As is universally acknowledged, fresh food benefits our health. As a small child, I didn’t know about the benefits of fresh food. ____, I considered canned fish and fruit, bottled soft drinks and ____ snacks to be the most appetizing (令人垂涎的). As I learned to prefer fresh and ____ foods to the artificial taste of chemically-enhanced snacks, I began to ____ starting a vegetable garden in our backyard.
“What would it take?” I asked my mom. We had the space and were ____ to take care of the plants every day. ____ doing some research online, we ____ to dig out a space of 16 square feet in our yard. It would have to be at least a foot deep ____ with a raised vegetable bed, the vegetables would have two feet of depth to grow.
It was April of 2014. We knew that we had to work ____ if we wanted to plant vegetables that spring. That month, every day after school, I pushed ____ the tough clay (粘土) under our lawn with a large shovel (铲子). Luckily, the rain made the soil ____, and before we knew it, we had finished digging the bed. Next came my favorite part: shopping for ____ and plants. By June, our plants, especially the tomatoes, were growing ____. We had never ____ such fresh tomatoes; they were so sweet that you could almost taste the ____ in them. To give our friends gifts, we packed jars of our little tomatoes. We also ____ Italian pasta sauce with our tomatoes and basil (一种香料). It reassured (使…放心) us to know that we were eating healthy and fresh produce.
The work which we put into our vegetable garden was ____ worthwhile. As long as we had the ____ to start and maintain the garden, we ____ a bountiful (大量的) harvest for the entire summer and fall in return. Thanks to the success of my vegetable garden, I can say that if the ____ of life is to be happy, I’m one little step closer.
1.A. Likewise B. Instead C. Therefore D. Otherwise
2.A. preserved B. prepared C. prevented D. protected
3.A. particular B. delicious C. nutritious D. special
4.A. think about B. worry about C. adapt to D. appeal to
5.A. absent B. late C. satisfied D. willing
6.A. Before B. Since C. As D. After
7.A. led B. refused C. decided D. afforded
8.A. so that B. now that C. as long as D. even though
9.A. quickly B. hardly C. gradually D. suddenly
10.A. over B. through C. across D. beyond
11.A. harder B. softer C. heavier D. deeper
12.A. flowers B. fruits C. seeds D. vegetables
13.A. at risk B. with care C. in excitement D. like crazy
14.A. tasted B. sensed C. watched D. smelt
15.A. tear B. cloud C. sunshine D. wind
16.A. cooked B. offered C. provided D. supplied
17.A. rather than B. other than C. no more than D. more than
18.A. fact B. force C. doubt D. willpower
19.A. received B. accepted C. spent D. fulfilled
20.A. way B. quality C. goal D. standard
Our mood may change suddenly like a storm with lightning and thunderbolts that comes without notice. Also bad moods can leave as suddenly as they have come. Exceptions to this rule of course are cases where there are other problems such as depression or any other mental destruction.
How to improve your mood
1. When you understand that you are not feeling happy but you are in depression or disappointment, then you can use these simple techniques that will be able to change the negative situation and improve your mood.
● 2. . Exercise, gymnastics and sports help much to achieve a better emotional balance.
● If you feel that you are in a bad mood, take a hot bath or sauna. 3. .
● Watch a movie, read a book or talk to a friend.
● 4. When you leave work or home, go to places that make you happy and calm. This helps to improve your mood.
● Make relations with happy, optimistic and pleasant people. 5. .
Positive and optimistic feelings that create positive thinking for the future will help you overcome your bad feelings and defeat your bad mood.
When the problem of bad moods, frustration and negative emotions beyond normal situations exists for a long time, it is important to turn to a specialist for help.
A. There are ways to improve your mood.
B. Change your environment.
C. Use physical activity to fight against feelings of depression.
D. This can help you improve your mood significantly.
E. Changes in feelings and mood can happen for various reasons.
F. The relaxation of the muscles will help.
G. First you have to learn to recognize when you are in a bad mood.
There are many ways of defining success. It is accurate to say that each of us has our own ideas of success to the extent that each of us is responsible for setting our own goals and determining whether we have met these goals satisfactorily. Because each of us possesses unique differences in genetic ability and favorable environments in which to express these abilities, it is necessarily true that we must define success broadly.
For some people，simply being able to live their life with the least misery and sufferings is considered a success. Think of the peace of mind of the poor shepherd who tends his sheep, enjoys his simple life with his family in the beauty of nature, and who is respected because he does a good job of achieving the goals expected of him and accepted by his family and his society. On the other hand, it seems that even though some people appear to be rich in material possessions, many of them seem to be miserable and consider themselves unsuccessful when judged by their own standards of success. Because not all ventures can be successful, one should not set unrealistic goals for achieving success, but if one has self-confidence it would be unfortunate to set one's goals at too low a level of achievement.
A wise man once said to a young man who was experiencing frustration (挫折）with his own professional success, “You do not have to set your goal to reach the moon in order to have success in traveling. Sometimes one can be very successful merely by taking a walk in the park or riding the subway downtown,” The man added, "You have not really failed and spoiled your chances for success until you have been unsuccessful at something you really like，and to which you have given your best effort. ”
1.Some rich people consider themselves unsuccessful because ______.
A. their life is busy and miserable
B. they haven't reached their own standards
C. they set their goals at too low a level
D. they are not rich in material possessions
2.From the last paragraph we can tell that ______.
A. success means efforts and favorites pay off
B. success comes from great goal setting
C. success means achieving great goals
D. success has nothing to do with the distance of your travel
3.The purpose of the passage is ______.
