3. Passage 17 Since we are social beings， the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human conditions is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances. Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with life changes and daily hassles. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over a range of illnesses， from depression to heart disease， reveal that the presence of social support helps people fend off illness， and the absence of such support makes poor health likely. Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First， friends， relatives， and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties. Second， other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third， we typically find social companionship supportive. Engaging in leisure-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting us from our worries and troubles. Finally， other people may give us instrumental support ― financial aid， material resources and needed services — that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word ―cushions‖ (Para. 2) ( )?

3. Passage 2 Man has always wanted to fly. Some of the greatest men in history had thought about the problem. One of them， for example， was the great Italian artist， Leonardo Da Vinci. In the 16th century he made designs for machines that would fly， but they were never built. Throughout history， other less famous men had wanted to fly. An example was a man in England 800 years ago. He made a pair of wings from chicken feathers. Then he fixed them to his body and jumped into air from a tall building. He did not fly very far. Instead， he fell to the ground and broke every bone of his body and rested in peace. The first real step took place in France， in 1783. Two brothers， the Montgolfiers， made a very large ―hot air balloon‖. They knew that hot air rises. Why not fill a balloon with it? The balloon was made of cloth and paper. In September of that year， the King and Queen of France came to see the balloon. They watched it carry the very first air passengers into the sky. The passengers were a sheep and a chicken. We do not know how they felt about the trip. But we do know that the trip lasted eight minutes and that the animals landed safely. Two months later， two men did the same thing. They rose above Paris in a balloon of the same kind. Their trip lasted twenty-five minutes and they traveled about. In fact， the Englishman who tried to fly.

A. 　got badly wounded

B. 　 succeeded in flying

C. 　 lost his life

D. 　 flew only 8 minutes

1.There seems to be an electrical problem. I‘ll get someone to( )it.

A. 　look out

B. 　 look into

C. 　 look upon

D. 　 look at

129.After he retired from office， Rogers( )painting for a while， but soon lost interest.

A. 　took up

B. 　 save up

C. 　 kept up

D. 　 drew up

4. Passage 17 Since we are social beings， the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human conditions is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances. Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with life changes and daily hassles. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over a range of illnesses， from depression to heart disease， reveal that the presence of social support helps people fend off illness， and the absence of such support makes poor health likely. Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First， friends， relatives， and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties. Second， other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third， we typically find social companionship supportive. Engaging in leisure-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting us from our worries and troubles. Finally， other people may give us instrumental support ― financial aid， material resources and needed services — that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of( ).

A. 　informational support

B. 　social companionship

C. 　instrumental support

D. 　the strengthening of self-respect

18.It is when you nearly lose someone( )you become fully conscious of how much you value them.

A. 　as

B. 　 so

C. 　 that

D. 　 when

1. Passage 12 More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun， healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that‘s why there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere， and there is no oil cost! Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighborhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car. You can bike to work and benefit from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don‘t even have to ride all the way. Folding bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by getting on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travelers. Health Benefits of Bicycling: It helps to prevent heart diseases. It helps to control your weight. A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year. It can improve your mood. Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better， more relaxed and self-confident. Bicycling is healthier than driving. From the passage， we know that bicycling is becoming very( ).

A. 　surprising

B. 　 exciting

C. 　 expensive

D. 　 popular

3. Passage 1 The secret of being born lucky is a summer birthday， with May babies most likely to enjoy a lifetime‘s good fortune， according to a study of more than 40，000 people. The time of year at which you are born has an enduring influence on levels of optimism and self-reported luck， according to a research by British and Swedish scientists. May was the luckiest month in which to be born， with 50 percent of those born then considering themselves lucky， while October was the least lucky month， with just 43 percent claiming good fortune. The findings add to growing evidence that the phenomenon of luck is not all down to chance， but is affected by a person‘s general disposition. Other research has shown that whether people think themselves fortunate depends less on objective success than on having a ―glass half-full‖ or ―half-empty‖ approach to life. ―What we are seeing suggests that something is influencing how people perceive their luckiness. My hypothesis is that people create their own luck by traits such as optimism， that luck is a psychological phenomenon rather than a matter of blind chance，‖ said Professor Richard Wiseman， who led the research. The pattern of the result， with those born in spring and in summer reporting themselves luckier than those born in autumn or winter， could have two potential explanations， Professor Wiseman said. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. 　Optimistic people tend to be luckier.

B. 　Devoted people tend to be luckier.

C. 　Objective success is more important than one‘s general disposition in feeling lucky.

D. 　People drinking more water tend to be luckier.

5. Passage 2 Man has always wanted to fly. Some of the greatest men in history had thought about the problem. One of them， for example， was the great Italian artist， Leonardo Da Vinci. In the 16th century he made designs for machines that would fly， but they were never built. Throughout history， other less famous men had wanted to fly. An example was a man in England 800 years ago. He made a pair of wings from chicken feathers. Then he fixed them to his body and jumped into air from a tall building. He did not fly very far. Instead， he fell to the ground and broke every bone of his body and rested in peace. The first real step took place in France， in 1783. Two brothers， the Montgolfiers， made a very large ―hot air balloon‖. They knew that hot air rises. Why not fill a balloon with it? The balloon was made of cloth and paper. In September of that year， the King and Queen of France came to see the balloon. They watched it carry the very first air passengers into the sky. The passengers were a sheep and a chicken. We do not know how they felt about the trip. But we do know that the trip lasted eight minutes and that the animals landed safely. Two months later， two men did the same thing. They rose above Paris in a balloon of the same kind. Their trip lasted twenty-five minutes and they traveled about. When did two Frenchmen rise above Paris?

A. 　In December 1783.

B. 　 In September 1783.

C. 　 In the 17th century.

D. 　 In November 1783.

4. Passage 9 What are you going to do if you are in a burning house? How will you escape? Do you know how to save yourself? Please read the following passage. Escaping a fire is a serious matter. Knowing what to do during a fire can save your life. It is important to know the ways you can use and show them to everyone in the family， such as stairways and fire escapes， but not lifts. From the lower floors of the buildings， escaping through windows is possible， learn the best way of leaving by windows with the last chance of serious injury. The second floor window is usually not very high from the ground. An average person， hanging by the finger-tips will have a drop of about six feet to the ground. It is about the height of an average man. Of course， it is safer to jump a short way than to stay in a burning building. Windows are also useful when you are waiting for help. Be sure to keep the door closed. Or smoke and fire may be drawn into the room. Keep your head low at the window to be sure you get fresh air rather than smoke that may leak into the room. On a second or third floor， the best windows for escape are those that open onto a roof. From the roof a person can drop to the ground more safely. Dropping onto cement might end in injury. Bushes and grass can help to break a fall. Open the window so that( )if the building is on fire.

A. 　you can get fresh air

B. 　 you can call for help

C. 　 you can easily jump off

D. 　 you can be seen first

3. Passage 16 Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people， but I also explain that there‘s a big difference between ―being a writer‖， and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame， not the long hours alone at a typewriter. ―You‘ve got to want to write，‖ I say to them， ―not want to be a writer.‖ The reality is that writing is a lonely， private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune， there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer， I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me a place in a New York apartment building. It didn‘t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer. After a year or so， however， I still hadn‘t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn‘t going to be one of those people who die wondering – what if I would keep putting my dream to the last even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope， and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career?

A. 　 He wasn‘t able to produce a single book.

B. 　 He hadn‘t seen a change for the better.

C. 　 He wasn‘t able to have a rest for a whole year.

D. 　 He found his dream would never come true.