In the face of tragedy(悲剧), you must of course let yourself feel: Cry without holding back, tremble with fear, yell out in anger, accept and follow your feelings. This is part of the wise approach to tragedy: The Upward Path – the feeling of emotions(情感), the acceptance of them, and the coupling of the emotional mind with wisdom. Along this path, you’ll take the experience – no matter how sad or upsetting – as a learning event, just as all other points on your journey will prove to be. While tragic, you must recognize this is still a chance for all involved to grow. You should let both sadness and joy, fear and courage, dark and light fill your world, and learn to find your steady, calm center in the midst of the opposing forces. This is the Upward Path. Use the event as a chance to gain balance and discover wisdom – the wisdom of love and of letting go, of non-attachment and non-resistance, and using this experience to eventually help others in need of guidance.
Being able to relate to others who have also experienced tragedy and inspire in them hope – of recovery, and of moving forward – is perhaps the greatest gift you can receive from tragedy. Turn the negative into positive, the pain into connection. After you’ve taken appropriate time to be sad, to feel your own pain, you should make it your work, your goal, your purpose to connect with others who need help. Show them how you’ve experienced feelings, achieved balance, and gained wisdom that you would never have otherwise had the chance to learn.
Feel, but do not Feed on tragedy. Rather, let it inspire you to go beyond the person who you were before. With demise comes renewal, so let this loss be also your rebirth. No matter how hopeless it seems, no matter how difficult this becomes, you have the power to transform yourself into someone greater than you ever knew you could be.
1.When following the Upward Path, the person facing tragedy should _______.
A. free his emotions
B. hold back all his feelings
C. fill his world with positive ideas
D. give in to tragedy and all opposing forces
2.According to the author, the greatest gift one gets from tragedy is being able to _______.
A. seek solutions from others B. understand and help others
C. stay calm and resist change D. forgive others and move on
3.The underlined word “demise” in the last paragraph probably means _______.
A. sorrow B. problem C. difficulty D. death
4.The purpose of the passage is to _______.
A. analyze the causes of tragedy
B. tell people how to prevent tragedy
C. suggest a way of dealing with tragedy
D. encourage people to build friendship after tragedy
A winter wonderland on the outskirts of Quebec City has become one of Canada's hottest attractions and most sought out accommodations. Guests stay close for warmth in sleeping bags on beds of ice, hats pulled over their ears to prevent frostbite, while sipping cocktails (鸡尾酒) in glasses also made of ice.
A cool place to host a memorable wedding or for a romantic getaway, the Quebec Ice Hotel has attracted 600,000 curious tourists, including 30,000 who stayed overnight, since opening seasonally 11 years ago. Like Victoria and Jeremy Martin, dozens of couples will exchange vows (誓约) this winter in a temporary church next to the hotel, made entirely from blocks of ice with seats covered in furs.
Average temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees C (minus four F) in winter, but inside the hotel's 36 rooms it is relatively comfortable. Thick walls of packed snow and ice act as an insulator, trapping body heat inside. Each room is uniquely decorated, using designs created by Quebec architecture students. Two hotel bars also sell special cocktails in ice glasses.
First-time guests of the hotel, however, are recommended to stay only one night as sleeping in sub-zero temperatures is not very refreshing. This year for the first time the ice hotel has teamed up with a brick and concrete Quebec City hotel to offer packages(全套服务) for one-night accommodations at each. Prices for one night only at the ice hotel start at 200 US dollars per person.
The 3,000-square-metre (32,300-square-feet) buildings take six weeks starting in December to build, using 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice, at a cost of some 750,000 US dollars. Eleven weeks after its seasonal grand opening, the hotel will close on March 27 and then melt away with the arrival of spring.
1.What is true with the ice hotel?
A. 630,000 people have visited it.
B. Its rooms all look alike.
C. It stays open for two months each year.
D. Wedding ceremonies are often held there.
2.The underlined word “insulator” in Paragraph 3 possibly refers to something that ______.
A. stops heat passing through it
B. collects and reflects light and heat
C. makes things become very cold
D. works like an air-conditioner
3.First-time guests are advised to stay there only one night because _______.
