Making Peace with Your Parents
As a teen, you’re going through big changes physically and mentally. Your interests are increasing. 1. Here is the challenge: Kids need to explore the world in new ways, and parents need to protect them from the dangers that are all out in that world. These conflicts can easily set off fireworks in otherwise calm houses. Sometimes conflicts can’t be avoided. But by paying attention to the building blocks of successful relationships, you can work towards making home a happy and healthy place for you and your parents.
For example, try to find a time to talk when your parents are not angry, tired, distracted or hungry. A good time to talk is when you’re all relaxed. Timing is everything. If the conversation begins to turn into an argument, you’d better calmly and coolly ask to stop the conversation for now. 2. Listen to what your parents are saying, and repeat it back to them. This shows them that you’re listening. 3. Respect is the building block of good communication. People who respect each other and care about each others’ feelings can disagree without getting things ugly. 4. How do you build trust? Trust comes by actually doing what you say you’re going to do. Some teens find that doing fun activities with their parents can improve their relationships. Sometimes we forget that parents are more than rule-maker—they’re interesting people who like to watch movies and go shopping—just like their teenagers!
What do you do if you are trying your best, but your relationship with your parents continues to be rocky? 5. You can find supportive adults, such as a teacher or a coach, who can lend an ear. Remember you can only change your own behavior. Your parents are the only ones who can change theirs.
A. You may consider seeking outside help.
B. And then you’ll be able to accept what your parents say.
C. You can pick it up again when everyone’s more relaxed.
D. Faced with the challenge, children don’t know what to do.
E. And your desire to take control of your own life is growing.
F. It also gives them a chance to clear things up if you’re not on the same page.
G. You are more likely to get along with your parents and have more independence if your parents believe in you.
It often happens that a number of applicants with almost identical qualifications and experience all apply for the same position. In their educational background, special skills and work experience, there is little, if anything, to choose between half a dozen candidates. How then does the employer make a choice? Usually on the basis of an interview.
There are many arguments about the interview as a selection procedure. One argument is that it gives rise to a wholly subjective decision. As often as not, employers do not choose the best candidate, but the one who makes a good first impression on them. Some employers, of course, reply to this argument by saying that they have become so experienced in interviewing staff that they are able to make a sound assessment of each candidate’s likely performance. Unfortunately, both for the employers and applicants, there are many people of great ability who simply do not interview well. There are also, of course, people who interview extremely well, but are later found to be very unsatisfactory employees.
Those in favour of the interview insist that the well-structured procedure is valid in assessing a candidate’s ability, an essential guarantee for the future job. They also argue that an employer is concerned not only with a candidate’s ability, but with the suitability of his or her personality for the particular work situation. Many employers, for example, will overlook occasional inefficiencies from their secretary so long as she has a pleasant personality. Perhaps the real purpose of an interview is not to assess the assessable aspects of each candidate but to make a guess at the more intangible things, such as personality and social ability.
Today, interview is still a common section of the entire selection procedure, though different employers have different standards for competence. Generally speaking, candidates who interview well tend to be quietly confident, but never boastful; direct and straight-forward in their questions and answers; cheerful and friendly, but never over-familiar; and sincerely enthusiastic and optimistic. Candidates who interview badly tend to be at either end of the spectrum of human behaviour. They are either very shy or over-confident. They show either a lack of enthusiasm or an excess of it. They either talk too little or never stop talking. They are either over-polite or rudely abrupt.
1.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Employers are experienced in assessing the interviewees’ performance.
B.Interview is not always recognized as a sensible way to choose employees.
C.The interview helps the employers to pick the desired employees.
D.The remarkable candidates often distinguish themselves in an interview.
2.Which may not be considered in an interview?
A.Personality B.Communication skills
C.Background D.Capability
3.What is the author’s attitude towards the interview as a selection procedure?
A.Supportive B.Negative
C.Objective D.Unconcerned
4.The last paragraph indicates _________________.
A.a link between success in interview and character
B.connections between work abilities and character
C.differences in interview experience
D.differences in personal behaviour
I used to think the whole purpose of life was pursuing happiness. Everyone said the path to happiness was success, so I searched for that ideal job, that perfect boyfriend, and that beautiful apartment. But instead of ever feeling fulfilled, I felt anxious and lost. Eventually. I decided to go to graduate school for positive psychology to learn what truly makes people happy.
And what's the difference between being happy and having meaning in life? Many psychologists describe happiness as a state of comfort and ease, feeling good in the moment. Meaning, though, is deeper. The famous psychologist Martin Seligman says meaning comes from belonging to and serving something beyond yourself and from developing the best within you. Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but I came to see that seeking meaning is the more fulfilling path.
There are four pillars of a meaningful life.
The first pillar is belonging. Belonging comes from being in relationships where you're valued for who you are and where you value others as well. For many people, belonging is the most essential source of meaning.
