Housework is a frequent source of disputes (争论) between lazy husbands and their hard-working wives, but women have been warned not to expect men to pull their weight any time soon.

A study from Oxford University has found that men are unlikely to be doing an equal share of housework before 2050. Mothers, the researchers warned, will continue to shoulder the burden of childcare and housework for the next four decades, largely because housework such as cleaning and cooking is still regarded as “ women’s work”.

The gap between the amount of time men and women spend on housework has narrowed slowly over the past 40 years. But it will take another four decades before true housework equality (平等) is achieved, the study concluded.

The research found that in the Nordic countries, the burden of housework is shared more equally between men and women. In the UK, women spend an average of four hours and forty minutes each day on housework, compared with two hours and twenty-eight minutes for men. This is an improvement from the 1960s, when British women typically spent six hours a day on housework, while men spent just 90 minutes every day.

But progress towards housework equality appears to be slowing in some countries. Dr Oriel Sullivan, a research reader from Oxford’s Department of Sociology, said, “we’ve looked at what is affecting the equality in the home, and we have found that certain tasks seem to be given according to whether they are viewed as ‘men’s work’ or ‘women’s work’.”

Dr Sullivan said cultural attitudes taught at school may be responsible for the views of housework. “At school it is much easier for a girl to be a tomboy, but it is much more difficult for a boy to enjoy baking and dancing,” she said.
28.The underlined part “pull their weight” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to “__________”.
       A.lose weight               B.be lazy
       C.earn money               D.do equal housework
29.Women will continue to do more housework before 2050 mainly because _________.
       A.men are too busy to help
       B.they would like to do so
       C.they can do better in housework
       D.housework will still be considered as women’s work
30.From Paragraph 4 we know that in the UK ___________.
       A.men now spend just 90 minutes a day on housework on average
       B.women now are too busy with their work to do housework
       C.women now spend less time on housework than before
       D.housework is shared equally between men and women
31.In Dr Sullivan’s opinion, what is to blame for the housework inequality?
       A.Cultural attitudes towards housework.
       B.Policies made by the government.
       C.The time spent on work.
       D.The type of housework.

71.很明显，肯定发生了某些糟糕的事情。

   ________  ________  _________  __________ something terrible __________ 

   ___________  ___________.

72. 王鹏坐在他那空荡荡的餐馆里，感到十分沮丧。

   Wang Peng sat in his________ restaurant _______  ________  ________.

73. 他可不能让雍慧哄骗人们却不受惩罚！

   He could not ______ Yong hui ________  _______  ________  _______ people _____!

74. 亚当斯先生，不知道你是否介意我们问几个问题。

   I_______, Mr Adams, ______ you’d ________  ________  ________ a few questions.

75. 事实上，我靠义工来顶替船费，这就是我为什么衣冠不整的原因了。

   The fact is that I earned my ________ by working as an ___________  ___________ , 

   __________   _____________  ___________ my appearance.

Ann worked for a big company. One of the duties of her   41   was to go to the post office every day and   42   the company mail. One day in December, she   43   a beggar making himself up as a Santa Claus   44   on the corner of the street. Each day she   45   her coins and dropped them in his bowl. He would smile and   46   her a Merry Christmas.

       At night the temperature dropped below 0℃, but the Santa Clause   47   stood in the cold wind.   48   she dropped her coins into his bowl, she handed him a pair of gloves.

       A week later, a(n)   49   Santa Claus was standing there. “What happened to the other Santa Claus?” she asked. He told her, “He’s very   50   today.” She prayed for his health.

       Later that day, a colleague came into her office   51  . “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” “What’s wrong?” she asked. “It’s my ex-husband,” her colleague   52  , “I don’t have any money to buy my boys anything for Christmas,   53   my ex-husband refuses to send money to them. It breaks my heart that they won’t have anything this year.” The lady   54   her colleague, “I’m sure everything will   55  . It’s Christmas. Believe in miracles (奇迹).”

       That evening, she told her husband about her colleague’s   56  , “I know we don’t have much money to   57  , but I’d like to give her fifty or a hundred dollars. We’ll just get ourselves less this year. Last year we couldn’t afford to buy anything for   58   but we still had a wonderful Christmas.” Her husband smiled, “Give her one hundred dollars. She needs it more than we do.”

