Do you see the glass as half-full rather than half-empt？Suchclichés（陈词滥调）are  (1)   questions, as researchers examine with great care the power of positive thinking. Research is proving that optimism can  (2)   you to be happier, healthier and more successful. Pessimism leads,  (3)  , to hopelessness, sickness and failure, and is linked to  (4)  , loneliness and painful shyness. If we could teach people to think more positively, it would be like protecting them against these  (5)   illnesses.

Your abilities count but the belief that you can succeed  (6)   the result. When things go wrong the pessimist tends to  (7)   himself. “I’m not good at this,” he says. “I always fail.” But the optimist looks for other  (8)  . Negative or positive, you are what you think. If people feel hopeless they don’t  (9)   to acquire the skills they need to succeed.

A sense of control is the real test for  (10)  . The optimist feels in control of his own life. If things are going badly, he  (11)   quickly, looking for solutions, forming a new plan of action, and  (12)  for advice. The pessimist feels like a toy of fate and moves slowly. He doesn’t seek advice, since he  (13)   nothing can be done. Many studies suggest that the pessimist’s feeling of helplessness  (14)   the body’s immune system. The pessimist doesn’t take good care of himself. Feeling passive and unable to avoid life’s  (15)  , he expects ill health and other misfortunes, no matter what he does. He eats junk food, avoids exercise, and  (16)   the doctor.

Most people are a(n)  (17)   of optimism and pessimism, but are in favor of one direction or the other. It is a pattern of  (18)   learned at our mothers’ knees. It grows out of thousands of cautions or  (19)  , negative statements or positive ones. Pessimism is a hard habit to  (20)   but it can be done. So, if you are a pessimist, there are ways....

I recently saw a show on television about Alcatraz Prison. It was a famous building that   (1)   some of the most dangerous criminals of all time. The cameras   (2)   the host doing the show and he explained that many men had tried to   (3)  , but only one was known to have succeeded. The prison was built on an island, so it was nearly   (4)   to escape.

This show was so much like an article I had just finished   (5)  . The article is about the other prisons that are   (6)   confining (限制的) in this world. But those prisons have doors that are never locked, and escape is not only   (7)  , it is actually possible as well.

  (8)   the host of the show continued to talk, I could clearly see the similarities in both   (9)  . First, there was Alcatraz, which was man-made and   (10)   on an island to keep   (11)   away from the rest of the world. Then there was the other prison, which is self-made and   (12)   to keep us away from the rest of the world where we might be able to enjoy the best that this life has to   (13)  . That second prison is called   (14)  .

The author of the article says habit is   (15)   ourselves and our environment as a prison or paradise (天堂). The   (16)   fact is that far more people are confined by their   (17)   than people who are fed by them. Many of us are locked inside a prison by   (18)   thinking. And yet all we have to do to set ourselves free is to renew our mind.   _(19)  doing this, we can change our habit of thinking and renew our life at the same time.

Don’t remain   (19)   inside a prison with no locks, no doors and no guards. Escape today.

Computer games are popular all around the world. Many people   (1)   these games on the Internet. Games look more and more   (2)   as computer technology improves. Many people describe playing computer games as   (3)  anew world. Some games let people   (4)   their own cities. Some games take people on journeys. Other games allow people to talk over the Internet.

Gaming can   (5)   many positive effects. It can help people make friends, learn to solve problems and make decisions. It can   (6)   help improve eye and hand movement. However, gaming can become a   (7)  .

People addicted (沉溺) to computer games will find themselves   (8)   playing all the time. And this can   (9)   neglect (忽视). People with a gaming addiction often   (10)   their studies, work, sleep, relationships, food, and family. They are often unable to   (11)   the amount of time they play. And uncontrolled playing can lead to other problems like debt. Many gaming addicts spend all their   (12)   on gaming.

  (13)  , there have been far worse cases of gaming addiction. It was reported that a man died while playing an Internet computer game   (14)   he had been playing the same game for 50 hours with few   (15)  .

Today, many more governments and doctors are trying to solve the problem of gaming addiction. More people are learning about the problem. More people are getting   (16)  . And more people are changing their lives. Some people might blame the game   (17)   for creating the problem of gaming addiction. However, some people think   (18)  .

“It would be easy for me to blame the game,   (19)   I know that was not the problem. I ran away from my problems. I   (20)  inan Internet world instead of directly working to solve my problems,” a game addict said.

Millions of people now use computers for many different things — communication, study and so on. Of course, computers are great and have   (1)   some people’s lives for the better.   (2)  , they can cause problems too. Many people who use computers a lot can develop   (3)   problems. They find that their eyesight gets   (4)  , for example, if they look at the screen for too long. Users’ hands and arms can become   (5)   from making the same movements thousands of times, while using a keyboard and a mouse. People who have computers are also spending more   (6)   sitting down, and less time   (7)  , so many of them are becoming overweight.

