阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
People from every corner flooded into the streets that Christmas Eve. “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Jingle Bells” ___________in stores; on the pavements, the street singers performed happily. Everyone, was _________ by someone else, delighted and cheerful. I was alone.
As one of 8 kids of a Brazilian family, brought up in America's crowded apartment, I'd spent several years searching for aloneness. Now, _________, at 27, a college student after the _________ with my girlfriend , every cell inside me wanted to be alone, _________ not at Christmas. My family had _________to Brazil and my friends were _________ with their own lives. Dusk was approaching, and the fact that I had to return to my _________home made me sad. Lights from windows blinked, and I hoped someone would _________from one of those homes to invite me inside with a Christmas tree decorated with shiny fake snow and _________ presents.
At a market, I felt more _________ when people were buying lots of goods, which _________ the gifts we received as children in my mind . I missed my family and wanted to cry for wanting to be alone and for having achieved it.
Outside the church , a manger(小耶稣) had been set _________. I stood with others watching the scene, some of them _________ themselves, praying. As I walked home, I realized that leaving Brazil was still a painful experience as I struggled with _________ I had become in 15 years in America. I'd mourned the _________ , but for the first time, I recognized what I’d gained. I was independent, _________ and healthy. My life was still ahead, full of _________ .
Sometimes the best gift is the one that you give yourself. That Christmas, I gave myself _________ for what I'd obtained up to now and promise to go forward. It is the best gift I've ever got, the one that I most _________ .
1.A. shared B. played C. served D. held
2.A. accompanied B. employed C. attended D. supported
3.A. usually B. extremely C. really D. eventually
4.A. breakup B. date C. sympathy D. concern
5.A. so B. but C. and D. or
6.A. moved B. slipped C. came D. returned
7.A. pleased B. satisfied C. occupied D. bored
8.A. shabby B. empty C. warm D. cozy
9.A. turn up B. hang out C. go away D. break in
10.A. dealt B. discounted C. wrapped D. donated
11.A. tired B. nervous C. excited D. upset
12.A. reminded B. remained C. mentioned D. introduced
13.A. down B. up C. aside D. about
14.A. hugging B. bowing C. crossing D. bending
15.A. how B. which C. what D. that
16.A. cases B. limits C. losses D. worries
17.A. lonely B. educated C. shy D. wealthy
18.A. possibility B. sight C. sadness D. hardship
19.A. surprise B. defeat C. prize D. credit
20.A. select B. value C. save D. Admit
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
No personal success, achievement, or goal, can be realized without self-discipline. 1. It is the ability to control one’s impulses, emotions, desires and behavior. To possess it is to be able to make the decisions, take the actions, and carry out your plan regardless of the obstacles, discomfort, or difficulties, that may come your way.
How to develop self-discipline? We’ll explore it together.
· Start with baby steps. No process takes place overnight. 2. So, begin by making the decision to go forward and learning what it takes to get there.
· Learn what motivates you and what your bad triggers are. 3. Sometimes it is very difficult to fight off urges, so know the areas where your resistance is low and how to avoid those situations. Remove the temptations and surround yourself with encouraging items such as motivating slogans and pictures of what you want to achieve.
· Make certain behaviors a routine. Once you have decided what’s important to you and which goals to strive for , establish a daily routine that will help you achieve them. 4. They can put you in a negative frame of mind and hinder(阻碍)your self-discipline. A poor attitude can also be a bad habit.
___5.___ Michael Jordan has always maintained that his greatness as a basketball player came as much from his willingness to work hard at his craft, as it did his talent. It was his desire through discipline and focus that made him one of the best basketball players ever. If it worked for him, it could certainly work for the rest of us.
A．What is self-discipline?
B． Engage in sports or activities．
C．Get inspiration from those you admire．
D．You can begin by learning about yourself !
E．If you try to do too much at once , you could injure yourself and have a setback．
F．Meanwhile, get rid of some of your bad, self-defeating habits, whatever they may be．
G．It does mean learning how to focus your mind and energies on your goals until they are accomplished．
People with an impulsive personality refer to those who tend to do things without considering the possible dangers or problems first. According to a new study by researchers at the University of Georgia, such people may be more likely to have food addiction. The study found that people exhibiting impulsive behavior weren’t necessarily overweight, but impulsiveness was related to a direct relationship with food, and therefore, less healthy weight.
