Passage 16
People always have different feelings. Among them is shyness. It means feeling frightened when you are around other people. Some children were born shy. Some become very shy later because of life experience. In fact, everyone gets a little shy sometimes. It depends on how shy you are. If shyness doesn’t stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn’t a big problem.
According to scientists, shyness generally begins during childhood. Most of time, shyness is caused by people’s worry about what other people think of them, so shy people often find it very difficult to meet new people. This fear has bad effects on their work life, social life and love life. The following suggestions may be helpful for shy people.
Find ways to relax when you go out. When you are old enough, consider drinking a glass of wine before heading out for the night. Talk with your friend or family members to help yourself calm down(平静).
Look best when you go out. Wear something that makes you feel confident and comfortable.
Listen carefully when people speak. Shy people sometimes think that meeting new people means having to do a lot of talking. You can ask simple questions and then listen to the answers. People love to feel like other people are listening to them and sharing their point of view.
Build your confidence and change your attitude towards meeting new people instead of worrying about how they will think of you, and think about what are good points you hope to find in the new person you will meet.
Try these suggestions if you do feel very shy. Hopefully you can enjoy your life better. 1. What does shyness mean?
___________________________________________________________ 2. Is being shy always a big problem according to the passage?
___________________________________________________________ 3. When do scientists think shyness usually begins?
___________________________________________________________ 4. Who can help shy people calm down?
___________________________________________________________ 5. What is the passage mainly about?
___________________________________________________________
简答：
1. Shyness means feeling frightened when you are around other people. 2. No.
3. During childhood.
4. Their friend and family members.
5. What shyness is and how to deal with it.
Passage 17
A Different Kind of Spring Break
For many American university students, the weeklong spring break holiday means an endless party on a sunny beach. In Panama City Beach, Florida more than half a million university students arrive during the month of March to play and party, making it the number one spring break place in the United States.
A week-long party is not for everyone, however, and a growing number of American university students have found a way to make spring break matter. For them, joining or leading a group of volunteers to help solve problems such as homelessness or environmental damage makes spring break a special learning experience that university students can feel good about.
During one spring break week, students from James Madison University in Virginia took part in 15 “spring break” trips to nearby states, three others to more distant parts of the United States, and five international trips. One group of JMU students traveled to Bogalusa Louisiana, to help rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane (飓风 )Katrina. Another group traveled to Mississippi to organize creative activities for children living in a homeless shelter. One group of students did go to Florida, but not to lie on the sand. They did some work to help protect the
native Florida plants.
Students who take part In spring break projects find them very rewarding(值得的). While most university students have to get their degrees before they can start helping people, student volunteers are able help people right now without degrees On the other hand, the buildings or rooms they live or stay are far from attractive. Students often sleep on the floor of a school or church. But they only pay around $250 for meals and transportation,which is much less than some of their friends spend traveling to more traditional spring break hot spots.
Spring break projects appear to be growing in popularity at universities across the United States. Some students take the opportunity to meet friends. Others want to exercise their beliefs to make the world a better place. Whatever their reasons, these students have discovered something that give them rich rewards along with a break from school work.
1. What’s the number one spring break place in the United States? ___________________________________________________________ 2. What is the way to make spring break matter for some students? ___________________________________________________________ 3. How did the students help in Bogalusa, Louisiana?
___________________________________________________________
4. Where do the student volunteers often sleep?
___________________________________________________________ 5. What makes the spring break projects more rewarding?
___________________________________________________________
简答：
1. Panama City Beach, Florida.
2. Joining or leading a group of volunteers to help solve problems. 3. By rebuilding homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. 4. On the floor of a school or church.
5. Student volunteers can help people right now without degrees, spend less money, meet new friends and exercise their beliefs.
Passage 18 It’s about Time
Do you know what time it is? If you do, you probably are looking at a clock or watch. Long ago, people didn't have clocks or watches like you do. When the sun rose, they got up and when the sun went down, they went to bed. They told time by the position of the sun in the sky.
People discovered that they could use a stick and the sun to tell time. This was called a shadow clock. They put a stick in the ground, pointing straight up. The direction of the stick’s shadow and how long or short it was told them the time.
A better kind of shadow clock was called a sundial(日晷). Sundial
