Most teens can't wait to learn to drive. Not so with me. Driving made me nervous. I didn't get a license until I turned 24 years old. As a result, when I first married, we only had one car and car pooled to work. My husband's hours were different from mine by one hour. I worked earlier. So he dropped me off and went to the diner to drink coffee until work time.
Then, in the afternoons, I leisurely walked the three miles to his work place where I waited in his car, reading a book.
One day while waiting for him, I noticed the most beautiful Cadillac pull in the lot. It was powder blue and sleek looking. The kind of car you dream about. I was busily admiring the car, when I noticed the driver. Honestly, she was probably the prettiest woman I had ever seen off the movie screen.
She pulled into the spot beside our car and it was all I could do not to stare. There was a striking resemblance to Liz Taylor. Jet black hair and alabaster skin. Our eyes made contact and she smiled at me. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and teeth like an even row of pearls. She was wearing a light blue shirt that just matched her car. Peeking through her long, softly curled hair I could see gold hoop earrings. They had to be gold to shine like that. A couple of minutes later, a nice looking man came out of the building, entered her car, leaned over and kissed her and she drove away.
Sitting there in my jeans, shirt and hair in a pony tail, I wanted to cry. How could some people have it all?
Maybe I would have forgotten about her, but the following week, I saw her again. Then it became almost routine to see her about once a week. She seemed friendly and always waved, flashing a big smile. My envy lingered long after she drove away.
Many nights when sleep evaded me, I would think about the beautiful lady. I wondered if she and her husband ate out, and where they dined, and what she was wearing. I wanted her to get out of the car and let me see her full length. Did she wear really high heeled shoes and pants, or a skirt.
I would get my answers in a couple of weeks.
Sitting in our usual parking lot, I was holding my book, watching her over the top of it. She was waiting and when her husband came to the car, she called to him. They spoke a few words and he opened the car door for her to step out. He took her arm and helped her out of the car. I could see very well as she moved to get out. She was wearing a skirt.
She haltingly walked around to the passenger side very slowly, leaning on a walking cane. Sitting sideways in the car, she lifted one leg with her hands and then the other one. The beautiful lady had a prosthesis on the left leg and a brace on the right leg. I couldn't watch them drive away as the tears were blinding me. For weeks I had envied this woman and her way of life, while I had been able to walk three miles to our car!
When my husband arrived and found me crying, he immediately asked what was wrong. Through my tears, I told him about the beautiful lady. He said he knew her husband and also knew the story. The beautiful lady and her parents were in a car that either stalled or got caught on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Both parents were killed and she was severely injured. She was only 12 years old. The railroad made a large settlement with her because the crossing had no signals. He explained her car was specially built for her needs as well as the home.
I prayed for forgiveness all the way home. The lady I thought had everything I didn't. I realized how lucky I was to have my parents, the ability to walk, run or dance through life and many wonderful things money can't buy. I would not have traded places with the beautiful lady for anything.
When you meet a person who seems to be much better off than you, don't be fooled.
1.In the afternoons the woman walked three miles to her husband’s work place to ________.
A. take exercise on the way
B. meet the beautiful lady
C. enjoy the scenery and reading
D. wait for her husband
2.After seeing the beautiful lady, the woman concluded ________.
A. the beautiful lady led a rich and happy life
B. the beautiful lady liked to show off herself
C. she and her husband must make more money
D. she shouldn’t have married her husband
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The woman learned that health and family are more important.
B. The woman was poor and couldn’t afford another car and fancy clothes.
C. The woman envied the beautiful lady of her capable husband.
D. The woman regretted marrying her husband.
4.The underlined word “haltingly”(paragraph 10) probably means ________.
A. proudlyB. excitedlyC. difficultlyD. steadily
5.Which of the following do you think can be the best title of the passage?
A. Seeing is believing
B. Trust her heart instead of her look
C. Looks can be deceiving
D. Fooled by her look
By 2050, a completely new type of human evolve as a result of extremely new technology, behavior, and natural selection. This is according to Cadell Last, a researcher at the Global Brain Institute, who claims mankind is undergoing a major “evolutionary transition”.
In less than four decades, Mr. Last claims we will live longer, have children in old age and rely on artificial intelligence to do ordinary and boring tasks. This shift is so significant, he claims, it is comparable to the change from monkeys to apes, and apes to humans. “Your 80 or 100 is going to be so radically different than your grandparents,” Mr. Last says, who believes we will spend much of our time living in virtual reality. Some evolutionary scientists believe this age could be as high as 120 by 2050.
Mr. Last claims humans will also demonstrate delayed sexual maturation, according to a report by Christina Sterbenz in Business Insider. This refers to something known as life history theory which attempts to explain how natural selection shapes key events in a creature’s life, such as reproduction. It suggests that as brain sizes increase, organisms need more energy and time to reach their full potential, and so reproduce less.
Instead of living fast and dying younger, Mr. Last believes humans will live slow and die old. “Global society at the moment is a complete mess,” he told MailOnline. “But in crisis there is opportunity, and in apocalypse (启示) there can be transformation. So I think the next system humanity creates will be far more sophisticated, fair, and abundant than our current civilization.”
“I think our next system will be as different from the modern world, as our contemporary world is from the medieval (中世纪的) world. The biological clock isn't going to be around forever,” he added, and said that people could pause it for some time using future technology.
The change is already happening. Today, the average age at which a woman in Britain has her first baby has been rising steadily stands at 29. 8. In the US, just one percent of first children were born to women over the age of 35 in 1970. By 2012, that figure rose to 15 percent.
