As my husband, Doug, stood on the busy New York city street trying to stop a taxi, I tried to protect my daughter from the cold December wind and rain. I put my head down to kiss my daughter on her _______ where veins crept up (静脉突出) the side of her tiny face.
Frustrated and wet, my husband gave up his attempt to flag down a taxi. I knew the feeling. Just after her first birthday, we were told our daughter Katie has a _______ brain illness. Since that moment, Doug and I felt like runners in a marathon race where the finish line kept _______. We knew Katie was running out of _______. It had taken months before we finally had a name for the _______, but we were told only a few specialists in the world were qualified to knew how to _______ the precious operations. Now, as we finally found a brilliant (杰出的) doctor to _______ our girl, we were _______ in a strange city in the cold rain.
Just at the moment, a middle-aged woman pulled over and said, “Pardon me? May I offer you a(n) _______?” Before we could say anything, she continued, “It’s really no ________ for me. Just get in.” It was then that I noticed her thick Irish accent, which ________ me up like hot soup.
We simply said, “Thanks! Roosevelt Hospital, please,” as we ________ on her car for the ride.
“Are you going ________ the baby?” she asked us.
I nodded my head, holding back my ________.
At the hospital, we ________ her over and over again for the ride. As the woman hugged me, I ________ her face was wet with tears in worry. She promised to ________ for us before she left.
After three more visits to New York and two more ________ surgeries (手术), Katie is cured. But the ________ of the Irish Angel still rang as a constant reminder of a tiny ray of light that appeared in our ________ days.
1.A. hair B. cheek C. hands D. heart
2.A. simple B. rare C. normal D. natural
3.A. coming B. lowering C. disappearing D. waiting
4.A. time B. confidence C. money D. courage
5.A. race B. illness C. doctor D. challenge
6.A. explain B. check C. reach D. perform
7.A. protect B. meet C. save D. encourage
8.A. arranged B. trapped C. informed D. helped
9.A. seat B. ride C. car D. umbrella
10.A. trouble B. difference C. question D. loss
11.A. picked B. called C. warmed D. thrilled
12.A. got B. handled C. approach D. moved
13.A. to B. after C. for D. with
14.A. surprise B. anger C. smile D. tears
15.A. thanked B. praised C. respected D. delighted
16.A. guessed B. believed C. understood D. noticed
17.A. work B. sing C. pray D. drive
18.A. eye B. brain C. organ D. heart
19.A. voice B. aid C. reward D. advice
20.A. busiest B. luckiest C. happiest D. darkest
How to Recognize a True Friend
Sometimes it can be hard to recognize a true friend. Hopefully this article will help you recognize which friends are the keepers.
Be able to trust your friends. You should be able to trust true friends and they should return this trust. Do your friends tell you secrets that no one else knows? Ask you for advice?1. However, if your friends hide things from you and act secretly, then this is a sign that they may not trust you.
2. Think about it. How comfortable are your friends when they are around you? Are they being themselves around you? Are they acting fake or perhaps hiding something? True friendships can take a while to develop, but if your friends are true they should feel comfortable around you, and vice versa ( You with them)
Think about loyalty(忠诚). 3. If you are in need of a helping hand, your true friends should be there to offer it to you. True friends don’t try to get one another into trouble. A true friend will always be loyal to you and will not reveal secrets.
Think about nicknames. A lot of true friends love to give each other nicknames！ If your friend is giving you nicknames, then this is a great sign. Think of the nickname your friend has given you, does it suit you well? 4.
Look at how you fight. Nearly all best friends fight. 5. True friends will find their way through a fight, no matter what the size is. True friends will remain “faithful” to each other even during a fight. They will not tell each others’ secrets, and they still care about each other.
A. Consider comfort.
B. Choose your friends carefully.
C. True friends are always there for one another.
D. Both are sure signs that your friend trusts you.
E. If so, this shows your friend must know you quite well.
F. So if you and your friend have a little argument, don’t worry!
G. An inside joke shows that you share a special connection with your friend.
In this day and age, you can practically do anything with the help of the Internet. While chatting with a stranger may seem new and exciting, make sure that you stay safe while still having fun.
