We often talk about ourselves as if we have permanent genetic defects(缺陷) that can never be changed. “I’m impatient.” “I’m always behind.” “I always put things 　　1 !” You’ve surely heard them. Maybe you’ve used them to describe　　　 ___2　 .

These comments may come from stories about us that have been 　3　 for many years—often from 　4　 childhood. These stories may have no 　5　 in fact. But they can set low expectations for us. As a child, my mother said to me, “Marshall, you have no mechanical (操作機(jī)械的) skills, and you will never have any mechanical skills for the rest of your life.” How did these expectations　 6　 my development? I was never 　7　 to work on cars or be around　 8　 . When I was 18, I took the US Army’s Mechanical Aptitude Test. My scores were in the bottom for the entire nation!

Six years later,　 9　 , I was at California University, working on my doctors degree. One of my professors, Dr. Bob Tannbaum, asked me to write down things I did well and things I couldn’t do. On the positive side, I　 10　 down, “research, writing, analysis, and speaking.” On the　 11　 side, I wrote, “I have no mechanical skills.”

Bob asked me how I knew I had no mechanical skills. I explained my life 　12 and told him about my 　13　 performance on the Army test. Bob then asked, “　 14　 is it that you can solve 　 15　 mathematical problems, but you can’t solve simple mechanical problems?”

Suddenly I realized that I didn’t 　16　 from some sort of genetic defect. I was just living out expectations that I had chosen to 　17　 . At that point, it wasn’t just my family and friends who had been　 18　 my belief that I was mechanically hopeless. And it wasn’t just the Army test, either. I was the one who kept telling myself, “You can’t do this!” I realized that as long as I kept saying that, it was going to remain true. 　19　 , if we don’t treat ourselves as if we have incurable genetic defects, we can do well in almost 　20　 we choose.

1. A. away 　　　　　 B. off 　　　　　　　 C. up 　　　　　　　　　 D. down

2. A. them 　　　　 B. myself 　　　　　 C. yourself 　　　　 D. others

3. A. said 　　　　　 B. spoken 　　　　　 C. spread 　　　　　 D. repeated

4. A. as long as 　 B. as far back as 　 C. as well as 　　　 D. as much as

5. A. basis 　　　　 B. plot 　　　　　　　 C. cause 　　　　　　　　　　 D. meaning

6. A. lead 　　　　　 B. improve　　　　　　 C. affect 　　　　　 D. change

7. A. encouraged B. demanded 　　 C. hoped 　　　　　 D. agreed

8. A. means 　　　 B. tools 　　　　　　 C. facilities 　　　　 D. hammers

9. A. therefore 　 B. somehow 　　　 C. instead 　　　　　 D. however

10. A. settled 　　 B. turned 　　　　　 C. took 　　　　　　　　　　 D. got

11. A. passive 　　　 B. active 　　　　　 C. negative 　　　　　 D. subjective

12. A. experiences 　　　 B. trips 　　　　　　　　　　 C. roads 　　　　　　 D. paths

13. A. unexpected B. poor 　　　　　　 C. excellent 　　　 D. average

14. A. When 　　　 B. What 　　　　　　 C. How 　　　　　　　 D. Why

15. A. complex 　 B. advanced　　　　　 C. common 　　　　 D. primary

16. A. arise 　　　　 B. separate　　　　　　 C. suffer 　　　　　 D. come

17. A. believe 　　 B. suspect 　　　　 C. adopt 　　　　　　 D. receive

18. A. weakening B. strengthening 　 C. abandoning 　 D. accepting

19. A. As a result 　　　 B. At the same time C. In addition 　　 D. On the contrary

20. A. anything 　　 B. something 　　 C. nothing 　　　　 D. all

Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主國家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠奪者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.
　 For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.
【小題1】The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.

A．railroad

B．manifestation

C．speed

D．nature

【小題2】In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.

A．highly enthusiastic

B．both positive and negative

C．unchanging

D．Disinterested

【小題3】 According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.　

A．thrillers

B．boys’ books

C．romances

D．important novels

【小題4】 The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.

A．largest category(類別)

B．highest quality

C．earliest writers

D．most difficult language

【小題5】 Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?

