Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a conscious effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful, there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.
Sometimes you remember things that really did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remember locking it carefully the night before.
Memory “tricks” work the other way as well. Once in a while you remember not doing something and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barbershop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barbershop across the street from my office.
We always seem to find something funny and amusing in incidents caused by people’s forgetfulness or absentmindedness. Stories about absentminded professors have been told for years, and we never get tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however, absentmindedness is not always funny. There are times when “tricks” of our memory can cause us great trouble.
1.If you want to have a good memory, you should ________.
A. force yourself to remember things
B. make a conscious effort of practice and exercise
C. never stop learning
D. try hard to remember things
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. One night the writer forgot to lock the front door.
B. One night the writer forgot having locked the front door.
C. The writer remembered to lock the door.
D. The writer remembered unlocking the front door.
3.Which can be inferred from the text?
A. If you improve your memory, memory can’t trick you.
B. The author went to the same barbershop to get a haircut.
C. Memory can trick people in different ways.
D. Absentmindedness surely causes us trouble.
4.Which of the following could be the best title for this passage?
A. The Key to a Good Memory
B. “Tricks” of Memory
C. The Dangers of Forgetfulness
D. The Dangers of Absentmindedness
单句填空
1.There is no sense ________ (upset) yourself about it now. Look forward and everything will be all right.
2.I was very nervous because it was the first time that I ________ (invite) to an opening banquet.
3.With a lot of work _______(do), she felt worried.
4.All these gifts must be mailed immediately so as to________ (receive) in time for Christmas.
5.He spoke ________ (calm) to them trying to pour oil on troubled waters but it was useless.
6.Don’t be ______(upset). It will be OK.
7.The children are rather __________ (concern) about their mother’s health.
8.She arrived early in order_________ get a good seat.
9.He left early in order __________ he should/would/might arrive on time.
10.The square looks more beautiful ____________ all the lights on.
11.The teacher came in__________ a book in his hand.
12.With summer __________(come), the weather is becoming hotter and hotter.
13.While ________(play) with his children outdoors, the father felt very happy.
14.I would be _________(感激的) to you if you give me some advice on how to make friends.
15.The old man went through many difficulties and ___________(遭受) a lot from them.
16.It took him a long time to make a ________(恢复) from a bad cold.
Learn to Meet Challenges
My classmates called me “the alien” ,and they avoided me like the plague（瘟疫.As a young boy, I ________from a serious skin disease ,which filled my arms with scars(伤疤). The true ________of my condition, however, was social: I lived a life of loneliness. Doctors predicted that I would never fully recover, but my parents encouraged me to hope for the future, teaching me that any difficulty could be overcome. I therefore took a / an ______role in fighting against my disease, trying many medications and herbs, and my health ________greatly before I graduated. I realized that my personal ________ had led to this improvement. I regained self-confidence and made many friends at school.
Years later, ________my personal battle against disease, I learned a great deal about ________by overcoming difficulties. I joined the Culture Club as a Special Event Director. I ________a group of six students in organizing various activities. I was the most advanced ESL student among the group, so I considered myself the most capable. But I quickly learned my ________,while preparing for our first presentation, I was ________with my team members and often refused their ________.I performed most of their tasks myself , allowing them to ________ me only with small details. As a result, the presentation was not very successful, which________ me, and I spoke of it to the club’s director. She responded that she________my ability to succeed in the future. This comment filled me with _______,for I realized that I had never trusted my own team members._________they were weak in English, they had many valuable talents. I immediately ________ my policy, allowing my team members to choose the tasks they desired and to complete them on their own. For our program, we had many meetings, which gave________to many good ideas. Most importantly, the atmosphere among us improved dramatically. We were _______and eager to devote time to the program , and I learned what true leadership is.
My experiences _________improved my ability to handle challenging situations.
1.A. judged B. suffered C. prevented D. separated
2.A. pain B. sign C. value D. meaning
3.A. important B. different C. leading D. active
4.A. developed B. improved C. increased D. removed
5.A. joy B. goal C. will D. life
6.A. over B. like C. for D. in
7.A. ability B. quality C. leadership D. friendship
8.A. taught B. found C. managed D. followed
9.A. mistake B. method C. effort D. right
10.A. satisfied B. familiar C. patient D. strict
11.A. desires B. talents C. ideas D. tasks
12.A. remind B. guide C. show D. help
13.A. discouraged B. disturbed C. encouraged D. educated
14.A. adopted B. admired C. trusted D. tested
15.A. surprise B. delight C. pride D. hope
16.A. As B. If C. Because D. Although
17.A. deleted B. changed C. regretted D. considered
18.A. birth B. hand C. gift D. rise
19.A. crazy B. happy C. successful D. independent
20.A. instantly B. indirectly C. unusually D. undoubtedly
Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk，laugh and do things with. Surely，there are times when we need to be alone. We don’t always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don’t get along well，which doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away，then we feel very sad. We miss them much，but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again，and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women，if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than those people who don’t. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone cares about you，you take better care of yourself.
1.The first paragraph tells us ________.
A. none needs friends
B. we need to be alone
C. we always need friends around us
D. making friends is the need in people’s life
2.Which of the following is the most probable place people name after friendly people?
A. A house. B. A room.
C. A library. D. A village.
3.If people have friends，they would live longer，because ________.
A. they feel happier and healthier
B. they get a lot of help from their friends
C. they take better care of themselves
D. both A and C
4.This passage tells us ________.
A. that people are all friends B. that people need friends
C. how to get to know friends D. how to name a place
The trees _____ in the storm have been moved off the road.
A. being blown down B. blown down C. blowing down D. to blow down
John suggests __________ swimming tomorrow.
A. going B. to go
C. we will go D. we going
