Friendship Day in India falls on the first Sunday of August every year. It is celebrated with many activities.

Young people in India spend the day with their closest friends and have fun together. Most youngsters in India plan a movie or have a meal with their friends. Many friends may go on a drive to tourist places or make a plan for camping. Some friends go to the supermarket to do some shopping. On Friendship Day, most stores offer discounted prices for customers and it is the perfect day to buy something for friends.

Some friends go to parties that are organized by many restaurants in order to attract youngsters. Such parties are very enjoyable. You can get food at a discounted price. Some friends just decide to meet up (碰頭，相聚) at someone’s home and talk about their happy time. The time good friends spend sitting together and talking over a cup of coffee is precious and unforgettable.

Long-distance friends call up each other on this day and wish each other with warm feelings. Some of them even plan to meet up on this particular day. Yet some others plan a surprising visit just to see their friend gasp (喘息) in shock!

In 2009, Friendship Day in India falls on August 2^nd.So don’t forget to celebrate it with your friends.

When is Friendship Day celebrated in India?

A. On August 2^nd every year.               B. On the third weekend of August every year.

C. On August 1^st every year.                      D. On the first weekend of August every year.

According to the text, which of the following is the most popular way that youngsters in India celebrate Friendship Day?

A. Traveling with friends                           B. Seeing a film with friends

C. Dancing with friends                          D. Going shopping with friends.

How many ways are discussed in Paragraph 3 that friends spend Friendship Day together?

A. Two                 B. Three                C. Four                 D. Five

The underlined phrase “a surprising visit” in Paragraph 4 refers to “____”.

A. a visit to a friend who hasn’t expected it        

B. a visit to a friend who has dreamed of it for a long time 

C. a visit to a friend who tries to avoid it 

D. a visit to a friend who lives in a faraway place

Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day

Gift No. I

Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits

whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part ? This one is free.

Gift No. 2

Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said.

Gift No. 3

Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. "Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep," Savard said. "We know that good sleep is very important to our health."

Gift No. 4

Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善機(jī)構(gòu)) Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.

1.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?

A．Take notes.

B．Be with her.

C．Buy medicine.

D．Give her gifts.

2.Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?

A．In Gift No. 1.                           B．In Gift No. 2.

C．In Gift No. 3.                           D．In Gift No. 4.

3.Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to

A．enjoy good sleep                       B．be well-organized

C．bet extra support                       D．give others help

 

   Winter’s short days are more than cold. For many people, winter depression, the most common type of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is as much a part of the season as hats and scarves.

       Winter serious SAD sufferers may need medical treatment. Those feeling a little depressed can help themselves by sticking to a healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips:

       Pace yourself. Don’t expect to do everything you normally can. Set a realistic schedule. Don’t listen to negative thinking, like blaming yourself or expecting to fail.

       Get involved in activities that make you feel good or feel like you’ve achieved something. For example, play table tennis or badminton.

      If you are feeling depressed, you may feel like staying away from friends. Yet this is a time when friends’ support can be helpful. Call them regularly. Remember, the more we put off calling or visiting a friend, the harder it is to rebuild a friendship.

       Think clearly about what’s wrong or right. Instead of giving in to vague(含糊的) feelings of sadness, look at your problems objectively. Break down problems into specific issues that you can work on.

       Regular exercise helps to prevent and ease depression.

       Eat well. Studies show that a healthy diet can help to maintain a healthy body and mind. The vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients found in a balanced diet may help our bodies to produce feel-good hormones. Foods containing chemicals to help produce feel-good hormones include bananas, turkey, nuts and seeds. Eat at least five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day.

       P.S. Symptoms of SAD:

       No interests or pleasure in things you used to enjoy

       Increased need for sleep

       A change in eating habits, especially an appetite for sweet or starchy (含淀粉的) foods

       Weight gain

       A heavy feeling in the arms or legs

       A drop in energy level

       Difficulty in concentrating

       Overly emotional

       Avoidance of friends and social situations

       Frequent feelings of guilt

       Long-term feelings of hopelessness, and physical problems, such as headaches

The writer of the passage agrees that      .

       A. the cold in winter makes us suffer from SAD

       B. hats and scarves are as important as SAD

       C. everyone of us meets SAD in winter

       D. we are depressed mainly because of short days in winter

When we pace ourselves, we      .

       A. don’t do anything we can        B. expect to succeed in nothing    

C. make a practical plan D. think something of guilt

The passage includes the following EXCEPT      .

