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 （语气） 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 new friends

C. to get a conversation going smoothly

D. to make a deep impression on others

2. What will be polite to do after having asked somebody a question？

A. To listen to his reply attentively.

B. To go on asking him more questions.

C. To find out what kind of person he is.

D. To 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 topic important

D. know how and when they should change the topic

4. What can you do if you really take delight in meeting someone again？

A. Let him know it.

B. Give him a second handshake.

C. Have further understanding of him.

D. 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 personal 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 1，500 pounds in weight. The females， on the other hand， tend to （往往会） 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 2015 “Sea Lion Caves” is open daily all the 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 is TRUE about the “Sea Lion Caves”？

A. 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 is the last paragraph mainly talking about 2015 “Sea Lion Caves”？

A. The admission and hours of operation.

B. The wildlife and best viewing times.

C. The summer hot spots and activities.

D. The 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

从下列方框里10个单词中选择8个适当单词的正确形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每个单词只使用一次。

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 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.

下列各句有1个错误。

1. Every time Mrs Brown opened her mouth， she put her foot to it. ____

2. How can they finish this difficult work on the absence of other helpers？ ____

3. Mr James， my advice to you is to cheer you up and know your own value. ____

4. They know me well because Im one of the most regular customer. ____

1. 我们足球队获胜的喜讯使每一个听到的人都很高兴。

2. 学生们在拼写时比以前更加小心谨慎，以免发生错误。

3. 杰瑞经常学习到深夜。结果，他在本次考试中获得了年级第一名。

4. 艾米丽在考试中得了最高分，但她太谦虚了，没有告诉任何人。

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. absent

C. calm D. certain

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

A. cheer on B. cheer to

C. cheer up D. cheer for

8. 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 （捐赠者）. 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 （应受） 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？ （no more than 4 words）

2. Why did Alfred say he was younger then？ （no more than 8 words）

3. What did Alfred and Anthony think caused their heart problems？ （no more than 3 words）

4. What had Anthony done in the five years since his heart transplant？ （no more than 7 words）

5. What was Alfreds goal？ （no more than 7 words）