Lunch hour is crazy at SAME Cafe, the 40-seat restaurant my husband and I run in Denver.
A woman in a(n) suit stepped in. "Hi, Libby." she said. Wow, what a ! The first time she came to the cafe two years ago, she had no money to pay. many customers, she volunteered to wash dishes and . Look at her now: confident and hopeful. Wasn't this what we'd hoped for?
In 2003, we'd this crazy dream: start a restaurant with a donation box instead of a cash register. Right away we hit hurdles（阻碍）. "There is no such thing as a lunch," one potential landlord sniffed. I met brokers, bankers and suppliers, only to watch them , shaking their heads. No bank would lend us the money to open a restaurant with no . The only fund we could get was our individual retirement account. we rented space from a landlord on Colfax Street. We put flyers（传单）around the neighborhood, asked friends to the word, and held our breath.
Word traveled fast, stories in the papers and on TV. Soon we had more than 50 customers a day. A few ate without paying or an hour of work. But most gave what they could, it was just a dollar. Those with money gave, and then more. One of our customers left a for 500 dollars. Another bought 1000 dollars in gift certificates. another donated a truck so we could transport from suppliers.
People came here partly for what our cafe —SAME: So All May Eat. We treat everyone with . We hoped to develop a sense of community so that we might one another. The woman in business suit was one of them. Our to open the cafe was worth it.
1.A. dinner B. evening C. business D. summer
2.A. change B. beauty C. fool D. coincidence
3.A. With B. Like C. Besides D. Towards
4.A. wait B. sing C. perform D. sweep
5.A. lived B. hatched C. ignored D. achieved
6.A. packed B. delicious C. free D. delivered
7.A. crowd together B. flood in C. walk away D. turn up
8.A. staff support B. regular customers C. lunch boxes D. cash register
9.A. Unfortunately B. Finally C. Interestingly D. Illegally
10.A. analyze B. read C. spread D. approve
11.A. thanks to B. apart from C. ahead of D. according to
12.A. regretting B. gaining C. donating D. balancing
13.A. only when B. and forever C. so that D. even if
14.A. reward B. check C. bill D. list
15.A. Still B. Instead C. Otherwise D. Thus
16.A. lunch B. customers C. dishes D. produce
17.A. stood for B. applied for C. benefited from D. depended on
18.A. patience B. generosity C. confidence D. dignity
19.A. protect B. trust C. help D. treasure
20.A. dream B. struggle C. management D. Style
Some Ways to Deal With Hardship and Pain in Life
Regardless of the difficulties you may face, it’s getting back up and moving forward that counts the most when you need to deal with hardship. 1.
Write or talk about how you feel
Keeping my feelings to myself used to make me feel lonely, but when I found someone who actually cared about me, it became natural to share how I felt with him and that contributed to my ability to overcome troublesome situations. 2. Although talking to strangers about your issues may seem crazy, it actually isn’t.
3.
It is said that running away from your problems will never help, and though that’s partially true, it doesn’t mean that you need to make yourself go so deeply into a situation that you run out of air to breathe and lose the ability to weigh the pros and cons of your choices. That happens more than we like to admit, which is why it’s important to separate yourself from a situation long enough to think clearly without having people hanging over your shoulders.
Remind yourself that you’re not alone
Regardless of who or what you depend on, you need to remind yourself that you are not alone; you have people who do care. 4. Sometimes it’s strangers who may share the same feelings as you do. Think about it—you may not know any of these readers personally but they could be in the exact same situation as you, so in fact, no one is truly alone.
Accept the results and get back up again
5. Whether the results of your choices proved to be helpful or not, it’s time for you to accept them and get back up. This time you have a new experience to add to your book of life so the next time something tries to knock you down, it won’t be easy because you will be strong and determined to push forward. Life will go on, time will never stand still, and it rests upon you to make the right decision of moving forward.
