I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage(按揭), credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us_________chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell _______. I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $56. I_______the countryside for some place I could rent for the_______possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road _______ the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was _______, full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and _______ a corner to camp in.
The locals knew nothing about me, _______ slowly, they started teaching me the _______ of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began __________ around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a __________ American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of __________.
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were__________ for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place.__________ on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my __________ with my neighbors.
Four years later, I moved back into __________. I saw many people were having a really hard time, __________ their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to __________ a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house, but over time I've had nine people come in and move on to other places. We'd all be in__________if we hadn't banded together.
The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about __________ we can all get by together.
1.A.separately B.equally C.violently D.naturally
2.A.off B.apart C.over D.out
3.A.crossed B.left C.toured D.searched
4.A.fullest B.largest C.fairest D.cheapest
5.A.over B.through C.at D.round
6.A.occupied B.emptied C.abandoned D.robbed
7.A.turned B.cleared C.approached D.cut
8.A.for B.although C.otherwise D.but
9.A.benefit B.art C.nature D.lesson
10.A.swinging B.looking C.sticking D.turning
11.A.different B.real C.wild D.remote
12.A.kindness B.happiness C.friendliness D.neighborliness
13.A.unique B.expensive C.necessary D.rare
14.A.Along B.Down C.Deep D.Up
15.A.cooperation B.satisfaction C.relationships D.appointments
16.A.reality B.town C.society D.life
17.A.creating B.losing C.offering D.quitting
18.A.put in B.turn in C.get in D.take in
19.A.yards B.camps C.shelters D.cottages
20.A.how B.what C.whether D.when
Johannes Gutenberg was chosen to be the most important figure of the past millennium（千年）by the media. You may not be familiar with him.1.Gutenberg is praised for having invented the printing press and therefore preparing the way for printing books.
He was born into a wealthy family in the city of Mainz,Germany.In 1428,he moved to Strasbourg and lived there for almost 20 years.2.
Gutenberg used his skills in metalwork for the mass production of books.3.That means that each copy of the Catholic Bible and all of its 73 books were painstakingly handwritten by penmen.Gutenberg fashioned a font（字体）of over 300 characters,far larger than the fonts of today.To make this possible,he invented the variable-width mold（模具）and perfected the mixture of materials used by type factories up to the present century.
4.Between 1450 and 1455,while preparing to produce a large Latin Bible,Gutenberg is thought to have printed a number of smaller books,a calendar,and so on.The Bible of 42 Lines,the oldest surviving printed book in the Western world,was completed by August 15,1456.
The discovery of the modem printing press changed the way information was delivered.5.
Even today in the computer age,we rely heavily on the printed word or text for instruction,information,and for the pleasure of reading literature.
A.Gutenberg made the world a much richer place.
B.But he has certainly influenced your life in some ways.
C.Gutenberg's idea was one of the greatest of all mankind.
D.By 1450,Gutenberg was back in Mainz at work on a printing press.
E.This invention was also responsible for educating the masses worldwide.
F.Before the spread of Gutenberg's idea,literature was primarily handwritten.
G.It was in Strasbourg that he probably made his first experiments with moveable type.
People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group, and getting eaten as a result. That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists.
The research team has discovered that subordinate (隶属的)fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors. “In studying gobies we noticed that only the largest two individuals, a male and female, had breeding(繁殖) rights within the group, ”explains Marian Wong. “All other group members are non-breeding females, each being 5–10% smaller than its next largest competitor. We wanted to find out how they keep this size separation.”
The reason for the size difference was easy to see. Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5–10% of the size of its larger competitor, it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group. More often than not, the evicted fish is then eaten up.
It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish. Whether they did so voluntarily，by limiting how much they ate, was not clear. The research team decided to do an experiment. They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened. To their surprise，the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered，clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights, over having a feast.
The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group. Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves, so keeping their competitors small.
While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious, Dr. Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understanding how hierarchical (等级的) societies remain stable.
The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive(排他的) to humans. “As yet, we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature,” the researchers comment. “Data on human dieting suggests that, while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness, rarely does it improve long term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter than the females’ own ideal.”
