选择知识点

From losing weight to quitting smoking，each December people around the world make a New Year's resolution（决心）．But studies have shown that despite their best effort，most will fail．
Professor Peter Herman，a psychology lecturer at the University of Toronto says that the reasons why resolutions fail are clear．"They are not realistic in some or all of the following respects：people think that they can change themselves more quickly； they think that they can change much more than anyone else； or they think they can change everything more easily．"
Professor Herman suggests that the issue may be a cycle of failure and renewed effort．which he calls"the false-hope syndrome"（虚妄期盼综合征）．The cycle begins with a difficult self-change task．such as overeating or smoking-common yet rarely successful changes．While people may make some initial progress in the task，eventually they fail to achieve their goal．Having failed，they interpret their failure to convince themselves that with a few adjustments they will succeed．Finally，they begin to embark on another attempt，and the cycle repeats．
In his paper on the topic，Professor Herman and his co-author，Janet Polivy，write，"People tend to make the same resolutions year after year，determined to get rid of a particular vice （恶习）．"Obviously，every renewed determination represents a certain failure； otherwise，there would be no need for yet another attempt．Even those who are finally successful at sticking to their resolutions make the attempt five or six times on average before succeeding．
Expecting to make a breakthrough is not a good way，so Professor Herman says that the best way of sticking to your resolution is to expect the changes little by little rather than a major transformation．He told Mail Online，"Often this means scaling back （缩减） your resolution to something that is actually manageable．



Why do most people fail in their New Year's resolutions according to Professor Herman？ ______

A. They doesn't do their best at all．
B. They make unrealistic resolutions．
C. They want to stay unchanged．
D. They change them frequently．

What does the underlined part"embark on"in Paragraph 3 probably mean？ ______

A. Undertake．
B. Abandon．
C. Welcome．
D. Represent．

How can you achieve your New Year's resolutions in Professor Herman's opinion？ ______

A. Set a big resolution．
B. Make a breakthrough．
C. Expect gradual changes．
D. Believe in yourself．

What may be the best title for the text？ ______

A. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
B. Think Twice Before You Do
C. A Bargain Is a Bargain
D. Good Plan Is Half Done．

Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong． This is what happened to Harry．
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock． He tried to shave quickly and cut himself when he got blood all over his clean shirt， so he had to find another one． The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing， so he ironed it． While he was ironing it， there was a knock at the door． It was the man to read the electricity meter， he showed him where the meter was， said goodbye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt． So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all． By this time it was very late， so he decided he couldn't go to work by bus． He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work． The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper．
In another part of the town， a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi． When Harry's taxi stopped outside his office， a policeman happened to be standing there． He saw the blood on Harry's shirt and took him to the police station． He was kept till 3 o'clock in the afternoon before the policeman was sure that he was not the man they wanted． When he finally arrived at the office at about four， his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job．



Harry had a（n） ______ day．

A. busy
B. good
C. lucky
D. unlucky

Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage． ______
a． The man who read the electricity meter came．
b． Harry ironed his shirt．
c． Harry got blood all over his clean shirt．
d． There was a knock at the door．
e． Harry wore the shirt with blood on it．

A. a， b， c， d， e
B. b， a， d， c， e
C. c， b， d， a， e
D. b， a， c， d， e

Why was Harry taken to police station ？ ______

A. His taxi stopped outside his office and policeman happened to be there．
B. There was blood on his shirt and he was in the taxi．
C. A man killed a woman with a knife．
D. The killer was seen to run away in the a taxi．

His boss told him to go away and find another job because ______ ．

A. he had been kept by the police
B. he was late for work
C. there was blood on his shirt
D. he had killed a woman

Newspapers are not nearly as popular today as they were in the past． There are not many people who seriously read a newspaper every day． Most people read only the sports pages， the advice or the gossip columns， the comics， and perhaps the classified advertisements． Most people don't take the time to read the real news． They attempt to catch the readers" interest with pictures and exciting headlines． These techniques are used on the front page because it is the first thing you see when you pick up the paper． The first page attracts attention and encourages the readers to look through the rest of the paper． This is why editors always look for a good first page story and a headline to make them stop and look． If the headline is horrible enough or frightening enough or wild enough， perhaps they will not go on to read the front page any more． They may read the headlines， but that is all， then they turn to the sports page， or comics， or advertisements．
It seems that people do not want the news from a newspaper any more． They say they get the news on the television， the Internet and their cellphones now． More people watch news on television， the Internet and their cellphone because it is easier and more interesting than reading a newspaper．
What about you？ Do you read news from a newspaper？ Do you think it is easier to get the news from television， the Internet or the cellphone ？ Or don't you care about news at all？ Would you mind if there were no news？



