When we walked into the cafe, we were greeted by a waitress who smiled, held out a menu, and pointed to a table. It's only when we asked for a table for six that we realized something was a bit different. The waitress glanced at our group and held up six fingers. That's because all the staff are deaf.
Last month, the Huffington Post visited Smiles Cafe in Granada. The business only employs people who are deaf, from the waiters to the cooks. “My goal is for this cafe to be a mirror for other businesses to lose their fear of hiring people with disabilities," the founder Antonio Bunuel, who is from Spain, told HufPost. “It's also for the people who work here to lose their own fear of getting into the work force," he added, “So they can fly.”
In the city, about 1 person in 15 has a disability. But around 99 percent of people with a disability are unemployed. While the law requires companies to employ two people with disabilities for every 50 employees, many businesses don't. “Smiles Cafe was born out of a provocation. 99 percent of people with disabilities here are jobless. That was wrong!" Bunuel said. “So I decided to open a cafe where all of the employees were deaf to show that it works.
At the cafe, customers order by pointing to items on the menu, which have special symbols to indicate substitutions. For instance, if you're ordering fruit parfait, and you don't want yogurt on it, you just point to the illustration (图示) of the parfait, and then to the image of yogurt with a big red “X" over it. To help customers communicate with staff and learn while they eat, the walls are covered with letters? words and phrases, from “Thank you" to “Welcome" with illustrations that show the corresponding translation. The cafe, now five years old, is a project of the non-profit Centro Social Tio Antonio. “We've opened a small window," the founder said, “If it serves to create awareness, then that's a start.
1.Why did the waitress hold up her fingers when the author ordered?
A.All workers were deaf. B.She didn't want to say anything.
C.She was suffering a throat ache. D.It was a special greeting.
2.What did the founder of the cafe expect his employees to do?
A.Make a big fortune. B.Become well-known in the city.
C.Recover from their illnesses. D.Overcome their fears to work.
3.What does the underlined sentence mean about Smiles Cafe in Para 3?
A.People expected to keep a good volunteering tradition.
B.It was founded to take a challenge of employing the disabled.
C.Founders reached an agreement after discussions.
D.The disabled were worried about their work at first.
4.What is helpful to the customers in the cafe?
A.The deafness of the employees. B.Special symbols on the menu.
C.The non-profit model of the cafe. D.The awareness of the employer.
Wisconsin's Great Lakes are home to great lighthouses. Here are some lighthouses worth visiting along Lake Michigan, from south to north.
Wind Point, Racine
This 108-foot lighthouse on a point north of Racine was built in 1880. It's open for tours and climbs up the tower from 9 a. m. to 3 p. m. the first Sunday of the month, June through October, and from 10 a. m. to 1:30 p. m. the Saturday before that Sunday, July through September. Admission is $ 10 for adults and $ 5 for kids aged between 6 and 11. The park and beach around the lighthouse are open daily from 6 a. m. to 10 p. m.
North Point , Milwaukee
This 74-foot lighthouse alongside a Queen Anne style keeper's quarters is a landmark in the city's Lake Park. After the coast guard decommissioned (停用) it in 1997, it stood vacant until a friendly group restored the structure and opened it as a museum in 2007. Tours are now offered from 1 p. m. to 4 p. m. Saturday and Sunday year round, plus from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m. Thursday and Friday in the summer. Tours cost $ 8 for adults, $ 5 for seniors (65+) and $ 5 for students and kids (5—11).
Port Washington Breakwater
This Art Deco-style lighthouse replaced an older wooden structure in 1935 as part of a Works Progress Administration project. Tours aren't available of the small structure, but visitors can walk along the 2, 500-foot breakwater to get a closer look.
Rawley Point , Two Rivers
This lighthouse is worth a visit not only for its steel tower rising 113 feet above the beach, but also for its location in Point Beach State Forest. Tours are not available of the working lighthouse, but it's viewable and photographable from the beach. In addition to six miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, the state forest has 17 miles of hiking trails to explore.
1.Which lighthouse is used as a museum?
A.Wind Point, Racine. B.North Point, Milwaukee.
C.Rawley Point, Two Rivers. D.Port Washington Breakwater.
2.Where can people appreciate Port Washington Breakwater?
A.Under a wooden structure. B.Along the long breakwater.