Food addiction has been compared to addictive drug use. Studies have linked the dopamine (多巴胺) release that occurs after tasting delicious food to the dopamine release that happens when people consume other addictive substances.
Impulsive behavior involves several personality traits (特点). Two of these traits, known as negative urgency and lack of perseverance, were particularly associated with food addiction and high BMI (身体质量指数) during the study.
Negative urgency is characterized by the tendency to behave impulsively when experiencing negative emotions. Some people might drink alcohol or take drugs. For others, it could mean eating to feel better. Lack of perseverance is when a person has a hard time finishing hard or boring tasks. People with a lack of perseverance might have difficulty attempting to change addictive eating behavior, which could also cause obesity.
“Impulsiveness might be one reason why some people eat in an addictive way despite motivation to lose weight,” said Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, a clinical psychologist. He was involved in developing the Yale Food Addiction Scale in aid of those people. “We are theorizing that if food addiction is really a thing, then our measure, the Yale Food Addiction Scale, should be related to helping control impulsive action,” said Gearhardt.
Clinical psychologist Dr. James MacKillop, whose lab was conducting the study, believes that therapies used to treat addictive drug behavior could help people who suffer from addictive eating habits.
“Most of the programs for weight loss at this point focus on the most obvious things, which are clearly diet and exercise,” MacKillop said. “It seems that managing strong desires to eat would naturally fit in with the skills a person would need to eat healthily.”
1.According to Paragraph 1, the result of food addiction is ________.
A. less healthy weight
B. motivation to lose weight
C. negative emotions
D. taking alcohol or drugs
2.How does the author introduce the two personality traits in Paragraph 4?
A. By making comparisons and conclusions.
B. By explaining causes and effects.
C. By presenting questions and answers.
D. By giving definitions and examples.
3.What can be inferred about the Yale Food Addiction Scale from the text?
A. It has been successfully carried out among overweight people.
B. It might help some impulsive people with food addiction to lose weight.
C. It will prove whether food addiction is a problem to impulsive people.
D. It is theoretically a proper treatment for addictive food and drug behavior.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Dopamine release caused by food addiction
B. Food addiction compared to drug use
C. Impulsive personality linked to food addition
D. Food addiction contributing to obesity
Have you ever found yourself in his situation: You hear a song you used to sing when you were a child-a bit of nostalgia(怀旧) or “blast from the past,” as we say. But it is not a distant childhood memory. The words come back to you as clearly as when you sang them all those years ago.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the relationship between music and remembering a foreign language. They found that remembering words in a song was the best way to remember even one of the most difficult languages.
Here is what they did. Researchers took 60 adults and randomly divided them into three groups of 20. Then they gave the groups three different types of “listen-and-repeat” learning conditions. Researchers had one group simply speak the words. They had the second group speak the words to a rhythm, or beat. And they asked the third group to sing the words.
All three groups studied words from the Hungarian language for 15 minutes. Then they took part in a series of language tests to see what they remembered.
Why Hungarian, you ask? Researchers said they chose Hungarian because not many people know the language. It does not share any roots with Germanic or Romance languages, such as Italian or Spanish. After the tests were over, the singers came out on top. The people who learned these new Hungarian words by singing them showed a higher overall performance. They did the best in four out of five of the tests. They also performed two times better than those who simply learned the words by speaking them.
Dr. Katie Overy says singing could lead to new ways to learn a foreign language. The brain likes to remember things when they are contained in a catchy 3, or memorable 4, tune 5.
Dr. Ludke said the findings could help those who struggle to learn foreign languages. On the University of Edinburgh’s website Dr. Ludke writes, “This study provides the first experimental evidence that a listen-and-repeat singing method can support foreign language learning, and opens the door for future research in this area.”
1.The “song” mentioned in the first paragraph is intended to__________.
A. recall the past
B. attract the readers
C. introduce the topic
D. compare the childhood with the present
2.According to the passage which language doesn’t share the same root with Germanic or Romance languages?
A. Hungarian B. Spanish
C. Italian D. English
3.Based on the last two paragraphs, we can conclude that __________
A. singing is the best way to learn a language.
B. the brain probably works best when the foreign language learners sing the words.
C. a listen-repeat method is very effective for any language learner.
D. Dr. Katie Overy and Dr. Ludke disagree with each other.
4.In which situation can the finding of the research be applied?