According to the author， which of the following newspapers will most probably attract the readers" attention？ ______

A. The ones with interesting pictures and exciting headlines on the front page．
B. The ones with sports news on the front page．
C. The ones with classified advertisements on the front page．
D. The ones with gossip columns on the front page．

According to the passage， most people read all of the following except ______ ．

A. the sports page
B. the real news
C. advertisements
D. comics

The author's attitude toward newspapers is ______ ．

A. critical
B. sympathetic（同情的）
C. negative（否定，消极的）
D. undetermined

I'm sure you've asked this when traveling， "Can I drink the tap water？" It is easy to get confused about where it's safe to drink and where it's not， especially if you're planning a multi-destination trip． Some countries like India and Mexico are well known for unsafe tap water but where else is it a health risk？
If you want a quick reference for where on the Earth the water is safe， we've got you covered with this helpful graph（图表）． It was created by Just the Flight． All of the information about water safety is based on data from the CDC． The graph also shows pricing for bottled water and beer for each country as well!
Have plans to travel to a place where the tap water is deemed（认定的） unsafe？ Remember to skip ice in your drinks and avoid uncooked fruit and vegetables unless they've been peeled（削皮）． Make sure to use bottled water when brushing your teeth as well．
Please know that not all of the countries listed on the graph have dirty or polluted water． I know from personal experience： tap water may be safe at different elevations（海拔）and in different areas within a country shown as unsafe on the graph． Finally， further research is required． However， if you fall short of that， you'd better follow the advice on the graph to avoid an uncomfortable case of traveler's illness．
It's definitely better to be safe than sorry!



Which of the following is the best title？ ______

A. Drinking Tap Water is Good for Our Health
B. How Can We Get Tap Water？
C. Where on the Earth Can You Drink Safe Tap Water？
D. Tap Water is Always Safe to Drink

What can we learn from the graph？ ______

A. It only contains the information about water safety．
B. It also shows pricing for some kinds of wine．
C. It was created by the CDC．
D. It is of great help when traveling．

The passage is most likely to be found in ______ ．

A. a tourist magazine
B. an academic essay
C. a news report
D. a short-story collection

A student is learning to speak British English．He wonder（想知道）：Can I communicate with Americans？Can they understand me？Learners of English often ask：What are the differences between British and American English？How important are these differences？
Certainly!there are some differences between British and American English．There are a few differences in grammar．For example，speakers of British English say"in hospital"and"Have you a pen？"Americans say"in the hospital!"and"Do you have a pen？"．Pronunciation is sometimes different．Americans usually sound theirs in words like"bird"and"hurt"．Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words．
There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary．
For example，"colour"and"honour"are British，"color"and honor"are American．These differences in grammar，pronunciation，spelling and vocabulary are not important，however．For the most part，British and American English are the same language．



According to this passage，a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that ______ ．

A. British people cannot understand him
B. American people cannot understand him
C. The grammar is too hard for him
D. The spelling is too hard for him

American English and British English are different in ______ ．

A. spelling B. pronunciation C. grammar D. all of the above

What is not mentioned （提及） in the passage？ ______

A. Whether there are differences between British English and American English．
B. Whether British English and American English are one language or two．
C. How the differences between British English and American English came about．
D. How important the differences are．

Some people collect stamps． Other people collect works of art or musical instruments． But a man in the American state of Maryland collects secrets．
For the past 10 years， people have been sending Frank Warren postcards and other objects with secrets written on them． He now has a million secrets． "It's a drawing of a lift． And the secret says： ‘I feel guilty when I take lifts for one floor， so I limp（一瘸一拐地走） when I get out" "Frank said．
Ten years ago， Mr． Warren created an art project called PostSecret． People then began to send him postcards， other objects and emails telling their secrets． Every Sunday， he chooses 10secrets and puts them on the website．
Mr． Warren says he created PostSecret so people could share their secrets in a safe place． "I was struggling with secrets in my own life． And it was by creating this safe place where others could share their secrets with me， I think that space was something I needed just as much as they did．"
He has published six books full of the secrets people have shared with him． One secret in each book is his． Eric Perry delivers mail for the U．S． Postal Service． He has brought thousands of secrets to Frank's home over the past three years． "I have a couple of the books that Frank's given me and I've read them all and my family has read them all and it's wild!"
The project itself was once one of Frank's secrets． His wife Jan didn't know exactly what he was doing until the first book was published． The publisher told him that the address was going to be on the book， and he refused． However， the address was there just because of the contract（契约） between them． Actually Warren wasn't very happy about that．
Some people tell Frank of their secret desire to kill themselves． So he and the PostSecret community have raised more than $1million to help prevent suicides（自杀）．



