A lady wanted a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had liked a beautiful ________, and knowing her husband could ________ it, she told him that was all she wanted. On the morning of the ________, her husband told her how ________ he was to have such a good wife, and how much he loved her. He ________ her a beautiful gift package. She opened it and ________ a Bible. ________, she raised her voice and said to her husband, “With all your money, you give me a Bible?” She was so ________ that she left him.
Many years passed and the lady was very ________ in business. She owned two large companies. She ________ her husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to ________ him. But before she could, she ________ a letter telling her that he had died, and gave all of his possessions to her. She needed to come back and ________ things.
When she arrived at his house, sadness ________ her heart. She saw the still new ________, just as she had left it years before. With ________, she opened it and began to turn the pages. A ring ________ from the Bible to the floor and a ________ could be seen. She picked it up and found it was the ring she wanted in those days. And on the card was the date of her birth, and the words “LOVE U ALWAYS”.
________ your gift is not packaged the way you want it, it’s because it is better packaged the way it is! Always appreciate little things; they usually lead you to bigger things! The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched for they must be felt with the ________.
1.A. watchB. ringC. coatD. box
2.A. affordB. likeC. designD. guess
3.A. holidayB. performanceC. birthdayD. meeting
4.A. proudB. kindC. sorryD. brave
5.A. lentB. askedC. gaveD. moved
6.A. carriedB. foundC. missedD. held
7.A. PolitelyB. LightlyC. PatientlyD. Angrily
8.A. calmB. upsetC. gratefulD. careless
9.A. failingB. lonelyC. successfulD. poor
10.A. wonderedB. hopedC. realizedD. explained
11.A. visitB. understandC. catchD. help
12.A. passedB. wroteC. sentD. received
13.A. take care ofB. pay forC. look forD. give away
14.A. coveredB. brokeC. leftD. filled
15.A. carB. BibleC. letterD. table
16.A. smilesB. laughterC. tearsD. interests
17.A. hidB. droppedC. disappearedD. made
18.A. bookB. penC. flowerD. card
19.A. IfB. ButC. AlthoughD. So
20.A. handB. eyeC. faceD. heart
To forgive is a virtue, but no one has ever said it is easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible, and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. People who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness, according to a recent research.
___1.____Try the following steps:
Calm yourself. __2._____You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love. Don’t wait for an apology. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don’t see things the same way. __3.___ Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.
Take the control away from your offender(冒犯者). Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who causes you pain. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.
_4.__ If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness, fear, and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender’s point of view.
Don’t forget to forgive yourself. ___5.___ But it can rob you of your self-confidence if you don’t do it.
A. Why should you forgive?
B. How should you start to forgive?
C. Recognize the benefits of forgiveness.
D. Try to see things from your offender’s angle.
E. For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge.
F. To make your anger die away, try a simple stress-management technique.
G. If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time.
Thousands of taxi drivers in Shenyang, Liaoning province, reportedly blocked streets with their cars on Sunday in protest against unlicensed cars using taxi-hiring apps (打车软件) and apps-based car rental companies providing passenger services, including high-end cars. Although the drivers also complained about the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy(补贴) by the government, their main complaint was the loss of business because of the rising number of Internet-based car services companies.
On Wednesday, news reports came that Beijing transport authorities will take measures to stop the illegal “taxi business” of private cars through the newly rising Internet apps, following the footsteps of Shenyang and Nanjing.
It is not yet clear how the Shenyang city government will handle the issue and whether it will declare the services offered by market leaders such as Didi Dache, a taxi-hiring app provider backed by Tencent Holdings, and Kuaidi Dache illegal. But Shanghai transport regulators(交通管理机构) have set a rule, by banning Didi Zhuanche, or car services offered by Didi Dache in December.
Such regulations (规定) will cause a setback(挫折) to the car-hiring companies and investors that are waiting to cash in on the potentially booming business. Just last month, Didi Dache got $700 million in funding from global investors, including Singapore state investment company Temasek Holdings, Russian investment company DST Global and Tencent. Besides, the market is uncertain that Kuaidi Dache is about to finalize its latest round of funding after getting $800 million from global investors.
Regulatory uncertainties, however, could cast a shadow on the future of the Internet-based car-hiring services, which have become popular in most of China’s big cities. To be fair, these companies’ business model is anything but bad. For example, Didi Zhuanche works side by side with established car rental companies to provide high-end car service mainly for business-people through the Internet and mobile phone apps.
Every link in this business model chain has legal companies and services. Hence, it is hard to define it as illegal and ban it.
1.Why did taxi drivers in Shenyang block the streets with their vehicles?
A. Because they wanted the authority to increase their driving allowances.
B. Because they wanted to be taught how to use the taxi-hiring apps.
C. Because they wanted to make their main complaints known to the authority.
D. Because they wanted to appeal to passengers not to hire the private cars.
2.The author’s attitude to banning internet car-hiring service is ________.
A. positiveB. negative
C. neutral (中立的)D. unclear
3.Which of the following statements is false according to the passage?
A. The problem referred to in the passage exists in all cities.
B. App-based car rental is functional to some degree.
C. The government should regulate the app-based car rental market.
D. Didi Dache is a China-foreign joint company.
Often a nickname is a shortened form of a person's name, and it can also be a descriptive name for a place or a thing. Many American cities have nicknames. These can help build up an identity, spread pride among citizens and build their unity. Nicknames can also be funny.
