are.

A. Together ,you and your teen can work out a time-table in which she can study for what she knows will be on the test.

B. A parent's attitude will dictate their teen's emotions.

C. Physical symptoms of stress and anxiety include: lack of sleep, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite of irregular eating

D. Encourage your teen to relax

E. Encourage your teen to express his worries and fears, but don't let them focus on those fears.

F. Your teen may also make negative comments about themselves

G. Exam stress can make some teens lose their appetite

Andy was born with a developmental disorder. The two sides of his brain were not____normally together. The right side of his____could not communicate with the left. At the age of three, it was____for him to walk, speak, and play. He could only echo(重復(fù)) a few words, and walked____while someone held each of his hands.

Then came the ____. He attended an all-day center where he____every unimaginable treatment. He struggled, sometimes in____, to get stronger. Andy hated it when his parents would____him there in the mornings. However, they____ --against all odds(逆境)--that he could grow up to live a____ healthy life. They believed it for themselves, and for Andy.

It____.Today Andy is a successful 13-year-old high school student and has won the gold medal for his math competition. His ____has been nothing short of a wonder. He receives special help with a few things, but____his friends in all the activities he loves. Andy overcomes a lot of____to move from adversity (逆境)to victory.

Ask yourself :"What are the seeds of____hidden in my struggles today? If I get up when I____, what will that make possible tomorrow?"

"Overnight success" is the____of years of tenacity (堅韌)and continued____.

Victory is possible for those who never give in to whatever bad____to them. They'll find the path to their dream. ____, they will accept adversities as universities that will foster(促進(jìn)) strength, growth, and skills to attract the victory they seek.

1.A. touched B. used C. mixed D. joined

2.A. ear B. body C. foot D. shoulder

3.A. difficult B. easy C. interesting D. funny

4.A. fast B. strangely C. strongly D. slowly

5.A. power B. attention C. struggles D. failures

6.A. watched B. followed C. received D. enjoyed

7.A. tears B. smiles C. excitement D. disappointment

8.A. make B. leave C. forget D. put

9.A. doubted B. believed C. guessed D. imagined

10.A. lovely B. rich C. normal D. colorful

11.A. paid off B. set out C. ran out D. went off

12.A. story B. problem C. experience D. progress

13.A. sees B. visits C. invites D. joins

14.A. objects B. enemies C. habits D. difficulties

15.A. flower B. spirit C. strength D. pride

16.A. lose B. fail C. fall D. stop

17.A. mark B. result C. symbol D. sign

18.A. learning B. taking C. offering D. refusing

19.A. related B. happened C. appealed D. referred

20.A. However B. Otherwise C. Besides D. Rather

One day, an old monk named Wisdom, followed by two young monks, was walking from one town to another_1.__ they caught sight of a lake. Tired and thirsty, they stopped to have a rest. _2.__old monk, pointing to the lake, asked the _3.__ (young) one to get him some water.

When the little monk reached the lake, a cart__4.__(draw) by an ox started crossing the lake, ___5.___made the water very muddy. The little monk thought, “How can I give this muddy water to my master to drink!” So he came back_6.___ any water, saying, “The water is very muddy. I don’t think __7.__is suitable to drink.”

After a while, the same monk __8.___to get water again. When he went back to the lake, he found that the mud __9._(settle) down already, so he collected back a pot of water. Wisdom looked at the water happily and then up at the monk, “To make the water clean, __10.__ you need to do is just to let it be and the mud would settle down on its own.”

It is also the same with your mind. When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time and it will settle down itself.

My daughter, who is thirteen, is not a emotional person. Imagine how surprising

I was the other day when she told me that she had been given a school friend of hers

a hug every day. That was why she realized the girl “wasn’t getting a lot love at home”.

It seems that she not only reached out to her friends these days but to her teachers

and other children as well as. I thought that was awesome! So, I gave she a card for

her act of kindness and told her all for it. She liked the idea very much that she decided

to find someone else to give the card so they could continue passing it forward!

假如你是李華，上周在英國參加了你校組織的“中國學(xué)生文化交流周”活動，并住在Kelly 家里。請你給在英國期間認(rèn)識的新朋友Kelly 寫封感謝信，內(nèi)容包括：

1．交流活動中的收獲

2. 難忘在Kelly 家的美好日子

3. 感謝她送你的英文詞典

注意：1.詞數(shù)120左右

2. 可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫

3. 開頭語和結(jié)束語已為你寫好（不計入總詞數(shù)）

提示詞匯：文化交流周：Cultural Exchange Week

Dear Kelly,

I’ve been back home safely from England.____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to China when it’s convenient for you!

Yours,

Li Hua

My 16-year-old son, Anton, had gone to the local swimming hole． Most of the kids swim there, and there are plenty of rocks for them to use as safe harbors, so I had no fears for his safety．

Still, the firefighter's first words "You need to come up here to the Stillwater River" made me catch my breath, and his follow-up words gave me relief: “ Your son is OK．”

When I got to the river, I immediately saw the firetruck, ambulance and Anton, wrapped with a towel about his shoulders, sitting quietly on a low platform of the fire engine．

I hurried over to him． "You OK?"I asked．

”Yeah," was all he said． But my eyes begged for an explanation, I didn't get it from my son, however, who tends to play his cards close to his vest．

The story was this: A woman was being swept under water． Hearing the cries, Anton and his friend Tyler, without hesitation, swam out to her, and brought her safely to shore．

In an age in which the word "hero" is broadcast with abandon and seemingly applied to anyone who make it through the day, I realized the real thing in my son． The teens are stubborn and self-centred, but that didn't mean they have no desire to do good．

Still shocked by my son's daring, I drove him home． Along the way, I tried to dig out some more information from him - but he had precious little to say． The only words he said were,

”What's for supper?"

I spent some time alone that evening, thinking about the tragedy that might have been． The next morning, when Anton got up, I half expected him to tell me the story． But all he did was toast some bread, pull himself together, and head for the door to start a new day． Watching from the window,1 was reminded that still water often runs deep．

1.Why did the mother allow her son to swim there?

A． He was an excellent swimmer．

B．The water of the river is shallow．

C． He was old enough to swim．

D．The rocks can be of help if there's danger．

2.The underlined part "who tends to play his cards close to his vest" probably means

A． Anton is a boy fond of swimming with other kids

B． Anton is unwilling to tell others what he thinks

C． Anton always has a desire to help others

D． Anton seldom changes his mind

3.In the mother's eyes, what her son did was

A． dangerous but interesting

C． unexpected and courageous

B． meaningful but difficult

D． awful and absurd

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A． My Son, My Hero B． Anton, A Silent Boy

C． A Good Deed D．A Proud Mother