I was inspired by a video of a young Pakistani man. He celebrated his 22nd birthday with 22 random acts of kindness. I mentioned to my daughter Tamara that I'd like to copy the young man's idea for my upcoming 55th birthday in December. She agreed and so we decided to make it happen the next day.
We wore clumsy reindeer antlers (鹿角) to make people smile, placed cheerful stickers on the shirts of children, cleaned up a park, and passed out delicious Mexican hot chocolate to those in the park-many of whom appeared homeless.
At the end of the day, we passed out carnation flowers (康乃馨) in a retirement home after their dinner. At first, I found myself questioning my motivation and how it would be received. It turned out that the local Unity Church had a large group there at the same time singing to the people living in the home.
At first, I was surprised how almost every man enjoyed receiving a flower, not only from Tamara, but also from such an old man as me. Then, I found myself giving the women longer caring hugs. One commented that she had not been hugged like that for years. Then my heart was permanently touched when another woman told me that she had not been hugged like that by a man for five decades!
I didn't count the number of kind acts we did that day, and neither do I count that birthday as one of the good ones. Without doubt, I KNOW it was my best!
1.How did the author decide to celebrate his birthday?
A.To go abroad for sightseeing.
B.To perform some kind acts for others.
C.To make some chocolate himself.
D.To record a piece of video about his life.
2.What's the author's concern at the retirement home?
A.The old females there wouldn't like carnation flowers.
B.His daughter wouldn't be willing to hug the old men there.
C.People there might feel tired after the church singing.
D.People there might reject the kindness from him and Tamara.
3.Which of the following can best describe the author?
A.Caring and thoughtful. B.Curious and generous.
C.Modest and friendly. D.Polite and careful.
Many pets got separated from their families almost two years ago, when Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast. A New Jersey family was one of them. They lost their dog. He got away from their backyard during the storm.
Chuck James said that his family searched for the brown-and-white dog named Reckless for months after the October 2012 storm. Reckless was a cute dog which brought much pleasure to the whole family, and the youngest daughter Tiffany loved him most. They played together, watched TV together, ate popcorn together and Reckless even saw Tiffany off when she headed for the kindergarten every morning. Chuck James kept on searching for the lovely dog in e very possible way, but no luck.
"We reported him missing and called the shelters from time to time, just hoping they had him," James said. "We always kept our hopes up, but finally it was time to move on."
James said the family had planned to get a new dog. The dog was to be a tenth birthday surprise for their eldest daughter, Ally. The family of five went to the Monmouth County SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) to adopt a new animal. When James and his wife walked close to the first cage, they saw a familiar face inside.
"He was a little bigger than I remembered because they had fed him well," James joked. "But then he was lying on my wife's feet and I knew it was him. It was unbelievable. I know this dog is meant to be with our family."
When SPCA officials asked if they could prove the animal was their dog, a friend sent a selfie showing the family with their dog before Sandy hit the East Coast.
"We're all so happy to have him back," James said. The family is living in a hotel while their home is being repaired. This weekend, the Jameses went on a camping trip with Reckless to celebrate the dog's return.
1.What happened to Jameses when Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast?
A.Their house lay in ruins after the storm.
B.Their pet dog Reckless went missing.
C.Their pet dog Reckless was adopted by another family.
D.They found their pet dog Reckless badly injured.
2.Having searched for Reckless for months, the Jameses found him in ________.
A.an animal hospital B.one of their friends' houses
C.the Monmouth County SPCA D.the backyard which was under repair
3.The meaning of the underlined word "selfie" is closest to "________".
A.document B.credit card C.text message D.picture
CHINA has built a biscuit factory to make food for its captive (圈养的) giant pandas, giving them a healthier diet (日常食物) than the usual steamed bread.
The special biscuits, developed by the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre, are shaped like bamboo so they will not seem unfamiliar to the pandas.
"The cream-colored biscuit, made of bamboo, is rich in vitamins and has 30 per cent more fiber (纤维) than normal bamboo," said Yu Jianqiu, who is in charge of the project.
Steamed bread, which is eaten by most captive giant pandas as well as fresh bamboo, loses much of its goodness when cooked, often causing bad health. What's more, it can only be stored for a short time, making pandas expensive to feed.
Thirty pandas have tried the biscuits since the factory was completed in October.
"They love our new biscuits," Yu said. "In time, all captive pandas will be given the new food."
Around 1,000 giant pandas live in the foggy mountains around the Sichuan basin (盆地) in southwest China, while about 140 live in captivity around the world.
The destruction of forests, a panda's natural home and major food source, is the biggest threat to the animal.