C.In Point Beach State Forest. D.On a point north of Racine.
3.Why is Rawley Point NOT available for a visit?
A.It is far off the coast. B.It is located in the center of forest.
C.It is working as a lighthouse. D.It is made of steel.
Give yourself a test. Which way is the wind blowing? How many kinds of wildflowers can be seen from your front door? If your awareness is as sharp as it could be, you’ll have no trouble answering these questions.
Most of us observed much more as children than we do as adults. A child’s day is filled with fascination, newness and wonder. Curiosity gave us all a natural awareness. But distinctions that were sharp to us as children become unclear; we are numb(麻木的) to new stimulation(刺激), new ideas. Relearning the art of seeing the world around us is quite simple, although it takes practice and requires breaking some bad habits.
The first step in awakening senses is to stop predicting what we are going to see and feel before it occurs. This blocks awareness. One chilly night when I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a mountain stream. The students began complaining about how cold it would be. We reached the stream, and they unwillingly walked ahead. They were almost knee-deep when they realized it was a hot spring. Later they all admitted they’d felt cold water at first.
Another block to awareness is the obsession(痴迷) many of us have with naming things. I saw bird watchers who spotted a bird, immediately looked it up in field guides, and said, a "ruby-crowned kinglet" and checked it off. They no longer paid attention to the bird and never learned what it was doing.
The pressures of "time" and "destination"（目的地）are further blocks to awareness. I encountered many hikers who were headed to a distant camp-ground with just enough time to get there before dark. It seldom occurred to them to wander a bit, to take a moment to see what’s around them. I asked them what they’d seen. "Oh, a few birds," they said. They seemed bent on their destinations.
Nature seems to unfold to people who watch and wait. Next time you take a walk, no matter where it is, take in all the sights, sounds and sensations(感觉）. Wander in this frame of mind and you will open a new dimension to your life.
1.What idea does the author convey in Paragraph 3?
A.To avoid jumping to conclusions.
B.To stop complaining all the time.
C.To follow the teacher's advice.
D.To admit mistakes honestly.
2.The bird watchers’ behavior shows that they __________.
A.are very patient in their observation
B.are really fascinated by nature
C.care only about the names of birds
D.question the accuracy of the field guides
3.Why do the hikers take no notice of the surroundings during the journey?
A.The natural beauty isn't attractive to them.
B.They focus on arriving at the camp in time.
C.The forest in the dark is dangerous for them.
D.They are keen to see rare birds at the destination.
4.In the passage, the author intends to tell us we should __________.
A.use our senses to feel the wonders of the world
B.get rid of some bad habits in our daily life
C.open our mind to new things and ideas
D.try our best to protect nature
A qualified doctor who rarely practised but instead devoted his life to writing. He once said, “Medicine is my lawful wife and literature is my lover.”Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a great playwright(剧作家) and one of the masters of the modern short story.
When Clekhov entered the Moscow University Medical School in 1879,he started to publish hundreds of comic short stories to support his family. After he graduated, he wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper.
As a writer he was extremely fast,often producing a short story in an hour or less. Checkhov’s medical and science experience can be seen through the indifference many of his characters show to tragic(悲剧的) events. In 1892,he became a full-time writer and published some of his most memorable stories.
Chekhov often wrote about the sufferings of life in small towns of Russia. Tragic events controlled his characters who were filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair.
It is often said that nothing happens in Chekhov’s stories and plays.He made up for this with his exciting technique for developing drama within his characters. Chekhov’s works combined the calm attitude of a scientist and doctor with the sensitivity of an artist.
Some of Chekhov’s works were translated into Chinese as early as the 1940s.One of his famous stories,“The Man in a Shell ”，about a school teacher’s extraordinarily orderly life was selected as a text for Chinese senior students.
1.Anton Pavlovich Chekhov ________ .
A.had a lawful lover
B.wrote only short stories
C.used to be a lawyer
D.was a capable doctor
2.In 1880, Chekhov .
A.became a full-time writer
B.studied medicine in Moscow University
C.practiced medicine in his hometown
D.published his most memorable stories
3.According to the passage,which of the following words can’t be used to describe Chekhov?
A.Sensitive.
B.Calm.
C.Quick-minded.
D.Warm-hearted.