While there are some unpleasant people in the world, let’s remember that most people are friendly! If you find someone who likes the same restaurant as you or who is also crazy about Gilmore Girls, then feel free to talk the night away! Just keep the conversation light and talk about your common interests. If a topic that doesn’t fit well with you is brought up, keep in mind that you are always in control. Under no circumstances should you be forced to talk or think about anything inappropriate. Ignore your manners at this time!
Do stay open-minded. Sometimes chatting with strangers can turn into a close bond—or just another person you can turn to for a laugh. But when you are typing away in your computer, it’s easy for you to get carried away and to tell your new friends all about yourself. Keep the personal details secret, and instead talk about fun hobbies or the latest episode (一集) of The Good Wife.
Always listen to your instincts (直觉). If something inside of you is telling you something isn’t right, it probably isn’t. Pay attention to how your body responds to certain people online. Remember, you never really know who you are talking to just by looking at a computer screen name, so downloading anything is absolutely no.
See? Talking to strangers online doesn’t always have to be appalling experience. By following these do’s and don’ts, chatting with someone you don’t know can be cool and pleasant, and can make sure that you stay safe in the world of the Internet.
1.When you chat online, it is acceptable if you ________.
A. send a stranger a picture of yourself
B. stop chatting if the topic upsets you
C. never refuse to talk to any stranger online
D. let out some personal information
2.What should you do when chatting online?
A. Avoid chatting with those different from you.
B. Try to be polite when a topic make you feel upset.
C. Avoid downloading everything from strangers.
D. Don’t expect to get a lifelong friendship from a stranger.
3.The underlined word “appalling” in the last paragraph probably means “________”.
A. terrible B. funny C. exciting D. comfortable
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Advantages of surfing the Internet
B. Guidelines on Chatting with strangers online
C. Advice on how to get a lifelong online friendship
D. Possible dangers of surfing the Internet
Heat has been used to control hair for hundreds of years. But how much is too much? If you have ever opened a very hot oven, you know that heat can burn your eyebrows off your face very quickly. A scientist from Purdue University in Indiana is trying to find a scientific answer on how hot is too hot when it comes to your hair.
Many women and some men are very particular about their hair. Some people who have naturally curly hair prefer to have it straightened. Others with straight hair want to have curls. Tahira Reid is one of those people. As an African-American woman, she is familiar with the challenges of maintaining (保养) curly hair.
Tahira Reid and other researchers at Purdue University are studying how heat treatment interacts with different types of hair and how to prevent damage. Amy Marconnet is an assistant professor. She says the team is seeing how heat and temperature relate to their research.
In a Purdue University’s lab, team members designed a hair straightener tool —a flat iron with temperature control. They attached it to a robotic arm that moved over pieces of hair. They controlled the temperature while the device straightened hair.
What did they find? Their study found that the heat weakens or breaks a protein called keratin, responsible for the hair’s shape, and temporarily changes it. But nobody knows exactly what level can make the heat actually cause forever change. Researchers say early results are a bit inconclusive.
It turns out that everyone’s hair is different and there’s no exact temperature where hair straightening becomes hair damage. Ms Reid says they will continue their research in the hope of finding what works best without damaging hair.
1.What does the scientist want to find out?
A. Ways to protect our hair.
B. Ways to maintain curly hair.
C. The temperature that can damage hair.
D. The temperature that makes hair curly.
2.The underlined part “those people” in Paragraph 2 refers to those who ________.
A. are African-Americans
B. love their hair very much
C. love making their hair curly
D. love changing their hairstyle
3.When the heat breaks a protein called keratin in the hair, ________.
A. the hair gets burned
B. the hair’s shape is changed
C. the hair is forever damaged
D. the hair surely becomes curly.
I was very excited on the first day of high school! I had P.E. for the first period. We hurriedly gathered in the locker room (衣帽间) when the headmaster began to speak, “Good morning, boys and girls! Welcome to the first day of the great new school year. We will begin with the pledge (誓言) of loyalty.”