A．The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA

B．Major nineteenth century writers

C．The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature

D．The railroad as a subject for literature

Cancer is feared by everyone. And there is more and more fear about cancer. Not the disease itself — there is no such thing as a high incidence rates(發(fā)病率) of cancer. Except for lung cancer, mostly caused by cigarette smoking, the incidence rates are not on the rise. However, some kinds of cancer are decreasing. But the fear of cancer is catching, and the country stands at risk of an anxiety. The earth itself is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen(致癌物). The ordinary, more or less, scientific statement that something between 80 and 90 percent of all cancers are due to things in the environment is taken to mean that none of us will be safe until the whole environment is “cleaned up.” This is not at all the meaning.
The 80-percent calculation is based on the unthinkable differences in the incidence of cancer in various societies around the world — for example, the high incidence of liver cancer in Africa and the Far East, stomach cancer in Japan, breast cancer in Western Europe and North America, and the relatively low figures for breast cancer in Japan and parts of Africa and for liver cancer in America. These data show there may be specific environmental influences, but largely based on personal life-style, which determines the incidence of various forms of cancer in different communities — that is all the data suggest. The overall incidence of cancer, counting up all the cases, is probable roughly the same everywhere.
【小題1】According to the passage, the incidence of cancer is generally believed _____.

A．to be based on inactive life style

B．to be due to anxiety

C．to result from environmental influences

D．to be caused by heavy smoking

【小題2】It can be inferred from the passage that the writer’s opinion about the relationship between cancer and environment is _____.

A．positive

B．negative

C．neutral

D．a(chǎn)pproving

【小題3】According to the passage, the writer seems to feel that _____.

A．the risk of catching cancer is on the rise

B．the whole earth is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen

C．the risk of catching cancer isn’t so great as people think

D．cancer can be cured if the environment is cleaned up

【小題4】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Cancer and Environment

B．The Fear Caused by Cancers

C．Data on Cancer Incidence

D．Cancer and its Investigation

We often talk about ourselves as if we have permanent genetic defects(缺陷) that can never be changed. “I’m impatient.” “I’m always behind.” “I always put things 　　1 !” You’ve surely heard them. Maybe you’ve used them to describe　　　 ___2　 .

These comments may come from stories about us that have been 　3　 for many years—often from 　4　 childhood. These stories may have no 　5　 in fact. But they can set low expectations for us. As a child, my mother said to me, “Marshall, you have no mechanical (操作機(jī)械的) skills, and you will never have any mechanical skills for the rest of your life.” How did these expectations　 6　 my development? I was never 　7　 to work on cars or be around　 8　 . When I was 18, I took the US Army’s Mechanical Aptitude Test. My scores were in the bottom for the entire nation!

Six years later,　 9　 , I was at California University, working on my doctors degree. One of my professors, Dr. Bob Tannbaum, asked me to write down things I did well and things I couldn’t do. On the positive side, I　 10　 down, “research, writing, analysis, and speaking.” On the　 11　 side, I wrote, “I have no mechanical skills.”

Bob asked me how I knew I had no mechanical skills. I explained my life 　12 and told him about my 　13　 performance on the Army test. Bob then asked, “　 14　 is it that you can solve 　 15　 mathematical problems, but you can’t solve simple mechanical problems?”

Suddenly I realized that I didn’t 　16　 from some sort of genetic defect. I was just living out expectations that I had chosen to 　17　 . At that point, it wasn’t just my family and friends who had been　 18　 my belief that I was mechanically hopeless. And it wasn’t just the Army test, either. I was the one who kept telling myself, “You can’t do this!” I realized that as long as I kept saying that, it was going to remain true. 　19　 , if we don’t treat ourselves as if we have incurable genetic defects, we can do well in almost 　20　 we choose.

