A

Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.

How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow these skills, theyll help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.

First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he or she is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. Its a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.

Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isnt. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what kind of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully.

Real listening at least means some things. First it means not changing the subject of a conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that hes really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones (語氣) of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, its time for you to change the subject.

Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If youre saying goodbye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “Ive really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again, dont keep it secret. Let people know what you feel, and after that they may feel as if theyve known you half their life.

1. Asking questions might be a quite good and suitable way ＿＿＿ .

A. to begin your business talks

B. to make more and more new friends

C. to get a conversation going smoothly

D. to make a deep and lasting impression on other people

2. After having asked somebody a question, it will be polite of you to ＿＿＿ .

A. listen to his reply attentively

B. go on asking him more questions

C. find out what kind of person he is

D. wait quietly and patiently for his answer

3. Generally speaking, good talkers are persons who ＿＿＿ .

A. always speak in a gentle way

B. never talk too much or too little

C. are good at making any topic interesting

D. know how and when they should change the topic

4. If you really take delight in meeting someone again, ＿＿＿ .

A. it seems necessary for you to let him know it

B. its proper for you to give him a second handshake

C. it will be helpful for you to have further understanding of him

D. its good for you to take him as your lifelong trustworthy friend

B

Located in Florence, Oregon is “Sea Lion Caves”, the only known western, coastal, mainland home of Stellar Sea Lions. It is also the worlds largest sea cave in existence today and a perfect place to get up close and personally with nature. The sea caves are said to be the home of about 200 sea lions and that at any given time visitors can expect to see at least 150 sea lions going about their daily business.

The most immense of all sea lions, the Stellar males, are known to grow up to 12 feet in length and weight 1,500 pounds. The females, on the other hand, tend to (往往會) be a bit smaller and average 9 feet in length with an average weight of 700 pounds.

They tend to breed and give birth during the spring and summer months. The breeding and birthing process takes place on the steep cliff edges that surround the sea cave. Therefore the best time to view this ceremony is during those select months from the outside viewing platform.

In addition to the sea lions, visitors can expect to catch a glimpse of the rare Pigeon Guillemont. These unusual sea birds tend to nest in seaweed along the cliff edges in early April. And even the graceful Gray Whales are expected to be seen. Each year, travelling in pods (成群地), these sea creatures migrate around “Cape Blance” on their way to and from their native Alaska waters.

As 2014 “Sea Lion Caves” is open daily year round except for both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, the ticket box office is open from 9:00 am until 5:30 pm. Visitors have a choice of two different ticket choices: platform view or cave view. And entering the cave itself is $13.00 for adults and $8.00 for children aged 3 to 12. Children under the age of 2 are admitted for free and there is a discount (折扣) ticket price available for senior citizens. It now costs $3.50 per person to access the topside wildlife viewing platform. While on the platform visitors can pay an additional fee to use the on-site telescope or bring their own such equipment.

5. Which of the following statement about the “Sea Lion Caves” is TRUE?

A. Its said that visitors may see 150 sea lions there at any time.

B. Its a good place for visitors to approach the nature.

C. Its the worlds only habitat of Stellar Sea Lions.

D. Its located in the center of Florence.

6. The passage suggests that Stellar Sea Lions usually breed and give birth ＿＿＿ .

A. in the entrance to the sea cave

B. on the smooth cliff cave walls

C. in the warmer season months

D. out of sight of the tourists

7. What does the underlined word “migrate” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A. Grow little by little.

B. Chase one after another.

C. Flash from time to time.

D. Move from place to place.

8. What information of the 2014 “Sea Lion Caves” is the last paragraph mainly about?

A. Its admission and hours of operation.

B. Its wildlife and best viewing times.

C. Its summer hot spots and activities.

D. Its additional information and fees.

9. When you visit the Sea Lion Caves of Forence, Oregon, you are likely to see ＿＿＿ .

a. Great Sharks

b. a rare sea bird

c. the Stellar males

d. the Stellar females

e. beautiful Gray Whales

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

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

從下列方框里10個單詞中選擇8個適當(dāng)單詞的正確形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每個單詞只使用一次。

