Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker' s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 2Os, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion (宗教). So what's the point?
"To see what happens," said Liz. "We simply enjoy life with open communication(交流)."
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
"It started as a crazy idea," Liz said. "We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.
1.What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?
A.Chatting with people.
B.Setting up street signs.
C.Telling stories to strangers.
D.Organizing a speaker's corner.
2.What they have been doing can be described as______.
A.pointless B.normal
C.crazy D.successful
3.Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?
A.They knew Liz and Bill very well.
B.They happened to meet the writer of the text.
C.They organized the get-together in the city park.
D.They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.
4.What will Liz and Bill do in the future?
A.Go in for publishing. B.Do more television programs.
C.Continue what they am doing. D.Spend more time reading books.
5.How do they like the idea of writing a book?
A.They have decided to wait a year or two.
B.They will think about it carefully.
C.They agreed immediately.
D.They find it hard to do that.
Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life.
We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day,my mother spoke to me in her gentle,loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I would walk again if I want to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her.A year I returned to school—walking on my own !
When the Great Depression(大萧条)hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel(汽车旅馆)for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly, Mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business,we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed.Fifteen years later,we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
1.What Kemmons’mom often told him during his childhood was______
A.caring B.moving C.encouraging D.interesting
2.According to the author, who played the most role in making him walk back to school again?
A.Doctors B.Nurses C.Friends D.Mom
3.What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A.His terrible experience in the hotel
B.His previous business success of various levels
C.His mom’s support
D.His wife’s suggestion
4.Which of the following best describles Kemmons’s mother?
A.Modest,helpful and hard—working
B.loving, supportive and strong—willed(有坚强意志的)
C.careful, helpful and beautiful
D.strict, sensitive and supportive.
5.Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A.Self-cofidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family
B.Mom’s encouragement, clear goals. Self—confidence and hard work
C.Clear goals,mom’s encouragemen, a poor family and higher education.
D.Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
A.show the relationship between parents and children
B.teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C.report on the findings of a study
D.give information about family problems
2.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A.they are busy serving food to their children
B.they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
C.they have to pay more attention to younger children
D.they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
3.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.
A.have to help their parents to serve dinner
B.get the least attention from the family
C.are often kept away from the dinner table
D.find it hard to keep up with other children
4.Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
A.why TV is important in family life
B.why parents should keep good order
C.why children in small families seem to be quieter
D.why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A.It is important to have the right food for children.
B.It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C.Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D.Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
Until 1954 it was thought that no man could run one mile in less than four minutes. As years 31 , the record came closer and closer to four minutes and Roger Bannister, a young English 32 , began to believe he might 33 this almost magic barrier.
It was a cold afternoon on May 6th, 1954, when Bannister knew he had a 34 chance. Bannister had been 35 hard and was very fit, but the weather conditions were a real 36 to him. Describing the 37 later, Bannister said,” On the way to the track the wind blew strongly. As I 38 for the start I glanced at the flag. It moved 39 now. This was the moment when I made my decision.”
“The gun fired. My legs 40 to meet no resistance, as if I was 41 forward by some unknown force. The noise from the faithful 42 gave me greater strength. I felt the 43 of a lifetimes had come.”
“I was driven on by a 44 of fear and pride. My body had long since used up all its energy 45 it went on running just the same. This was the critical moment when my legs were strong enough to carry me over the last few yards as they 46 could have done in previous years. When I leapt at(冲向)the 47 tape, I fell, almost 48 .
“I knew I had done it, even before I 49 the time. The announcement came. ‘Result of the one mile…Time, three minutes…’the test was 50 in the noise of excitement.”
1. A.passed along B.passed down C.went by D.went over
2. A.coach B.athlete C.captain D.judge
3. A.defeat B.move C.beat D.break
4. A.real B.lucky C.serious D.false
5. A.competing B.training C.fighting D.attending
6. A.eagerness B.pleasure C.relief D.worry
7. A.accident B.event C.issue D.topic
8. A.did up B.made up C.put up D.lined up
9. A.safely B.heavily C.thinly D.gently
10. A.seemed B.used C.happened D.had
11. A.dragged B.drawn C.pulled D.pushed
12. A.mass B.residents C.crowd D.team
13. A.moment B.period C.while D.date
14. A.concentration B.collection C.combination D.classification
15. A.so B.but C.or D.as
16. A.never B.ever C.even D.still
17. A.starting B.lasting C.finishing D.running
18. A.unconcerned B.unconscious C.unknown D.unnoticed
19. A.offered B.told C.announced D.heard
20. A.stuck B.involved C.lost D.spread
John is very _____---if he promises to do something he’ll do it.
A.incredible B.confidential C.reliable D.flexible
The performance______ nearly three hours, but few people left the theatre early.
A.covered B.reached C.played D.lasted