Forgiveness(宽恕)

    Forgiveness is a quality that is difficult to possess. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible, and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. People who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness, according to a recent research. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Try the following steps：

    Calm yourself. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.

    Don't wait for an apology. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't see things the same way. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.

    Take the control away from your offender(冒犯者). Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who caused you pain. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness, fear, and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender's point of view.

    Don't forget to forgive yourself. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}But it can rob you of your self-confidence if you don't do it.

A. How should you start to forgive?

B. Why should you forgive?

C. Try to see things from your offender's angle.

D. Recognize the benefits of forgiveness.

E. For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge.

F. If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time.

G. To make your anger die away, try a simple stress management technique(技能).

How to listen in English exams

    Listening is an important but difficult part for middle school students in English exams. The following suggestions may benefit you a lot.

Relax yourself.

    Before listening, it's necessary to have a peaceful state of mind. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If that doesn't work, drinking some water or washing your face with cold water may help you to some extent.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    As soon as the listening starts, focus on it without thinking about anything else. While listening, you can also recall(回想）the related knowledge in common with the material concerned, such as the vocabulary about the subject or topic, which is beneficial to your better understanding.

    Grasp the main idea.

    Sometimes the monologue, dialogue or conversation you're listening to is a little bit longer than you expect. And it's normal that some unnecessary information is included. However, you don't need to understand it completely. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Ignore the new words.

    Without doubt, there usually exist unfamiliar words in listening materials. In fact, it's almost impossible for you to know or understand all the words in the listening material sometimes. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It's mistaken to waste much time on figuring them out while listening.

    Develop the habit of taking notes.

    In the course of listening, it's a good habit to write down the content and leave out the unimportant details. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} By taking notes, we can remind ourselves of the key points.

A. Concentrate on listening.

B. The more words you memorize, the better it is.

C. Feeling nervous or worried is harmful and unnecessary.

D. What you need to do is turn a deaf ear to the new words.

E. Make a list of what you think is important while listening.

F. Instead, just pay attention to the key points and general ideas.

G. If you feel nervous or anxious, try taking a deep breath to calm yourself down.

    Identical twins are born when an egg divides into two, resulting in the birth of two children with identical genes. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some believe, however, that there is also a close connection between twins in the way they think, not just in the way they look. Twins finish each other's sentences, and share the same tastes in clothes or music. Some have argued that identical twins have mysterious, even psychic, powers.

    Although many identical twins claim to know what the other is thinking, there is no evidence to suggest that this is because of special powers. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Most of us have met up with a brother or sister, or close friend, and immediately asked, “What's wrong?” because we have unconsciously recognized, in their facial expression, that they are upset in some way. Signs we would miss in a stranger's behavior are instantly obvious in the way those close to us act. It is hardly surprising that twins notice the way their brother or sister's facial expressions or body language gives away how they feel. Indeed, the closeness of their bond is likely to improve this ability over the years.

    The media is full of stories in which a twin senses her brother or sister to be in trouble. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Damien Croft developed a bad headache one evening and, concerned, felt the need to phone his brother to check if everything was OK. When there was no reply, he drove to his brother's home, only to find him unconscious, having had an epileptic fit (癫痫症) and fallen from a ladder while decorating. On the face of it, his sixth sense had saved the day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Damien knew his brother was decorating, and knew that he was prone to epileptic fits. Subconsciously concerned, he had just imagined the worst-case situation. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. We all know such twins are often very similar in appearance.

B. The fact that something awful had happened was only a coincidence.

C. In contrast, there are many other stories which can be more easily explained.

D. In truth, of course, the events might also be explained in more ordinary terms.

E. Recent studies show the reasons of all those cases of mysterious happenings between identical twins.

F. In a recent, widely-reported case, for example, a young man survived a horrific fall thanks to a feeling his twin is supposed to have had.

G. A more believable explanation is that, like any pair of people who have grown up together, they are just good at understanding the thought processes behind what their twin does.

    Rivers play an important role on the earth, and we can't imagine what the earth would be like without rivers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    With a length of 6, 650 kilometers, the Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile River has been the source of human civilization since ancient times. The Nile has two main branches—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts from the Great Lakes region of East and Central Africa through Lake Victoria.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The Blue Nile carries with it a lot of fertile soil which turns out to be very important to farming in Egypt.

    The Amazon River is the world's largest river with a width of about 40 kilometers during the rainy seasons but about 10 kilometers wide when it is not flooded. The Amazon River has such a big water volume that it accounts for(占.....比例) more than 20% of all the world's fresh water—far more than any other river. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The main Amazon River flows mostly through Brazil and Peru but its tributaries can also be found in many other countries.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It has a depth of about 250 meters. Its length is 4, 700 kilometers. The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains in the Eastern Africa Rift Valley. It's the second largest river in terms of water volume. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The Congo River basin(盆地) is the catchments(流域，集水区) area of the Congo River. It lies in both north and south of the Equator, making its flow very stable as there are always some tributaries experiencing a rainy season at any time.

A. Some of them are worth mentioning.

B. The Congo River is the world's deepest river.

C. Do you know which is the deepest river in the world?

D. The Blue Nile originates from(发源于)Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

E. Without rivers, there would be no living life in and along them.

F. And it flows through the second largest rain-forests in the world.

G. Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are its sources.

A: Excuse me, Madam. You can't park in front of the shop.

B: I'm so sorry. It's my first time to drive alone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

A: {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I think you can park there.

B: {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

A: About two kilometers.

B: Thanks. Can you tell me the way there?

A: You can use the guide map in your car. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

B: But I don't know how to use it! Can you help me?

A: {#blank#}5{#/blank#} All right, it's OK now.

B: It's very kind of you. Thank you so much!

A: You are welcome.

    You may have grown up living with lots of siblings, or this may be your first time sharing your living space with someone else. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Follow these tips to make sure you and your roommate keep things pleasant and supportive throughout the year (or even years)!

    Be clear about your expectations from the beginning. Do you know in advance that you hate it when someone hits the snooze button (贪睡闹铃) fifteen times every morning? That you're a neat freak (怪人)? That you need ten minutes to yourself before talking to anyone after you wake up? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's not fair to expect him or her to pick up on them right away, and communicating what you need is one of the best ways to avoid problems before they become problems.

    Address problems when they're little. Is your roommate always forgetting her things for the shower, and taking yours? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Addressing things that annoy you while they're still little can help your roommate be aware of something she may not otherwise know. And addressing little things is much easier than addressing them after they've become big.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may seem simple, but it's probably one of the biggest reasons why roommates experience conflict. Don't think he'll mind if you borrow his shoes for a quick soccer game? For all you know, you just stepped over an uncrossable line. Don't borrow, use, or take anything without getting permission first.

    Be mindful of who you bring into your room-and how often. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But your roommate may not. Be mindful of how often you bring people over. If your roommate studies best in the quiet, and you study best in a group, can you alternate who hits the library and who gets the room?

A. Be open to new ideas and experiences.

B. Respect all the things that belong to your roommate.

C. You may love having your study group into your room.

D. Expect to learn, grow and change during the time in the college.

E. Are your clothes being borrowed faster than you can wash them?

F. Let your roommate know as soon as you can about your little preferences.

G. Having a roommate can be both a challenge and a great part of your college experience.