It is not a secret that these are turbulent times that put everyone on edge all the time and it makes people angry with their families, co-workers, friends and relatives, frustrated (沮丧的)and highly annoyed just for the noise of the neighbors or the music coming from the opposite house. Anger and negative energy have a strong influence on everyone’s life, even when they don’t realize it.
Being in a calm state of mind is simply wonderful. Results of this can be seen when parents no longer shout at their children over any small thing and when one can keep him cool when bad things happen and doesn’t let the situation become worse by his negative influence.
Also results can be seen on a larger scale. In 1993 a very interesting scientific experiment called The US Transcendental Meditation experiment was conducted in Washington. A company called TM got 4,000 calm and relaxed people to simply sit and meditate (冥想) in a central Washington convention center. The results of this experiment showed that during those particular 8 weeks, violent crimes, such as murder, rape, assaults, clearly decreased by as much as 23%.
This is evident proof that meditation can change the state of mind, bring back peace of mind and collective meditation is contagious (蔓延的), just as anything done collectively is contagious. For example, a person has the urge to become aggressive (while in normal circumstances that person is very calm and normal), just because he is sitting at a stadium watching a football game and everyone around is shouting and is aggressive.
Isn’t increasing the quality of life worth spending 20 minutes of time on meditation? Yes, very few people follow through with a meditation method that should be a joy to do. Many start and leave it after only a few sessions.
So if collective meditation has proven that meditation works, that it calms people down and that it brings their levels of stress down, why not employ it in everyday life?
1.The underlined word “turbulent” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A．changeless B．disorderly C．perfect D．expected
2.According to Paragraph 3, the scientific experiment .
A．was to test whether meditation is useful
B．was conducted throughout America
C．asked the participants to do a lot of sports
D．had no particular requirements on the participants
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Violent crimes are closely related to aggressive characters.
B．People are sometimes easily annoyed by small things.
C．Many people fail to carry out a meditation method.
D．Meditation can cure people of many illnesses.
In 1991, Kentucky Fried Chicken announced that it was officially changing its name to “KFC” as well as updating its packaging and logo(标识)with a more modern look. The public relations reason was that health-conscious consumers associated the word “fried” with “unhealthy”, causing some of them to completely avoid the wide variety of “healthy” menu items. The new title and image were designed to attract customers to a restaurant now offering foods branded as “better for you”.
It sounded good, but the real reason behind the shift to KFC had nothing to do with critical consumers. In 1990, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, trapped in debt, took the unusual step of trade marking its name. Therefore, anyone using the word “Kentucky” for business reasons would have to obtain permission and pay licensing fees to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was an unusual and brilliant scheme to lighten government debt, but it was also one that alienated (疏远)one of the most famous companies ever associated with Kentucky. The Kentucky Fried Chicken chain refused as a matter of principle to pay royalties on a name they had been using for four decades. After a year of fruitless talks, Kentucky Fried Chicken changed their name instead, introducing new packaging and products to hide the real reasons behind the change of the name.
Kentucky fried Chicken was not the only one who bravely refused to give in. The name of the most famous horse race in North America, held every year at Churchill Downs, was changed to “The Run for the Roses” for similar reasons.
In November 2006, KFC and the State of Kentucky finally reached a settlement over the use of the trademarked word “Kentucky”, and the restaurant chain announced it would be reusing its former name of “Kentucky Fried Chicken”.
1.The public relations reason for Kentucky Fried Chicken’s updating its packaging and logo was that .
A．it was losing money
B．most customers didn’t like the old logo
C．it wanted to get involved in other businesses
D．it decided to offer better foods to customers
2.The Commonwealth of Kentucky trademarked its name to .
A．develop American culture
B．be alienated from the famous companies
C．raise money to pay the government debt
D．make Kentucky known throughout the world
3.The real reason why “Kentucky Fried Chicken” changed its name was related to .
A．health B．money C．package D．product
4.It can be inferred from the passage that .
A．KFC is still not allowed to use the name of “Kentucky Fried Chicken”
B．“Kentucky Fried Chicken” changed its name after several years of talks
C．the name “Kentucky Fried Chicken” had only been used for a short time
D．the original name of the horse race “The Run for the Roses” contained the word “Kentucky”
The International Summer School of Scotland’s creative writing course is designed for students aged between 13 and 18 of all levels and interests who have a desire to explore their ability and challenge themselves creatively. Introductory and advanced workshops will introduce students to all the stages of the writing process, including thinking of ideas, writing and revising drafts and editing.
