Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope for the future and wanted to make a ______ in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s ______ I learned about the Lighthouse Project.
I started my ______ as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous ______. I knew it would be a lot of ______, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. ______, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project ______.
I sent in all the paperwork needed for the application. After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to ______ among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I finally received a call asking me to report for the ______. I would be going to a small ______ near Abuja, Nigeria.
After completing my ______, I was sent to the village that was small and ______ in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes, hearts, and food ______ I were their own family. I was asked to ______ a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I ______ in that same schoolhouse. But I sometimes think I learned more from my ______ than they did from me.
Sometime during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or ______ to me no longer did, though I did not get anywhere with the local ______, and returned to the United States a ______ man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my ______ forever.
1.A. contribution B. difference C. change D. attempt
2.A. why B. how C. when D. where
3.A. journey B. career C. occupation D. business
4.A. volunteers B. fellows C. graduates D. applicants
5.A. adventure B. exploration C. fun D. hard work
6.A. In turn B. In reward C. In honor D. In short
7.A. seriously B. lightly C. hurriedly D. cautiously
8.A. stick out B. turn out C. stand out D. pick out
9.A. duty B. call C. application D. responsibility
10.A. city B. company C. village D. school
11.A. consideration B. college C. interview D. training
12.A. instantly B. desperately C. severely D. timely
13.A. as if B. even if C. just as D. what if
14.A. convince B. lead C. gather D. undertake
15.A. studied B. survive C. support D. taught
16.A. villagers B. colleagues C. students D. competitors
17.A. familiar B. similar C. cruel D. unusual
18.A. language B. people C. attractions D. accommodation
19.A. smarter B. different C. helpful D. professional
20.A. character B. experience C. interest D. life
People who love to spend time in their kitchen know that after having a rough day it helps them to relieve stress. Cooking up a favorite meal helps you forget about any of the issues you were focused on during the day. 1. Spending time alone in the kitchen after a long day at work allows you to simply recharge and enjoy the solitude of your kitchen.
Cooking can be a great way to put off a daily task, and those who love to cook know this all too well. Putting all your effort into making an elaborate meal or your favorite dessert is a great way to avoid anything that you have been dreading.
2. Anyone who enjoys cooking knows that when you share a common interest like cooking with someone from a different culture, you can easily form a bond. They see this as an amazing opportunity to share recipes and dishes and learn from different cooking traditions and customs.
Eating out as a cook allows you to taste surprising ingredients in dishes. 3. Unusual flavors excite you and unique interpretations of dishes have you asking the waiter exactly what was added to make the food so flavorful. This might not excite your non-cook friends and family, but for you, it’s a great way to learn and improve. 4.
5. As a cook, you have learned to add your own personal tastes to recipes through extensive trial and error. There are no limits for you when it comes to putting a new take on a traditional favorite, because, for you, cooking is all about creation.
A. Going out to eat becomes a whole other experience.
B. Instead, you concentrate on creating something delicious.
C. Cooking is also a universal language.
D. Moreover, cooking plays an important role in family life.
E. It is also likely to potentially inspire you to try to cook the meals in your own kitchen.
F. Mastering cooking skills helps you to become creative with food.
G. Cooking makes you a happy and popular person.
Quite often, no matter how good you are, your success is dependent on how other people such as your boss, peers, clients and customers perceive your communication and responses. So when you come to people who make the key difference between helping you or holding you back, how can you influence and persuade them to give what you want.
Psychological research repeatedly show that people generally make up their minds on whether to help or hinder you based on whether they like you or not. It is human nature. What can you do about it? You need to make a good impression on others to ensure they like you and give you what you want. Research again shows that people give opportunities to the people they like best. In fact, most people actually make up their minds about other people in the first five minutes or less of meeting someone. These are called first impressions or “moments of truth.”
Once they make up their minds, they tend to be very reluctant to change their opinions. You hardly have room for error when making that first impression on a new acquaintance. Therefore, whether you are applying for a job, going for an interview, attending a meeting with your boss or peers, or serving a customer, you need to prepare yourself mentally and rehearse how you will manage the first few minutes of your interaction. This includes doing your homework to gather information and researching all possible issues so you will know how to address them should the other party raise them unexpectedly.
It is amazing how poorly some people can come across at the beginning. The worst thing is that they do not even seem to realize it. Having good qualifications and an excellent work performance does not excuse candidates from trying to make good first impression.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Making a good first impression B. People making the key difference
C. Winning strategies for a job interview D. Persuading people to like you
2.Which of the following is the way by which people tend to decide whether to like other people or not?
A. They make quick decisions
B. They prefer people who are experienced
C. They change their opinions frequently
D. They pay much attention to good qualifications
3.Which of the following strategies might help in an interview according to the author?
