A

　　Stained glass (彩色玻璃) artists create different designs by making cuts on the glass to “score” it and then breaking off the pattern that they want to use in the finished product. The most difficult cut in stained glass is called an inside cut. Basically, it’s a curved (彎曲的) line where you throw away the part inside of the curve. The problem with inside cuts is that the edges of the curve tend to break off when the pieces of scored glass are broken apart.

　　As an artist talked about inside cuts, he said, “The glass will break into pieces if you try to cut too much off at once. The best way to do an inside cut is slice off smaller curves piece by piece. In fact, it’s not just the best way to do it, but it’s the only way to do it.”

　　How many times do you try to make a big change and cut the entire piece at once? We convince ourselves that we can do this all the time. We’ll commit to transforming our diet overnight or we get inspired to launch a business in a weekend or we finally get motivated to work out and push ourselves to the edge of burning out.

　　Why not approach your goals and dreams like the stained glass artist? Starting by slicing a shallow curve and breaking a small piece off, you cut a slightly deeper curve and break that off until you have your full inside cuts. By slowly cutting deeper and deeper curves, you prevent the glass from breaking as it change shapes.

　　Of course, changing isn’t easy—no matter how you do it. Slow gains are boring, but if we keep making small improvements, then pretty soon we will end up with a beautiful masterpiece instead of a bunch of broken pieces.

　　1.Why is an inside cut believed to be the most difficult?

　　A.It needs a one-and-only design.

　　B.It calls for nothing but inspiration.

　　C.The edges of the curve break easily.

　　D.The glass inside the curve is easily broken.

　　2.What mistakes are easily made according to Paragraph 3?

　　A.Being too eager to make improvements.

　　B.Being too worried about the final outcome.

　　C.Trying to make a complete change all at once.

　　D.Developing to focus on progress instead of achievements.

　　3.What does the author suggest by saying “slicing a shallow curve”?

　　A.Moving forward with a clear aim.

　　B.Starting slow and improving little by little.

　　C.Developing a new habit with great determination.

　　D.Handling something major first and ignore the minor part.

　　4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

　　A.To show his love of stained glass.

　　B.To introduce the skill of an inside cut.

　　C.To appreciate designs of stained glass artists.

　　D.To share his opinions on how to make a change.

　　B

　　Crying is the rawest sign of human emotions. We cry when we can’t hold inside what we feel any more. We cry when we’re at our best, and when we’re at our worst. By we, I mean all of us. Men included.

　　But we never see other men cry. In no western culture has it ever been acceptable for men to shed (流淚) more than a single tear, and even then it’s reserved for grand victories, defeats and deaths. A Dutch research suggests that women cry between three and five times more than men. Generally men and women cry primarily over the same things—deaths, break-ups and homesickness, but researchers believe that men cry more often than women when it comes to positive events.

　　I want to admit—I’m a bit of a crier. However, having never really experienced deaths in my life, a few weeks ago I experienced what it means to really, truly, pour my heart out in tears.

　　See, my dog was killed by a car right outside my house. Being a witness to this painful event left me in shock for a good hour, but then the floodgates opened. Over the next 48 hours, I might have cried 20 times. Once or twice I crouched(蹲) on the floor with my head in my hands and tears were the only outlet.

　　It is suggested in the book Adult Crying:A Biopsychosocial Approach that there’s a certain pleasure in crying. It helps ease stress when there is no other way to express ourselves.

　　In those days after my dog’s death, I remember thinking, “I’ve got to stop this crying.”It felt unmanly. It felt like a sign of weakness. I’ve since realized that tears are for everybody;they’re not gender-specific. They show we have sympathy, and allow us to get rid of stress and just feel.

　　5.What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?

　　A.Crying is a raw human emotion.

　　B.Crying is an emotion beyond control.

　　C.Crying is an emotion showing sadness.

　　D.Crying is an emotion showing happiness.

　　6.What’s the difference between men and women in crying according to the Dutch research?

　　A.They cry over different matters.

　　B.They cry at different times of life.

　　C.Women cry more often over deaths.

　　D.Men are more likely to have tears of joy.

　　7.What did the author think of his crying over his dog’s death?

　　A.A sign of strength.

　　B.A sign of weakness.

　　C.Behavior of being womanish.

　　D.A way of reducing emotional stress.

　　8.What’s the best title for the text?

　　A.Men, never cry like women

　　B.Men, it’s OK to cry sometimes

　　C.Crying solves psychological problems

　　D.Crying explains differences between men and women

　　參考答案：

　　A

　　[語篇解讀]　本文是一篇議論文。作者通過講述彩色玻璃藝術(shù)家切割玻璃的方式:慢慢切割玻璃不會造成玻璃破碎,告訴讀者生活中我們也應(yīng)該一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)取得進(jìn)步,最后達(dá)成目標(biāo),獲得成功。

　　1.C　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段最后一句The problem with inside cuts is that the edges of the curve tend to break off when the pieces of scored glass are broken apart.可知,內(nèi)部切割的問題在于,當(dāng)劃過的玻璃裂開的時候,曲線的邊緣往往會折斷。故選C項。

　　2.C　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段中的句子How many times do you try to make a big change and cut the entire piece at once? We convince ourselves that we can do this all the time.可知,我們很容易犯的錯誤是試圖一次就做出徹底的改變。故選C項。

　　3.B　推理判斷題。根據(jù)上文Why not approach your goals and dreams like the stained glass artist?可推斷出作者建議像彩色玻璃藝術(shù)家一樣接近目標(biāo)和夢想,結(jié)合一、二段的講述可推斷出畫線句的意思是:慢慢開始,一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)進(jìn)步。故選B項。

　　4.D　寫作目的題�？v觀全文可知,最后一段點(diǎn)明了作者的寫作目的——分享他對于如何做出改變的觀點(diǎn)。故選D項。

　　B

　　[語篇解讀]　本文是一篇夾敘夾議文。作者首先指出哭泣是人類最自然的情感流露,之后作者又通過自己的經(jīng)歷闡述了哭泣無性別差異,是富有同情心的表現(xiàn),可以幫助我們緩解壓力,用心去感受。

　　5.A　主旨大意題。通讀第一段可知,Crying is the rawest sign of human emotions. 為該段的主題句,第二、三句都是對其具體的說明。

　　6.D　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段最后一句Generally men and women cry primarily over the same things—deaths, break-ups and homesickness, but researchers believe that men cry more often than women when it comes to positive events.可知研究人員認(rèn)為相比女性,男性更容易因積極的事情而哭泣。

　　7.D　推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段最后一句They show we have sympathy, and allow us to get rid of stress and just feel.可推知,這是一種減輕情緒壓力的方法。

　　8.B　主旨大意題。通讀全文可知,作者首先指出哭泣是人類最自然的情感流露,接著作者又以親身經(jīng)歷點(diǎn)明主題——哭泣無性別之分,可以緩解壓力。由此可知,B項“男人哭泣也無妨”概括了文章主旨。