Life is to be lived. No excuses. No reservations (保留). No holding back.
A story about the violinist Fritz Kreisler tells how he once _________ a beautiful instrument he wanted to acquire. When he _________ raised the money for the violin, he returned to_________ it and learned that it had already been sold to a(n) _________.
He went to the new owner’s home in order to try to _________ him to sell the violin. _________, the collector said it was one of his prized possessions and he could not let it go. Kreisler felt _________ and turned to leave, but then asked a favor, “May I play the instrument once more _______ it is put away?”
_________ was given and the great musician began to play. The __________ sang out a quality of music which was so beautiful that the collector himself could only listen in __________. “I have no __________ to keep that to myself,” he said after the musician finished. “The violin is yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into world, and let people __________ it.”
You and I are excellent violins—our __________ is meant to be heard.
I want to live my ________ that way—to take it into the world and live it fully. I’d rather burn out than rust out. I’d rather be__________ than die not having done whatever I could.
I’m not talking about __________ ourselves by doing too much. Happiness is never found in overmuch busyness. But it is found in investing our lives in others. Say yes when asked for a hand. __________ to work for a worthwhile organization. Spend an hour with a ________ relative.
In the end, I know that my happiness is not about by my ability or my inability. It is about how much I ________ to others.
1.A. found out B. came across C. came to D. picked out
2.A. slowly B. actually C. eventually D. regularly
3.A. buy B. play C. pick D. get
4.A. musician B. performer C. player D. collector
5.A. force B. persuade C. advise D. ask
6.A. Therefore B. Besides C. However D. Otherwise
7.A. disappointed B. angry C. helpless D. desperate
8.A. unless B. after C. until D. before
9.A. Judgment B. Permission C. Award D. Appreciation
10.A. violin B. musician C. singer D. collector
11.A. amazement B. agreement C. puzzlement D. embarrassment
12.A. freedom B. right C. interest D. money
13.A. play B. know C. feel D. hear
14.A. story B. sound C. music D. message
15.A. life B. dream C. hobby D. reality
16.A. hung up B. put up C. used up D. dressed up
17.A. exhausting B. requesting C. fighting D. changing
18.A. Struggle B. Volunteer C. Manage D. Promise
19.A. special B. close C. tired D. lonely
20.A. turn B. treat C. give D. adapt
How to Improve Speed Reading Skills
Speed reading is one of many skills that can improve your reading comprehension and shorten your study time. 1..
Look at groups of words, not single words.
2.. However, if you can get into the habit of reading groups or chunks of words at one time, then you can read much faster. Start by trying to look at a group of three or four words at once, then work up to looking at an entire line of words. Focus on words that give the sentence meaning, such as the nouns and verbs and pay less attention to the filler words, such as “A, the, and, etc.”
Scan for keywords.
Scanning is a highly effective way of extracting answers from a text without really reading it. If you know exactly what you are looking for—a name, a date, a statistic, or a specific word—you can find it quickly by skipping over large chunks of the text. To scan, first visualize the word, number, or phrase you would like to find. 3.. The information you are looking for should pop out at you.
4..
You can train yourself to read faster by timing yourself as you go. Start by getting your base time. Set a timer for fifteen minutes, and speed read as you normally do. 5.. Do not count the words, just the pages or paragraphs. Record your figures: for instance, you might write “15min/6.5 pages.”
A. Then, run your eyes rapidly over the text
B. Race the clock
C. Check your comprehension
D. If you read a text one word at a time, then this will slow your reading speed way down
E. Here are some Speed Reading Techniques
F. One of the reasons you read slowly is that you have to pause sometimes to understand what a passage is saying
G. When the timer goes off, check to see how far you have got
The police in Taiwan are unable to judge whether to treat it as an extremely clever act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat. Either way, it could be the perfect crime, because the criminals are birds — homing pigeons!
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay up. Then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind — one that avoids not only collecting money but going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an ad in the newspaper asking for help.
The theory is supported by the fact that, so far, none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded — under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars — seems too little for a car worth many times more.
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,” he said.
1.After the car owner received a phone call, he ________.
A. went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried
B. gave the money to the thief and bad his car back in a park
C. sent some money to the thief by mail
D. told the press about it
2.The “lazier and more inventive” criminal refers to ________.
A. the car thief who stays at home B. one of those who put the ads in the paper
C. one of the policemen in Changwa D. the owner of the pigeons
3.The writer, mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show ________.
A. how easily people get fooled by criminals
B. what Chen thinks might be correct
C. the thief is extremely clever
D. the money paid is too little
4.The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A. criminals B. pigeons C. the stolen cars D. demands for money
5.We may infer that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because ________.
A. he reads the ads in the newspaper
B. he lives in the same neighborhood
C. he has seen the car owners in the park
D. he has trained the pigeons to follow them
My husband Jeff and I moved into our new home in Scottsbluff last year just before Christmas. I did not have the time or energy to carry out my traditional Christmas decorating and baking activities. What was the point, anyway? It was going to be a lonely Christmas after all.
However, the neighborly nature of west Nebraska residents started to trickle (陆续来临) in.
There was a knock on the door one evening. It was Jeff’s new colleague, John Smith, and his wife, Phyllis. The Smiths had stopped by to welcome us to town with a loaf of homemade bread. They pointed out a package on the porch (门廊). Apparently the doorbell wasn’t working in the cold snowy weather and we had missed a visit from the Browns, our across-the-street neighbors, who brought us a Christmas card and more Christmas cookies.