       She reached up and held him. Warmth spread   59   her body. He held her and realized that there really was a Santa Claus – and he had   60   her!

41. A. family                B. job                   C. life                   D. religion

42. A. receive                     B. go through              C. answer                   D. pick up

43. A. spotted                   B. watched           C. sensed                   D. followed

44. A. standing            B. waiting             C. playing            D. performing

45. A. earned                     B. counted           C. saved                     D. threw

46. A. send                 B. wish                 C. offer                D. tell

47. A. even                 B. just                  C. still                   D. yet

48. A. Although           B. If                      C. Since               D. After

49. A. honest                     B. new                  C. considerate            D. strong

50. A. sad                   B. poor                 C. cold                 D. sick

51. A. in tears                    B. in shock           C. in horror          D. in trouble

52. A. concluded         B. decided           C. continued        D. commented

53. A. or                      B. but                   C. so                    D. otherwise

54. A. reminded          B. amused           C. teased                    D. comforted

55. A. work out            B. come back              C. run out            D. open up

56. A. message           B. suggestion              C. situation          D. example

57. A. lend                  B. help                 C. lose                 D. pay

58. A. ourselves          B. themselves             C. us                    D. others

59. A. off                            B. to                            C. among                    D. through

60. A. relaxed                     B. doubted           C. married            D. Shaped

    Table manners vary f'rom culture to culture.   61   is acceptable in one country may be considered extremely rude in another. Here we will tell you about the traditional table manners   62   the modern table manners in Korea.   63   ( tradition) , it was the woman's job   64   (cook)food and set the table. The woman would sit  65  her husband to make sure that he had everything he needed for a pleasant meal. Only   66   the husband finished would the woman and her children eat. Nowadays, table manners have changed a lot.   67  of the family members eat together at the same time. It is common to see everyone help with the meal,   68  (include) the husband. One tradition, however, has not changed. It is the oldest person that starts the meal.    69   ( stay) until the oldest person is finished is considered to be  70  basic tradition of Korean table manners.

 It’s surprising that _______ has mastered ________ much knowledge about IT.

A. so a little child; so                 B. so little a child; such     

C. such a little child; so               D. such little a child; such

   Life is filled with challenges. As we get older ，we come to realize that those challenges are the very things that shape us and make us who we are. It is the same with the challenges that come with friendship. When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two choices. We can try to beat it off, or we can decide that the thing presenting the challenge isn't worth the trouble and call it quits. Although there are certainly times when calling it quits is the right thing to do, in most cases all that is needed is commitment and communication.

    When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how painful or how uncomfortable something is, we will always choose to face it through instead of running away from it. Communication is making a space for discussion and talking about how you feel as opposed to just saying what the other person did wrong. If you can say to a friend, "I got my feelings hurt", rather than "You hurt my feelings", you are going to be able to solve the problem much faster.

    In dealing with many challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for what they are: small hurdles you need to jump or get through on your way through life. Nothing is so big that it is impossible to get over, and hurt only serves to make us stronger. It is all part of growing up, it happens to everyone, and some day you will look back on all of this and say, "Hard as it was, it made me who I am today. And that is a good thing."

29. The writer believes that challenges ________.

   A. are always born with friendship             B. help build friendship

   C. are never worth attention                  D. help us grow

30. If your friend hurts your feelings, you are advised to ____.

   A. point out your friend's mistake             B. calm yourself down

   C. start a proper conversation                D. run away from it

31. The whole passage is centered on the relationship（关系） between ___.

   A. friendship and challenges              B. commitment and friendship 

  C. friendship and growth                 D. challenges and chances

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, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people if those don't have friends. 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.

8. The first paragraph tells us __________.

A. none needs friends                      B. we need friends around us all the time

C. making friends is the need in people's life    D. we need to be alone

9 Which of the following is the most probable(可能的) place people name after friendly people?

                           A. A house.      B. A room.       C. A library.      D. A village.

10. 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

11 This passage tells us __________.

A. that people are all friends      B. that people need friends

C. how to get friends            D. how to name a place                             

When an earthquake hit a small town, many houses fell down. After the earthquake, all the newspapers reported many stories about some of the families who were in trouble.

