You just can’t imagine what a brave mother is like. She was a mother of three, who just _______ an earthquake, couldn’t tell if her children were _______ for help. Or what if you knew you couldn’t yell at her for help because she couldn’t _______ you? That was what happened to Connie and her three children _______ the 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Napa, California. Connie is _______ and communicates with her children using sign language.
At midnight, Connie and her three children were _______ on the first floor of their two-story home. She and her 16-year-old son, Juan, were shaken awake. Instantly, they realized there were no disaster supplies downstairs. Connie, also _______ one-month-old Raul and 8-year-old Adriana, called Juan to come close to her in the darkness and _______ for him to go upstairs to get a _______.
Juan slowly __________ the stairs. He heard a loud creak (嘎吱声). Arriving on the top floor, he moved quickly but __________ to get what he needed. Using the flashlight to guide his steps back __________ the stairs, the family was able to take a few items from the first floor and __________. Their home was almost in ruins.
Being deaf was not deterrent (妨碍物) for this __________ mother. The family made it to the __________ safely, which comforted everyone.
1.A.experienced B.dreamed C.avoided D.reported
2.A.turning around B.standing by C.running away D.crying out
3.A.see B.hear C.forgive D.reach
4.A.when B.after C.unless D.before
5.A.blind B.deaf C.old D.sick
6.A.alone B.awake C.alive D.asleep
7.A.chatting to B.playing with C.focusing on D.running after
8.A.signed B.phoned C.shouted D.explained
9.A.helper B.flashlight C.box D.suitcase
10.A.mopped B.examined C.climbed D.left
11.A.carefully B.regularly C.bravely D.hurriedly
12.A.up B.above C.under D.down
13.A.stay B.return C.flee D.cry
14.A.famous B.skillful C.ordinary D.determined
15.A.darkness B.shelter C.ruins D.stairs
Making other people feel good feels good, and, best of all, it requires little more than a generous heart. Studies show that people feel happier when they do something kind for another person, and both recipients and good deed-doers can get the benefits. It can't be smarter idea to create this World Kindness Day.1.
Learn a friend's language. You care and take an interest in their experiences. Making someone feel included and respected will feel a greater sense of belonging, an essential component of happiness.
2.. Reaching out to someone for the first time in a long time can be an instant remedy(治 疗) for whatever trouble you. It's as simple as a text, a note or a Face Time call. Let someone know you're thinking of them, even after some time apart. Studies suggest strong bonds can improve physical health, too.
Genuinely compliment(赞扬) someone. A respectful comment that comes from the heart about someone's unique hair style, excellent performance in a conceit or their great solution to a problem at work might be all it takes to improve someone's mood. 3.
Collect trash you see around your neighborhood. Picking up trash and recyclables off the street beautifies your community and benefits the environment. 4. The environment can't clean itself, after all!
Thank the people in your life.They are the security guard outside of your workplace, the supermarket worker you see every day, your mom. 5. Thank people for the things, big and small, that they do that improve your life. Gratitude is priceless.
A.Others' positive words could help some people be a bit kinder to themselves, too.
B.If your friends are overweight, that too ups the odds you'll pack on pounds.
C.Open your heart with some small, free ways to make someone's day.
D.Without their help, your world might not rim as efficiently.
E.It might even inspire others to take up the task with you.
F.Reconnect with a friend or family member.
G.Have an eye contact with friends.
Instagram（图片分享社交应用程序）is about to take its biggest step toward removing likes from its platform. After months of testing an option to hide likes in select international markets, Instagram, which is owned by Facebook（FB）, has already been testing hiding likes in seven other countries, including Canada, Ireland and Australia. For years, likes have been central to how celebrities, brands, politicians and everyday users experience Instagram and Facebook. It's a way of measuring popularity and success. But in recent months, Instagram has been rethinking how likes contribute to making its platform more toxic. Now it's considering a change.