A. Ask the interviewers for homework to do.
B. Know as much as possible about the situation.
C. Show your friendliness and confidence.
D. Do something unexpected to impress interviewers.
4.What will probably be talked about in the next part of the passage?
A. Questions that might be asked by the interviewers.
B. Examples of how good first impressions help people succeed.
C. How to win over people who don’t like you at first.
D. Some practical advice to help making a good first impression.
When old people live with children and other relatives the relationship is not always a happy one. Even old parents and adult children who live separately can have difficulties. Here the generation gap becomes most visible as the needs and interests of the middle-aged and old diverge. Some middle-aged children are so annoyed by the demands of their parents that they make such comments as “Why don’t the old fools die?”
Although such ugly comments exist, a survey conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons reflects a positive attitude by American population towards the old. That survey showed that 69% adult children have weekly contact with their mothers and 20% have daily contact with their mothers. Other surveys have shown that 40% of adults have face-to face contact with their parents once a week.
The 2014 National Survey of Family and Household (NSFH) showed that 78% of adults view their relationship with their mother and father as excellent. Only 0.03% of those surveyed viewed that relationship as “bad”. The remainders were ambivalent in their perception of their parents. This finding is confirmed by much older studies of the same phenomenon also conducted by the National Survey of Families and Households.
Of those surveyed, 66% contacted their parents once a week or more and only 10% did not contact their parents at all. In part, this is a product of the distance at which adult children live from their parents. The 2014 survey showed that 67% of adult children live within 100 miles of their parents and that 38% live within ten miles of their parents. However, a full 20% of those surveyed live 1,000 miles or more away from their parents.
1.According to the passage, the relationship between most American old people and their adult children is
______.
A. terrible and distant B. annoying and difficult
C. great and close D. neither good nor bad
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “diverge” in paragraph 1?
A. differ B. meet C. exist D. transfer
3.From the passage, we learn that ______.
A. generation gap becomes invisible if old parents and adult children live separately
B. relationship between parents and children has become much better than before
C. some old parents would rather die because their children are annoyed at them
D. living far away may lead to people’s less or no contact with their parents
I was only three when my real mom passed away. The last thing I remember about my real mom was watching the ambulance taking her away from us. After my mom died, my dad started abusing my brothers and me. I was sent away to live with one relative after another but no one would ever want to keep me for long. I was miserable almost all of the time. Finally, when I was five, my mom’s sister, Aunt Bonnie, and her husband, Uncle Jesse, said that they would take me in, and they became my legal guardians.
From then on, they became my family. I called Aunt Bonnie Mom and Uncle Jesse Dad. When I was six, Uncle Jesse was diagnosed with cancer and finally died shortly after my seventh birthday. I cried for days after losing him and still clung to the present he gave me on my sixth birthday.
Shortly after Uncle Jesse passed away, we moved to a smaller house in a new town. I spent a lot of time alone because Mom was always working. One summer, the beginning of a miracle happened when my mom met a great and funny guy, David. They got married and now I gained two more brothers.
When I look back on it now, I have come a long way from being a sad and lonely girl to being the person I am today---part of a big, happy family. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if Aunt Bonnie hadn’t taken me in. She promised to love me and take care of me---no matter what--- and she has done exactly that. I have learned about strength, dedication and love. She has been there to hold me when I’m sick, to help me with homework, to support me when I need her. In return, I love her more than she’ll ever know. Without her in my life, I would have been a motherless child, but because of her I have a great family and the best mom in the world.
1.Why was the author sent to live with her relatives?
A. Because her dad didn’t want to raise her.
B. Because her relatives offered to help her.
C. Because her dad treated her badly.
D. Because her family was too poor to keep her.
2.We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. Aunt Bonnie had been teaching the author at home
B. Aunt Bonnie was a strong, dedicated and loving mother
C. the family could hardly make ends meet after Uncle Jesse died
D. David, the new father, was wealthy enough to support the family
3.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. My Unusual Childhood B. Thank You, My Mom!
C. My New Dad and Mom D. A Motherless Child
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What happened at First Republic Bank?
A. The man robbed the bank with a gun.
B. A young girl was robbed and killed.
C. The man used a cell phone to rob the bank.
2.How did the whales find their way back to the ocean?
A. The winds and the tides helped them.
B. Some local fishermen showed them the way.
C. They followed a school of fish back to the ocean.
3.What do we know about the motorcycle show on Friday night?
A. Riders won’t be allowed to perform dangerous tricks.
B. The show will be delayed until all the riders sign insurance forms.
C. Medical workers will be there in case of an emergency.
4.What made people concern about safety this time?
A. A rider was killed last month.
B. A rider was badly injured last month.
C. Some audience were involved in a violence.
