Welcome to Inspire 21
Our aim is to provide “Inspiring words for the 21st century”. So, here we offer a unique collection of inspiring short stories, motivational short stories, and humorous short stories for you to read and share.
If you do care to share, click the “SHARE” button in the bottom left corner of each page. And thanks for telling others about Inspire 21.
The inspiring stories that are labeled (标记) “TRUE” are done so to the best of our knowledge, but we do not have full proof in some cases. However, all of these stories and messages are provided because of their uplifting content, whether true or not. Many books we’ve read and movies we’ve watched were totally untrue, but we enjoyed the inspiration they gave us—especially if they had a happy ending.
So, please read and share these stories at your own discretion (判断力). Thank you for your understanding!
Also, many of the inspiring stories used here are used with permission from the author. However, we cannot grand(授予) permission to reuse any of these inspirational stories, as the majority of them are not ours.
Lastly, many inspiring stories (emailed to us or we came across online) are listed as “Author Unknown”. If you happen to know the author’s name, to whom credit should be given, please contact us with that information so we can keep our inspiring story collection accurate. Thank you again!
1.What does Inspire 21 do?
A. Encourage people to use inspiring words.
B. Offer books and movies with a happy ending.
C. Collect both true stories and untrue message.
D. Provide short storied for people to read and share.
2.Which of the following words has the closest meaning to "inspiring"?
A. Uplifting B. Unique
C. Accurate D. Humorous
3.What are the readers expected to do in the last paragraph?
A. Reuse inspiring stories. B. Give credit to unknown authors.
C. Write more true stories. D. Make Inspire 2I more popular.
My favorite book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, talks about a formula called “SFF” which stands for “stopping finding faults”. I used to be a critical person and tried to find faults. I guess I somehow inherited this character from my father. Actually, many good qualities of my father are worth admiring except this.
My father is the person who constantly looks for mistakes in other people and he thinks no one is perfect in the world. His character created a negative atmosphere in my family. I was the same as my father, so I often felt angry, disappointed, depressed, and lonely in school.
After I had read my favorite book I began to seek “good things” in other people. It has completely changed my life. Now I feel happier, I have more friends, I have more trust in people, and I realize everyone has their own strength! Another important lesson I got from this book is that I should always behave myself in a positive manner. Let’s admit that we sometimes complain about our situation. That’s not good. “Believe it or not, people don’t like to listen to negative opinions.”
One more valuable lesson I got from the book is that I should be a good listener. When I was younger, I only wanted people to pay whole attention to my words so that I could show them how important I was. I was very proud and would show off my achievements in school without considering others’ feeling. I had very few friends and most people considered me as an “arrogant” person. Now, I find it mush easier to make friends after making some changes!
1.Why does the author like the book The Secret?
A. Because he’s found the secret of success from it.
B. Because the book uncovers the secrets of happiness.
C. Because he’s learnt his father’s characters from it.
D. Because it helps him change his attitude towards life.
2.What do you know about the author’s father?
A. He makes his son feel angry and disappointed.
B. He likes finding faults with people around him.
C. He seems a critical person but in fact easy-going.
D. He can create a negative atmosphere when necessary.
3.The underlined word “arrogant” probably means “______”.
A. self-important B. admirable
C. troublesome D. cold-blooded
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To persuade readers to be good listeners.
B. To share his painful changing experience.
C. To tell readers the influence of a book on him.
D. To show the result of his father’s negative character.
Have you ever noticed how Americans fill up their entire glass with ice and then pour their beverage(饮品) in, but Europeans take their drinks at room temperature? In the U.S., we’ve created fridges that give you cold ice at the press of a button, but in Britain they typically serve their tap water warm.
This tradition--if that’s what you want to call it--dates back to the 19th century. During that time, it was already commonplace for most American homes to have an ice box. Ice would be harvested in northern America or Canada and shipped across the Atlantic and sold at a high price in British department stores. Can you imagine heading to Macy’s to treat yourself to a block of ice?
Putting ice in your drink started to become somewhat of a fashion(时尚)trend for the wealthy in Britain. Some would put a few cubes in their champagne and sip on their chilled drinks at high-class parties. But, like with any fashion trend, it eventually faded, mainly because the ice was just too expensive. And even once ice boxes began appearing in homes in Britain as well, Brits never took a liking to ice in their drinks.
So, next time you travel overseas, don't feel offended(被冒犯) when your server gives you an eye roll when you ask for ice water.
1.Who has written the text?
A. A European B. An American
C. A Canadian D. An Asian.
2.Why do Europeans take their drinks at room temperature?
A. Because they have no fridges. B. Because they have warm taps.
C. Because they are accustomed to it. D. Because they can't afford ice.
3.What can we infer about Europeans?
A. They have ice boxes later than Americans.
B. They don't know where to get ice blocks.
C. Wealthy people like to have ice in their drinks.
D. Wealthy people always follow what Americans do.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. Why Americans like icy drinks while Europeans don’ t.
B. When people overseas have icy drinks with their meals.
C. Where people can entertain themselves with icy drinks.
D. How Europeans and Americans make different beverage.
Famous Modern Chinese Buildings
Beijing International Airport
The first place most visitors see when they arrive in China is Beijing International Airport. The airport was constructed in the 1950s. It has an indoor garden, a children’s playground, and over 70 food businesses in Terminal 3 alone.
Shanghai World Financial Center
Completed in 2008, SWFC took over 10 years to complete due to financial shortages and construction delays. Since its completion, it has won countless architectural awards.
Tourists are welcome at SWFC's viewing platform, which at 474 meters above ground is the worlds highest closed viewing platform.
The Water Cube
It was constructed for use during the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Now visitors can express surprise at the architecture of the building. They can enjoy the indoor atmosphere as well.
Among the offerings of the Water Cube are a restaurant and bar, a shopping area, and Water World, a family water park
The Bird's Nest, Beijing
It was designed mainly for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It can hold up to 80,000 people and has been used for a winter theme park. Nowadays, its main income is as a tourist attraction. It draws more than 20,000 tourists every day.
National Center for the Performing Arts
It was completed in 2007. The building is surrounded by a man-made lake, requiring guests to enter via an underground hallway. It is home to an Opera Hall, Music Hall, and Theater.
1.Which of the following buildings was first constructed?
A. Beijing International Airport. B. Shanghai World Financial Center.
C. The Water Cube. D. The Birds Nest, Beijing.
2.Why was the construction of Shanghai World Financial Center delayed?
A. It needed more construction workers. B. It was short of money.
C. It added an extra viewing-platform. D. It faced too much terrible weather.
3.How does the bird's Nest operate daily?
A. By renting the winter theme park. B. By increasing its opening time.
C. By charging tourists for admission fees. D. By giving some live concerts.
4.What can you do in National Center for the Performing Art?
A. Enjoy sports events. B. Play musical instruments.
C. Attend science lectures. D. Watch different performances.
We cannot figure out _______ quite a number of insects, birds, and animals are dying out.
A. that B. as
C. why D. when
The poor young man is ready to accept _______ help he can get.
A. whichever B. however
C. whatever D. whenever