The total number of likes on posts — which appear as hearts on the app ——will disappear from Instagram's main feed, profile pages and permalink（永久链接）pages. The owner of the account can still see their own likes, but their followers won't know the count.
CNN Business previously spoke with users in countries with the test. The majority felt this move would improve well-being on the app. Instagram is the most detrimental（不利的，有害的）social networking app for young people's mental health, such as negatively impacting body image, according to one study.
But other users and psychologists said hiding likes won't fix everything. The test doesn't address some of the key ways that activity on Instagram can impact the well-being of users, including bullying, feeling left out and thinking other people's lives are better than their own.
Renee Engeln, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, voiced his opinion that the biggest impact of Instagram is the content and the exposure to this constant stream of perfected images is what seems to hurt psychologically. Plus, users can still see their own likes ——and feel badly if their posts don't perform well.
1.How do users experience Instagram in this passage?
A.By giving likes. B.By hiding likes.
C.By selecting platforms. D.By showing off talents.
2.The underlined word “toxic” in Paragraph 1 most probably means “ ”.
A.profitable B.poisonous
C.popular D.positive
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Instagram has affected youngsters' mental health.
B.The account owners won't know the count o£ likes.
C.Instagram tested hiding likes in seven countries first.
D.The majority think Instagram has been a well-being app.
4.What could be the best title of the passage?
A.Instagram Misuses Likes
B.More People Are Against Likes
C.Likes Cause Mental Problems
D.Likes will Be Hidden on Instagram
Playing tennis regularly could help keep people off death, but football, rugby and running may not help people to live longer, a study suggests.
A study followed more than 80,000 people for an average of nine years to find out if certain sports protected them against early death. It found that people who played racket sports regularly were the least likely to die over the study period, reducing their individual risk by 47 percent compared with people who did no exercise. Swimmers also reduced their chance of death by 28 percent, aerobics (有氧运动) fans by 27 percent and cyclists by 15 percent. Yet running appeared to have no impact at all on dying early, and neither did playing football or rugby.
Scientists say the difference may lie in the social aspect which goes alongside sports like tennis and squash (壁球), which often involve clubs and organized activities outside of the game. It means that people often have larger social net-works and tend to keep up activities into later life, both of which are proven to be good for health.
In contrast, people who play team sports often do not move onto a new sport once their teams break up for family, or injury reasons. They become watchers rather than participants in their chosen activity.
The researchers found that playing racket sports was associated with a 56 percent lower risk from heart death. Similarly, swimmers lowered their heart disease or stroke risk by 41 percent, and people who took part in activities like aerobics, dance or gymnastics lowered their risk by 36 percent. But again running, football and rugby had no significant impact on heart deaths.
However, other experts argue that this study must not be misinterpreted as showing that running and football do not protect against heart disease. In this study both runners and footballers had a lower rate of death from heart disease.
1.Which sport has hardly any impact on protecting people against early death?
A.Cycling. B.Swimming.
C.Rugby. D.Tennis.
2.According to the study, which makes a big difference in keeping healthy?
A.Playing basketball with their friends occasionally.
B.Watching football games every day.
C.Taking up gymnastics and joining a club.
D.Doing running in the park every day.
3.What is considered more important to people's health?
A.Social networks. B.Staying at home.
C.Physical examinations. D.Setting up families.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Thousands of people participated in a 9-year research.
B.Study finds playing tennis helps people live longer.
C.It is wrong to say running has no impact on heart disease.
D.There are differences between racket sports and team games.
George Nakashima always insisted that he was a simple woodworker, not an artist. Even though major museums exhibited his works and the director of the American Craft Museum called him a national treasure, Mr Nakashima rejected the label of artist. For almost fifty years he simply went on shaping wood into beautiful chairs, tables, and cabinets.