     One Sunday, when I was reading a newspaper, a special picture touched me. It gave the clothing sizes of each family member. I thought that this would be a good chance to teach my children to help those  who were less lucky than themselves. I said to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and three-year-old Meghan, “We have so much, and these poor people now have nothing. We’ll share what we have with them. ”

I filled a box with foods and clothes. While I was doing this, I encouraged the boys to choose their toys and donate some of their less favourite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys took out their old toys and games and put them together. Then she walked away. A few minutes later she came back with Lucy, her much-loved doll. She put the doll on top of the other toys. “Oh, dear, ”I said. “You don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much. ”Meghan said, “Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make another little girl happy, too. ”

I looked at Meghan for a long moment. She taught me a lesson. It’s easy to give something that we don’t want any more, but harder to give what we cherish(珍爱)，isn’t it?

41. The writer has _____ children.

A. one         B. two           C. three            D. four

42. The underlined word “donate” probably means “ _____ ”.

A. 捐赠          B. 丢掉            C. 展出             D. 放好

43. Lucy is the name of _____ .

A. a girl     B. a game    C. a doll      D. an earthquake

44. What’s the best title of this passage?

A. A Family Story                 B. The Spirit of Giving

C. The Way of Helping Others       D. A Sad Experience

In my opinion, we should try our best    46    (realize) our goals even though    47   is little hope. The efforts seem to be the lights in the darkness, leading the way to hope and success.
    I used to be    48   shy girl in my primary school. I was weak in English at that time, especially for    49  (speak) English. So I was afraid to answer the teacher’s questions during English classes. After I entered my dream middle school. Something    50  (change). I started to read many    51     (interest) English stories and my English teacher was patient to help me a lot. I studied hard in class and practiced by watching English films and listening to English songs in my free time. Little    52  little, I found    53___   more and more interesting to learn English. I could even talk with my classmates    54    (fluent) in English and I was not shy any more. At last, I got high grades in English and I had    55    ( confident) to do it better in the future.

A businesswoman got into a taxi in midtown. As it was the rush hour and she was in a   36   to catch a train, she   37   a quick way to reach it. “I have been a taxi driver for 15 yean!” the driver said   38  . “You don’t think I know the best way to go?”

The woman tried to explain that she hadn’t   39   to annoy him, but the driver kept   40  . She finally realized that he was too annoyed to be   41  , so she changed her   42  . “You know, you are right,” she told him. “It must seem   43   for me not to think you know the best way   44   the city.”

  45  , the driver glanced at his   46   in the rearview mirror, turned down the street she wanted and got her to the train on time. “He didn’t say another word the rest of the ride,” she said, “  47   I got out and paid him. Then he thanked me.”

When you find yourself   48   with people like the taxi driver, you will always try to   49   your idea, It can lead to longer arguments, the loss of job chances or the   50   of marriages. I have discovered one simple   51   extremely unlikely method that can prevent the disagreement or other difficult situations from   52   in a disaster.

The   53   is to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and look for the   54   in what that person is saying. Find a way to   55  , and the result may surprise you.

36. A. hurry                        B. rush                               C. moment                         D. way

37. A. chose                       B. made                             C. found                             D. suggested

38. A. jokingly                    B. angrily                                  C. anxiously                       D. curiously

39. A. supposed                 B believed                          C. meant                                   D. decided

40 A. apologizing               B. driving                           C. asking                                  D. shouting

41. A. reasonable                     B. thoughtful                      C. normal                                  D. practical

42. A. road                         B. mind                              C. direction                        D. manner

43. A. strange                           B. wrong                                   C. terrible                           D. stupid

44. A. across                      B. in                                          C. through                         D. along

45. A. Surprised                 B. Worried                         C. Annoyed                        D. Disappointed

46. A. rider                         B. speaker                         C. helper                                   D. comer

47. A. until                          B. after                               C. because                        D. since

48. A. satisfied                          B. concerned                            C. crowded                        D. faced

49. A. give up                            B. rum down                       C. slick to                           D. point out

50. A. combination                    B. destruction                           C. suffering                        D. division

51. A. and                          B. that                                C. while                              D. though

52. A. lying                         B. resulting                        C. setting                                  D lead

53. A. problem                          B. importance                           C. key                                D. reply

54. A. fact                          B. meaning                        C. expression                            D. truth

55. A. agree                       B. argue                             C. explain                           D. escape

If you want to keep fit, please refer to the following:

Move More

   Make it a daily rule to find ways to move your body. 36    Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator(电梯). Walk your dog; play with your kids. It doesn’t have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute dance class. But that’s great when you’re up to it. At the same time, move more.

