阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
There is a wonderful story about Jimmy Durante, 1.is one of the greatest singers in the twentieth century. One day, when 2.(ask) to be part of a show for some old World War II soldiers, Jimmy told them he was very busy, 3. he would come if they wouldn’t mind his singing one short song and immediately leaving for his next appointment. Of course, the show’s director agreed happily.
But when Jimmy got on stage, something 4.(surprise) happened. He went through the short song and then stayed. The applause grew louder and louder and he kept staying. Pretty soon, he had been on stage5.fifteen, twenty, and then thirty minutes. One of his assistants behind the stage stopped him and said, “I thought you had to go after a few minutes. What happened?” Jimmy answered, “I did have to go, but I can show you the reason6.I stayed. You can see for yourself if you look at the front row.” In the front row7.(be) two men, both of 8.had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the 9.had lost his left arm. Together, they were able to clap, and that was exactly what they10.(do), loudly and cheerfully.
My day started just like all the other days. I left for the train station at 7:35 to arrive at work by 8:30. While on the train I would always choose a seat away from the crowd so I can read the newspaper ______ and quietly. I didn’t know why but for some reason when I got on the train today it was unusually ______. I sat down in the only seat available beside a middle-aged man that had his head down and seemed to be ______ in his thoughts. I was glad that he didn’t notice when I sat next to him because he just ______ to look down towards the floor.
Shortly after the train left I found myself ______ what could be so important that he didn’t even see me. I tried to forget about it. However, for some strange reason this inner _____kept forcing me to talk to this man. I tried to ignore the voice ______ there was no way I was starting a conversation with a complete stranger. Finally I ______ and came up with an excuse to ask him a question. When he ______ his head, I could see that he had some tears rolling down the side of his face ______ his feeble(微弱的) attempt to wipe them away. We talked for about 20 minutes and in the end he seemed to be doing ______.
Several weeks had passed when I noticed an unaddressed ______ on my desk after returning from lunch. It only had the word ______ written on it. When I read the note inside the envelope I was so filled with emotions that I couldn’t ______ myself. It was a letter from the man I met on the train thanking me again for talking to him and ______ his life that day. Apparently he had some very hurtful personal problems that were so ______ he was planning to take his life that day.
In his letter he explained that he in ______ screamed out to God that if God really cared about him he would ______ someone to prevent him from taking his life. In his eyes I was that someone, that Angel sent by God.
So the next time you feel prompted (冲动) for no ______ reason to talk to a friend, relative, neighbor or even a complete stranger please remember my story. You just may make a_____ in someone’s life when you listen to your inner voice.
1.A.hopefully B.peacefully C.sincerely D.immediately
2.A.full B.noisy C.clean D.empty
3.A.disappointed B.employed C.sunk D.occupied
4.A.decided B.hesitated C.began D.continued
5.A.wondering B.realizing C.concluding D.discovering
6.A.memory B.enthusiasm C.voice D.affection
7.A.though B.if C.unless D.as
8.A.broke up B.broke down C.broke in D.broke out
9.A.dragged B.shook C.raised D.bent
10.A.for B.through C.over D.despite
11.A.weaker B.worse C.stronger D.better
12.A.package B.envelope C.present D.directory
13.A.angel B.colleague C.companion D.client
14.A.excite B.contain C.embarrass D.condemn
15.A.taking B.changing C.improving D.saving
16.A.uncontrolled B.convincing C.unconscious D.encouraging
17.A.conclusion B.practice C.power D.despair
18.A.carry B.send C.force D.hire
19.A.violent B.obvious C.contradictory D.absurd
20.A.decision B.schedule C.difference D.reservation
How to Improve Vocabulary Fast
Your vocabulary refers to the words in a language you are familiar with. We should learn some ways to expand it.
Read every day. 1. Choose reading material that is slightly above your level and keep a dictionary with you to look up words you do not know.
