A

Anyone may visit the White House during certain visiting hours. Any United States citizen who wants to visit the White House should contact his or her member of Congress to make reservations （預约）. Reservations can be made six months in advance and must be made no less than 30 days in advance.

A limited number of spaces are available for each tour day. Reservations are free. If you are a citizen of a foreign country and would like to visit the White House， contact your local US embassy.

Self-guided tours are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7：30 to 11：00 in the morning. They are also available on Fridays from 7：30 to noon and on Saturdays from 7：30 in the morning to 1：00 in the afternoon.

Visitors can also visit the gardens during the spring garden tour. Garden tour dates are announced yearly. The event is free， but tickets are required. The White House offers opportunities to school-aged children to visit the grounds. Kitchen garden tours are offered every Tuesday and Thursday to classes of up to 30 students.

Dates for the annual Easter egg roll are announced yearly. This event is designed for the families of children aged 12 years old or younger. It includes games， music， and stories along with the traditional egg roll. Tickets to the event are distributed using a lottery （抽奖） system.

When visiting the White House， keep in mind that security is the most important thing. Any item that would be forbidden on an airplane， such as guns， knives， etc.， cannot be carried onto the grounds. Bags and cameras are also banned.

1. When are people allowed to make a self-guided tour of the White House？

A. At 1 pm on Tuesdays.

B. At 3 pm on Thursdays.

C. At 10：30 am on Friday.

D. At 1：30 pm on Saturday.

2. What do we know about the spring garden tour？

A. People need to pay for the ticket.

B. People can get garden tour dates annually.

C. School-aged children do not need tickets.

D. The tours are offered every Tuesday and Friday.

3. What can people do during the Easter egg roll？

A. Win a fortune in a lottery.

B. Enjoy music and games.

C. Take photos there.

D. Take bags along.

4. What should you always keep in mind when visiting the White House？

A. The visiting time.

B. Things to take.

C. Tickets.

D. Safety.

B

Australian traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road. If you are in doubt about your driving license being accepted in Australia， get an international license from your local automobile association.

Road speed limits differ between states but are generally 100-110 kph on the highways and 50-60 kph in built-up areas. Interstate highways are not of the same standard as the USA and European highway systems and nor do they carry the same traffic contents.

Never leave small children or animals locked in vehicles in very hot weather. Dehydration （脫水） occurs very quickly. This practice is illegal.

The most serious danger on the road is the feeling of being tired. Look for driver refreshment stations and pull off and rest after driving for several hours.

Be careful when driving on country roads at night in cold weather. Some native animals such as kangaroos lie on the bitumen （沥青） road surface which holds the warmth of the sun. Car lights blind the animals or let them fall asleep and they may just as easily run into your vehicle as they run away from it.

When traveling on remote outback roads， always inform someone at the destination of your expected arrival time and the number of people in your party. If you fail to arrive within a reasonable time， help methods can be started. Do NOT leave your vehicle as a missing vehicle can help to find a missing person more easily.

When traveling on poor quality roads， always conduct a vehicle check before starting off.

5. What are you advised to do if you feel tired when you are driving in Australia？

A. To find a refreshment station for a rest.

B. To have a sleep in the car for a while.

C. To stop and have a drink by the road.

D. To ask someone nearby for help.

6. What should you be most careful of when driving on country roads at night in Australia？

A. The bitumen road. B. The dark areas.

C. Children. D. Animals.

7. What does the text mainly tell us？

A. The importance of the driving license in Australia.

B. Australian traffic condition.

C. Traveling in Australia.

D. Driving in Australia.

C

Lets say you have a piece of wood， a nail， and a hammer. Suppose the wood is a person， the nail is a mean rumor （谣言） about that person. If you hammer in the nail， youre obviously hurting him or her. If you then pull out the nail， theres still a hole in the wood， and the damage has been done.

There are many reasons why that the nail of a rumor can be so harmful. Rumors are， quite simply， a form of bullying （欺侮）. When a person or a group makes up a rumor about someone or decides to spread gossip （流言蜚语）， its usual to hurt someone， break up a friendship， or make someone less popular. Its the same thing as teasing; only its done behind someones back instead of to his or her face.

When you spread a rumor about someone， youre sending a signal that the person is outside of the group， and somehow less worthy of friendship than others. Youre making fun of that person or pointing out negative things about him or her. This can let others think that its okay to make the person feel bad， and make him or her an outsider.

We need to be able to trust our friends， and gossip and rumors can break this trust. If you tell a personal secret to a friend， and he turns around and tells it to someone else， you might feel like you will get burned if you ever get close to him again.

Letting a rumor influence your behavior is like letting someone else make a big decision for you. Lets say you hear that the teacher plans to call a Snow Day tomorrow because a snowstorm is coming. Expecting a day off， you dont do your homework. The next morning， the snowstorm turns out to be nothing more than a light rain， and school isnt off after all. You get zeroes on your work.

8. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1？

A. To explain how a rumor spreads.

B. To let readers know what a rumor is.

C. To point out the damaging effects of rumors.

D. To attract readers to read the following paragraphs.

9. To tell a rumor and a tease apart， you should know whether it is ___ .

A. done behind someone

B. a kind of bullying

C. painful or not

D. spread fast

10. If a rumor is spread about someone， others may ___ .

A. keep away from him

B. point out his advantages

C. not feel he is an outsider

D. be hurt if getting close to him again

11. What can we infer from the last paragraph？

A. Rumors can destroy your interest in learning.

B. Believing rumors can lead to bad choices.

C. Rumors can destroy your fame.

D. It is hard to keep rumors secret.

D

The human brain remembers negative experiences more easily than positive ones. Our brains have developed in this way because threats， like dangerous animals， have a more immediate effect on peoples survival compared to positive things like food or shelter. As a result， you clearly know what makes you unhappy， but do you know what makes you happy？

Research suggests that our level of happiness is partly shaped by the choices we make. If youve been chasing wealth， fame， power and some material things， you may be looking for happiness in the wrong places. Psychologists suggest that the following habits can make people happier.

People who own close relationships tend to be happier than those who do not. The number of our friends is not important. What matters is the quality of our relationships. Relationships that bring happiness usually consist of the sharing of feelings， acceptance， mutual （雙方的） respect and trust.

People who exercise regularly can improve both their physical and mental well-being. Some research has shown that exercise can be as effective as some medicine in treating depression.

If we are so interested in an activity， we may lose track of time， and we can be in a state of flow. The activity could be playing the piano， surfing the Internet or playing a game… People who experience flow in their work or life tend to be happier.

People are more likely to be happy if they know what their strengths are and can use them regularly. People are especially happy when they can set goals and use their strengths to achieve them.

People， who think positively by being grateful， mindful and optimistic， are more likely to be happy. Being grateful means being thankful. Being mindful means considering， focusing on， and enjoying the experiences of the present moment. Being optimistic means being hopeful about the future.

12. Why does human brain remember negative things easily？

A. They help with brain development.

B. They encourage us to move forward.

C. They record the progress we have made.

D. They tend to affect human survival immediately.

13. According to the text， people are more likely to find real happiness in ___ .

A. being famous B. chasing power

C. making friends D. earning money

14. What is part of thinking positively according to the last paragraph？

A. Appreciating what we have.

B. Wishing that we could change the past.

C. Enjoying the memory of a past experience.

D. Feeling worried about decisions we have made.

15. What does the author try to tell us to do？

A. To think more about our future.

B. To focus on everything in our life.

C. To be positive in our life and work.

D. To be out of the state of flow in our life.

Self-confidence or a lack of confidence can have a big effect on whether a person is able to overcome the challenges they are experiencing， such as fear and anxiety as well as other concerns. When children build their self-confidence， they become more comfortable with themselves. 1

Create a pretend play.

Allow a child to create a puppet show （木偶表演） to express the difficulty he is having. For instance， if the child is afraid of the dark， have him come up with a puppet show about a puppet that is afraid of the dark. 2 If the child doesnt seem to be coming up with a way to help the puppet overcome his fear， present some questions to see if he can come up with a way to help the puppet.

3

Many children with low self-confidence display behaviors that suggest they do not believe they can do things on their own. To encourage independence， when a situation appears in which the child states he cant do it or wants you to do it for him， encourage the child to do the activity. 4

Raise self-awareness.

Helping children to become more aware of who they are can help build self-confidence. Children with low self-confidence may not be very decisive. They may hesitate when you ask them questions about themselves. 5 Be supportive of the answers they provide by making sure not to make them feel like they need to change their answers in any way.

A. Develop speaking skills.

B. Encourage independence.

C. Praise any effort he makes.

D. Many play therapy activities can also be used on adults.

E. In addition， help the children to accept their own answers.

F. Here are three techniques for improving childrens self-confidence.

G. Have him create a title for the puppet show and then make the show.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Each year her husband sent her valentine roses， tied with pretty bows， and a card. The card would always say， “I love you even more than last year on this 1 .”

The year he died， the 2 were delivered to her door as usual. The card said， “Be my valentine. My love for you will always 3 with every passing year.” She thought this was the 4 time that the roses would appear. She 5 he ordered roses in 6 without knowing that he would 7 away. He always liked to do things ahead. Then， if he got busy， everything would work out 8 . She put them in a very special vase， and then placed the vase beside the portrait of his smiling face. She would sit for hours， 9 at his picture and the roses.

A year went by， and it was 10 to live without him. Then， on Valentines Day， the doorbell rang， and she 11 roses sitting by her door. She brought the roses in， and then looked at them in surprise. Later she 12 the flower-shop and asked them to 13 why valentine roses were sent to her.