It's safe, it's simple, and it works: Drinking right amounts of water really can help you lose weight, new research shows.

　　 In what researchers claim is the first-ever trial of the effect of water consumption on weight loss, scientists from Virginia Tech found that dieters who started each meal with two glasses of water lost nearly five pounds more, on average, than dieters who did not, over the course of 12 weeks. There's no shortage of clear evidence about how water might work to control your appetite (食欲). It ________________ so you don't eat so much; it keeps down your thirst so that you don't turn to calorie－rich sodas or juices. But until now, the researchers say, there has been no true evidence that water's appetite-controlling benefits ever translate into actual weight loss. Now there is. In the 12-week study period, dieters instructed to drink water with every meal lost an average of 15.5 pounds; dieters given no instructions lost, on average, just 11 pounds.

　　Perhaps the most surprising thing about the finding is how little we still know about healthy water consumption in general. In fact, although doctors and public health authorities regularly remind us to drink more water, very few studies give any insight into what our ideal quantity may be.

　　The new results today suggest that many people could indeed stand to drink a little more water than they do. But if you're looking to lose weight, be aware that it is actually possible to drink too much water, and you probably won't help matters any by drinking too much water at a time. In extreme cases, it can even be deadly. A couple of glasses with each meal, however, should be no problem at all for a healthy person.

　　1．What is the main idea of the text？(no more than 8 words)

　　____________________________________________________________________

　　2．Complete the following statement with proper words.(no more than 2 words)

　　 Enough obvious evidence ________________ how your appetite might be under the control of water.

　　3．Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words.(no more than 3 words)

　　____________________________________________________________________

　　4．Why should we avoid drinking too much water at a time？(no more than 6 words)

　　_____________________________________________________________________

　　5．What does the word "it" (Line 1, Paragraph 1) probably refer to？(no more than 6 words)

　　_____________________________________________________________________

 

[1]It's safe, it's simple, and it works: Drinking right amounts of water really can help you lose weight, new research shows．

[2]In what researchers claim is the first-ever trial of the effect of water consumption on weight loss, scientists from Virginia Tech found that dieters who started each meal with two glasses of water lost nearly five pounds more, on average, than dieters who did not, over the course of 12 weeks．There's no shortage of clear evidence about how water might work to control your appetite（食欲）．It ________________ so you don't eat so much; it keeps down your thirst so that you don't turn to calorie－rich sodas or juices．But until now, the researchers say, there has been no true evidence that water's appetite-controlling benefits ever translate into actual weight loss．Now there is． In the 12-week study period, dieters instructed to drink water with every meal lost an average of 15.5 pounds; dieters given no instructions lost, on average, just 11 pounds．

[3]Perhaps the most surprising thing about the finding is how little we still know about healthy water consumption in general．In fact, although doctors and public health authorities regularly remind us to drink more water, very few studies give any insight into what our ideal quantity may be．

[4]The new results today suggest that many people could indeed stand to drink a little more water than they do．But if you're looking to lose weight, be aware that it is actually possible to drink too much water, and you probably won't help matters any by drinking too much water at a time．In extreme cases, it can even be deadly．A couple of glasses with each meal, however, should be no problem at all for a healthy person．

1.. What is the main idea of the text？（no more than 8 words）

____________________________________________________________________________

2..．Complete the following statement with proper words．（no more than 2 words）

Enough obvious evidence ________________ how your appetite might be under the control of water．

3.. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words．（no more than 3 words）

____________________________________________________________________________

4.. Why should we avoid drinking too much water at a time？（no more than 6 words）

___________________________________________________________________________

5..．What does the word "it" （Line 1, Paragraph 1） probably refer to？（no more than 6 words）

___________________________________________________________________________

 

　 Well, to pick up where we left off last time, I believe now we might all agree that self-improvement is of great benefit for each of us． However, there are lots of stops along the road to self-improvement, which often calls for patience, emotional strength and kindness．With concentrated effort, you can become a better person than you ever thought possible．

　 1．　　 ．Nice people always put themselves in the other person's shoes． If the service is a little slow, maybe it's because the waitress has been standing for 8 hours and her back and feet are aching．Perhaps her little baby isn't feeling well and she got very little sleep the night before．In a word, you never know the full story from a brief meeting with a person．

　 2．Be a reasonable man． Service-centered businesses often live by the idea "The Customer is Always Right．" They're totally mistaken． The customer is not always right; sometimes the customer is quite difficult to deal with． You do not "deserve" a free meal because the waitress forgot to bring you a spoon． If you have a grievance, let it out, but be reasonable．

　 3．Fight fairly． When arguing with another person, stick to the subject． Present the facts briefly, and don't bring up unrelated incidents that happened 4 weeks from last Tuesday． Never hesitate to create a chance for other people to voice their opinions． They are just as important as yours．

　　 4．Put others first． Let the troubled-looking Mom have the parking space． Stand a few extra seconds holding the door for an elderly person． Don't interrupt people when they're speaking, or finish their sentences for them． Such small things, yet the effects are immediate and far-reaching．Nice people make a concentrated effort to be kind and put others needs above their own．Stop a moment and think how you can help someone, and you'll become a nicer person．

64．What might the speaker most probably discuss last time?