In 1998, China banned the cutting down of trees in panda-inhabited areas to help save an animal seen as a national treasure.
1.Why are captive giant pandas given the special biscuits?
A.Because there is not enough fresh bamboo around.
B.Because they are healthier and easier to store.
C.Because the price of steamed bread is too high.
D.Because pandas like to change their food.
2.How does steamed bread cause panda's bad health?
A.The bad taste makes pandas tired of eating.
B.The bread is not fresh enough to keep pandas healthy.
C.Cooking makes it lose what is important to pandas' health.
D.The steamed bread goes bad easily enough to harm pandas.
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.There are fewer than 1000 pandas living in the world right now.
B.Most of the pandas in captivity are now living on the newly developed biscuits.
C.The pandas are now in great danger mainly because of trees being cut down in forests.
D.Pandas like to eat food which has enough vitamins and as much fiber as possible.
Today some women are wearing the new high platform shoes that came into style (时髦，式样)not long ago. Young women enjoy wearing stylish clothes. They also enjoy being taller while they are wearing these shoes.
But doctors are not very happy with the platform shoes. Foot specialist report that many women hurt their feet by wearing them. These specialists say that if you turn ankle when wearing a normal shoe, the foot can easily return to its position. However, if you fall while walking on a high platform shoe, your foot may turn so far you will break.
There is also a possibility that these shoes cause backaches. Many platform shoes have high heels (跟),and women who wear them say that these shoes sometimes make them feel tired.(It has been found that people use more energy when walking on high-heeled shoes.)
Because the platforms are very thick and stiff (硬), these shoes could cause auto (汽车) accidents. The driver might not be able to feel the difference between the brake (闸) and the accelerator (油门踏板). Also, if the platforms are very high, and if the driver has to stop the car quickly, she might not be able to move her foot to the brake in time.
Women are not alone in wearing platform shoes. Many U.S. shoe stores sell platform shoes designed for men. Doctors continued to warn people about the dangers of wearing them. A high style is not always a safe style.
1.Some people enjoy wearing high platform shoes because they think ________.
A.the shoes will make them healthy
B.they would be more alert when they drive
C.they would look taller
D.the shoes are popular
2.What does "high style" mean in this passage?
A.Being taller B.Standing higher
C.High platform shoes D.Taller people
3.Wearing high platform shoes can cause a woman ________.
A.to break her back easily
B.to feel too tired to walk
C.backaches and headaches
D.to act slowly when driving
A: Hey, Alex. The Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing in 2022.1..
B: Yes, I really like watching the Winter Olympics.
A: Me too. And I like the Olympics torch (火炬).
B:2..
A: I am looking forward to it.
B:3..
A: I love to watch team events.
B: I enjoy watching the men's and women's skating. The skaters are so amazing.
A:4..
B: I know. And they look so beautiful and cool on the ice.
A:5..
B: OK. See you in Beijing.
A.What are your favourite events?
B.Yes, I like it.
C.Are you going to watch some games?
D.I can't wait to see them.
E.They train hard for the Olympics.
F.You can see it at the opening ceremony.
G.I'd love to
One day, the students of Class 6 were reading in the classroom.Mrs. Brown came in and toldthe whole class they would have to change the__________ the next week. All of the studentsdisagreed ___________Mrs. Brown, so they shouted when Mrs. Brown said it was because a new student would ____ the class.“Why must we move to another classroom just because someone new is coming?” One of them asked
________ . Mrs. Brown stood there without saying anything. After a few minutes, she told them to be___________ to their new classmate and then she left.
The following week, the head teacher, Mr.White himself brought the new student
to theirclass. ___________ he pushed the new student to the class because the student was in a wheelchair（轮椅）. Mr. White introduced the new student Jeff to the class. He said that Jeff now was a ____________ of the class and they should work together. He added, “Helping each other is very important.” __________ could fully understand what Mr. White meant at first.
Over time, they began to understand the reason. Jeff was a_______student and often helpedthe students who didn’t understand their work. The c lass felt very thankful to him. They took care of him because they knew that when someone did something for you, you should do something ___________ in return.
1.A. classmates B. lessons C. teacher D. classroom
2.A. for B. of C. with D. from
3.A. leave B. join C. help D. visit
4.A. politely B. terribly C. angrily D. happily
5.A. kind B. useful C. honest D. careful
6.A. So far B. Above all C. As usual D. In fact
7.A. hope B. member C. monitor D. symbol
8.A. Nobody B. Somebody C. Anybody D. Everybody
9.A. lucky B. funny C. clever D. strict
10.A. out B. down C. off D. back