anyhow awkward cautious clerk contradict

customer divorce firm interrupt modest

1. She works for a ＿＿＿＿ of engineering.

2. The store has more ＿＿＿＿ than it can take care of.

3. Humor is the wisdom and resourcefulness that can ease up an ＿＿＿＿ situation.

4. New investors also need to be ＿＿＿＿ in choosing suitable investment products.

5. Penny got ＿＿＿＿ and rushed head first into another marriage.

6. Please speak to the ＿＿＿＿ concerned.

7. It may rain, but ＿＿＿＿ I shall go out; I dont mind the rain.

8. The two students stopped talking to each other because their conversation was ＿＿＿＿ by the ringing of the telephone.

1. 我們足球隊(duì)獲勝的喜訊使每一個聽到的人都很高興。

2. 學(xué)生們在拼寫時比以前更加小心謹(jǐn)慎，以免發(fā)生錯誤。

3. 杰瑞經(jīng)常學(xué)習(xí)到深夜。結(jié)果，他在本次考試中獲得了年級第一名。

4. 艾米麗在考試中得了最高分，但她太謙虛了就沒有告訴任何人。

1. To my surprise, Sam never ＿＿＿ to my letters no matter how many times I wrote to him.

A. answered B. opened

C. replied D. wrote

2. His long illness and frequent ＿＿＿ put him behind in his duty.

A. absent B. absence

C. present D. presence

3. — I have a favour to ask you.

— ＿＿＿ .

A. Help yourself B. Its a pleasure

C. Ask, please D. Go ahead

4. Linda didnt ＿＿＿ rock music. Its much too noisy for her taste.

A. go into B. go in for

C. go after D. go away with

5. The government must be very ＿＿＿ about setting policies and make no decision until they are quite sure it is the right one.

A. cautious B. curious

C. gracious D. nervous

6. Wait till you are more ＿＿＿ . Its better to be sure than sorry.

A. inspired B. satisfied

C. calm D. certain

7. At the meeting well talk about the ＿＿＿ the social economic problems at present.

A. reply to B. answer to

C. reply of D. answer of

8. When his parents heard the news that he failed in the examination, they both wanted to ＿＿＿ their son as soon as possible.

A. cheer on B. cheer to

C. cheer up D. cheer for

9. He nearly missed the flight ＿＿＿ doing too much shopping in the store near the airport.

A. as a consequence B. thanks to

C. as a consequence of D. as a result

10. Life is a long race ＿＿＿ we compete with others to go beyond ourselves.

A. where B. what

C. that D. why

A sense of humor is just one of the many things shared by Alfred and Anthony Melillo, 64-year-old twin brothers from East Haven who made history in February 2002. On Christmas Eve, 1992, Anthony had a heart transplant (移植) surgery from a 21-year-old donor (捐贈者). Two days before Valentines Day in 2002, Alfred received a 19-year-old heart, marking the first time on record that twin adults each received heart transplants.

“Im 15 minutes older than him, but now Im younger because of my heart and Im not going to respect him,” Alfred said with a smile, pointing to his brother while talking to a roomful of reporters, who laughed frequently at their jokes.

While the twins knew that genetics might have played a role in their condition, they recognized that their eating habits might have also contributed to their heart problems. “Wed put half a pound of butter on a steak. I overdid it on all the food that tasted good, so I guess I deserved (應(yīng)受) what I got for not dieting properly.”

The discussion moved to Anthonys recovery. In the five years since his heart transplant, he had been on an exercise program where he regularly rode a bicycle for five miles, swam each day, and walked a couple of miles. He was still on medication, but not nearly as much as Alfred, who was just in the early stage of his recovery.

“Right now I feel pretty young and Im doing very well.” Anthony said, “I feel like a new person.”

Alfred said his goal, of course, was to feel even better than his brother. But, he added, “I love my brother very much. Were very close and Im sure well do just fine.”

1. What did the twins both have in common? (within 4 words)

2. Why did Alfred say “Im 15 minutes older than him, but now Im younger because of my heart”? (within 8 words)

3. What did Alfred and Anthony think caused their heart problems? (within 3 words)

4. What had Anthony done in the five years since his heart transplant? (within 7 words)

5. What was Alfreds goal? (within 7 words)