Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people—society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community．We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course．We were brainwashed．We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us．As Oscar Wilde puts it, “Most people are other people．Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry（模仿）, their passions a quotation（引用）．”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good．We long for this good feeling like a drug．Therefore, we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives, failing to do the things we really want to．Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix （一剂毒品）．We worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval．
But, just as with any drug, there is a price to pay．The price of the approval drug is freedom—the freedom to be ourselves．The truth is that we cannot control what other people think．People have their own agenda, and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they're more interested in themselves than in you．Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we will build our life on sinking sand．Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change their opinions all the time．The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process．
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way—make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think．We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values---not values imposed（强加）from the outside by others, but innate（天生的） values which come from within．If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others, we will live a more authentic, effective, purposeful and happy life．
1.What Oscar Wilde says implies that _____________．
A．we have thoughts similar to those of others
B．most people have a variety of thoughts
C．most people’s lives are controlled by others’ thoughts
D．other people’s thoughts are more important
2.What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph ?
A．We may lose ourselves to please others．
B．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom．
C．We need to pay for what we want to get．
D．The price of taking drugs is freedom．
3.In order to live a happy, effective and purposeful life, we should _________．
A．care about others’ opinions and change opinions all the time
B．guide ourselves by means of values from the outside
C．persuade others to accept our opinions
D．stick to our own values
4.It can be concluded from the passage that __________．
A．we should live our own life
B．it’s better to do whatever we like
C．we shouldn't change our own opinions
D．it’s important to accept others’ opinions
First Days
First days are milestones in our lives．They mark the beginning of a new experience or journey．They are also filled with mixed emotions．They can be a little frightening as we step into the unknown, but they can also inspire us as they give us fresh hope for the future, First days are powerful as we can leave our mistakes and failures in the past and make a new start．
I want to share a story that perfectly illustrates （说明）this point．It is a story about a little girl named Trisha．Trisha was born into a family of teachers who had taught her that reading was the key to knowledge．She watched her older brother as he read his schoolbooks and could hardly wait for the day when she would learn to read．
But when Trisha finally started school, she found that she was not able to understand the words like the other boys and girls．No matter how hard she tried, the letters mixed up together, and she saw only confusion．Trisha fell further behind, the other children laughed and made fun of her, and she began to believe that she was not smart．By the time Trisha entered fifth grade, she had lost all confidence in herself．That was the year she met Mr．Falker．He was different．He praised Trisha’s talents, and he wouldn’t tolerate（容忍） the other children teasing her．Mr．Falker realized that Trisha didn’t know how to read, but he knew she could with some help．
He recruited（招聘）a reading specialist, and together they worked with Trisha after school．They helped her to write letters and hear the sounds until one day Mr．Falker handed her a book and she read it all by herself．She didn’t even notice the tears in his eyes．
This is a true story．The little girl is Patricia Polacco, the famous children’s author, and Thank you Mr．Falker is the twenty-sixth book that she has written．
Mr．Falker gave her a fresh new start when she walked into his fifth grade class on that first day of school．And he made a difference in her life．
We can all make a difference in the world —one student at a time by using “first days” with wisdom and grace（仁慈）, and giving each individual the chance to start over and become the best that they can be．
1.Trisha fell far behind in school because she _______．
A．was not confident B．was not smart enough
C．did not know how to read D．did not try her best
2.The passage is probably intended for _______．
A．teachers B．students
C．children’s authors D．reading specialists
3.How does the writer make his point?
A．By giving an example．B．By making suggestions．C．By arguing．D．By persuading．
4.The passage mainly conveys the message that first days are _______．
A．frightening as we step into the unknown
B．inspiring as they give us fresh hope for the future
C．turning points from where we can make a new start
D．chances when we can forget our mistakes and failures
Word Power
Author（s）: Kaplan $13．95
You’ll never be at a loss for words again．Energize your vocabulary with must-know everyday words that are the essentials of a good vocabulary, engaging lessons to help you use words in text, hot words often found on tests, tips to help you figure out new words, roots, and more．
Grades: 8 & up Ages: 13 & up
Word Smart Junior
Author（s）: Russell Stauffer $ 17．95
Now this is the way to add new words to your vocabulary! Word Smart Junior will make you laugh so much．You’ll be amazed that you’ve just learned more than 120 fascinating and very useful words! Parents, teachers, and friends will marvel at your eloquence （口才）
Grades: 3-5 Ages: 8-10
Grammar Smart Junior
Author（s）: Marcia Reynolds $ 16．85
Do you quake when your teacher says, “Now it’s time for grammar”? Do your verbs agree with your subjects?