A. Separate yourself from the situation.
B. Tell yourself to accept the hardship.
C. Finally, it’s time to accept what has happened.
D. All in all, remember that life is short.
E. Not only did I speak to him about how I felt, but I decided to blog about it.
F. Here are some things I've tried just to help me believe in a brighter future and get over a tough situation.
G. Even if it’s just one person, that’s enough to give you reason to remind yourself that you will never truly be alone.
We know that cigarette smoking kills. So, producers made electronic cigarettes as a safer smoking choice ---- safer than tobacco. Although e-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine like cigarettes, they do not use tobacco and you do not light them. They are powered by battery.
However, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why has the United States Center for Disease Control（CDC）seen an increase in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings?
The answer is children. Most of the calls are from people worried about children who have played with the devices. In the period of one month this year, the Center said 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette concerns. More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger. The devices had made them sick.
Tim McAfee is director of the Center's Office on Smoking and Health. He says the problem is regulation, meaning, the U. S. federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine. Mr. McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger. Mr. McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when it gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed. It can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance. And too much nicotine can kill.
Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do. He notes that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes. "So, cigarettes are the winner in that contest." E-cigarettes do not contain hundreds of harmful chemicals that are found in real cigarettes. So, the U. S. Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak has suggested that e-cigarettes may be a useful tool for adults trying to end their tobacco use.
But McAfee worries that teenagers may think electronic cigarettes are harmless. They could become addicted to the nicotine and then start smoking real cigarettes. In other words, he fears that for young people fake e-cigarettes could be a "gateway" to the real thing.
1.What do the producers think of e-cigarettes?
A. Dangerous. B. Expensive.
C. Safer. D. Cheaper.
2.Why did the CDC receive so many calls about e-cigarettes?
A. Parents feared that their children might get poisoned.
B. Parents found the device useless in quitting smoking.
C. Children swallowed the liquid nicotine from the device.
D. Children might get addicted to playing with the device.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. the CDC wants to develop a better type of e-cigarettes
B. the government is in favor of the use of e-cigarettes
C. Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak is a heavy smoker
D. smokers most probably can't quit smoking using e-cigarettes
4.What is Tim McAfee's opinion about smoking?
A. Adults should use harmless e-cigarettes.
B. Smoking e-cigarettes can make a person sick.
C. He claims that regulations should be made to ban smoking.
D. He is concerned about the teens using e-cigarettes.
It's time for your family to relax and have fun! The following family adventures have links for you to get more information.
Take the Rides of Your Life
Visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, to seek thrills "Even though it's located off the beaten track, experts regularly praise Cedar Point as the best overall theme park of the country," says U.S. News & World Report. The park calls itself the roller coaster capital of the world, and with 16 to choose from, it's hard to argue. It's open daily from May 10 through Labor Day; weekends only from Labor Day through November 2.
Tickets start at $ 48.99 per person if purchased online.
http://www.cedarpoint.com.
Wander Free on a Dude farm
Dust off your cowboy boots and ready your cowboy hats for a visit to this Rocky Mountains paradise. Located in Augusta, Montana, "The farm has everything an aspiring cowboy or girl could long for," says Sunset magazine, including hiking trails, fishing trips, campfires with sing-alongs, and, of course, horseback rides. The large farm operates from June through September; kids-only and adults-only programs are available.
Total cost starts at $ 1,360 per adult, $ 1,276 per teen, and $ 1,168 per child.
http://www.Triplejranch.com.
Dig for Dinosaurs
Most kids （and adults） love dinosaurs, and to make their wildest dreams come true, head to Fruita, Colorado. The Museum of Western Colorado offers Dino Digs for children ages five and older. You can choose from one-, three-, and five-day expeditions. "Imagine how your child will feel when she helps unearth the fossilized（化石） bones of ancient species," says Outside magazine. It lasts from May to October.
Digs start at $ 125 per person.
http://www.museumofwesternco.com.
Surf Sand Dunes
Swap your snowboard for a sand-board, and head to Sand Master Park in Florence, Oregon. Real Simple recommends learning the basics at this private dune park, "which offers board rentals and lessons ---- often taught by world-champion sand boarders." Then you can hit the "slopes" to test your skills. From March to June, and September to November.
Rentals for a sand-board start at $ 10 per day; lessons start at $ 45 an hour per person.
http:/'www.sandmasterpark.com.
1.What is special about Cedar Point?
