It all began with a stop at a red light.
Kevin Salwen was driving his 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, back from a sleepover in 2006 . While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes Coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.
“Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.”Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove on, but Hannah was too young to be reasonable. She pestered （纠缠）her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.
“What do you want to do?” her mom responded. “Sell our house?”
Warning! Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager. Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity, while using the other half to buy a more modest replacement home.
Eventually, that’s what the family did. The project —crazy, impetuous（鲁莽的）and utterly inspiring — is written down in detail in a book by father and daughter scheduled to be published next month: “The Power of Half.” It’s a book that, frankly, I’d be nervous about leaving around where my own teenage kids might find it. An impressionable child reads this, and the next thing you know your whole family is out on the street.
At a time of enormous needs in Haiti and elsewhere, when so many Americans are trying to help Haitians by sending everything from text messages to shoes, the Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference — for themselves as much as the people they were trying to help. In a column a week ago, it described neurological evidence from brain scans that unselfishness lights up parts of the brain normally associated with more primary satisfaction. The Salwens’ experience confirms the selfish pleasures of selflessness.
Mr. Salwen and his wife, Joan, had always assumed that their kids would be better off in a bigger house. But after they downsized, there was much less space to retreat to, so the family members spent more time around each other. A smaller house unexpectedly turned out to be a more family-friendly house.
1.The best title for the passage should be “______”.
A. The Less, the Better
B. An Expected Satisfaction
C. Something We Can Live Without
D. Somewhat Crazy but Inspiring
2.What does the underlined word “inequity” most probably mean in Paragraph 3?
A. Unfairness. B. Satisfaction.
C. Personal attitude. D. Reasonable statement.
3.What does the underlined sentence “Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager.” mean? ______
A. Never give a quick answer to an idealistic teenager.
B. Unless a child is realistic, never give an answer immediately.
C. Give an answer if the child is reasonable.
D. Don’t respond to a child's demands firmly without consideration.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The Salwens regretted selling their house.
B. The relationship between the family members of the Salwens is much closer.
C. Small houses can bring happiness.
D. The Salwens intend to buy another big house.
5.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Mercedes Coupe is only an ordinary car which is quite cheap.
B. Unselfishness has nothing to do with people’s primary satisfaction.
C. Hannah asked her parents to do something charitable and they sold their house.
D. The writer’s children asked him to sell their house.
When an egg breaks from outside, a life ends. When an Egg breaks from inside, a life begins.
All life’s circumstances can be seen in an egg where in the soft yolk (蛋黄) inside is our _____ and the hard shell outside is the barrier. When the barrier breaks from outside, our desire is crushed, but when it breaks from inside, we __ a new skill, a new habit and a new life.
I was 22 years old. I did not where the kitchen was in my house, since I had __ gone into the kitchen before. All of a sudden, I had to move to America to pursue my master’s degree. That is when it _____ me that I had to learn to cook a proper meal in order to _____ . My desire to cook began to _____ , and the yolk began to stir.
The first time I made _____ , it came out like white glue. Within a month of experimenting with different recipes, I ______ the art of making Chinese fried rice and north Indian curry. This breaking of the eggshell from _ gave me yet another skill for life, ____ . Now that I look back, maybe my wife agreed to marry me for this ____ alone.
It is easy to break an egg from outside, but it is __ to break it from inside. What is even more difficult is to ____ you from outside and break the egg from inside. That is where the role of a teacher, a mentor or a coach comes in.
As a father, I took it as my responsibility to __ my son cycling and swimming. In this case, the yolk was the untapped potential of my son and the barrier was his fear of losing _ . It took months of patience and coaching to help him _ his fear. It was an uphill task to keep him motivated through failures. _ , I was glad and relieved when he learned both these essential skills.
The important lesson here is that the egg will be __ no matter what. Success, when the egg breaks from inside, is more about what you overcome than what you achieve.
Life always throws up _ . I urge you all learn the instrument that you always wanted to play but have not played so far. As the saying goes, there is never a lock without a key, never a problem without a solution. Persist, believe in yourself and allow your yolk to break through to a new soul, a new you.
1.A. concern B. desire C. weakness D. resource
2.A. lose B. change C. learn D. expect
3.A. know B. find C. forget D. question
4.A. often B. never C. sometimes D. ever
5.A. reminded B. occurred C. stuck D. hit
6.A. survive B. compete C. continue D. settle
7.A. turn around B. get across C. take shape D. take part
8.A. tea B. rice C. yogurt D. porridge
9.A. recognized B. appreciated C. introduced D. mastered
10.A. Inside B. outside C. sideways D. around
11.A. learning B. cooking C. cycling D. adapting
12.A. courage B. attempt C. skill D. hobby
13.A. funny B. simple C. boring D. difficult
14.A. prevent B. influence C. agree D. warn
15.A. accompany B. keep C. teach D. require
16.A. Balance B. patience C. courage D. freedom
17.A. understand B. discover C. reflect D. overcome
18.A. Meanwhile B. Finally C. Besides D. Therefore
19.A. Broken B. cooked C. lost D. kept
20.A. ideas B. messages C. surprises D. challenges
You __________ football after school. Why not go home and do your homework first?
A. always played B. have always played
C. are always playing D. have always been playing
He tried his best many times._________________, he made his way.
A. Otherwise B. In other words
C. Therefore D.In a word
Flying kites, ______ some researchers point out, can not only bring about joy to us, but also promote our physical and mental health.
A. which B. what C. as D. where
----Do you know how to learn English well? ________.
----Why? Don’t you think English is quite interesting?
A.It can’t be too interesting.
B. I just can’t help it.
C. It’s my favorite subject
D. It’s killing me.