“As countries become socio-economically advanced, more and more people, especially women have the option to engage in cultural reproduction,” Mr. Last added. And as well as having more child-free years to enjoy leisure time, he believes artificial intelligence will make up the need for low-skill jobs. We may also spend a large amount of time living in virtual reality. “I’m not quite sure most people have really absorbed the implications of this possibility,” Mr. Last said.
His views are detailed in a paper, titled “Human Evolution, Life History Theory, and the End of Biological Reproduction" published Current Aging Science.
1.According to Cadell Last, a completely new type of human will appear because of ________.
① artificial intelligence ② new technology ③ natural selection ④ mundane tasks ⑤ behavior
A. ②③⑤ B. ①②③ C. ③④⑤ D. ①②⑤
2.Which statement is compared by Mr. Last to the change from monkeys to apes, and apes to humans?
A. We have diseases and die young.
B. We spend less time in virtual reality.
C. We give birth to a child when we are young.
D. We use intelligent robots to do everyday housework.
3.The underlined words in the third paragraph most probably mean “________”.
A. Reproduction.
B. Reproduce less.
C. Natural selection shapes key events.
D. Organisms need more energy and time to ripen.
4.In the next system Mr. Last explained we can infer that ________.
A. women are engaged in careers or hobbies instead of giving birth to babies
B. women are engaged in playing computer games rather than working
C. women are engaged in cultural reproduction in place of men
D. women are engaged in living in virtual reality without options
Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials increase the length of time we will remember it.
In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.
The multiplication tables(乘法口诀表) are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood. The law of overlearning explains why cramming (突击学习) for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one's future development.
1.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 1?
A. Children have a better memory than grown-ups.
B. People remember well what they learned in childhood.
C. Poem reading is a good way to learn words.
D. Stories for children are easy to remember.
2.The author explains the law of overlearning by ________.
A. presenting research findings
B. setting down general rules
C. using examples
D. making a comparison
3.According to the author, being able to use multiplication tables is ________.
A. a result of overlearning
B. a special case of cramming
C. a skill to deal with math problems
D. a basic step towards advanced studies
4.What is the author's opinion on cramming?
A. It leads to failure in college exams.
B. It increases students' learning interest.
C. It's possible to result in poor memory.
D. It's helpful only in a limited way.
Wanted, Someone for a Kiss
We’re looking for producers to join us in the second of London 100FM. You’ll work on the station’s music programmes. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss100.
Father Christmas
We’re looking for a very special person preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit. Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December 17 to December 24 except Sunday, 10:30—16:00
Excellent pay
Please contact the Enterprise Shopping Center, Station Parade, Eastbourne.
Accountants Assistant
When you join in them in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.
Walden District Council
Software Trainer
If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make our decision, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￡15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV (简历) to Mrs R. Ogilvie, Palmlace Limited.
1.We learn from the ads that the Enterprise Shopping Centre needs a person who ________.
A. is aged between 24 and 40
B. may do some training work
C. should deal with general duties
D. can work for about a month
2.Which position is open to recent school graduates?
A. Producer, London Kiss.
B. Father Christmas.
C. Accountants Assistant.
D. Software Trainer.
One day, while I was walking to work, I decided to bring some flowers that I had picked from my garden that morning. On the way, I ________ a stranger and presented the bunch to him with a smile card. ________ by the sense of joy I felt from giving flowers to another person, and may be ________ his day, I wanted to do it again.
When I got to my office, I had the ________ of anonymously(匿名地) leaving flowers around the workplace. The impersonal(无人情味的) ________ of the building where I work makes me ________. It just feels a little boring sometimes, ________ it's a nice building with great light. I ________ lots of people might feel the same way, so why not put a little ________ there, and throw in an inspirational ________ while I'm at it? After all, who doesn't like flowers?
So, for the past month, I've been ________ flowers in a little cup on the sink in the bathroom.
Each week, I ________ the flowers and the quote. It always feels ________ for me to read quotes like Henry David Thoreau's “If one advances ________ in the direction of his dreams, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” and Gandhi's “The fragrance(香味) always ________ on the hand that gives the rose.” If anything, I figured, it at least makes me ________ each time I visit the bathroom.
Then today, when I walked in, I noticed ________ flowers in the cup, and a quote that someone else had written! It ________, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”—Gandhi. This little act ________ me that, at the end of the day, we're all just people with hearts ________ the various roles and different hats we may wear in the workplace.
I did a little dance and I am smiling wide for the rest of the day!
1.A. picked outB. came acrossC. called upD. pointed at
2.A. StruckB. InformedC. SurprisedD. Honoured
3.A. calmingB. determiningC. reflectingD. brightening
4.A. beliefB. wayC. ideaD. aim
5.A. designB. atmosphereC. decorationD. regulation
6.A. uncomfortableB. impoliteC. impatientD. unconscious
7.A. whenB. unlessC. becauseD. though
8.A. concludedB. consideredC. doubtedD. expected
9.A. mysteryB. adventureC. beautyD. courage
10.A. flowerB. figureC. quoteD. material
11.A. growingB. wateringC. puttingD. arranging
12.A. countB. checkC. cleanD. change
13.A. refreshingB. interestingC. satisfyingD. puzzling
14.A. confidentlyB. surprisinglyC. quicklyD. effectively
15.A. holdsB. attachesC. remainsD. focuses
16.A. strongB. happyC. excitedD. shocked
17.A. beautifulB. newC. smallD. special
18.A. printedB. askedC. repliedD. said
19.A. introducesB. remindsC. suggestsD. indicates
20.A. regardless ofB. in terms of
C. in addition toD. instead of
—Could you do me a favour and pick up Sam from school today?
—Yes. ________.
A. At pleasureB. With pleasure
C. For pleasureD. My pleasure