Other problems are psychological (心理上的). Computers, the Internet and email have made people’s lives much   (8)  . This can be very exciting,   (9)   it also means that people feel under a lot of pressure to do everything more quickly.

Addiction (上瘾) is also a   (10)   with more and more young people. Many of them spend hours and hours   (11)   different websites, sometimes until very late   (12)  . This means they can’t work or study   (13)   and can have problems keeping friends. Some studies in the United States have   (14)   that young children and teenagers who spend many hours at computers can easily get   (15)   .

“Computers can be a really   (16)   part of children’s lives because they can be   (17)    for research, finding pictures and reading the latest news. But parents and teachers need to   (18)  children to learn how to use computers in   (19)   ways,” says teacher Jane Shields. “And children need to learn when it’s time to   (20)   and do something different.”

“In university open days with my daughter, I promised not to ask any questions — in case I asked embarrassing ones,” says Mike Nicholson, director of admissions at the University of Bath. Nicholson says he has seen some helicopter      (1)  in action, but was careful to make sure his own teenage daughter was not     (2)  by any overbearing interference (干预). They were able to come to a(n)   (3)  : he could ask questions cautiously, one-on-one, but not   (4)   his hand in the middle of a talk. “Students have to make the change from living at home to living at university and open days are part of the   (5)   he says. “It’s about   (6)   students to ask the questions, rather than the parents saying everything.”

Parental      (7)  in education can be good for students: if anything goes     (8)  further down the line, parents may be more willing to   (9)   It’s also more practical. Karen Darlow, whose son Henry now studies French and classics at Oxford, saw her   (10)   at the university’s open day as driver, note-taker and purchaser of lunch. “I think he was also   (11)   that I was coming because he’s quite shy,” she says. “It was a little bit of   (12)   support.” Most applicants attend open days when they’re in year 12, and parents can bring a practical   (13)   to the day. Many universities have parent zones to address the   (14)   of parents and careers.

  (15)   not everyone thinks having parents with them is a   (16)   idea: University of East Anglia student Alys Earl left hers   (17)   at home. “We’re adults, not year sevens,” she says. Another tip, from Bath’s Nicholson, is to   (18)   There’s value in allowing the students to go off   (19)  it helps their independence and gives them a chance to   (20)   themselves at the university.  

Scientists find that hard-working people live longer than average men and women. Career women are   (1)   than housewives. Evidence shows that the   (2)   are in poorer health than the job-holders. A study shows that   (3)   the unemployment rate increases by 1%, the death rate increases correspondingly by 2%. All this comes down to one point: Work is helpful to health.

    Why is work good for health? It is because work   (4)   people busy,   (5)    loneliness and solitude(独居). Researches show that people feel unhappy,   (6)   and lonely when they have nothing to do. Instead, the happiest are those who are   (7)  . Many high achievers who love their careers feel that they are happiest when they are working hard. Work serves as a   (8)   between man and reality. By work, people   (9)   with each other. By collective activity, they find friendship and warmth. This is helpful to health. The loss of work   (10)   the loss of everything. It affects man spiritually and   (11)   him liable（likely to be affected by）to disease.

      (12)   , work gives one a sense of fulfillment and a sense of   (13)  . Work makes one feel his value and status in society. When a   (14)   finishes his writing or a doctor successfully __55__ on a patient or a teacher sees his students   (15)  , they are happy   (16)   words.

    From the above we can   (17)   to the conclusion that the more you work, the   (18)   and healthier you will be. Let us work hard, study well and   (19)   a happy and healthy life.

Many people associate crying with weakness. If a person easily breaks down, it gives the  

  (1)   that the person is soft and can easily be overpowered. But many do not know that tears have a purpose. It has a   (2)   after-effect on a person that can give comfort and strength to   (3)   any negative feeling or depression.

People cry for a reason. You may cry because you are too happy or too sad or very angry. Letting your tears flow freely gives you a sense of   (4)   to be true to your feelings and to yourself. It is a surrender (屈服) to your emotions that   (5)   you that you are human and you have the right to your emotions,   (6)   they are pleasant or not.

Just like water that washes off filth (污物), tears slowly wash off the   (7)   thoughts and feelings. That is why when you are in pain or in sorrow, do not   (8)   and let your tears roll down naturally. After a while you will   (9)   feel a bit better. Your tears become a form of   (10)   when problems become too much for us to bear.

In my opinion, people who are not afraid to cry   (11)   are stronger than those who control the tears for later. If the reason for crying is   (12)   and your emotions are very strong, you have no reason to be ashamed.

