You can't imagine how crazy I was about football when I was young. For years my life followed a(n) ______: I slipped out of the house, played football until dark and instantly I was infected with malaria. Football was so appealing that I was willing to ______ anything —injuries, punishment, and even sickness—to play it. Soon enough, my mother would rush me to the Sijuwade Hospital. There, the doctor said I needed to be _____ .
My dad often spent the night with me in the hospital while my mother ______ my sister at home. Then came the happiest ______ when my father told me wonderful stories.
My father was a(n) ______ storyteller. In the hospital, he would tell me a story or two, or, sometimes, if he was not too tired, many in response to my request. He ______ bicycle sounds and the howl of the wind so vividly that the pictures would never ______ from my mind. So happy were these moments that I sometimes wished to ____ my hospital stay.
Because of my mom's strict supervision, it became ______ difficult to steal out. No longer sick, no more stories. ______, I broke into my father's room one evening.
"Dad, you tell me stories only when I'm sick."
My father laughed, "You are already eight and can read by yourself!"
He ______ me a book and said, "Go and read that. It'll tell you stories."
I remember that night clearly. I opened the book and read what turned out to be the most ______ story that I had ever read.
What I discovered that night ______ my life. I became thirsty for books and became a voracious（求知欲强的）______ . I read in the mornings, at nights and in between. Through reading, I felt as though I were on the magical journey to the endless.
1.A.pattern B.custom C.method D.aim
2.A.avoid B.risk C.welcome D.expect
3.A.received B.adopted C.admitted D.accepted
4.A.added to B.led to C.appealed to D.tended to
5.A.moments B.years C.conditions D.cases
6.A.impolite B.determined C.gifted D.terrible
7.A.imitated B.recorded C.developed D.selected
8.A.give away B.break away C.fade away D.die away
9.A.widen B.extend C.expand D.strengthen
10.A.extremely B.hardly C.directly D.randomly
11.A.Satisfied B.Shocked C.Frustrated D.Excited
12.A.posted B.taught C.owed D.handed
13.A.fascinating B.reasonable C.energetic D.disappointing
14.A.transported B.transformed C.substituted D.accelerated
15.A.performer B.interpreter C.learner D.reader
Master Your Deadlines
The struggle begins in high school, sometimes earlier. Deadlines, and lots of them, start to pile up. At college, the pressure sometimes leads to last-minute rush and unsatisfactory work. At work, failing to meet deadlines can easily get you fired. 1. Here are a few best practices.
▪Assign deadlines to what matters.
If the task isn’t of high importance, don’t set a specific deadline. In this way, you are able to keep it on your radar for a while without feeling pressured. 2. This will provide just enough pressure to ensure you get it done.
▪ 3.
Set a personal deadline for yourself a day or two before the actual deadline. 4. If you’re working with a group of people, add in even more time to account for potential follow-ups and the need for approvals.
▪ Keep communicating.
5. This means letting others know when something is taking longer than expected, when a delivery didn’t come in, when a client is not providing the necessary information, etc. Although it may feel embarrassing to admit that something is not on schedule, being honest is much better for relieving your stress.
A.Plan for flexible hours.
B.Finish your project as early as possible.
C.But if an activity is urgent, set a deadline immediately.
D.In this way, you’ll never have to stay up late and feel stressed.
E.But handled properly, deadlines can actually improve productivity.
F.Whenever you feel challenged to finish work on time, communicate.
G.So if anything takes longer than expected, you can still wrap it up and submit it on time.
Scientists in Britain have managed to teach bumblebees(大黄蜂) to pull strings to get to food and then pass on what they have learned to others in their colony(群体)—showing a high level of intelligence despite their tiny brains.
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London said the experiments, often used to test the intelligence of apes (猿) and birds, showed for the first time that some insects are up to the task, and can also pass skills on through several generations.
The findings add to the evidence suggesting the ability for “culture spread” — the ability to learn and pass on knowledge and skills — may not be exclusive to humans.
