Passage One
Eat more healthily．Exercise twice a week．Read more books．Lose weight．We make the same resolutions every year，but most of US fail，and quit after only a few days or，at best，weeks．Even the most successful among US crash when it comes to personal change．For example，President Barack Obama struggles with his smoking habit．
So why is change SO challenging?Are we wired in a way that keeps US from making changes?
And do we need the support of others to reach our goal，or can we do it alone?
Professionals who help people make change in their lives suggest that the change is determined not by one’S mind．Beginning with small goals or steps usually leads to a bigger pay-off later，they say．And trying to make a change is easier with support from a group of friends，family，or co-workers with shared goals．
“People are more likely to make positive changes in their lives not only when their friends d0，but when their friends of friends do，and when their friends of friends of friends do，”said Nicholas Christakis，a professor of medical sociology at Harvard University．
Johnny Augustin understands that well．His resolution for 2009 was to reduce 30 pounds from his 237-pound frame．But the change didn’t come easy．He said．“I'm a huge procrastinator．There’s desire，but I just kept putting it off．I didn’t get to it unti l the summer．”However，Augustin got in-spired when he saw his elder brother working out．Now Augustin weighs 190 pounds．
Having a positive attitude is one of the keys to making a successful change，according to Judy Zerafa，author of several books based on how people can improve their lives．She emphasizes the im-ponance of believing in yourself--and having positive habits，a creative imagination，and persist-ence--to make change haDDen．
21．The text is mainly about__________
A．tIIe resonswhy making a change is so hard
B．the difficulties we have in making a change
C．the ways of making a change in our life
D．the attitudes towards making a change
22．According to Nicholas Christakis，__________.
A．friendship plays all important role in our daily lives
B．people are better able to make changes when inspired by others
C．friends can easily change our minds about something
D．friends’support plays a bigger role in one’s success than his mind
23．The underlined word“procrastinator’’in Paragraph 5 refers to a person who__________.
A．has great determination to make a change
B．has no desire to do something great
C．delays work especially out of laziness
D．has hab．itual carelessness and laziness
24．In the text,which of the foilowing is NOT mentioned as a way to make a change in one’s life?
A．Trying to learn from one’s friends．
B．Setting small goals at first.
C．Having confidence and positive habits．
D．Changing one’s environment.
25．What information will probably be provided following the laSt paragraph?
A．Useful methods used to avoid negative thoughts．
B．The side effects of self-denial behavior．
C．The ways Judy Zerafa advised to make a change.
D．Examples showing the importance of having a positive attitude.
请阅读Passage Two,完成第26—30小题。
Passage Two
An Earthship is a home that is built of materials such as old tire and aluminum cans.It is the i-dea of a man n锄ed Michael Reynolds．Many Earthships are more or less self-sufficient because they Drovide their own heat，air and water．They oflen have gardens watered and fed by wastewater.They are comfoaable and ecologically friendly．
The main material used in building Earthships is tires．Tires are plentiful and call’t be recycled tike paper，plastic，and metal．While building supplies for most houses call be very expensive，old used tires are free．First，the tires are packed tightly with dirt．Each full tire weighs as much as 400 Dounds．The tires are then stacked like bricks．The waHs are extremely strong．They also help keep an even temDeratul．e in the house(between 60 and 70 degrees)without heating and cooling systems.
The walls inside the Earthship are made of aluminum cans that are held together by cement.Then they are coated with adobe or stucco．
The mofs of Earthships are sloped so that rain and snow run into large tanks．These tanks hold all the water for the house，and pumps push the water through the pipes．
Sometimes，water flows in certain areas of the house as waterfalls!Water that has been used is pumped out into the gardens where owners grow much of their own food．
In most of these houses，the southern side has huge windows that take in winter sunlight as a source of heat．Summer sun does not come in through the south windows，so it doesn’t get too hot in the summer．The house also has solar panels that gather energy for lights and hot water and cooking．
The Earthships have all the comforts of a regular house without the high cost of electric bills!
In a time when we are running out of energy resources，pollution is bad，and waste is piling up，Earthships are t ile best places to live in．For people who truly care about the environment，Earthships provide a great alternative to traditional houses．You won’t be giving up any comforts，and the styles are attractive．We all hope that more and more people will build Earthships and take a huge step to-
ward helping the environment and saving our planet．
26．What is the main idea of this passage?
A．Earthships are a good way to live and protect the environment．
B．Tanks hold water collected from rain and snow．
C．It's important to grow your own food in a vegetable garden．
D．People who live in Earthships usually live in the desert．
27．What does the underlined word“They’’in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A．Earthships
B．Tires
C．Bricks
D．Walls
28．Which of the following sentence states an opinion?
A．Earthships are made out of tires and cans．
B．Tanks collect water for use in Earthships．
C．Earthships can help save our plant．
D．Tires can’t be recycled but bottles and paper can．
29．Which of the following evidences best supports the idea that Earthships are environmentally friendly?
A．They were invented by Michael Reynolds．
B．Water that has been used is pumped out into the garden．
C．Summer sun does not come in through the south windows．
D．Tires can’t be recycled but bottles and paper can．
30．Which of the following statements is all example of propaganda?
A．The house also has solar panels that gather energy for lights and hot water．
B．Earthships provide a great advantage over traditional houses．
C．The walls are then coated wit}l adobe or stucc0．
D．The construction of houses made of recycled materials has been growin9．
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