I pulled my shirt over my head and my right hand immediately rested over my heart. A few tears came to my eyes as every time I pledged. I thought of my grandpa. He had died almost a year before, but I still missed him every day. Grandpa served in World War II and the flag had a very special meaning for him.
The next morning in the locker room, I noticed something strange. Some girls talked through the pledge. After that, even fewer did the pledge, including the teachers. By the second week of school, I was the only girl in the whole locker room that did the pledge.
The next morning, I hid in the bathroom to change clothes and pledge. There I couldn’t see the flag and I had a sense of sorrow to be hiding like that. I kept hiding for the next week and felt worse.
I spent a weekend gathering up my nerve. On Monday, I changed into my gym clothes right away and was standing by my locker when the headmaster began morning announcements. The pledge started and I put my hand over my heart. A girl nearby locked her locker and asked, “Why are you doing that? ” She looked confused.
“My grandpa fought in World War II and he died last year,” I said. “I’m doing it for him.”
She felt embarrassed and looked away. “Oh.” She said.
Over the next few weeks, more girls questioned me about the pledge. I gave them all that same answer. I never inspired other girls to do the pledge along with me. They made their choice; I made mine. I was doing it for my Grandpa, but more than that, I was doing it for myself. Grandpa raised me to be proud of my country and that pride didn’t stop.
1.How did other students behave during the pledge periods?
A. They gradually quit the pledge.
B. They continued to show curiosity.
C. They did the pledge with sincerity.
D. They made fun of those who did the pledge.
2.The author did the pledge every day because ________.
A. the flag had a special meaning for her
B. the headmaster required her to do so
C. all the teachers and students did that
D. it was a way to show love for her grandpa
3.The whole passage is mainly developed by ________.
A. space B. time C. examples D. comparison
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The first day at school
B. My grandpa
C. The pledge of loyalty
D. The secret in the locker room
Running seems easy enough: Just grab a pair of sneakers and put one foot in front of the other, right? Well, anyone who struggled to get through a mile knows it’s not quite that simple. We’ve asked experienced runners to tell us something wrong they did when they started running. The following are some of their answers.
I got excited and signed up for a half-marathon with a few more experienced runner friends, but I wasn’t adequately prepared and didn’t train efficiently. I ended up with blisters(水泡) on my feet. I couldn’t wear shoes for two days!
—Cali Lavey
I have always been athletic and I have never been badly injured, but one day I felt a slight pain in my knee. I ignored it for a month until I realized I was having a hard time putting weight on my right leg. I finally went to a doctor. It took four months of weekly physical therapy(治疗) to heal. I shouldn’t have done that.
—Arnold
My biggest mistake was treating running like soccer practice: If I wasn’t exhausted by the end of practice, I felt as though I didn’t work hard enough. I run all of my runs at 80 percent effort, or the equivalent of what I now call tempo runs (节奏跑). I wasn’t warming up to the pace or cooling down effectively.
—Kate
I decided to go out for a run during the hottest part of the day. At the time, I told myself that it would be refreshing to sweat a little, but I didn’t bring adequate water. I returned feeling completely rundown, dehydrated (脱水的), and exhausted. If you must go out on a run during unfavorable weather, wear proper suits and bring enough water to keep you feeling strong.
— Sarah
1.Why did Cali suffer from her half-marathon?
A. She ran all the way barefoot.
B. She didn’t get ready for it.
C. She ran with experienced runners.
D. She did not have self-confidence.
2.What did Arnold regret doing?
A. Thinking he would never get injured.
B. Putting heavy weight on his right leg.
C. Spending about four month s treating his knee.
D. Waiting for so long to get his knee examined.
3.Who didn’t get enough water when running?
A. Cali B. Arnold C. Kate D. Sarah
4.The examples of the four runners mainly show that ________.
A. we should warm up before running
B. we should bring enough water when running
C. we shouldn’t think running is very easy
D. we shouldn’t ignore any pain when running