Fear no more! A big Hollywood producer and a famous movie star will help you learn all those nasty （讨厌的） elements of grammar．You’ll be amazed at how quickly you learn, and how much fun it can be．You’ll finally know your grammar backwards and forwards, and you’ll never have to worry about it again．
Grades: 7-9 Ages: 12-14
Grammar Smart: An Audio Guide to Perfect Usage
Author（s）: Julian Fleisher $ 12．68
The words you use say a lot about you … but the way you put them together says even more．Your grammar makes an immediate and lasting impression on your teachers, and even your friends．So don’t make the mistake of thinking that grammar is too complicated．We’ve created Grammar Smart to help you write and speak with clarity and confidence．
Grades: 6-8 Ages: 11-13
1.If a ten-year-old boy wants himself to be admired because of his speech ability, he may buy _______．
A．Word Power
B．Word Smart Junior
C．Grammar Smart Junior
D．Grammar Smart: An Audio Guide to Perfect Usage
2.By saying “You’ll finally know your grammar backwards and forwards”, the writer means “________”．
A．You will be clearly familiar with grammar
B．You will know the history of grammar
C．You will know the make-up of grammar
D．You will learn about the future of grammar
3.The four books are all about _______．
A．fiction and mysteries B．parenting and teaching
C．literature and arts D．language study
We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four．Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner．I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang．Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom．
The guests arrived．I introduced my two daughters to each of them．The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids．
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile．They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age．
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt．We do it with the best of intention．
But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child．I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined （胜过）．I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes．I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying．
I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”
She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?”
I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better．
Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first．
1.The underlined expression ‘make a big “to do” over’ （paragraph 4） means ____．
A．show much concern about B．have a special effect on
C．list jobs to be done for D．do good things for
2.The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs because of her ____．
A．young age B．lovely smile
C．pretty clothes D．beautiful hair
3.Kristen felt sad and cried because ____．
A．the guest gave her more coats to carry
B．the guests praised her sister more than her
C．her mother didn’t introduce her to the guests
D．she didn’t look as pretty as Kelly。
4.We can conclude from the passage that ____．
A．parents should pay more attention to the elder children
B．the younger children are usually more easily hurt
C．people usually like the younger children more
D．adults should treat children equally
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，
选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
I was on the train when a girl got on．The couple seeing her off seemed 1about her safety．The woman gave the girl detailed instructions 2how to avoid speaking to strangers．
As I had become 3by then, I could not tell what the girl looked like．“Are you going all the way to Dehra Dun?” I asked her as the train 4out of the station．
My 5surprised her．She gave a little exclamation （惊呼）, and said, “I didn’t know anyone else was here．”
As often happens, people with good eyesight 6to see what is right in front of them．They have too much to observe, I 7．
“I didn’t see you either at first,” I said．“But I heard you come in．” I wondered if I would be able to prevent her from 8that I couldn’t see．
“I’m getting down at Saharanpur,” the girl said．“My aunt is 9me there．Where are you going?”
“To Mussoorie,” I replied．
“Oh, lucky you! I wish I were going to Mussoorie．I love the mountains． 10in October．”
“Yes, this is the best time,” I said, 11my memories when I could see．The 12are covered with beautiful flowers, the sun is delicious, and at night you can sit in front of a camp fire and drink brandy．
“What is it like outside?” I asked．
She seemed to find nothing strange in the question．“ 13don’t you look out of the window?” she asked quite 14．
I felt for the window．It was open and I faced it, 15to study the scenery．“Have you noticed,” I ventured（冒险说）, “that the trees seem to be moving while we seem to be standing still?”
“ 16always happens,” she said．
I 17to face the girl, and for a while we sat in silence．“You have an interesting face,” I commented．It was a（n） 18remark．
“You are gallant （恭维的）, ” she said．
At the next stop, the girl said goodbye to me and a man got on．“She was an interesting girl,” I said．“Can you tell me —— did she 19her hair long or short?” “I don’t remember,” he replied．“It was her eyes I noticed, not her hair．She had such beautiful eyes, but they were of no 20to her – she was completely blind．Didn’t you notice?”
1.A．puzzled B．severe C．anxious D．strict
2.A．beyond B．on C．above D．up
3.A．deaf B．speechless C．blind D．short-sighted
4.A．left B．pushed C．rushed D．pulled
5.A．sound B．voice C．noise D．tongue
6.A．decide B．hate C．fail D．happen
7.A．reply B．hope C．ask D．suppose
8.A．seeing B．discovering C．noticing D．hearing
9.A ．meeting B．waiting C．accepting D．visiting
10.A．Specially B．Occasionally C．Unusually D．Especially
11.A．calling up B．calling at C．calling out D．calling on
12.A．rivers B．hills C．villages D．rails
13.A．Where B．How come C．Why D．How about
14.A．actually B．naturally C．obviously D．undoubtedly
15.A．beginning B．walking C．pretending D．intending
16.A．That B．Such C．Which D．What
17.A．went B．submitted C．moved D．turned
18.A．safe B．strange C．ideal D．general
19.A．do B．have C．keep D．leave
20.A．importance B．value C．use D．difference
– So you have met Maria?
– Yes, it was last week _________ we attended Jack’s party．
A．where B．when C．that D．why
