We've all heard the quote, “Be Kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
My husband and son died within two years of each other. From my personal experience, I believe that if we aren't careful, grief can become a rather self-involved process in which we can become so focused on our own suffering that we miss the opportunity to connect with, and possibly bring comfort to, someone else who may be going through a similar experience.
Six months after my husband died, I was sinking in the quicksand of grief. I could not pull myself out of the misery. In that moment, I actually believed that my life was more difficult than anyone else around me. Life handed me a perfectly wrapped lesson that opened my eyes to the fact that through my suffering I had allowed myself to become blinded by my self-pity.
The lesson presented itself in a health crisis. I had complications(并发症) from a surgical procedure and ended up being hospitalized for four days. I was in an extreme amount of pain during this time. Between the physical pain and the emotional pain of grief, I was an absolute mess.
I should also tell you that I am a Registered Nurse. As a nurse, it is hard to be on the receiving end of medicine as the patient. The first three nights that I was in the hospital, the same nurse took care of me. She was young, maybe in her mid to late 20s, and she hardly interacted with me at all the first two nights, other than to give my medications as scheduled. She obviously had no idea how much emotional pain I was in. How hard is it to ask your patient how she's feeling? I wrote her off as a bad nurse who had little empathy, and remained absorbed in my own emotional and physical pain. The third night the young nurse was a little more talkative. She asked me how I was feeling (finally!). I told her that I was struggling with depression and grief because my husband had died in an airplane accident. She looked at me and told me that her husband had died too, just two months earlier. I was stunned. Speechless. Shocked.
Never, in any of the possibilities that my mind entertained of why this nurse was so stand-offish with me, did I even consider that she might be in the same pain I was. Not only was she grieving as I was, but she was having to take care of me, instead of caring for herself and her family.
We went on to talk and share our stories about our late husbands and children. I like to think that we helped each other a bit that night. We had much more in common than I would have believed. We were both widowed single moms with young children, and nurses. But, that was where the similarities ended. Her husband had no insurance policy. She had very little family support. She was working paycheck to paycheck to support her boys. I was humbled. I realized how much I had to be grateful for. And, frankly, I never saw life the same way after this experience.
This experience was a life-changing event for me. I had always prided myself on being an empathetic person, but I realize now that I had not really understood what being empathetic meant. To truly be empathetic, you must be able to see beyond your own pain to be witness to the pain. I never looked at another person in the same way after this experience. I thank death for very few things. The gift of empathy for my fellow man, and understanding that we all suffer in ways that aren't always visible, are presents from death that I will always be grateful for.
Always take the time to be kind. Even when you're suffering with your own pain. And don't assume that someone else has it easier than you. You never know the battles someone else is fighting.
1.What can be learned from the underlined sentence in para3?
A.Self-pity always brings about selflessness. B.Self-pity always results in selfishness.
C.Selflessness often brings out blindness. D.Selfishness can prevent self-pity.
2.Why did the author regard the nurse as a bad one at first?
A.The nurse treated her abruptly.
B.The nurse didn't offer medications on time.
C.The nurse seldom communicated with her.
D.The nurse was irresponsible.
3.Which one is closest to the meaning of the word 'humbled'?
A.beaten B.ashamed
C.defeated D.depressed
4.Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A.Every bean has its black. B.Let bygones be bygones.
C.Stand in others' shoes. D.Misfortunes never come singly.
When a big exam is coming up, you probably feel anxious about any wasted time and want to begin school as soon as you probably can.
But tens of thousands of British high school students will soon be getting up later. They’re taking part in a new experiment by Oxford University to see if later classes can improve their exam results.
Grades 10 students in the UK have to take the nationwide General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams. They have to pass these exams in order to study more advanced courses, and later apply for universities.
The Oxford University project means that GCSE students from more than 100 schools across England will start school at 10 am, more than one hour later than the current start time (8:50 am).
The project is based on scientific evidence that teenagers are “out of sync(同步)” with traditional school hours, the Telegraph reported. And what they need is more sleep in the morning.
“We know that something funny happens when you’re a teenager, in that you seem to be out of sync with the world,” said professor Colin Epsie, who is leading the study. “Your parents think it’s because you are lazy and opinionated（固执己见的）and everything will be OK if you could get to sleep earlier. But science is telling us that teenagers need to sleep more in the mornings.”
Everyone follows a natural cycle of sleep and wakefulness. Biology has decided that teenagers go to sleep around midnight and don’t feel fully awake until 9-10 am, according to scientists. That’s two hours later than adults. And their body clocks stay like this until the age of around 21 for males, and 19 for females.
“Society provides school for learning, but the brain provides sleep. So we are exploring the possibility that if you delay the schools start time until 10 am, that will improve learning performance,” said Epsie.
The results could be positive, based on previous studies.
An early study at the UK’s Monkseaton High School in 2009 found that starting an hour later improved grades in core subjects by 19 percent.