It is implied in Mr． Warren's words in Paragraph 2 that ______ ．

A. the person was ashamed of using an elevator for one floor
B. Americans are not allowed to use an elevator for one floor
C. the person felt guilty when pretending to be a disabled one
D. he has received different secrets about using an elevator

Mr． Warren created PostSecret in order to ______ ．

A. satisfy his curiosity about others" secrets
B. collect more materials for his series of books
C. offer a safe place for people to share their secrets
D. earn a lot of money by sharing others" secrets online

What do we know about Eric Perry from the passage？ ______

A. His family are eager to collect the books written by Frank．
B. His main job is to deliver mails and postcards for Frank．
C. He has been a postman who has a great many secrets．
D. He has developed a good relationship with Frank．

What was Mr． Warren's secret according to the passage？ ______

A. He once took the lift only for one floor．
B. He is interested in collecting others" secrets．
C. He created an art project without telling his wife．
D. He helped prevent others from committing suicides．

Chaplin was one of the famous clown-style actors of the silent time． It was through Charlie Chaplin that the Hollywood comedy movies became famous．
Then in the 1920s came another trend of animated cartoons． They were the most popular Hollywood comedy movies of the time． The several popular characters of that era were Felix the cat， Krazy Kat and Betty Boop． However， the popularity of these movies was blocked out due to lack of sound and color． The end of 1920s， the Hollywood comedy industry marked a change brought about by the introduction of sound into the movies． This has allowed the industry to create dramatic new film styles and use verbal humor． These films were soon replacing silent movies． These films used dialogue of comedians such as the W．C Fields and the Marx Brothers． Charlie Chaplin was the last comedian to have acted in the silent films．
When the United States entered into World War II， Hollywood movies changed its course to themes related to the conflicts， and Hollywood comedy movies described more on military themes． The war time experienced a boom， where restrictions on the traveling made nearly a quarter of the money spent on attending movies．
In the 1950s， the interest shifted where the TV became popular． During this time the release of Hollywood comedy films declined （衰落）． The 1960s saw an increasing number of broad， star-packed comedies． In 1970 Hollywood comedy movies reflected the anti-war sentiment， which was popular then．
In the 1980s the gag （笑料） based comedy Airplane was released， and Hollywood comedy movies paved its way for more of the same． The popular comedians of this time included Dudley Moore， Tom Hanks， etc． Jim Carrey， the Canadian actor and a comedian， came into Hollywood comedy movies in the late 1980s where he won the role in such a comedy， Copper Mountain．
The most popular Hollywood comedy movies were of John Hughes， which includes Ferris Buellers Day Off and Home Alone series of 1990s． The later films focused more on family audience． This was a revival （复兴） in comedy movies． Comedy movies remain popular till date．



Why did Hollywood movies grow rapidly during World War II？ ______

A. People couldn't travel freely．
B. People had more money at that time．
C. The government spent a lot of money on films．
D. People were made to see movies by the government．

The theme of the 1970s Hollywood comedies is ______ ．

A. domestic violence
B. protests against wars
C. desire for freedom
D. oversea military activities

What does this passage mainly talk about？ ______

A. Chaplin's contribution to comedies．
B. Famous comedians in Hollywood history．
C. Outstanding comedies made in Hollywood．
D. Development of Hollywood comedy movies．

Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened to the Hollywood comedy movies？ ______
a． Hollywood comedy movies focused on family audience．
b． Fewer and fewer Hollywood comedy films were released．
c． Animated cartoons of Hollywood comedy movies were popular．
d． Hollywood comedy movies once developed quickly during the war time．
e． The Hollywood comedy industry made a reform of applying sound to the movies．