Nakashima had a clear goal. He intended each piece of furniture he made to be as perfect as possible. Even making a box was an act of creation, because it produced an object that had never existed before. Initially Nakashima used local wood, sometimes from his own property. Later, he traveled to seek out English oak, Persian walnut, African zebra wood and Indian teak. He especially liked to find giant roots that had been dug out of the ground after a tree was taken down. Nakashima felt that making this wood into furniture was a way of allowing the tree to live again.
Most furniture makers prefer perfect boards, but Nakashima took pleasure in using wood with interesting knots (节疤)and cracks. These irregularities gave the wood personality and showed that the tree had lived a happy life.
He never failed to create an object that was both useful and beautiful. One early piece Nakashima designed was a three-legged chair for his small daughter, Mira, to use when she sat at the table for meals. The Mira chair became so popular that Nakashima later made both low and high versions. Another famous piece, the Conoid chair, has two legs supported by bladelike feet. Always, Nakashima's designs were precise and graceful, marked by a simplicity that revealed his love for the wood.
As the years passed, Nakashima's reputation grew and his work received many awards. His children Mira and Kevin, now adults, joined the team of crafts - people in their father's studio. Nakashima's dream of integrating work and family had come true.
1.Which of the following best describes Nakashima?
A.Generous and outgoing. B.Honest and simple.
C.Capable and friendly. D.Creative and modest.
2.Why was Nakashima called a national treasure?
A.His art work made trees live again.
B.He used precious wood materials.
C.His chairs were beautifully designed.
D.He was devoted to making furniture.
3.What can we learn about Nakashima from the last two paragraphs?
A.He loved his work and family.
B.He made chairs of the same style.
C.He sought for a simple life and art.
D.He was lost in researching the wood.
4.What can be inferred about Mira and Kevin?
A.They had an art studio of their own.
B.They still lacked the ability to create art works.
C.They had a common interest with their father.
D.They enjoyed the same reputation with their father.
National Park Association of Queensland Activities Vegetation Management Group
Saturday 14th March 2020
Location: Jolly’ s Lookout carpark, D’Aguilar National Park
Leader: Angus McElnea (0429854446 or gus mcelnea@hotmail.com)
Get your hands dirty! Come and spend a couple of hours to help with lantana(a type of flowering plant) control and revegetation(植被再造) work in the Boombana and Jolly’s Lookout areas of D’Aguilar National Park, west of Brisbane.
Wynnum North Boardwalk
Sunday 15th March 2020
Location: Wynnum North Boardwalk Leader: Jocelyn Dixon (0733788486)
Fee: $5(members) $10(non-members)
Join with us to view the water and bush birds of this area. A track from Wynnum North Road leads to a secret place for viewing a diverse mix of birds walking around in water. From there we will take a short walk to the Mangrove Boardwalk.
May Long Weekend Camp
Saturday 2nd May to Monday 4th May 2020 Leader: Tony Parsons (0433224544)
Join us for a long weekend in Border Rangers National Park, camping at Sheep Station Creek campground. Spend the days exploring the national park, and evenings around the campfire. We will have the chance to view Mt Warning from the Pinnacle at sunrise and sunset. Bring your family and stay for the weekend or come down for a day. It will be enjoyable.
Central West Qld National Parks
Saturday 29th August to Sunday 6th September 2020 Leader: Wendy Bell(0733002473)
Exciting opportunity to visit and explore at least six national parks in the comfort of a big coach and be accommodated, rather than camping. Basic cost of the tour is $3, 400 per person. Total cost includes all transport, all meals, and activity fees.
1.Who will you call if you are interested in bird-watching?
A.Angus McElnea. B.Jocelyn Dixon. C.Tony Parsons. D.Wendy Bell.
2.In which of the activities will a fire be built?
A.May Long Weekend Camp. B.Wynnum North Boardwalk.
C.Vegetation Management Group. D.Central West Qld National Parks.
3.How is Central West Qld National Parks different from the other activities?
A.It is a weekend activity.
B.Lots of walking is involved.
C.The organizer provides the transport.
D.Visitors have to bring their own food.