2.If you do not meet with an unfamiliar word in your daily reading, use your dictionary to search for one.
Learn the correct definition and pronunciation for each new word. Pronunciation is as important as definition because in order to add a word to your active vocabulary, you must be able to use it in speech.
Elaborate (详尽阐述) on the meaning of the word. If you have just learned the word “stubborn”, think about the neighbor who will not lend you his car. 3.
Use your new word in speech and in writing. Email your sister about how your cat is stubborn about sleeping on your pillow. 4.But the more you use it, the more fluent you will become in its use. Soon it will be a regular part of your active vocabulary.
Tell everyone you are trying to increase your vocabulary. Encourage them to ask you what your latest word is. 5. The more you explain the meaning of a word to someone, the more likely you are to remember it.
A. Find a new word every day.
B. The vocabulary can be increased.
C. Your vocabulary contains the words you understand.
D. The more often you read, the faster your vocabulary can grow.
E. Or let them ask for the definition of a new word you have used.
F. The first time you use a new word in speech it may seem strange.
G. Imagine him shaking his head, and think of him as “stubborn in his refusal”.
In my mind, there is a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart.
Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. Despite his hard training at all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.
This teenager lived alone with his father, and the relationship between the two of them was very special. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him.
The young man loved football and was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a benchwarmer. Besides, his faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on”. Everyone firmly believed that he could never make the cut, but he did.
The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but actually he never got the real chance to play in a game.
It was at the end of his senior football season that the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became totally silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, “My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?” The coach put his arm gently around his should and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son. And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were surprised to see their faithful teammate back so soon. “Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close play-off game. But the young man insisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. “All right,” he said. “You can go in.” Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, passed, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to succeed. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid got a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.
Finally, after the stands had emptied, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, “Kid, you were unbelievably fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?”
He looked at the coach, tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?” The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could make it!”
1.What does the underlined sentence “he got absolutely nowhere” mean?
A.He could never make his father see his performance clearly.
B.There was no coach to train him well enough to be a good player.
C.There was no chance of his becoming a top athlete in this sport.
D.He had no idea at all what kind of person he wanted to be in the future.
2.From the passage, we can infer that__________.
A.the young man’s father had a great positive influence on him
B.the young man’s coach played an important role in his growth
C.not until his father passed away did the young man train hard
D.the young man’s road to success in football was always smooth
3.Why did the young man return to the match on Saturday?
A.He planned to make money to cure his father of his blindness.
B.He thought he was much better than other players in his team.
C.He wanted to defeat the opposing team in this significant game.
D.He hoped his dead father could be proud of his performance.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.A thrilling football match B.Determined father and son
C.The power of dreams D.The encouragement of a coach
A new report from University of East Anglia(UEA)shows that exposure to green space reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stress, and high blood pressure. Populations with higher levels of green space exposure are also more likely to report good overall health.
Lead author Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett, from UEA’S Norwich Medical School, said, “Spending time in nature certainly makes us feel healthier, but until now the impact on our long-term wellbeing hasn’t been fully understood. We gathered evidence from over 140 studies involving more than 290 million people to see whether nature really does provide a health boost.”
The research team studied data from 20 countries including the UK, the US, Spain, France, Germany, Australia and Japan—where “forest bathing” is already a popular practice. “Green space” was defined as open, undeveloped land with natural vegetation including urban green space, which included parks and street greenery. The team analyzed how the health of people with little access to green space compared to that of people with the highest amounts of exposure.
“We found that spending time in or living close to natural green space is associated with diverse and significant health benefits. It reduces the risk of type TT diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, and preterm birth, and increases sleep duration. People living closer to nature also had reduced diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and stress. In fact, one of the really interesting things we found is that exposure to green space significantly reduces people’s levels of salivary cortisol—a physiological marker of stress. This is really important because in the UK, 11.7 million working days are lost annually due to stress, depression or anxiety.”