Give up Smoking

   Ever since 1960 when it was announced that smoking was harmful to health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products. Just recently, we’ve seen more and more teens smoking. Could it be the Hollywood influence? 37____       Take care! Warn your children against smoking.

 38    

    While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney(肝肾) disease and cancer.

 Reduce Stress（压力）

   Easier said than done, stress comes in many ways.39 ____ Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like such as walk on the beach or in a park, read a good book, visit a friend, listen to relaxing music, and watch a funny movie.

 Protect Yourself from Pollution

   If you can’t live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms.40____ Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good.

A. Avoid Excessive（过量的）Drinking.

B. There are many things you can do to move your arms and legs.

C. Think carefully about what you will do.

D. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low.

E. It seems that the stars in every movie smoke cigarettes.

F. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook.

G. Some techniques given by experts are to think positive thoughts

When I was in primary school, I got into a major argument（争吵） with a boy named Tom in my class. I can’t    41   what it was about, but I have never forgotten the    42   I learned that day.

I was    43   that I was right and he was wrong - and he strongly believed that I was wrong and he was right. The    44   decided to teach us a very important lesson and    45   a good idea. She    46   both of us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on    47  . In the middle of her desk was a large, round object（物体）. I could    48   see that it was black. She asked the boy what    49    the object was. “White,” he answered in a    50   voice.

I couldn’t believe he said the object was white,    51   it was obviously black! Another    52    started between my classmate and me, this    53   about the color of the object.

The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed    54  , and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I    55   answer, “White.” It was then    56   I realized I was wrong. In fact, it was an object with two    57   colored sides, and from his side it was white.    58   from my side was it black.

My teacher taught me a very important lesson that day: You must    59   in the other person’s shoes and look at the    60   through their eyes in order to truly understand their view（观点）.

假定英语课上老师要求同学们交换修改句子，请你修改你同桌写的以下句子。每个句子均有一处错误，错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写上该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。

71.  It was the first time that I have visited the city.

72.  Mother asked her son that he was satisfied with his room.

73.  Most of the teenager like searching information on the Internet.

74.  It was in the street which I met your father yesterday.

75.  As far as I concerned, I can’t afford such an expensive car.

76.  He is writing an English novel at the present.

77.  I entire agree with what you said at yesterday’s meeting.

78.  Our teacher said that the earth moved around the sun.

79.  I have to get my car repair before I go to work.

80.  It is no pleasure stay at home doing homework all day.

 The games _________ the young men competed in were difficult.

    A. whom        B. which        C. whose              D. what

In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea,   41   Vietnam, food is usually eaten with chopsticks.

Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might  42   (make)of gold and silver with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine various hardwoods and metal  43  (create)special designs.

The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots, 44  (use) twigs(树枝) to remove it. Over time,  45  the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly. Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which  46  (gradual)turned into chopsticks.

Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius,  47  lived from roughly 551 to 479 B.C., influenced the  48  (develop) of chopsticks. Confucius believed knives would remind people of killings and  49   (be) too violent for use at the table.

Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat   50  their hands.

You have waited 45 minutes for the valuable 10 minutes’ break between classes. But when the bell for the next class rings, you can’t believe how  ___36__  time has passed.

If you are ___37___ with this scene, you’ll know how time flies when you are having fun and  __38__ when you are bored. Now scientists have ___39___ a reason why this is the case.

Scans have shown that patterns of activity in the brain  ___40___  according to how we focus on a task. When we are ___41___ , we concentrate more on how time is passing. And  ____42___ makes our brains think the clock is ticking more slowly.

In an experiment ____43___ by a French laboratory, 12 volunteers watched an image  ___44___ researchers monitored their brain activity.

