A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor．Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life．
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups---porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some exquisite and expensive---telling them to help themselves to the coffee．
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones．While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress．Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee．In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink．What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other's cups．
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups．They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live．Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us．"
God brews the coffee, not the cups．Enjoy your coffee!
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything．They just make the most of everything．"
Live simply．Love generously．Care deeply．Speak kindly．Leave the rest to God．
1.Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?
A. To give his students many more choices．
B. To teach his students how to enjoy coffee．
C. To show the students his collection of cups．
D. To tell his students the right attitude to life
2.According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____．
A. get the best type of coffee cups B. make the best of what they have
C. have a wide range of coffee cups D. care about social status and wealth
3.The best title for the passage would be _____．
A. God's Coffee B. The Pressure of Life
C. The Happiest People D. Professor's Coffee Cups
These are instructions for making invisible ink using baking soda.
Difficulty: | Easy |
Time required | A few minutes |
What you need | Baking soda Paper Water Light bulb Paintbrush Measuring cup Purple grape juice |
Here’s how: | There are at least two methods of using baking soda as invisible ink. Mix equal amounts of water and baking soda. Use a paintbrush to write a message onto white paper, using the baking soda solution (溶液) as “ink”. Allow the ink to dry. One way to read the message is to hold the paper up to a heat source, such as a light bulb. The baking soda will cause the writing in the paper to turn brown. The second way to read the message is to paint over the paper with purple grape juice. The message will appear in a different color. |
Tips: | If you are using the heating method, avoid igniting (点燃) the paper. Baking soda and grape juice react with each other in an acid-base (酸碱) reaction, producing a color change in the paper. Grape juice concentrate (浓缩物) results in a more visible color change than regular grape juice. |
1.______ is not needed for making invisible ink.
A. Baking soda B. Paper
C. Water D. Ink
2.What’s the function of the paintbrush?
A. To draw a picture. B. To write a message onto the white paper.
C. To allow the “ink” to appear. D. To help the“ink” dry.
3.Why will the message appear in a different color in the second way to read the message?
A. Because there is enough grape juice.
B. Because baking soda reacts with grape juice.
C. Because of the use of water.
D. Because of the special paper.
4.From the process, we can know that making invisible ink is ______.
A. very hard B. not difficult
C. a little difficult D. not easy
Finally they got to the top of the mountain,___________ stood an old temple.
A. which B. that
C. what D. where
A fish needs water and without water it will die. ______.
A. So does a man B. So will a man
C. So it is with a man D. So is it with a man
____________ she was very brave.
A. Girl as she was B. As she was a girl
C. A girl as she was D. Girl as was she
__________ succeed in doing anything.
A. Only by working hard we can B. By only working hard we can
C. Only we can by working hard D. Only by working hard can we