“Forest bathing is really popular as a therapy in Japan, with participants spending time in the forest either sitting or lying down, or just walking around. Our study shows that perhaps they have the right idea! Although we have looked at a large body of research on the relationship between green space and health, we don’t know exactly what it is that causes this relationship. People living near green space likely have more opportunities for physical activity and socializing. Meanwhile, exposure to a wide variety of bacteria present in natural areas may also have benefits for the immune system and reduce inflammation (炎症),” Twohig-Bennett stated.
Study co-author Prof Andy Jones, also from UEA, said, “We often reach for medical treatment when we’re unwell but exposure to health-promoting environments is increasingly recognized as both preventing and helping treat disease. Our study shows that the size of these benefits can be enough to have a meaningful clinical(临床的) impact.”
The research team hopes that their findings will prompt doctors and other healthcare professionals to advise patients to spend more time in green space and natural areas.
1.What do we know about exposure to green space from the first two paragraphs?
A.290 million people will see its effectiveness.
B.People have been cured of several diseases by this way.
C.People seeing less green space can’t report good health.
D.People haven’t realized its value completely.
2.From the research team’s definition of “green space”, we can infer that .
A.green space often exists in places with small populations
B.space in the countryside is certainly green space
C.an urban green belt is a kind of green space
D.green space in the cities usually has little effects on people’s health
3.What does the author do in Paragraph 4?
A.Analyze the research process.
B.Introduce the research findings.
C.Show his concern about people’s health.
D.Explain why green space is good for patients.
4.Prof Andy Jones holds the view that .
A.their study will improve the professionalism of doctors
B.exposure to green space can help treat disease effectively
C.one should see a doctor immediately when unwell
D.people are increasingly going to health-promoting spaces
So many of us hold on to little resentments (怨恨) that may have come from an argument, a misunderstanding, or some other painful event. Stubbornly, we wait for someone else to reach out to us—believing this is the only way we can forgive or rekindle a friendship or family relationship.
An acquaintance of mine, whose health isn’t very good, recently told me that she hadn’t spoken to her son in almost three years. She said that she and her son had had a disagreement about his wife and that she wouldn’t speak to him again unless he called first. When I suggested that she be the one to reach out, she resisted initially and said, “I can’t do that. He’s the one who should apologize.” She was literally willing to die before reaching out to her only son. After a little gentle encouragement, however, she did decide to be the first one to reach out. To her amazement, her son was grateful for her willingness to call and offered an apology of his own. As is usually the case when someone takes the chance and reaches out, everyone wins.
Whenever we hold on to our anger, we turn “small stuff” into really “big stuff” in our minds. We start to believe that our positions are more important than our happiness. They are not. If you want to be a more peaceful person, you must understand that being right is almost never more important than allowing yourself to be happy. The way to be happy is to let go, and reach out. Let other people be right. This doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. Everything will be fine. You’ll experience the peace of letting go, as well as the joy of letting others be right.
You’ll also notice that, as you reach out and let others be “right,” they will become less defensive and more loving toward you. They might even reach back. But if for some reason they don’t, that’s okay too. You’ll have the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your part to create a more loving world, and certainly you’ll be more peaceful yourself.
1.The underlined word “rekindle” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.
A.develop B.recover
C.accept D.replace
2.According to the passage, the author’s friend never spoke to her son for three years because ________.
A.she had got an argument with her husband
B.she had disagreed about her son’s marriage
C.she had got an argument about her daughter-in-law
D.she had disliked her son’s wife for many years
3.Which of the following is NOT the reason for people to be unwilling to apologize first?
A.People believe that they are right.
B.People always wait for others to offer an apology first.
C.People consider the position more important than happiness.
D.People want to get an inner satisfaction.
4.The purpose of the passage is to ________.
A.instruct the readers how to apologize
B.teach the readers how to gain inner peace
C.tell the readers to reach out first when there are painful events
D.inform the readers the importance of being forgiving