A. A mother is going to teach her baby how to speak.
B. A child is going to have his first music lesson.
C. A student is going to learn a new English song.
D. An American is going to learn some Chinese.
Years ago I moved to Woodland Hills to take a job in a small hospital’s emergency department. No one wanted to work on Christmas Eve, so the shift（轮班）went to me. I kissed my family goodbye and went off to spend the night in the hospital. It was a thankless job.
At 9 pm, the ambulance brought in a man in his 60s who was having a heart attack. His face was pale, and he was frightened. The whole night I did my best to save his life. Before I left in the morning to spend Christmas with my family, I stopped by to see how he was doing. It was still tough, but he had survived the night and was sleeping.
The following year I got Christmas Eve duty again. At 9 pm sharp, the ward clerk told me there was a couple who wanted to speak with me. When I approached them, the man introduced himself as Mr. Lee and said, “You probably don’t remember me, but last Christmas Eve you saved my life. Thank you for the year you gave me.” He and his wife hugged me, handed me a small gift, and left.
The following year a new doctor had joined the group, but I wanted to see if Mr. and Mrs. Lee would return. This time, I volunteered for the shift. I kept an eye on the door. Once again, at exactly 9 pm, the Lees appeared, carrying a warmly wrapped bundle. It was their new grandchild. Mr. Lee, his family and I spent 13 Christmas Eves together.
The last year I saw him, he brought me a gift. I carefully opened the package and found a crystal bell inside. It was carved with a single word: Friendship. Now, my family, friends and I ring that bell every Christmas Eve at exactly 9 pm and offer our best wishes to the man who we won’t forget.
1.The author had to work the night shift on Christmas Eve probably because ______.
A. she was a new arrival
B. she was more experienced
C. her colleagues had no passion for working
D. her colleagues wanted to give her a surprise
2. When the author left the hospital the next morning, ______.
A. Mr. Lee’s heart sank
B. Mr. Lee insisted on leaving hospital
C. Mr. Lee got very angry with her
D. Mr. Lee was out of immediate danger
3.What does the author ring the bell every Christmas Eve for
A. To honor an old friend of hers.
B. To offer best wishes to her family and friends.
C. To show off her special gift.
D. To fill her family and friends with hopes.
4.What could be the best title for the passage?
A. A Kind Couple B. A Severe Heart Attack
C. A thankless task D. A Special Appointment
Product Description
Life Without Limits helps you clarify what you want in every area of your life. By using Bassett’s powerful techniques you will change; therefore your life will change. You control you life. will change. You control your life. And only you can take steps to change it. Life Without Limits helps you take back your power.
Life Without Limits helps you to achieve satisfaction and fulfillment personally, professionally, and financially. Once you have defined what success means for you, you will clarify your dreams and start pursuing them.
Product Details
●Published in: 2001-12
●Released on: 2001-12-24
●Original language: English
●Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8 inches
●Binding: Paperback
●304 pages
About the Author
Lucinda Bassett is the founder and CEO of one of the most successful self-help companies in the country, the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, Inc. Author of the national bestseller From Panic to Power, Lucinda Bassett produces and hosts the award-winning infomercial, Attacking Anxiety. She has shared her techniques with such clients as McDonalds, Chrysler, and AT&T. She has appeared on numerous talk shows, including Operah and The View, and been featured in Family Circle, Reader’s Digest, and many more.
Customer Reviews
This book has helped me to gain hope and courage to cope with all my fears and worries. Lucinda writes with such a great understanding and sympathy. She herself had problems with panic and worry. Her positive thinking tips are easy to follow. I don’t get lost in a lot of mental problems. It’s as if she were holding your hand, sitting right beside you, cheering you on! I believe I can do anything I set my mind to after reading this book. However, there are some other readers holding the contrary views.
1.What is Life Without Limits about?
A. It shows readers what Lucinda Bassett is.
B. It encourages readers to realize their dreams.
C. It describes how hard the actual life is.
D. It implies it is hard to control your life.
2.Lucinda Bassett works as all the following except _______.
A. hostess B. teacher C. writer D. businesswoman
3.We can conclude from the last paragraph that _______.
A. Lucinda has made a lot of money from the book
B. all the customers have some mental problems
C. Lucinda talks with the customer face to face
D. all the customers don’t agree with what Lucinda wrote will change.
