You may have wondered why there are fish tanks (at many doctor's and dentist's offices.Actually these medical professionals are trying to keep their working areas less stressful with the help of fish tanks.Because of the soft bubbling (冒泡声) from the fish tanks,their patients are expected to feel less nervous or worried when staying there.
The sound of running water can make people feel relaxed.For this reason,places where water keeps running are often considered good choices for people to have deep thoughts and stay relaxed in mind.Even a small tabletop fountain (喷泉) can make a workspace more relaxing.Unlike loud noises,repeated natural sounds remind us that everything is OK." These slow but soft sounds are just the ones that bring us no harm,"said Orfeu Buxton,a professor at Pennsylvania State University." It seems like they are saying,' Don't worry ;don't worry ;don't worry."
Besides bringing a sense of peace to your indoor space,a fountain can also prevent noises from coming inside.I recently had a small indoor fountain for my workspace.I enjoy the fountain even when I'm not working at home.
If you want to have an indoor fountain too,there are plenty of wonderful ones on sale,which may cost you a lot.You can try making one yourself,using some inexpensive materials,like I did.And you will always keep it around ---- 1,000 doctor's offices can't be wrong about the relaxing effects of running water.
1.From the first paragraph,we can learn that ______.
A.bubbling from fish tanks is a little bit noisy
B.bubbling from the fish tanks makes patients less worried
C.doctors like to collect the fish tanks in their offices
D.patients feel relaxed when they see a doctor
2.According to the passage,Mr.Li feels nervous and worried,he should go to ______.
A.a public library B.a science museum
C.a shopping center D.a forest river
3.The underlined word " they"refers to “______”.
A.doctors and dentists B.loud noises outside
C.tabletop fountains D.repeated natural sounds
4.What do we know about the writer's fountain ?
A.It cost the writer a lot of money. B.It was made by the writer himself.
C.The writer bought it from a store. D.The writer doesn't like it anymore.
In one town,there was a wise man who would listen to people's problems and try to offer advice.The problem was that it seemed like people always complained about the same problems over and over again.
The wise man gave good advice to these people in order to help them solve their problems.But it seemed that they never actually took his advice.In fact,it almost seemed like the people simply enjoyed complaining and didn't want to listen to the wise man.
He came up with an interesting solution to this problem.Every time someone came to him with their complaint,he would tell them a joke.The joke was funny the first time they heard it.But as they came back over time with the same old complaints,the man would tell the same old joke.It got less and less funny as time went by.
Finally,one person asked," Wise man,why do you always tell the same joke over and over ?It isn't funny anymore."
The wise man replied with a question of his own. “If you can't laugh at the same joke again and again,then why do you always complain about the same things over and over again?”
1.The wise man's problem was that ______.
A.people wouldn't take his advice B.he didn't understand people's complaints
C.he couldn't give people good advice D.people didn't complain to him anymore
2.The wise man dealt with this problem by ______.
A.refusing to give anybody any advice B.telling people the same joke again and again
C.forcing people to take his advice D.telling people quite lot of jokes
3.The story mainly wants to tell us that ______.
A.taking action is better than just complaining B.complaining is a part of life
C.jokes can help us understand life D.wise people have no worries
The yearly Marathon (马拉松) in my town usually happened during a heat wave. My job was to follow the runners in an ambulance (救护车), for_______of them might need medical attention.
“We're supposed to stay_______the last runner, so take it slowly,” I said to the driver, Doug,
as the race started. The front-runners started to_______and then my eyes were drawn to the woman in blue silk running shorts and a loose white T-shirt .
We knew we were already watching our "last runner". There was something wrong with her_______, so it seemed almost impossible for her to be able to walk. A marathon was really a challenge.
Doug and I watched in silence as she slowly moved forward. _______, she was the only runner left in sight. Tears ran down my face _______ I watched her push forward with great efforts through the last miles.
When the finish line came into sight, rubbish lay everywhere and the _______ crowds had long gone home. Yet, straight and ever so proud stood a lone man. He was holding one end of a ribbon (缎带) tied to a post. She slowly crossed through, _______ both ends of the ribbon fluttering (飘扬)behind her.
I do not know this woman's name, but that day she became part of my life — a part that I often _______. When think things are too difficult or I get "I-just-can't-do-it," I think of the last runner. For her, it wasn't about beating the other runners or winning a prize, but about finishing what she had set out to do, no matter what. Then I realize how __________ the task before me really is.
1.A.any B.either C.both D.none
2.A.above B.below C.before D.behind
3.A.appear B.disappear C.run D.prepare
4.A.hands B.arms C.legs D.teeth
5.A.Luckily B.Firstly C.Quickly D.Finally
6.A.when B.until C.since D.before
7.A.sad B.patient C.excited D.surprised
8.A.making B.leaving C.letting D.having
9.A.worry about B.wait for C.laugh at D.depend on
10.A.difficult B.easy C.interesting D.meaningless
—This article is too hard to understand. I wonder ______.
—Maybe you can turn to Mr.Wu. He reads a lot and is ready to help.
A.who I can ask for help B.whether I can ask for help
C.who can I ask for help D.whether can I ask for help
-- You should do what you can your English, Li Ming.
-- Ok, I will. Thank you, Ms. Hu.
A.improve B.to improve C.improving D.improved
High-speed railways have developed rapidly in our country. Today China has ______ high-speed rail network (铁路网) among the countries in the world.
A.long B.longer C.the longer D.the longest