In the research, published in the journal PLOS Biology on Tuesday, the scientists were able to train 23 out of a group of 40 bees to pull strings with their legs and feet.
The strings were attached to discs — or artificial “flowers” — containing food at their center but placed under a transparent screen. The bees, spotting the food beneath the screen, learned to pull the “flowers” out by pulling the string with their legs and feet to be able to get to it.
From another group of bees given the chance to solve the task without any training, only two of 110 were successful.
Another group of bees was then allowed to observe the trained bees pulling the strings, and 60 percent of them successfully learned the skill. Finally, trained bees were put in colonies, and the scientists found the technique spread successfully to a majority of the colony’s worker bees.
Lars Chittka, a Queen Mary University professor who guided the project, said the team is interested in figuring out the brain processes behind the bees’ learning and teaching skills.
1.What does the underlined word “exclusive” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Ordinary. B. Unique. C. Beneficial. D. Widespread.
2.What did the researchers find about bees?
A. Bees learn best in insects.
B. Bees are as clever as birds.
C. Bees are born good learners.
D. Bees can be trained to learn skills.
3.What may the research team focus on next?
A. What else bees can do. B. Where bees learn skills.
C. How bees teach others. D. How bees’ brain work.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A. Small bees, great abilities B. Bees can learn and teach
C. Bees are smarter D. Let bees learn
I first came across the concept of paywhatyoucan cafés last summer in Boone, N．C., where I ate at F．A.R.M (Feed All Regardless of Means) Café.You can volunteer to earn your meal, pay the suggested price ($10) or less, or you can overpay—paying it forward for a future customer's meal.My only regret after eating there was not having a chance to give my time.So as soon as Healthy World Café opened in York in April, I signed up for a volunteer shift(轮班)．
F．A.R.M and Healthy World are part of a growing trend of community cafés.In 2003, Denise Cerreta opened the first in Salt Lake City.Cerreta now runs the One World Everybody Eats Foundation, helping others copy her paywhatyoucan model.
“I think the community café is truly a hand up, not a handout，” Cerreta said.She acknowledged that soup kitchens(施粥所) have a place in society, but people typically don't feel good about going there.
“One of the values of the community café is that we have another approach，” she said.“Everyone eats here, no one needs to know whether you volunteered, overpaid or underpaid.”
The successful cafés not only address hunger and food insecurity but also become necessary parts of their neighborhood—whether it's a place to learn skills or hear live music.Some teach cooking to seniors; some offer free used books.Eating or working there is a reminder that we are all in this world together.
My 10 am～1pm shift at World Healthy Café began with the café manager—one of the two paid staff members.Our volunteer crew wasn't the most orderly, but we managed to prepare and serve meals with a lot of laughs in between.At the end of my shift, I ordered my earned meal at the counter, together with other volunteers.After lunch, I walked out the door, with a handful of new friends, music in my head and a satisfied belly and heart.
1.What did the author do at F．A.R.M Café last summer？
A.She enjoyed a meal. B.She ate free of charge.
C.She overpaid for the food. D.She worked as a volunteer.
2.What is the advantage of community cafés compared with soup kitchens？
A.People can have free food.
B.People can maintain their dignity.
C.People can stay as long as they like.
D.People can find their places in society.
3.Why are community cafés becoming popular in the neighborhoods？
A.They bring people true friendships.
B.They help to bring people together.
C.They create a lot of job opportunities.
D.They support local economic development.
4.How did the author feel about working at Healthy World Café？
A.It paid well. B.It changed her.
C.It was beneficial. D.It was easy for her.
“I like photography because it captures amazing things that you might not see again,” Timmy Walsh says. He takes pictures of flowers, sunsets and road signs. But those photos don’t usually end up in a scrapbook(剪贴簿) or on his bedroom walls.