       A. the earlier we meet friends, the easier it is to rebuild a friendship

       B. playing table tennis helps us achieve whatever we want

       C. if we give in to unclear feelings of sadness, we’ll be caught in the SAD

       D. feel-good hormones from a balanced diet can help keep a healthy body

 How to Fight Winter Blue

Winter’s short days are more than cold. For many people, winter depression, the most common type of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is as much a part of the season as hats and scarves.

Winter serious SAD sufferers may need medical treatment. Those feeling a little blue can help themselves by sticking to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some tips:

Pace yourself. Don’t expect to do everything you normally can. Set a realistic schedule. Don’t listen to negative thinking, like blaming yourself or expecting to fail.

Get involved in activities that make you feel good or feel like you’ve achieved something. For example, play table tennis or badminton.

If you are feeling depressed, you may feel like staying away from friends. Yet this is a time when friends’ support can be helpful. Call them regularly. Remember, the more we put off calling or visiting a friend, the harder it is to rebuild a friendship.

Think clearly about what’s wrong or right. Instead of giving in to vague feelings of sadness, look at your problems objectively. Break down problems into specific issues that you can work on.

Regular exercise helps to prevent and ease depression.

Eat well. Studies show that a healthy diet can help to maintain (keep) a healthy body and mind. The vitamins, minerals and micro—nutrients found in balanced diet may help our bodies to produce feel-good hormones(荷爾蒙). Foods containing chemicals to help produce feel-good hormones include bananas, turkey, nuts and seeds. Eat at least five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day.

P.S.  Symptoms(癥狀) of SAD:

No interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy.

Increased need for sleep.

A change in eating habits, especially an appetite for sweet or starchy(含淀粉的) foods.

Weight gain

A heavy feeling in the arms or legs

A drop in energy level

Difficulty in concentrating

Overly emotional

Avoidance of friends and social situations

Frequent feelings of guilt

Long-term feelings of hopelessness, and physical problems, such as headaches

1.The writer of the passage agrees that             .

A．the cold in winter makes us suffer from SAD

B．hats and scarves protect us from SAD

C．every one of us meets SAD in winter

D．we are blue mainly because of short days in winter

2.We may infer that       , according to the passage.

A．more darkness will make us sad

B．we should wear hats and scarves in winter

C．a(chǎn) healthy lifestyle prevents us from serious SAD

D．staying away from friends makes us depressed

3.．When we pace ourselves, we                     .

A．don’t do anything we can	B．make a practical plan
C．face depression easily	D．think something of guilt

4.The underlined expression “ease depression” in the passage probably means “        ”

A．reduce depression	B．be easy with depression
C．face depression easily	D．make an easy depression

5.The passage includes the following except             .

A．the earlier we meet friends, the easier it is to rebuild a friendship

B．if we give in to unclear feelings of sadness, we’ll be caught in the SAD

C．playing table tennis helps us achieve whatever we want

D．feel--good hormones from a balanced diet can help a healthy body

 

About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and—WHUMP! —it hit the Jag’s shiny black side door! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, “What was that all about and who are you? That’s my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it? ”

“Please, mister, please. . . I’m sorry!  I didn’t know what else to do! ” begged the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop! ” Tears were streaming down the boy’s face as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister” he said. “He rolled off the curb (路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. ”Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman, “ Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me. ”

Moved beyond words, the young businessman tried hard to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the black, shining 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE—a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at you.

1.The boy threw a brick at the businessman’s car because _____ .

A．the businessman drove at a high speed

B．he envied the brand-new car very much

C．he wanted to get help from the driver

D．he wanted to ask for some money

2.Which of the following is the right order of the story?

a. The younger brother threw a brick at Josh’s car.

b. The elder brother fell out of his wheelchair.

c. The younger brother begged Josh for help.

d. Josh lifted the elder brother back into his wheelchair.

e. Josh shouted at the younger brother.

A．a(chǎn), c, b, e, d                            B．a(chǎn), c, d, b, e

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

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Josh would accept the money from the kids.

B．Josh was a kind-hearted man

C．The two kids were Josh’s neighbors.

D．Josh’s new car broke down easily.

4.According to the passage, the last sentence means _____ .

A．trying to be more understanding seeing others in trouble

B．driving fast in a neighborhood street is dangerous

C．trying to get ready for the trouble in your future life

D．protecting oneself from being hurt