A. to give us a clear definition of what success is
B. to talk about how to achieve success
C. to state what our life goal is
D. to discuss the importance of goals
A Bite of China, made by CCTV’s Documentary Channel, sparked discussion not only on Chinese food, but also on locally made documentary programs.
When you think of documentaries, you may think of them as long, boring programs. But documentaries can be wonderful and bring stories from the real world into our homes. With fascinating footage（影片片段）and stories, documentaries encourage us to think about interesting issues we wouldn’t necessarily know about.
So, what makes a good documentary, and what should we pay attention to when we watch one? Here, we offer a few easy strategies to help you get the most out of watching documentaries.
Pay attention to the themes
While watching a documentary, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the themes people talk about and what ideas they focus on. Is it meant to be informative or raise a certain emotional response?
Think critically
Listen to what the people in the documentary are saying and ask yourself the following questions: If you were debating with someone or introducing a new concept, would you say the things the people in the documentary are saying? Do the arguments make sense?
Check the sources
If you’re sitting at the computer and can’t think of anything to do, why not look up the points the documentary made and see if they are accurate? You could even read more about what is presented in the documentary.
Who are the creators?
The creators or financial backers of a film will usually be involved with how the subject matter is presented. For instance, as the documentary 2016: Obama’s America was directed in large part by a conservative writer, it’s not surprising that it’s critical of President Obama from the beginning.
1.Which of the following is the most proper to describe documentaries?
A. non-fictional B. controversial
C. subjective D. thoughtful
2.The passage is mainly written to ______.
A. inform us of factors of good documentaries.
B. help us enjoy documentaries better.
C. introduce ways of making documentaries.
D. help us figure out themes of documentaries.
3.Why is 2016: Obama’s America mentioned in the article?
A. Because the author dislikes Obama.
B. Because it is a persuasive example.
C. Because it is quite popular in China.
D. Because it is directed by a writer.
4.According to the passage, ______.
A. it’s better to think twice about what is in documentaries.
B. financial backers often appear in documentaries.
C. it is always difficult to get the themes of documentaries.
D. many points of documentaries are not accurate.
Europe is home to a variety of cultural treasures. Lonely Planet, the world’s largest travel guide publisher, has offered pairs of cities for culturehungry but timepoor travelers.
London and Paris
It takes you about two hours to travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, a high-speed railway service. The two capital cities have been competing in fashion, art and nightlife for decades－but each secretly looks up to the other.
No one can doubt the grand and impressive beauty of Paris' Louvre Museum, but if you want to save money, you cannot skip the British Museum free to visit. Compared with London, Paris has more outdoor attractions such as the beautiful green walkway La Promenade Plantee.
In Paris, you'll see diners linger over red wine. While in London, you can try some afternoon tea, eat fish and chips or salted cake.
Vienna and Bratislava
Austrian capital Vienna and Slovakia city Bratislava are an hour apart by train. But since they are linked by the Danube River, the best way to travel is by ship. A tour of the two cities is the perfect way to experience everything from 17th century’s Habsburg dynasty splendor to scifi restaurants.
Vienna is famous for Mozart and imperial palaces. You can appreciate the perfect blending of architecture and nature in the grand Schonbrunn Palace, and reward yourself with a cup of Vienna coffee, which has made its way to the world's cultural heritage list.
Bratislava is best known for its fine dining－the remarkable UFO restaurant. You can enjoy a meatladen dinner here in an amazing setting.
1.What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “looks up to”?
A. helps B. admires C. attacks D. dislikes
2.What are the advantages of Paris mentioned in the article?
a. The Louvre Museum
b. Free access to museums
c. More outdoor attractions
d. Better wines and perfumes
A. acd B. cd C. ac D. bcd
3. Which of the cities should you choose if you are interested in scifi restaurants?
A. London. B. Paris.
C. Glasgow. D. Bratislava.
4.Lonely Planet recommends these two pairs of cities because ________.
A. they are not expensive to visit
B. they are best known to the world
C. they are always enemies between each other
D. they are close but different in many aspects
As a good mother to three children, I have tried never to let my passion stand in the way of being a good parent．
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe．I show up．I listen．I try to laugh．I am a good friend to my husband．I have tried to make marriage vows （誓言）mean what they say．I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me．Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today．
So here's what I want to tell you today: Get a life．A real life, not a desire of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house．
Get a life in which you are not alone．Find people you love, and who love you．And remember that love is not leisure; it is work．Pick up the phone．Send an e-mail．Write a letter．And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted．
It's so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours and our minutes．It's so easy to exist instead of to live．I learned to live many years ago．Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all．And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all．
I learned to love the journey, not the destination．I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally．And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned．
By telling them this: Read in the backyard with the sun on your face．Learn to be happy．If you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived．
1.It can be inferred from the passage that ．
A．the author doesn’t try her best to work well
B．the author spends all her time caring for her children
C．the author is a success in personal life
D．the author likes traveling very much
2.How did the author form her view of life?
A．Through social experience．
B．By learning from her friends．
C．From her children and husband．
D．Through an unfortunate experience．
3.By the underlined sentence “It's so easy to exist instead of to live" in the fifth paragraph, the author really means that people tend to ．
A．work rather than enjoy life
B．make a living rather than live a real life
C．waste a lot in life
D．forget the most important lessons in life
4.What's the author's attitude toward work?
A．Don't let it affect your real life．
B．Earn enough money to make life better．
C．Do it well to serve others．
D．Try your best to get a higher position and a pay raise．