A. they may not be able to stand the cold
B. their other night is with an ordinary hotel
C. new guests have no advantages over old ones
D. they may find the beds made of ice too hard to sleep on.
Grandfather was an elder Cherokee Native American who had a wrinkled, nut brown face and kind dark eyes．His grandson often came in the evening to sit on his knee and asked the many questions that children asked．
One day the grandson came to his grandfather with a look of anger on his face and the following story．"Father and I went to the store today and because I helped him, he bought me a present, a jack-knife．I went outside to wait for father and to admire my new knife in the sunlight．Some town boys came by and saw me．They surrounded me and started saying bad things．They called me dirty and stupid and said that I should not have such a fine knife．The largest of these boys pushed me back and I fell over one of the other boys．I dropped my knife and one of them picked it up and they all ran away laughing．I hate them．I hate them all．”
The elder Cherokee, with eyes that had seen too much, lifted his grandson's face so his eyes looked into the boy's face．Grandfather said, " Let me tell you a story．I, too, at times, have felt a great hate for those who have taken so much with no sorrow for what they do．But hate wears you down and does not hurt your enemy．It is like drinking poison and wishing your enemy would die．I have struggled with these feelings many times．It is as if two wolves are inside me．．．It is a terrible fight．
One wolf is good and does no harm．He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense (冒犯) when no offense is intended．It will only fight when it is right to do so and in the right way．This wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, modesty, kindness, friendship, sympathy, generosity, truth and faith．
The other wolf is full of anger．The smallest thing will set off his fiercest temper．He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason．He cannot think because his anger and hate are so much．
It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing．This wolf represents fear, envy, greed, self-pity, guilt, lies, false pride and superiority．
Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me for both of them try to control my mind．This same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person too．"
The boy looked into his grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied ．．．
"The one you feed．"
1.The boy was angry because ______.
A．he was not satisfied with his present
B．his back was badly injured in a fight
C．he had waited for his father for too long
D．his jack-knife had been taken away by some boys
2.The angry wolf would probably be described as ______.
A．aggressive(好斗) B．sympathetic C．modest D．unsuccessful
3.We can learn from the third paragraph that ______.
A．"hate" is healthy B．"hate" hurts oneself
C．"hate" is complicated D．"hate" harms one's enemies
4.What did Grandfather mean by saying "The one you feed" in the last paragraph?
A．We should feed the two wolves equally．
B．Living in harmony with others is important．
C．Our feelings should be expressed at the right time．
D．The choices we make determine who we will become．
One Monday morning, the class were excited about the rumor（流言）that the science room was on fire over the weekend．Mr. Johnson, my fifth grade teacher 36 it and explained that science class would be cancelled 37 the fire. He also 38 us not to go near the room because it could be dangerous．
During the morning break, Kim and I 39 to check out the damage．A first hand observation would make us heroes at lunch．We safely 40 the science room．We stood on tiptoes（脚尖）looking hard through the door window, trying to see what was like inside 41 suddenly a firm hold on our shoulders stopped us．
"Where do you belong? Certainly not here!"
I turned around to find a teacher staring 42 at us, shouting．In those frozen seconds millions of 43 flashed through my mind．My father would kill me for disobeying teachers．Worse than that, my mother might be so mad that she might not 44 him．My heart 45 even lower when I thought of how angry Mr．Johnson would be．Soon the teacher led Kim and me back to the classroom, leaving us 46 before Mr．Johnson．
But to our 47 , there was no yelling and no anger from Mr．Johnson． 48 , he bent slowly to look me in the eye．I was met with a look of 49 rather than anger．He spoke softly and carefully as he explained why he was 50 in my decision to go where I might have got 51 ．As I looked into the eyes of the man who could send me to unimagined 52 at home, tears welled up in my eyes．The thought of disappointing Mr．Johnson 53 me while I felt a gentle touch of Mr．Johnson's hand on my shoulder．I glanced up and he smiled．My 54 for Mr．Johnson grew greatly the moment I discovered that he still liked me even after I'd disappointed him．I could see that he cared more about my 55 than the fact that I'd broken a rule．It was the first time I felt the power of forgiveness．
1.A．heard B．believed C．confirmed D．studied
2.A．due to B．despite C．in terms of D．other than
3.A．reminded B．warned C．informed D．convinced
4.A．pretended B．asked C．decided D．promised
5.A．entered B．found C．examined D．reached
6.A．as B．when C．while D．since
7.A．angrily B．patiently C．silently D．curiously
8.A．excuses B．thoughts C．words D．feelings
9.A．help B．hate C．stop D．seize
10.A．flew B．sank C．beat D．moved
11.A．whistling B．chatting C．whispering D．shaking
12.A．surprise B．delight C．regret D．sorrow
13.A．However B．Therefore C．Otherwise D．Instead
14.A．comfort B．guilt C．concern D．complaint
15.A．frightened B．puzzled C．discouraged D．disappointed
16.A．hurt B．burnt C．lost D．blamed
17.A．consequences B．destructions C．influences D．surroundings
18.A．shocked B．shamed C．bored D．confused
19.A．care B．hope C．desire D．love
20.A．safety B．freedom C．dignity D．behaviour
It is reported that ________ 8,000 torchbearers will take part in the London Olympic Torch Relay.
A. merely B. altogether C. apparently D. together
Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian culture, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt（尝试）to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to conclude about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.
1.What does the smile usually mean in the U.S.?
A. Love. B. Politeness. C. Joy. D. Thankfulness.
2.The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ___ .
A. show friendliness to strangers B. be used to hide true feelings
C. be used in the wrong places D. show personal habits
3.What should we do before attempting to “read” people?
A. Learn about their relations with others.
B. Understand their cultural backgrounds.
C. Find out about their past experience.
D. Figure out what they will do next.
4.What would be the best title for the test?
A. Cultural Differences B. Smiles and Relationship
C. Facial Expressiveness D. Habits and Emotions