1) Discover writing through a range of creative projects including writing essays, short stories and poetry.
2) Learn tools and ways needed to discover your own voice.
3) Learn how to use the world around you as a source of ideas and inspiration.
4) Benefit from regular writing practice.
5) Help produce the summer school magazine and get your work in print.
All students will work together to produce The International Summer School of Scotland’s creative writing magazine which will include a selection of their creative work.
Program Dates:
Session 1: July 4th — July 25th, 2010
Session 2: July 28th — August 18th, 2010
In addition to our academic programs we also offer some in-depth elective courses. Part of the summer school students will have the opportunity to join in one of the following electives: golf, theatre, film, art and tennis. These courses will enable summer school students to discover and experience exciting subjects while gaining new skills and expertise (专门知识).
The timetable below shows a typical week at the International Summer School of Scotland.
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Monday/Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday/Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
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8:00—9:00 |
Breakfast |
At 10:00 Breakfast Free Time |
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9:00—12:00 |
Academic Classes |
A Cultural Trip |
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12:00—13:00 |
Lunch |
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13:00—16:00 |
Elective Classes |
A Cultural Trip |
Elective Classes |
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16:00—18:00 |
Sporting Activity |
Sporting Activity |
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18:00—19:30 |
Evening Meal |
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19:30—21:30 |
Evening Activity |
1.You can attend the creative course if you are at the age of .
A．12 B．14 C．19 D．21
2.How long does each of the sessions last according to the passage?
A．About half a month. B．Around a month.
C．About three weeks. D．Around two months.
3.From the passage we can know that .
A．the school is open to children from rich families
B．students in the school have to work in the workshop
C．students in the school can benefit by selling the magazines
D．not all students in the school have to play golf
4.What activity may students in the school do between 16:00 and 18:00 on Wednesday?
A．Academic Classes. B．Sporting Activity.
C．A Cultural Trip. D．Elective Classes.
An old woman walked around as she pushed her shopping cart full of many things. She was
36 . Her hair was untidy. Her clothes were torn. And some of her teeth were missing.
She 37 and asked me for change. Instead of giving her change, I 38 her to eat out and she 39 . We went across the street to an outdoor café so she could 40 her cart while we had lunch. The 41 was surprised when this woman appeared and did not want to serve us, 42 she forced herself. We ate our lunch. She was very 43 and the food disappeared almost as soon as it arrived.
When we were ready to 44 , I was feeling very good about myself and then she asked for a 45 . It was then that I had to 46 myself and all the hidden bias (偏见) that I had towards this 47.
She wasn’t wrong, but my reluctance(不愿)must have 48 . I held her in my arms carelessly and 49 I felt shame. She thanked me for lunch and then left.
I 50 there for a moment and realized that I had 51 to give this woman the one thing that cost 52 —love. I ran after the woman and caught up with her and asked her if I could give her a 53 hug and she agreed. I gave the woman the best one I’ve ever given anyone. “That’s getting it right,” she said and her big 54 lit my path as we parted.
The 55 I learned was that if you’re going to give, then give it your all and get it right the first time.
1. A．happy B．dirty C．nervous D．small
2. A．ran B．arrived C．stopped D．hid
3. A．invited B．pushed C．forced D．wished
4. A．refused B．returned C．left D．agreed
5. A．watch over B．get hold of C．reach for D．catch up with
6. A．customer B．shopper C．waitress D．traveler
7. A．and B．but C．or D．so
8. A．thirsty B．sleepy C．tired D．hungry
9. A．leave B．rest C．move D．apologize
10. A．break B．gift C．hug D．partner
11. A．believe B．face C．hurt D．introduce
12. A．behavior B．nation C．person D．district
13. A．gone B．shown C．resulted D．remained
14. A．slowly B．again C．gradually D．soon
15. A．stood B．cried C．lay D．drank
16. A．decided B．hoped C．tried D．failed
17. A．anything B．nothing C．something D．everything
18. A．real B．quiet C．brave D．safe
19. A．teeth B．smile C．feet D．mouth
20. A．fact B．information C．lesson D．expression
— Do you mind if I play some rock music now, Peter?
— Andy is sleeping now.
A．Sorry, I’d rather you didn’t. B．You are not allowed here.
C．Great! I love music. D．No, you can’t.
I was admitted into a famous university. My success me pleased with myself, but I didn’t.
A．might have made B．might make
C．should have made D．should make