For others, the key to meaning is the second pillar: purpose. Finding your purpose is not the same thing as finding that job that makes you happy. A doctor told me her purpose is healing sick people. Many parents tell me, “My purpose is raising my children.” The key to purpose is using your strengths to serve others. Without something worthwhile to do, people flounder, thus losing the aim of life.
The third pillar of meaning is also about stepping beyond yourself, but in a completely different way: transcendence (超然). Transcendent experiences can change you. Transcendent states are those rare moments when you're lifted above the hustle and bustle of daily life, your sense of self fades away, and you feel connected to a higher reality. For me, I’m a writer, and it happens through writing. Sometimes I get so in the zone that I lose all sense of time and place.
The fourth pillar is storytelling, the story you tell yourself about yourself. Creating a narrative from the events of your life brings clarity. It helps you understand how you became you. But we don’t always realize that we're the authors of our stories and can change the way we’re telling them. Your life isn't just a list of events. You can edit, interpret and retell your story, even as you're constrained by the facts.
That’s the power of meaning. Happiness comes and goes. But when life is really good and when things are really bad, having meaning gives you something to hold on to.
1.What can we know from the first two paragraphs？
A.Life might be fulfilled by landing ideal jobs．
B.Life dilemma is challenging for us to get out of．
C.Meaning is highly valued in our culture．
D.Happiness is what most people try to achieve．
2.Which word is the closest to the underlined word?
A.Confused B.Distracted
C.Disappointed D.Saddened
3.Which pillar can describe an artist obsessed with her work despite repeated failures?
A.Belonging B.Purpose
C.Transcendence D.Storytelling
4.The passage aims to tell us that _______________．
A.meaning is superior to happiness
B.meaning is the way to success
C.chasing meaning can make people happy
D.meaning has deeper psychological significance
The cracked step four years ago was the start of it. That day, I awoke tired—the children were tiny and needing so much—and I had a golden afternoon of rest ahead, my mother stepping in to allow me to catch up on my sleep. I dropped them off and drove home—the sun shining and my bed signaling. As I was about to enter the house, I caught sight of a deep crack beneath my feet.
Without thinking, I turned around, walked back to the car and drove to a DIY store. Four hours later, I had all the tools, mixed my own cement, filled in the crack and repaired the foundation. Perfect. As I stood up to take a photo of my handiwork, I realized that I was trembling. I’d forgotten my shot at a nice long nap, and my children were already on their way home. That sleep... that promise to self was broken, because I had focused, instead, on the crack in the step.
Suddenly, everything started to hurt. My head, my throat, my back. I couldn’t stop shaking. What earned then is that when we break the promises we make to our bodies they will not be silenced. This is when we overwork and overthink to the point of breaking down. Ironically (讽刺地), for many of us, it is only when we have no choice— when we fall ill—that we learn to listen. For me, when that crack ended in a hospital stay which sent me to bed for two unmoving weeks when my body worked to clear two different infections, the lesson is ever present. I did it to myself—a whole twisted spin on DIY.
Sadly it took another two ridiculous DIY projects to finally get through. The cracks will never be fully filled. Focus, then, on your own inner core, the feeding of light, fire and strength.
1.What made the author so sleepy in the first place?
A.Taking care of the kids. B.Asking her mother for help.
C.Driving to her mother’s house D.Dealing with DIY projects.
2.How did the author feel as soon as she finished her repair work?
A.Regretful B.Upset
C.Proud D.Thankful
3.What can be implied from Paragraph 3?
A.Our health is ignored deliberately.
B.Our body will respond to what we do.
C.The author took her mother’s advice.
D.The author was infected before the DIY.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To describe an unfortunate event.
B.To show the danger of DIY.
C.To stress the importance of sleep.
D.To encourage focusing on oneself.
How cool can libraries be in an era of iPods and Kindles? More than you think. Only if you know where to go.
Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States
The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.
Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland
The Trinity College Library in Dublin is in Ireland, founded at the end of the 16th century by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books. The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps（竖琴）in Ireland. Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland.
Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States
At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library,” which invites readers for cocktails, and also special speeches from distinguished authors．
TU Delft Library: The Netherlands
The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum. The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill. The roof covers 5,500 square meters. And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area.
1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?
A.Central Library B.Trinity College Library
C.Geisel Library D.TU Delft Library
2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that _____.
A.a spaceship designer founded the library
B.it has a roof of grassy hill
C.famous writers often deliver speeches there
D.it is the largest single library in the world
3.In Central Library, you can _____.
A.drink cocktails B.buy souvenirs
C.create paintings D.book events
假设你是李华，某报社英语编辑Mr. Smith邀请你参加英语周报（English weekly）报社组织的一个活动， 请你根据下列内容，写一篇小短文：
内容要点：1. 未能参加英语角；
2. 简述未能参加的原因；
3. 对未来再次参加英语角活动的渴望。
注意：1. 词数100左右；2. 书信格式已经给出，不计入总词数；
Dear Smith,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Lihua