4.Which of the following is the right order of the events?
a. became a doctor
b. became a full-time writer
c. started to publish comic short stories
d. wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper
e. entered the Moscow University Medical School
A.e c a d b B.d a b c e
C.e c b a d D.a e c b d
The stories we share with one another are important. They show wisdom and provide inspiration. They are important to our development. But sometimes people choose not to tell.
Consider the negative effects of not sharing a story in the news: People are wondering if public health officials are holding back too much information about the recent outbreak of Ebola.
There is a danger in holding back stories that ought to be told. Bobette Buster said it like this, “The fact is, history has shown us that stories not told can become like a dangerous genie (妖怪) left in a bottle. When they are finally uncorked, their power to destroy is set free.”
There are a number of reasons why we hide parts of our story: they often show our weaknesses or expose our disadvantages; they require courage and strength to share; and of course, there are some stories that should be kept secret—especially those that embarrass someone else.
Most of us have two selves: the one we display on the outside and the one we actually are on the inside. And the better we get at hiding the stories that show our true selves, the more damage we may be causing to ourselves and to others.
Honesty and openness is important: it proves we are trustworthy. It displays we are human. We are not perfect or better. It highlights the importance of hard work and personal development. Hard work may not allow us to overcome our disadvantages completely. But with hard work, we do not have to be restricted to our mistakes.
Does this mean we admit every weakness, every disadvantage, and every secret regret to everybody we meet? No, of course not. There is a time and a place and a certain level of relationship necessary for some stories to be told in an appropriate manner.
1.What’s the function of the example in Paragraph 2?
A.It reflects that people are concerning about the spread of Ebola.
B.It shows the bad effect caused by sharing a story.
C.It proves not sharing a story can cause trouble.
D.It concludes that one should share a story at a proper time.
2.Which is close in meaning to the underlined word “uncorked” in Paragraph 3?
A.freed B.broken
C.unfolded D.untouched
3.One of the reasons why people are unwilling to share experiences is that _______.
A.story-sharing highlights the importance of hard work
B.people are used to exposing their weaknesses
C.people sometimes have no courage to share their stories
D.some stories make themselves feel sad
4.The writer aims to convince us to _______.
A.be open to people close to you by sharing some secrets
B.share stories appropriately for the good of others and ourselves
C.remove the dangers that can be caused by untold stories
D.realize the importance of being honest when making friends
Food Parts You Should Never Throw Away in the Garbage
Pineapple Core
When you carve out the core of a pineapple, don't throw it in the garbage. You can use the pineapple core for all kinds of recipes, and there are tons of vitamins and minerals hiding within. To use the pineapple core: chop it and add it to fruit salad, blend it into smoothies, cut it into cubes and freeze for later use, or simply add it to water or even tea to improve flavor.
Kiwi Skin
If you never thought you could eat kiwi in the way you eat a peach, think again. That skin really is good for you and contains a lot of vitamin C, and in fact, it's also higher in fiber than the rest of the fruit. Of course, that rough, ugly skin isn't for everyone, so if you don't like it, try adding a whole kiwi to a smoothie to hide the taste of the skin.
Banana Peel
Most of us eat the banana without giving the soft peel a second thought. Here's why that's a mistake: banana peel contains tryptophan(色氨酸), which increases "the happiness hormone" to help with mood regulation and nerve system. There are a few creative ways to use the peel. Cook or boil for at least 10 minutes to soften. You can add it to smoothies, stir-fries, or soups. And, for a treat, simply slice and bake a banana with the skin on.
Watermelon Skin and Seed
The delicious, red inside makes for a refreshing snack or juice, but you're able to get some powerful nutrients in the skin and seeds as well. Cut out the white part under the green outside and use it in your cooking. It has vitamin C and B6, to keep you healthy. As for the seeds, you can roast them in the oven. Then add them to salads or to nut snacks.
1.Which of the following has a larger amount of fiber than its other parts?
A.Pineapple cores.
B.Kiwi skin.
C.Banana peel.
D.Watermelon skin and seeds.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.All the food above can be added to smoothies.
B.Kiwi skin can be roasted in the oven.
C.Banana peel can help lift people's moods.
D.The green part of watermelon has vitamin C and B6.
3.Where can we most probably read this text?
A.In a botany instruction.
B.In a medicine brochure.
C.In a fruitarian's recipe.
D.In a nutrition report.