A．The origin of self-improvement． B．The process of self-improvement．

　 C．The structure of self-improvement． D．The importance of self-improvement．

65．The best title for the second paragraph is " 　　　　　　 "．

　 A．Be understanding B．Stay calm

　 C．Be positive　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Be merciless

66．The underlined word "grievance" in Paragraph 3 is the closest in meaning to 　.

A．mistake　　　　 B．complaint　　　 　 C．commitment　　 D．decision

67． Which of the following may the speaker support?

A．Learn to share the other person's point of view．

　 B．Put forward relevant facts in detail when arguing．

C．Make your voice heard when others are speaking．

D．Involve your own matters with others' when arguing．

What motivates(激发) us to take on life’s challenges? Is it money, fame, power, or something else? Most businesses operate today on the carrot-and –stick system of rewards(奖赏) and punishments. Employees are rewarded for good performance, and punished for performing badly. This usually works well in situations where workers are performining simple tasks, like cheching products or packing boxes.

However, for jobs that repuire creativity, such as writing or designing, it’s a different matter. In actual fact, people in these jobs are not so much motivated by outer factors like cash rewards. They do their job because they like it. They like the challenge of it, they like the mastery of it, they like the creativity that it requires. These factors are generally called inner motivators, which can be further broken down into autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Autonomy refers to self-direction. The greatest things that have happened in all kinds of societies--western, eastern, modern, ancient—have been the result of people being able to do what they wanted to do. People, like these Iranian portesters in July 2009, follow the human nature to resist(抵制) control and direct their own lives.

Mastery is the desire to become better at something that matters. A recent Harvard business school research shows that the biggest motivator at work by far is making porgress. People, making progress one day, are more likely to be motivated to make greater progress the next day.

And finally, purpose, to do what we do in service of something larger than ourselves. It is not necessarily something like reducing-green-house gases from the atmosphere, but can be simply writing a great story that helps people understand world a little bit better or creating something that brings beauty to somebody’s life.

Today’s business managers, facing the increasingly competitive pressures of a global marketplace, should question their traditional attitudes about what actually motivates us as humans.

57．According to the text, if Jack is a designer, he is most probably motivated by __________.

  A．The carrot-and-stick system    B．cash rewards

  C．outer factors                D．mastery

58．The ujnderlined part in the third paragraph is meant to__________．

  A．suggest that Iranian people desire freedom

  B．show that people tend to guide themselves

  C．prove that autonomy can make people great

  D．encourage people to do whatever they want

59．It seems that the author__________．

    A．regards purpose as the most important inner factors

    B．is persuading managers to turn to inner motivators

    C．Thinks reducing greenhouse gases is not necessary

    D．is doubtful about what on earth motivates people

60．Which of the following shows the organization of the text?

 

My own experiment with culture shock came to a fruitless end when I returned with homesick from a year’s study in Italy. I had never heard of culture shock. All I knew was that I was unhappy and wanted to go home.
That was twenty years ago, and since then culture shock has become a real field of study. It is now understood that any normal person, finding him or herself for an extended time in a new culture, is in for trouble.
The process of “culture shock” is now recognized as so predictable that its four stages have been noticeable. The first is the honeymoon stage, familiar to those of us who love to travel, but never stay in one place long enough to find out what follows. In this stage, the new country and its people seem delightful. Everything is better than home. Everything is so different and charming.
Then the bloom comes off the rose. Now the people start to look shallow, selfish and stupid. The different ways of doing things don’t seem interesting any more. You start to feel tired all the time. Culture shock has set in. You feel at sea.
The emotional response to culture shock in stage two can be extreme. Confusion, depression and anxiety, and resentment can all enter to varying degrees. You may become physically ill. Little things seem terribly annoying.
The happier resolution is to move on to stage three. Adjusting. Rather than itemizing（列举） what’s “wrong” with Americans, you remind yourself that “right” and “wrong” are not meaningful terms in cultural matters.
Instead, you try to understand what motivates Americans, perhaps realizing that many of the things you don’t like are related to the things you do like.
As time goes on, you should be moving into stage four. Acceptance. At this point, you simply don’t think any more about the specialties of Americans. You accept them as individuals. You have started to feel at home; you know how to do things. You have not rejected your old culture; but the American ways have settled upon you. You feel optimistic about your future here. You have truly arrived.
【小题1】Why do people not suffer from culture shock when they first arrive in a foreign country?

A．They love to travel.

B．They don’t stay in one place long enough.

C．The new country and its people are delightful.

D．Everything is so different and charming.

【小题2】What do you understand by the underlined sentence “Then the bloom comes off the rose”?.

A．The rose comes up.	B．The rose blooms.
C．Something good comes about.	D．Something good goes away.

【小题3】Which one is the possible psychological effect of culture shock on the second stage?

A．Anxiety.

B．Excitement.

C．Shock.

D．Delight.

【小题4】Which of the following statements will the writer agree with?

A．Any normal person facing a new culture will be in trouble.

B．Culture shock is now recognized as unpredictable.

C．There is no “right” and “wrong” in terms of cultural matters.

D．When you reject your old culture, you can accept the new one.

【小题5】The passage is mainly about __________.

A．the study of culture shock

B．how to get rid of culture shock

C．the writer’s own experiment with culture shock

D．the four stages of culture shock and their features