Then, we received an invitation to share a Christmas Eve meal with our neighbors, Ernie and Nancy Sommer, and their guest—a 90-year-old lady, who also had no family in the immediate area with whom to spend the holiday.
I was so grateful for these gestures of welcome, especially during the holidays.
This year, we were again unable to be with our families for Christmas. The distance and work schedules just made things too difficult. Knowing that sense of Christmas isolation all too well, we decided to try to round up some other folks who were alone in the holidays.
Lonely people are all around us, but most of us seldom notice them. Just take a look around you. Sometimes, the smallest kind gesture can make a world of difference.
1.What can be inferred from paragraph 3?
A. The doorbell wouldn’t work in winter.
B. The Smiths happened to find the gifts sent by the Browns.
C. John Smith, Phyllis and Jeff worked in the same company.
D. The Browns put the gifts on the porch secretly.
2.What does the underlined word “isolation” in the last second paragraph mean?
A. Hurt. B. Love. C. Loneliness D. Happiness.
3.Welcomed by the neighbors, the author realizes ________.
A. even a small kind act can make people feel warm
B. lonely people should celebrate Christmas together
C. Christmas should be treated seriously
D. the people around us are all lonely
Dec.11 marked the 15th anniversary of China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). On that day in 2001, China formally became a member of the WTO. Now the country has grown into the world’s second-largest economy and the largest trading country, while millions of Chinese have been lifted out of poverty. And 15 years on, it’s evident that being a WTO member has transformed the nation’s everyday lives for the better.
Imports are now a common sight in Chinese stores and supermarkets, while they were previously rarely seen on shelves. The Chinese now have access to many imports varying from luxury goods like high-end cars and famous brand watches, to daily necessities. China’s WTO membership has also made imports less expensive for the Chinese public.
For instance, since 2005, no tariffs (关税) have been imposed (施加) on Chinese imports of digital cameras and other devices.
Our education industry has also benefited from China’s WTO membership. Many top global universities have joined forces with Chinese ones to establish cooperative education institutions, bringing foreign teaching concepts to Chinese students. For example, New York University Shanghai was jointly founded by New York University and East China Normal University. In addition, an increasing number of Chinese students are furthering their studies abroad, while many foreign students are coming to China to carry out their higher education. According to the Ministry of Education, 523,700 students studied overseas last year, and the number is expected to keep growing this year.
China’s WTO entry has brought benefit not only to the country’s people, but also for the rest of the world.
1.One advantage of China’s WTO membership is that ________.
A. all the Chinese people are out of poverty
B. no tariffs will be charged for different kinds of imports
C. the Chinese can buy more foreign products at a lower price
D. it only brings benefits to Chinese agriculture and education
2.New York University Shanghai is an example of ________.
A. foreign-funded universities
B. educational reform
C. state-owned universities
D. international cooperation
3.What may be talked about in the following paragraph?
A. How China’s entry into the WTO has changed people’s lives.
B. What the Chinese have got from being a member of the WTO.
C. The efforts the Chinese government has made to fight against poverty.
D. The good effects on the other countries after China’s entering the WTO.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. China’s entry into the WTO. B. Benefits of China’s entering the WTO.
C. Trade and education in China. D. The development of China’s economy.
At the end of every year, Time picks the best 25 inventions that are “making the world better and smarter”. Here we have picked three of this year’s inventions that could be a part of your life in the near future.
The levitating(悬浮的) lightbulb
This special lightbulb was invented by US artist and scientist Simon Morris. He got the idea of making a lightbulb float from hoverboards(悬浮滑板)，which he used to dream of having as a kid.
But the floating is not the most amazing part. The rejection force between the opposite ends of the magnets(磁铁)，which were put in the bottom of the bulb and in the wooden base, does the job. What’s new here is a technology called induction (电磁感应). It allows the lightbulb to get power from the base even they are not in contact.
Shoes that tie themselves
They’re not what you think-shoelaces that tie themselves in the way we tie them. Instead, the new shoes have small motors that control their laces. When you step in them, your feet will hit a sensor（传感器）in the shoes and the motor will automatically tighten the laces.
But the shoes weren’t just designed for lazy people’s needs. They could actually give athletes an advantage during competition. They are also useful for people who cannot move their arms or fingers easily.
The no-touch thermometer
Taking your body temperature usually means putting a thermometer (体温计) in your armpits (腋窝) and staying still for minutes. It may be easy for you, but it’s an impossible task for little kids.
Now, with the new thermometer, users can simply put it 2.5 centimeters from a patient’s forechead and press the button, and it can get the reading in two seconds.
1.The levitating lightbulb is special in that ________.
A. floating is the most amazing part of the levitating lightbulb
B. the inventor of the levitating lightbulb is more than a scientist
C. it makes use of the rejection force between opposite ends of magnets
D. induction allows the lightbulb to get power even when unconnected with the base
2.How is the no-touch thermometer different from other ones?
A. It makes it easier to take kid’s temperature.
B. You need wait two minutes for the reading.
C. You don’t need to press the button.
D. It should be put in one’s armpit.
3.In which part of a newspaper can you possibly read this text?
A. Education. B. Sports. C. Science. D. Entertainment.