The volunteers were told to   __45____  concentrate on how long an image appeared for, then ____46___  the color of the image, and thirdly, study both duration and color. The results showed that  ___47__ was more active when the volunteers paid attention to  ___48__ subjects.

It is thought __49____ if the brain is focusing on many aspects of a task, it has to    ___50__ its resources, and pays less attention to the clock. ____51__ , time passes without us really  __52___  it, and seems to go quickly. If the brain is not so active, it concentrates its ___53____ energies on monitoring the passing of time. __54__ , time seems to drag.

Next time you feel bored  ___55___ , perhaps you should pay more attention to what the teacher is saying!

36. A. slowly                      B. quickly

C. terribly                    D. foolishly

37. A. disappointed                B. satisfied

C. familiar                    D. similar

38. A. drags         B. stops      C. goes       D. backs

39. A. thought over                B. made up

C. suggested with               D. come up with

40. A. change       B. develop      C. grow        D. slow

41. A. sleepy        B. bored       C. excited       D. active

42. A. which        B. we          C. this         D. what

43. A. produced     B. carried out   C. tried        D. did

44. A. where        B. when        C. while       D. as

45. A. partly        B. quickly      C. how        D. first

46. A. familiar with                 B. focus on

C. make out                    D. tell apart

47. A. the researchers               B. the experiment

C. the clock                   D. the brain

48. A. no           B. less         C. some        D. more

49. A. when        B. which       C. that          D. where

50. A. fix          B. gather       C. reach        D. spread

51. A. However    B. Furthermore  C. Therefore    D. Finally

52. A. recognizing  B. watching     C. noticing      D. counting

53. A. enough        B. full        C. right         D. proper

54. A. In fact      B. As a result    C. For example    D. Instead

55. A. in class     B. with work     C. in mind        D. of lessons

 If you’re looking for a challenging situation to practise your English, pick up the phone. Not being able to see the other person and the body language can make the chatting difficult.    36   . Here are some tips to guide you through an average phone conversation in English.

1. Greetings.

Every phone call should begin with a polite greeting such as “Hi, how’ve you been?” or “Nice to hear from you”. Even if you’re calling a business contact for a specific purpose, it’d be rude to jump right into business.    37   .

2. Getting to the point.

There always comes the point where you want to move on from friendly chatting and get down to business. What should you do in this situation?    38   . However, if you are waiting to find out why someone is calling you, you can guide the conversation by saying “So what can I do for you?”

3. Interrupting without offence.

Sometimes you may happen to be speaking with a very talkative person.    39   . Keep in mind when you’d like to interrupt, and be sure to do it politely. For example, begin with “I’d like to say something here.”

4. Ending the call.

This can be the trickiest part of the conversation! It may be the time to offer good wishes if it’s appropriate.    40   . Sometimes it’s easiest to just say you enjoy speaking to the other person. Also remember cleverly that saying the word “well” at the beginning of a sentence can indicate you’re ready to end the conversation.

A. Use the phrase “I’m just calling to…” to change to the topic at hand.

B. Additionally, you may want to confirm any plans you’ve made.

C. You should make a little small talk at the beginning.

D. You’d better greet him or her in a friendly way.

E. So it may be difficult to get a word in.

F. Practise English through phone calls.

G. Never fear, though!

Accurately forecasting the weather is a very hard thing to do. There are many parts of weather dynamics — the study of how water and air in motion cause weather patterns — to consider. Even the best forecast can be changed by a small weather disturbance halfway around the world. Today’s forecast use complex computer models, weather instruments, and detailed analyses of daily observations to predict the weather. However, it hasn’t always been that way. People, like your grandparents, use folklore and proverbs to help forecast the weather. They remembered what conditions caused changes and observed the factors associated with weather: atmospheric and cloud conditions, temperature, winds, and reactions of plants and animals. Many people believe that this way of forecasting weather is accurate more often than modem forecasting.

Grandma’s aching joints might indicate the arrival of a low-pressure system. She might also observe the geese flying lower than usual, confirming the low-pressure system. Finally, she might feel dampness on her skin, a sign of high humidity (湿度). Based on these three observations, grandma might warn that a storm is brewing.