Los Angeles, California is the second largest city in population, after New York City. Los Angeles has several nicknames. One is simply the city's initials, L.A. It is also called the City of Angels because Los Angeles means "the angels" in Spanish.
Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather. So another nickname is City of Flowers and Sunshine. New York is called The Big Apple. So Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city's warm climate.
The American movie and television industries are based in Los Angeles. So it is not surprising that it is called The Entertainment Capital of the World. Many films are made in the area of Los Angeles called Hollywood. Millions of people visit the area. No trip to Los Angeles is perfect without seeing the word "Hollywood" spelled out in huge letters on a hillside.
Many movie stars live in Los Angeles. The city is sometimes called Tinseltown. This nickname comes from the shiny, bright and often unreal nature of Hollywood and the movie industry.
Another nickname for Los Angeles is La-La Land, using the first letters of Los and Angeles. This means a place that is fun and not serious, and maybe even out of touch with reality.
A good place for watching unusual-looking people is Venice, an area on the west side of Los Angeles. A system of waterways designed after the Italian city of Venice has been built there. Many people love Los Angeles for its warm sunny weather, beautiful mountains and beaches, and movie stars. That includes Randy Newman, who sings about his hometown.
On the whole, Los Angeles is growing attractive just for its rich nicknames.
1.Choose the one that isn’t the function of a nickname of a place.
A. Uniting surrounding cities.
B. Entertainment.
C. Bringing pride to the locals.
D. Establishing characteristics.
2.Which of the following can best replace the underlined sentence?
A. Seeing the big letters "Hollywood" on a hillside means you've been really to Los Angeles.
B. Not seeing the word "Hollywood" on a hillside means you haven't been to Los Angeles.
C. If you visit Los Angeles you should first pay a visit to "Hollywood" s on a hillside.
D. Your trip to Los Angeles is not complete if you miss the big letters "Hollywood" on a hillside.
3.What’s the number of the nicknames given to Los Angeles?
A. 5.B. 4.C. 7.D. 6.
4.According to the passage, the true statement is “________”.
A. Los Angeles was built after the Italian city of Venice
B. Hollywood alone adds fame to Los Angeles
C. Los Angeles is most famous for its nicknames
D. All the nicknames increase the charm of Los Angeles
Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.
1.Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?
A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.
B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.
C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.
D. Move an object out of the way before it trips someone.
2.The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ________.
A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor
B. meet her father who was already an old man
C. join in the holiday celebration of the company
D. finish her work before the deadline approached
3.The underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.
A. avoidedB. lackedC. abandonedD. took
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Emotional Well-being
B. The Two Saddest Words
C. The Most Useful Rule
D. The Peace of Mind
Join in the holiday fun at the powerhouse this month linked to our new exhibition, Evolution & Revolution : Chinese dress 1700s to now. DON’T FORGET our other special event, the Club Med Circus School which is part of the Circus! 150 years of circus in Australia exhibition experience !
◆ Chinese Folk Dancing: Colorful Chinese dance and musical performances by The Chinese Folk Dancing School of Sydney. Dances include: the Golden stick dance and the Chinese drum dance. A feature will be the Qin dynasty Emperor’s court dance. Also included is a show of face painting for Beijing opera performances.
Sunday 29 June and Wednesday 2 July in the Turbine Hall, at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm.
◆ Australian Chinese Children’s Arts Theatre: Well-known children’s play experts from Shanghai lead this dynamic youth group. Performances include Chinese fairy tales and plays.
Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 July in the Turbine Hall, at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm.
◆ Chinese Youth League: A traditional performing arts group featuring performance highlights such as the Red scarf and Spring flower dances, and a musician playing Er Hu.
Sunday 6 to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
◆ Kids Activity: Make a Paper Horse: Young children make a paper horse cut-out. (The horse is a frequent theme in Chinese painting, indicating a kind of advancement. ) Suitable for ages 8-12 years.
Sunday 28 June to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.
◆ Club Med Circus School: Learn circus skills, including the trapeze, trampolining and magic. Note only for children over 5: There are 40 places available in each 1 hour session and these must be booked at the front desk, level 4, on the day.
Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 July at 11:30 am & 1:00 pm.
Enjoy unlimited free visits and many other benefits by becoming a family member of the Powerhouse. Our family memberships cover two adults and all children under the age of 16 years at the one address. Members receive powerline, our monthly magazine, discounts in the shops and the restaurants, as well as free admission to the Museum. All this for as little as $50.00 a year! Call (02)9217 0600 for more details.
1.When can you watch the Chinese drum dance?
A. On July 2.B. On July 3.C. On July 6.D. On July 8.
2.To learn the magic tricks, you can go to __________.
A. Kids Activity
B. Chinese Youth League
C. Club Med Circus School
D. Children’s Arts Theatre
3.What is required if you want to enjoy free visits to the Museum?
A. Calling (02)92170600.
B. Gaining family membership.
C. Coming for the holiday fun.
D. Paying powerline $50.00 a year.
4.What is the main purpose of the text?
A. To attract visitors.
B. To present schedules.
C. To report the performances.
D. To teach kids Chinese arts.