The Oxford project is expecting to publish the results in 2018. It’s time to wait and see whether scientists will give us an excuse to get up late.
1.According to the article, students who take part in the Oxford University project_______.
A.will start school one hour earlier
B.will be guaranteed more sleeping time in the morning
C.will perform better academically than those who don’t participate
D.will no longer have to take GCSE exams
2.We can infer from the article that ________ .
A.children and adults have different natural cycles of sleep and wakefulness
B.getting up late is a sign of laziness in the eyes of most British parents
C.the Oxford University project is targeted at all British high schools
D.there is still no scientific evidence that supports a late school start time
3.What is the author’s attitude toward the Oxford University project ?
A.Critical B.Uninterested
C.Optimistic D.Doubtful
4.What’s the best title of the article ?
A.It’s never too late to learn B.An excuse to get up late
C.The later you get up, the better you’ll learn D.Wake up late to excel
Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also have a specific meaning，and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat—and when and how we eat them—are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural (农村的) and urban areas within one country.
Sharing bread，whether during a special occasion (时刻) or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness.Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition has its roots in the custom of sharing bread.
Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations.In the southern United States，pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity (兴旺) in the New Year.In Greece，people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake，which signifies (预示) success in the New Year for the person who receives it.
Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child，and food can play a significant role.In China，when a baby is one month old，families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving redcolored eggs to guests.In many cultures，round foods such as grapes，bread，and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity.
Nutrition is necessary for life，so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world.
1.According to the passage,sharing bread____
A.can help to develop unity B.is a custom unique to rural areas
C.indicates a lack of food D.has its roots in birthday celebrations
2.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The custom of sharing food. B.The importance of food in culture.
C.The role of food in ceremonies. D.The specific meaning of food.
3.The author explains the role of food in celebrations by
A.making comparisons B.using examples
C.analyzing causes D.describing processes
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
Last Christmas my older sister Jane got a unicycle (独轮脚踏车) she had requested. I thought it kind of strange, wondering why she would want something like that. She did ride and practice for a while, but eventually stopped.
Curious, I tried it, finding it very hard and thinking it impossible for a weak girl like me to learn. Since our dining room of our old house had low beams (屋梁), I used them like monkey bars to practice riding, which helped a lot. Because I thought it was really fun, I practiced every spare moment I had, teaching myself to go forwards, backwards and to turn. Practicing was something I loved to do in my spare time, but it did get discouraging when I fell. After months of practicing, I finally made it.
One morning, our teacher Maria excitedly announced that a school talent show was to be held to raise money for charity. She encouraged my classmates to sign up for it. I’m not always best in front of a crowd, which was why I was very nervous when I meant to put on my performance by doing a hula hoop (圈) and riding a unicycle on stage. But I overcame my fear and entered myself for the talent show, for which I practiced a lot in case I should mess up.
My routine (整套动作) was to do the hula hoop from my neck, down to my stomach, then to my knees. After that, I was to ride my unicycle forwards and backwards on stage. Lastly I would do the hula hoop while riding the unicycle. I was to do all this accompanied by my carefully selected music. I wondered what people from my seventh grade would think of my performance. With my friends inspiring me, I built up my confidence. On the night of the show, many people found out there was going to be a unicycle performance, so more came, even the headmaster.
Para. 1: I was both nervous and excited when it was my turn.
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Para. 2: When I got home, I couldn’t wait to check my mobile phone left at home.
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你班本周一分钟演讲的主题为“Friendship”。请你根据以下提示准备一份英语演讲稿。内容包括：
1. 友谊的重要性；
2. 如何使友谊长久。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Hello, boys and girls!
I feel honored to make a speech about “Friendship”.
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That’s all. Thank you.
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。
Before she could even talk, Ellie Heath spent hours 1. (draw) pictures. When she grew 2. (old), the 15-year-old discovered the joy of sewing (缝纫). She found 3. creative and calming.
She started out making small objects like soft playthings. Over time, she began making clothing. Her love of the work led 4. her opening a business. Three Blue Bunnies is the name of her company, which makes 5. she calls “wearable art”.
Her definition of wearable art is something that makes one feel special. It’s one of a kind, often handmade. She sells her creations in markets. All the pieces Ellie creates 6. (make) of used or donated cloth material.
There are 21 billion tons of cloth material in waste landfills in America. Ellie Heath expects 7. (reduce) that amount through her work. She works with jean jackets, renewing them with artistic additions. The process starts with finding cloth material looking good with the jackets. Then, she 8. (find) out the proper design through trial and error (反复尝试).
Ellie is thankful to her mother for pushing her children to develop their artistic skills. Her mom has always been a huge supporter of the arts. She thinks 9. (create) feeds kids’ brains and that it’s 10. (definite) important for kids to be inspired by as many objects and people as possible.