Joints and nerves can indicate dropping air pressure, dissolved gases in the blood form bubbles under low air pressure. This causes pain in joints and nerve endings. Geese and other birds respond to changes in air pressure by adjusting how high they fly. In the fair, calm weather of a high-pressure system, the birds fly higher than in the stormy weather associated with a low-pressure system.

Nature provides other clues to changing weather. A decrease in air pressure causes deer and elk to come down from the mountains to look for shelter. Some animals feed more than usual. The higher humidity before a storm causes some insects to leave the trees and gather near the ground. Some flowers close so rain doesn’t get inside them. In winter, rhododendron plants curl up to protect themselves as the temperature drops.

Several of the sayings apply in particular areas of the world. Here are some of them.

■Early thunder, early spring.

■Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning.

■When teeth and bones ache, expect the clouds to fill the lake.

■When high clouds and low clouds do not match together, prepare for a blow and a change in the weather.

32. It is true that ___________.

A. using folklore and proverbs to forecast weather is more accurate than modem forecasting

B. complex computer models and weather instruments can always forecast weather accurately

C. modern forecasting cannot always guarantee accurate weather forecasting for some reason

D. modem forecasting along with other observations is sure to give accurate weather forecast

33. In a low-pressure system, you may notice the following EXCEPT that _________.

A. some birds will be seen flying near the surface of the earth

B. some flowers close so rain doesn’t get inside

C. some animals come down from mountains

D. some insects disappear from ground

34. It is a fact that the behavior of plants and animals is _________.

A. likely to reflect long-term weather forecasting

B. likely to reflect short-term weather forecasting

C. unlikely to reflect any kind of weather forecasting

D. more likely to reflect both short-term and long term weather forecasting

35. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A. People can forecast weather with no modern equipment.

B. How to use proverbs to forecast weather forecasting.

C. Hard as it is, weather forecasting has a scientific base.

D. The importance of weather forecasting.

Small talk is a popular way of getting to know someone, getting into a school or job, or just passing the time. But do you think you're good at it? And do you even know how to do it? If not, then it’s never too late to learn. The art of small talk is the art of talking about unimportant things like the weather. So why should you find it important?

It's completely free. It doesn't matter if you fail, and you never know where it will go. “It can lead to many results，from a pleasant exchange to the signing of a million dollar business deal”，according to Brett Nelson in Forbes Magazine. The good things to small talk don't stop there. It can also make us smarter, as a study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that friendly, social communication could help us solve problems.

You may be wondering how best to break this ice. Weather is probably the number one thing that people who do not know each other will discuss. Sports news in also a very common topic, especially if a local team or player is doing extremely well or badly. And if you and the other speaker have something in common, that may also he acceptable to talk about. For example, if the bus you are on is full, you might talk about the reasons why.

Complimenting (恭维)someone on their clothing or hair is acceptable; however, you should probably not say anything — good or bad一about a person's body. Basically, any subject that makes the other    person give a deep-thought answer in not welcome. If you bring up something like death, religion, politics, for serious opinions, you will turn people off.

4. The 2nd paragraph is mainly about           .

A. the topics of small talk    B. the development of small talk

C. the art of small talk    D. the advantage of small talk

5. Which is the first choice for strangers to break the ice?

A. Weather.    B. Clothing.

C. Sport    D. Music

6. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means people will        .

A. feel interested in your talk    B. quarrel with you for your talk

C. get tired of your talk    D. be grateful for your talk

7. Which part of a magazine might this text belong to?

A. Science & Technology        B. Social Communications.

C. Modern Fashion.    D. Travel Around the World.

M: So, Lucy, it s your turn to bring in the snacks next week.

W: That's right!

M: Did you decide what you'll bring?

W: Yeah, I'll be bringing a big bag of popcorn and a large bottle of cola to share.

M: I like popcorn and cola, too. But all the snacks we bring to the games must be healthy. There is a whole list about what's allowed and what's not.

W: Oh, I didn't know that! Well, in that case, I'll bring apple slices and orange juice.

M: That sounds good!

1.What are the speakers mainly talking about?

A. What snacks they like to have.

B. What snacks the woman should bring.

C. What snacks the man thinks are healthy.

2. What will the speakers have during the games next week?

A. Orange juice.

B. Popcorn.

C. Cola.