1.When a goby grows to within 5–10% of the size of its larger competitor, it_______.
A.faces danger B.has breeding rights
C.eats its competitor D.leaves the group itself
2.The underlined words “the evicted fish” in Paragraph 3 refer to _______.
A.the fish beaten up B.the fish found out
C.the fish fattened up D.the fish driven away
3.The experiment showed that the smaller fish_______.
A.fought over a feast B.went on diet willingly
C.preferred some extra food D.challenged the boss fish
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.Fish dieting and human dieting. B.Dieting and health.
C.Human dieting. D.Fish dieting.
When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously（同时的）about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen.
During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts.
Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours.
There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author of Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond to the brain bias of their children. Since a girl’s brain is better organized to send and receive speech，we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply.
1.While watching TV with others, women Usually talk a lot because they
A.are afraid of awkward silence with their families and friends
B.can both talk and watch the screen at the Same time
C.think they can have a good time and develop relationships
D.have to explain the plot and body language to their husbands
2.After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to .
A.experience the happy time again B.keep a close tie with her
C.recommend her a new scenic spot D.remind her of something forgotten
3.What does the author want to tell us most?
A.Women' s brains are better organized for language and communication
B.Women love to talk because they are more sociable than men.
C.Men do not like talking because they rely more on facts.
D.Social conditioning is not the reason why women love talking.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Women Are Socially Trained to Talk B.Talking Maintains Relationships
C.Women Love to Talk D.Men Talk Differently from Women
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.
1.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was______.
A.doing shopping B.having a debate
C.reading a message D.leaving for Wyoming
2.The author's inspiration for the gift came from_____.
A.a photo of a flower B.a story about a kid
C.a call from the mother D.a text about Christmas
3.The author made the gift by_____.
A.searching for the poems online B.drawing the background by hand
C.painting the letters in three colors D.matching the words with pictures
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To show how to design images for gifts. B.To suggest making gifts from one's heart.
C.To explain how computers help create gifts. D.To describe the gifts the author has received
Western New Bridge Library Announcement
Shortened Library Hours for Spring Break |
Library Hours have been shortened to 7 hours a day (9:00 a.m. -- 4:00 p. m. ) for Spring Break from March 24 to March 30. |
Coming Events |
● On Monday, March 24, at 10:30 a. m., Scott Sutton, a children's writer, will tell stories to kids over seven. Sutton's attractive style will surely inspire everyone present! ● At 1:00 p.m. on March 26, the Georgetown Musicians will present an Irish Folk Concert, which will be entertaining for the entire family. Come for the music and stay to check out some relevant books for the rest of the week! ● On Thursday, March 27, at 2:00 p. m. , the annual Children's Gathering will take place in Room 201, the second-floor. Pick up an invitation in the Children's Room and return your RSVP (回复) to reserve your seat at the table by 3.00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25. Only children are allowed in the Gathering. ● At 10:30 a. m. on Friday, March 28, Enzo Monfre of the hit kids' science show, ENZOology, will bring Fossils Live! Surely Enzo will take the audience back in time, deep beneath the surface of the earth, to uncover the mysteries of killer dinosaurs, and more. Enzo recently appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show -- come and see him at the library! |
Please note: In case of emergency, please call the Help Desk at 926-3736 and follow the procedures outlined on the voice message. The call-down service is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergencies. The Help Desk supplies service to you all the year round! For questions about all these, please contact hld @ wnbl, org. |
Stay for the great Fun ; Stay for the relevant Books ! |
1.According to the passage, Enzo Monfre will .
A.show the children around a zoo B.tell stories to children over seven
C.be present at the science show in person D.lead the children to the Ellen DeGeneres Show
2.The Help Desk in this library supplies service .
A.only during the daytime B.in case of emergency
C.till the end of the Spring Break D.after 22:00 p. m. every day
3.We can learn from the passage that children can .
A.attend all the activities with their parents
B.borrow some relevant books for the activities
C.participate in the activities from 8:00 a. m. to 4:00 p.m.
D.choose only one of the activities according to their interest