A. ecbda
B. cedba
C. dabec
D. decab

A popular saying goes， "Sticks and stones may break my bones， but words will never hurt me．"However， that's not really true． Words have the power to build us up or tear us down． It doesn't matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves - the positive（积极的）and negative（消极的） effects are just as lasting．
We all talk to ourselves sometimes． We're usually too embarrassed to admit it， though． In fact， we really shouldn't be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit．
This "self-talk" helps us motivate（激励）ourselves， remember things， solve problems， And calm ourselves down． Be aware， though， that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative． So in order to stay positive， we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves． We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back． The next time you finish a project， do well in a test， or finally clean your room， join me in saying "Good job"!
Often， words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have． But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others． For example， when returning an item to a store， we might use warm， friendly language during the exchange． And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner． However， harsh and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．
Words possess power because of their lasting effect． Many of us regret something we once said． And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking， we should always ask ourselves： Is it loving？ Is it needed？ If what we want to say doesn't pass this test， then it's better left unsaid．
Words possess power： both positive and negative． Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively． We can offer hope， build self-esteem （自尊） and motivate others to do their best． Negative words destroy all those things． Will we use our words to hurt or to heal？ The choice is ours．



The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______ ．

A. not sticks and stones but words will hurt us
B. inspiring words give us confidence
C. negative words may let us down
D. words have a lasting effect on us

There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because ______ ．

A. almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves
B. we can benefit（受益） from talking to ourselves
C. talking to ourselves always gives us courage
D. it does no harm to have "self-talk" when we are alone

The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely ______ ．

A. praise ourselves
B. remind ourselves
C. make ourselves relaxed
D. give ourselves amusement

The author would probably hold the view that ______ ．

A. encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers
B. negative words may stimulate us to make more progress
C. people tend to remember friendly words
D. it is better to think twice before talking to others

A well-known old man was being interviewed （采访） and was asked if it was correct that he had just celebrated his ninety-ninth birthday．
"That's right．"said the old man．"Ninety-nine years old，and I haven't an enemy in the world．They're all dead．"
"Well，sir，"said the interviewer，"I hope very much to have the honor of interviewing you on your hundredth birthday．"
The old man looked at the young man closely，and said，"I can't see why you shouldn't．You look fit and healthy to me!"



The old man said he had not an enemy in the world，which shows that he was a very ______ ．

A. friendly man he never made any enemies
B. healthy man he lived longer than all his enemies
C. lucky man his enemies had all died
D. terrible man he had got rid of all his enemies

When the interviewer said that he hoped very much to have the honor of interviewing the old man again the following year， ______ ．

A. he was trying to make the old man happy
B. he wished he himself would live another year
C. he did not believe the old man would live to be one hundred
D. he did not believe he would interview the old man again

When the old man said"I can't see why you shouldn't"，what he meant was ______ ：

A. "You must try to live another year to interview me again next year．"
B. "Of course，you can see me again since you're so fit and healthy．"
C. "If I live to a hundred years，you should interview me again．"
D. "Unless you live another year，you wouldn't be able to interview me again．"

What kind of man would you say the old man was ______ ？

A. He was silly．
B. He was unpleasant．
C. He was very proud and sure of his health．
D. He was very impolite to young people．

China is a land of bicycles．At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country．Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle．Millions of them，all black．Cars were rare．Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year，I've found the opposite is true．There are millions of cars．However，people still use their bicycles to get around．For many，it's the easiest and cheapest way to travel today．Bicycles also come in different colors-silver，green，red，blue，yellow，whatever you want．
It's fun watching people biking．They rush quickly through crossroads，move skillfully through traffic，and ride even on sidewalks（人行道）．Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can't provide．
Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture，I decided to buy a bicycle．Great weather accompanied（陪伴） my great buy．I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started home．
My first ride home was orderly（守秩序的）．To be safe，I stayed with a"pack"of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times．I didn't want to get hit．So I took the ride carefully．Crossing the streets was the biggest problem．It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States．The streets here were wide，so crossing took time，skill and a little bit of luck．
I finally made it home．The feeling on the bicycle was amazing．The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful．I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people．Biking made me feel alive．



According to the author，why are bicycles still popular in China today？ ______

A. Because they are traditional and safe．
B. Because they are convenient and inexpensive．
C. Because they are colorful and available．
D. Because they are fast and environment friendly．

The author decided to buy a bicycle because he intended ______ ．

A. to ride it for fun
B. to use it for transport
C. to experience local culture
D. to improve his riding skills

How did the author feel about his street crossing？ ______

A. It was boring．
B. It was difficult．
C. It was lively．
D. It was wonderful．

Which of the following best describes the author's biking experience？ ______

A. The author enjoyed showing off his biking skills．
B. The author was annoyed by the air while riding．
C. The author was praised by the other bikers．
D. The author took great pleasure in biking．