1. A. away 　　　　　 B. off 　　　　　　　 C. up 　　　　　　　　　 D. down

2. A. them 　　　　 B. myself 　　　　　 C. yourself 　　　　 D. others

3. A. said 　　　　　 B. spoken 　　　　　 C. spread 　　　　　 D. repeated

4. A. as long as 　 B. as far back as 　 C. as well as 　　　 D. as much as

5. A. basis 　　　　 B. plot 　　　　　　　 C. cause 　　　　　　　　　　 D. meaning

6. A. lead 　　　　　 B. improve　　　　　　 C. affect 　　　　　 D. change

7. A. encouraged B. demanded 　　 C. hoped 　　　　　 D. agreed

8. A. means 　　　 B. tools 　　　　　　 C. facilities 　　　　 D. hammers

9. A. therefore 　 B. somehow 　　　 C. instead 　　　　　 D. however

10. A. settled 　　 B. turned 　　　　　 C. took 　　　　　　　　　　 D. got

11. A. passive 　　　 B. active 　　　　　 C. negative 　　　　　 D. subjective

12. A. experiences 　　　 B. trips 　　　　　　　　　　 C. roads 　　　　　　 D. paths

13. A. unexpected B. poor 　　　　　　 C. excellent 　　　 D. average

14. A. When 　　　 B. What 　　　　　　 C. How 　　　　　　　 D. Why

15. A. complex 　 B. advanced　　　　　 C. common 　　　　 D. primary

16. A. arise 　　　　 B. separate　　　　　　 C. suffer 　　　　　 D. come

17. A. believe 　　 B. suspect 　　　　 C. adopt 　　　　　　 D. receive

18. A. weakening B. strengthening 　 C. abandoning 　 D. accepting

19. A. As a result 　　　 B. At the same time C. In addition 　　 D. On the contrary

20. A. anything 　　 B. something 　　 C. nothing 　　　　 D. all

Good advice is like medicine for the soul. What kind of 1　 have you recently received? Who do you go to got advice? Do you have a mentor(顧問)? A mentor is a　 2　 adviser.
　 Parents, teacher and friends are often great 　 3 .Sports figures, public officials can also be good 　4　 of mentors, but a person with whim you are a personal relationship will most likely be able to 　5 you the best advice.
　 Mentors teach things that seem to be 　6　 sense. Proverbs are wise old sayings that are common in every language and　 7　 , and can sometimes be　 8 for a nonnative to understand. For example, all that　 9　 is not gold(some things are not as 　　10 as they appear ).
　 Advice 11 in newspapers and magazines are another way to 12　 advice.
　 Talk shows on radio and television are also very popular. Americans and Canadians love to 　　 13　 themselves. Many people are not　 14 to ask for help or　 15 about a problem in order to receive advice. People generally will 16　 their own experience to 17 their friends. Overcoming a difficult situation is 18　 respecter in North America. People love to heat motivational (積極的) stories and 19　 . One proverb, a friend in need is a friend indeed, shares the concept that a true friend will help you out in times of 　 20　 .

1. A. success　　　　 　　　 　　　 B. measure　　　 　　　　　 C. position　　　　 　　　 D. advice

2. A. devoted　　　 　　　 B. united　　　　　 　　　　 C. trusted　　　　　 　　　　 D. expected

3. A. interviewers　 　　 B. mentors　　　　 　　　　　 C. followers　　　 　　　　　 D. competitors

4. A. examples　　　 　　　 B. mentors　　　　 　　　　　 C. manners　　　 　　　　　 D. services

5. A. consider　　　 　　　 B. exchange　　　 　　　　　　 C. adapt　　　　　 　　　　 D. offer

6. A. present　　　　 　　　 B. attractive　　　 　 　　　 C. common　　　 　　　　　 D. particular

7. A. experience　 　　 　　　 B. difference　　　 　　 　　　 C. culture　　　　　 　　　　 D. behavior

8. A. simple　　　　　 　　 　　　 B. difficult　　　　 　 　　　 C. natural　　　　　 　　　 　　　 D. brief

9. A. glitters B. packages C. acts D. forces

10. A. different　　　 B. negative　　　　 　 　　　 C. primary　　　　 　　　　　 D. valuable

11. A. columns　　 　 　　　 B. materials　　　　 　 　　　 C. wonders　　　 　　　　　 D. add

12. A. reduce　　　 　　　 B. add　　　　　　　 　　　　　 C. keep　　　　　　 　　　　　　 D. get

13. A. enjoy　　　　 　　　 B. teacher　　　　　 　　　 C. express　　　　 　　　　 D. defeat

14. A. brave　　　　 　　　 B. afraid　　　　　　 　　 　　　 C. honest　　　　　 　　　 D. lucky

15. A. talk　　　　　 　　　 　　　 B bring.　　　　　　　 　　 　　　 C. care　　　　　　　 　　　　　　 D. look

16. A. remind　　　　 　　　 B. suggest　　　　 　　　　 C. clone　　　　　 　　　　　 D. share

17. A. lead to　　　　 　　　 B. set free　　　　 　　　　 C. help out　　 　　　　 D. take over　　　　

18. A. originally　　 B. highly　　　　　 　　　　 C. equally　　　 　　　　　　 D. closely　　　

19. A. encouragementB. sadness　 　　　　 　　　 C. movement　 　　　　 D. adventure　　　

20. A. happiness　 　　 　　　 B. trouble　　　　　 　　　　 C. excitement　 　　　　 D. nature