Tears can make you stronger in a way. When faced with a problem, people who control their tears   (13)   to constantly worry and stress about the problem and fail to see the   (14)   right away. This makes them more prone (易于…的) to weakness and to more mistakes. These people may   (15)   strong because they hide what they truly feel. But the truth is, all the pretensions make them a weaker person.

On the other hand, people who openly   (16)   themselves to cry release their emotions much sooner. After crying, these people feel more   (17)   and can then begin to think straight.   (18)   the negative thoughts and emotions have been reduced, they can   (19)   think of ways to solve the problem.

As the saying goes, “The truth shall set you free.” Tears show others your true emotions. Your true strength is using your tears to easily   (20)   your moment of suffering. That is the power of tears.

Around us, I find people of my age doing drugs, going to parties--- just to “fit in”. We are so   41   being selfish, comparing ourselves to others,   42   unrealistic goals for ourselves, wanting to look prettier or lose more   43  , making more money, and being more popular.

But then, I think, is that   44   what life is all about? There are   45   kids out there, being abused, murdered, and hungry, while here we all are   46   about how tough our lives are.   47  , what I want to say is: why do we always try to get away from our problems,   48   just face them? I mean this is life. You can’t get away from it and you can definitely not   49   it. All we can do is accept what life gives us, and face our problems, face our difficulties and face our   50  . And maybe they will   51   your best friends, your companions. They’ll make you stronger, they’ll help you face reality and they’ll teach you to   52__   the little things in life.

  53   we always fail to look at the brighter side of the things, we always fail to find happiness in little things. There are so many beautiful things   54   us that we seldom notice. Maybe that is why people don’t find happiness; we keep looking for it in the   55   places---money, fame.

When we really went to “look” for happiness, what we all fail to   56   is that happiness isn’t really something that we can “find”. It’s not a destination; it’s not   57   you find along the road of your life; it’s a(n)   58  , a feeling---you can be happy whenever and wherever, only if you CHOOSE to be. Happiness is something within you, waiting to be found, waiting to   59   you company, waiting to help you escape from this harsh   60  .

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

To understand how Americans think about things, it is necessary to understand “the point”. Americans mention it often: “Let’s get right to the point,” they will say. “My point is …” “What’s the point of all this?”

The “point” is the ____40____ or piece of information that Americans suppose is, or should be, ____41____ of people’s thinking, writings, and spoken comments. Speakers and writers are supposed to “make their points clear”, ____42____ that they are supposed to say or write clearly the idea or piece of information they wish to ____43____.

People from many other cultures have different ideas about the ____44____. Africans traditionally tell stories that express the ____45____ they have in mind, rather than stating out “the point” clearly. Japanese traditionally speak ____46____, leaving the listener to ____47____ what the point is. ____48____, while an American might say to a friend, “I don’t think that coat goes very well with the rest of your outfit,” a Japanese might say, “Maybe this other coat would look even ____49____ than the one you have on.” Americans ____50____ a person who “gets right to the point”. Japanese are likely to consider such a person lacking thoughtfulness and sympathy if not ____51____.

The Chinese and Japanese languages are characterized by vagueness and ambiguity（模棱两可）. The precision and directness Americans associate with “the point” cannot be ____52____, at least not with any grace, in Chinese and Japanese. Speakers of those languages thus have to ____53____ a new way of reasoning and expressing their ideas ____54____ they are going to communicate satisfactorily with Americans.

crops can make the world a      51 place. If bioengineers can create crops that are resistant to insects,      52, then they won’t have to worry about insects destroying plants. In the      53of insect damage, crops can grow to feed the poor and hungry. Genetic engineering can create plants with other desirable properties as well. Plants that don’t require much water, that can live even in times of drought, can help prevent the widespread      54that would occur if people have nothing to eat. It’s easy to see why many people believe that GM crops will help the world meet the difficult     55that it will face as more and more people need to be fed.

But not everyone thinks bioengineering is a good idea. Other people are __56. They

mistrust the claims made and don’t believe that biotechnology is without      57 . The possible dangers include harming the ecosystem—the inter-related community of plants and animals and bacteria that __58the Earth. They__59 that changing plants can harm our environment, and damage to our surroundings can hurt us. One danger is that GM crops can transfer their characteristics to other plants. Plants that reproduce by spreading their pollen (花粉) in the wind can possibly fertilize wild plants, making them more      60 to control. Another problem is that GM plants might be a source of allergens (过敏源). This seems      61, but in the process of making GM foods, genes are transferred that are known to cause problems for some people. Allergic reactions can      62from coughing and sneezing to death.

Indeed, people hold very different opinions about      63 While some people look forward to crops that will not rot during the trip to market, others claim that we will ruin our cropland and destroy what we are trying to save. While some people look forward to crops that can      64droughts, others claim that contact with GM plants can pollute other crops, making them      65

for use. For some people, GM crops are the hope of the future; for others, they are a poison that will harm or destroy our farmland.