When Timmy was five, he found out that his aunt Bev had lung cancer. He wanted to do something to help her. His first idea was to sell his photos from a lemonade--type stand in front of his house in Pennsylvania. “My mom said it wouldn’t work because we were not on a busy street,” Timmy explains.
His next idea was to have an art show. Timmy decorated his home with candles, flowers, and white lights. Then he arranged his photos. Timmy’s mom, Sheila, remembers: “Our dining-room table was filled, the living room—everything was filled with photos.” Friends, family, and Timmy’s teachers came to the show. He raised more than $300 for cancer research that night. Aunt Bev was “very happy and excited,” he says.
After a local newspaper wrote a story about Timmy’s photos, a volunteer offered to help him set up a website. As people learned about his cause, called Camera for a Cure, Timmy began receiving invitations to sell his pictures at art galleries and fund-raisers. Since then, his work has appeared in more than 20 shows.
When Timmy is at a show, he greets each customer and talks about what he was thinking when he took his photos. And he always shares facts about lung cancer. Sometimes donations and sales are slow, but that doesn’t bother him. “It doesn’t matter how much money we made because we just raised awareness,” he says. Timmy knows that finding a cure for lung cancer will take time and effort. So Timmy will keep doing his part by shooting and selling photos of the things he sees.
1.Before Timmy started Camera for a Cure, he ________.
A.always sold lemonade in front of his house.
B.liked making scrapbooks by using his photos.
C.had developed a deep interest in photography.
D.had been providing photos for a local newspaper.
2.What can we learn about the art show Timmy held at his home?
A.It was generally popular.
B.It cost $300 to organize it.
C.It was funded by Aunt Bev.
D.It was advertised on a website.
3.For Timmy, what’s the benefit of selling his photos at art galleries?
A.Raising money more quickly.
B.Improving his photographic skills
C.Exchanging ideas with other artists.
D.Increasing public awareness of lung cancer.
4.Which of the following can best describe Timmy?
A.Proud and confident.
B.Imaginative but cautious.
C.Generous but self-centered.
D.Determined and warm-hearted.
Discovering the beauty of the science and maths that shape our everyday lives, an experience in Wonderlab will fuel your imagination and inspire you to see the world around you in new and exciting ways. Come and enjoy yourself!
What to see
Spread across seven different zones, there're loads of opportunities to get hands on with real scientific phenomena. Observe live experiments at our Chemistry Bar, see lightning strike before your eyes, play with forces on giant slides or travel through space under a canopy (苍穹)of stars. You can also take part in explosive science demonstrations led by our talented team of explainers. With 50 mind-blowing wonders of science to enjoy, Wonderlab is an experience unlike any other. Besides, a selection of shows will be performed daily in Wonderlab’s beautiful new show space. They are free of charge and last 20 minutes.
Tickets
♦ Day pass: £ 6 per person.
This ticket gives you day-long access to Wonderlab, perfect whether you're planning a special trip to the Museum or simply passing through London and want to feed your curiosity.
♦ Annual pass: £ 10 per person.
For less than the price of two visits, give yourself a year packed full of wonder, curiosity and breathtaking experiences.
Opening times
Open seven days a week, 10:00 — 18:00 (last entry 17:15). Wonderlab will be closed on December 24，25 and 26 and will be open as usual from December 27.
During school holidays our opening hours are 10:00 — 19:00 (last entry 18:15). Please note that in peak periods ( from midday onwards) we are experiencing long queues due to the gallery’s popularity.
1.What can you do in Wonderlab?
A.Explore stars. B.Produce lighting.
C.Join in explosion shows. D.Do chemistry experiments.
2.How much should two visitors pay if they visit Wonderlab and enjoy the shows for one day?
A.£ 12. B.£ 20.
C.£32. D.£40.
3.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To introduce Wonderlab. B.To attract people to Wonderlab.
C.To explain how Wonderlab works. D.To analyze why Wonderlab is attractive.