A. You can visit Cedar Point on weekends.
B. It has 16 roller coasters for you to choose from.
C. You can help unearth the fossilized bones of dinosaurs.
D. It offers lessons taught by world-champion sand boarders.
2.If you have a 3-day holiday in April, which of the following may interest you most?
A. Take the Rides of Your Life
B. Wander Free on a Dude farm
C. Dig for Dinosaurs
D. Surf Sand Dunes
3.Where will you probably find this passage?
A. A science fiction. B. An adventure storybook.
C. A travel magazine. D. A theme park advertisement.
The Cuban iguana is a species of lizard（蜥蜴） of the iguana family. It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards. This species with red eyes and a thick tail is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean.
The Cuban iguana is primarily herbivorous; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock bush and various grasses. However, Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed eating the dead flesh of birds, fish and crabs. The researchers wrote that quite a few people on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident.
The Cuban iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a wild population booming on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico. It is also found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, where a separate subspecies occurs. Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites half destroyed by Cuban crocodiles. To avoid the attack from them, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti（仙人掌）.
In general the species is in decline, more quickly on the mainland than on the outlying islands. One of the reasons for their decline is habitat destruction caused by the over consuming of farm animals, housing development, and the building of tourist resorts on the beaches where the animals prefer to build their nests. Although the wild population is in decline, the numbers of iguanas have been sharply increased as a result of captive-breeding（圈养）and other conservation programs.
1.The underlined word "herbivorous" （Paragraph 2） probably means .
A. dangerous B. gentle
C. plant-eating D. flesh-eating
2.Why does the Cuban iguana build its nest near prickly-pear cacti?
A. To keep itself cool.
B. To get the food easily.
C. To stay away from people.
D. To avoid crocodiles' attack.
3.How many reasons are mentioned for the habitat destruction?
A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five.
4.What's the author's purpose of writing the text?
A. To give us a brief introduction to the Cuban iguana.
B. To show he is concerned about the Cuban iguana.
C. To explain reasons for the Cuban iguana's decline.
D. To draw people's attention to the endangered Cuban iguana.
My 16-year-old son, Anton, had gone to the local swimming hole. Most of the kids swim there, and there are plenty of rocks for them to use as safe harbors, so I had no fears for his safety.
Still, the firefighter's first words "You need to come up here to the Stillwater River" made me catch my breath, and his follow-up words gave me relief: “ Your son is OK. ”
When I got to the river, I immediately saw the firetruck, ambulance and Anton, wrapped with a towel about his shoulders, sitting quietly on a low platform of the fire engine.
I hurried over to him. "You OK?" I asked.
“Yeah,” was all he said. But my eyes begged for an explanation, I didn't get it from my son, however, who tends to play his cards close to his vest.
The story was this: A woman was being swept under water. Hearing the cries, Anton and his friend Tyler, without hesitation, swam out to her, and brought her safely to shore.
In an age in which the word "hero" is broadcast with abandon and seemingly applied to anyone who make it through the day, I realized the real thing in my son. The teens are stubborn and self-centred, but that didn't mean they have no desire to do good.
Still shocked by my son's daring, I drove him home. Along the way, I tried to dig out some more information from him, but he had precious little to say. The only words he said were, “What's for supper?”
I spent some time alone that evening, thinking about the tragedy that might have been. The next morning, when Anton got up, I half expected him to tell me the story. But all he did was toast some bread, pull himself together, and head for the door to start a new day. Watching from the window, I was reminded that still water often runs deep.
1.Why did the mother allow her son to swim there?
A. He was an excellent swimmer.
B. The water of the river is shallow.
C. He was old enough to swim.
D. The rocks can be of help if there's danger.
2.The underlined part "who tends to play his cards close to his vest" probably means________.
A. Anton is a boy fond of swimming with other kids
B. Anton is unwilling to tell others what he thinks
C. Anton always has a desire to help others
D. Anton seldom changes his mind
3.In the mother's eyes, what her son did was_________.
A. dangerous but interesting B. meaningful but difficult
C. unexpected and courageous D. awful and absurd
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A. My Son, My Hero B. Anton, A Silent Boy
C. A Good Deed D. A Proud Mother
