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. 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. avoided B. lacked C. abandoned D. 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
A guide to Beijing museums during Spring Festival
The Capital Museum
The Beijing Capital Museum is presenting a special monkey-themed exhibition that decodes the cultural roots of the monkey in traditional Chinese culture. The exhibit shows more than 40 antique collections, including paintings, calligraphy, stamps, and 12 classic Monkey King pictures based on the great Chinese novel, Journey to the West. The museum also prepared a series of cultural activities for children, such as making paper-cuts for window decoration and painting monkeys.
The National Museum of China
Pasting Spring Festival couplets to doors is a traditional custom in Chinese culture. An exhibition Calligraphy Art of Couplets for the Year of the Money is ongoing, with more than 30 calligraphers’ couplet pieces on display. A major exhibition, Treasures of Romania, showcasing Romania’s history from the pre-historical period to the end of the 18th century, is still underway.
National Art Museum of China
The 2016 New Year show, National Art Exhibition of the Great Unity of China is a visual feast that will last until March 7. The works reflect the reality that people of all nationalities in China unite as one and jointly construct a moderately prosperous society. The works also highlight their positive mental attitude and present their picturesque and colorful national customs.
Zhoukoudian Relies Museum
A Spring Festival folk custom culture exhibition will introduce traditional Spring Festival customs in detail. Visitors can enjoy nearly 100 precious exhibits from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Minguo Era(1912-1949), including New Year paintings and musical instruments. Children can also take part in the treasure hunt games organized by the museum, watch 4D movies and experience the primitive way of hunting fishing and chipping stone tools in the science experience pavilion.
1.In which column of the newspaper may this article appear?
A. Travel.B. Business.C. Lifestyle.D. Culture.
2.Which of the following statement is True according to the article?
A. The 40 antique collections in the Capital Museum are based on Journey to the West.
B. All four museums provide exhibits of traditional Spring Festival customs.
C. Children can be involved in some activities about the primitive life in Zhoukoudian Relics Museum.
D. Visitors can appreciate exhibits of Minguo Era in National Art Museum of China.
3.Which one is the best choice among the four museums for visitors who’d like to enjoy history of both China and foreign countries?
A. The National Museum of China
B. Zhoukoudian Relics Museum
C. The Capital Museum
D. National Art Museum of China
假如你是校英语俱乐部主席李华，计划下个月在全校开展一次英语演讲比赛，请你给Mr. Smith写一封英文电子邮件，邀请他担任本次比赛的评委，并询问他下周什么时候有空在学校大礼堂做一次关于演讲技巧的讲座。
注意：1.词数100左右
2. 可适当增加细节，已使行文连贯。
3. 邮件的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Mr. Smith,
I'm Li Hua, Chairman of the English Club of our school. ______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____
Looking forward to your reply!
Yours,
Li Hua
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
While walking in a market two weeks before, I saw a little kid looking for his mom. However, I couldn’t find her. I decided to ignoring it and keep walking, but then I saw a person that seemed to have badly intentions. So I made up my mind to help with the little kid. We go from one shop to another to look for his mom. Eventually we entered a flower shop but found her, after nearly one and a half hour of searching. She thanked me for helping her child, which was only 6 years old. It was very happy moment.
For my 22nd wedding anniversary, I determined that I would write my wife Sheila twenty-two ________ to describe my love to her. I also decided that I would have a unique ________ to give her a great surprise.
I started out months ________, writing poems and ________ with my wife’s friends and got their help in making cards for each of the twenty-two poems.
Had I known how ________ it was to make twenty-two cards for twenty-two poems, I might have ________ a different idea. ________, by the time I was about to ________, I was encouraged by our ________, so I kept on the task.
Some good friends ________ to host the party at their house. The question then was how to get my wife to the party without raising her ________. I told my wife for our anniversary I would make a(n) ________ at a nice restaurant, so she didn’t have to ________ anything. I had prearranged with the party host to call me before the party to say that she really needed to get back a ________ that I had borrowed. In my wife’s ________, I told him that we were heading out to dinner and could drop the book off on our way.
Finally, when we arrived at the ________, I suggested that perhaps Sheila should accompany me to the door and say a quick ________. We stepped into the house where the ________ happened. One at a time, twenty-one of Sheila’s friends presented her with a card and rose. Then, I ________ a poem titled “Pure Luck”. I wanted ________ to get it right—and I did!
That was five years ago, and I can still recited the whole poem by heart.
1.A. lettersB. poemsC. booksD. stories
2.A. partyB. mealC. programmeD. feeling
3.A. for instanceB. on purposeC. at mostD. in advance
4.A. arguingB. fightingC. dealingD. consulting
5.A. specialB. valuableC. difficultD. enjoyable
6.A. pay attention toB. looked forward to
C. come up withD. made up with
7.A. HoweverB. ThereforeC. OtherwiseD. Moreover
8.A. go onB. give upC. come outD. show up
9.A. lifeB. prideC. loveD. honesty
10.A. refusedB. hesitatedC. pretendedD. volunteered
11.A. wishesB. worriesC. doubtsD. enthusiasm
12.A. effortB. reservationC. decisionD. call
13.A. planB. shareC. missD. explain
14.A. bookB. cardC. bikeD. flower
15.A. performanceB. influenceC. presenceD. absence
16.A. dinnerB. houseC. meetingD. competition
17.A. goodbyeB. pityC. yesD. hello
18.A. accidentB. surpriseC. quarrelD. trouble
19.A. recitedB. readC. wroteD. sang
20.A. responsiblyB. thankfullyC. sensitivelyD. desperately
It is extremely difficult to get rid of deep anger and bitterness. ___1.___ It could result in depression or even substance abuse（药物滥用）. You must rid yourself of these poisonous feelings before your life is ruined. You owe it to yourself to get over the anger and bitterness and find peace in life.
●Stop making excuses for your feelings. You can't overcome your anger or bitterness if you keep yourself stuck in it and making excuses about why you are angry and bitter. ___2.___You’re in control of your life and you can get rid of the anger and bitterness. When you start feeling bitter or angry, make a conscious effort to stop.
●Forgive those who have caused you anger. ___3.__However, it is a necessary part of healing and moving on with life. Speak to the person who hurt you and tell him you forgive him. Alternatively, write a letter to the person who hurt you. Whatever you do you must forgive so that you can move on with your life.
●Find ways to be grateful for what you have. Look around you and count your blessings. ___4.__ Make thankfulness and gratefulness a part of your everyday life. Keep a journal and write about the ways in which you’re grateful. Your anger and bitterness will eventually disappear as you become happier and more content with life.
●__5.___Perhaps you have kept it bottled up for years. You need to let it go, so talk to family or friends. You can even talk to a professional when necessary. The point is to talk about your feelings so that you can move on from the anger and bitterness.
A. This is not an easy thing.
B. Swear to move on from the past.
C. Perhaps you own a loving family or a good job.
D. Offering forgiveness can lead to less anxiety and stress.
E. You could spend years carrying these feeling inside you.
F. Express your deep-rooted feelings of anger and bitterness.
G. Recognizing signs and causes of bitterness is a healthy start.
