A robot used for housework was tested out in a family. He looked like 1.tall and handsome man with smooth hair, speaking 2. a deep voice. Larry was going to be away from home so he hired such a robot 3. (accompany) his wife Claire. Claire didn’t like the idea at the beginning, but she agreed to it at last. At her first sight of Tony, Claire was 4. (alarm). When Tony offered to help her dressing, Claire felt embarrassed. 5. (Gradual), Tony began to win Claire’s trust. He helped Claire realized her dreams by making her home elegant, giving her a new haircut, 6. (change) the makeup she wore and giving her advice on her dresses. Therefore at the party all the guests 7. were invited were filled with admiration 8. they saw her house was completely changed. At the same time, Tony left a deep 9. (impress) on all of them. After the test, the company 10. (satisfy) with Tony’s report because he had successfully made a woman regain her confidence, although he shouldn’t have her fall in love with him.
Sometimes people around you can change your life. The change may not be sudden or_______, but little habits can produce big _______that make you think about what is important in your life. The person who changed my life is Julia Masi. She has_______ me so many things that I will carry with me_______my life.
One thing I've learned from Julia is how to balance_______. Julia has shown me how to _______ahead so that I can finish all my school work, enjoy sports and_______ have time for my friends. She has taught me that you can do anything if you are_______ and if you never give up. I've also learned that you can find anything fun or _______if you connect it with something that you enjoy.
Last year I hated studying vocabulary, but I loved playing on my computer. Julia ________the two and showed me a website called “freerice.com” where you can________a word game that gives you 5 grains of rice to donate to the poor with every correct word. She ________me to learn a hundred new ________by filling up the rice bowl. I liked playing the game so much that I ________about 1,000 words in just one month.
Julia has always _________me to try new hobbies. She showed me that going to the theater could help me become a better writer.__________, she taught me that discussing a play can excite an interest in reading.
________it wasn't for Julia I probably wouldn't have________how easy it is to help the poor. There are so many ways that one person can ________. I've learned to be more appreciative of what I own. I am ________for the opportunities that I have been given. I will continue to think of ways to help those less fortunate for the rest of my life.
1.A. impressive B. simple C. necessary D. slight
2.A. results B. ideas C. problems D. decisions
3.A. bought B. served C. offered D. taught
4.A. throughout B. of C. for D. into
5.A. work B. money C. time D. career
6.A. plan B. get C. move D. stay
7.A. never B. seldom C. still D. yet
8.A. excited B. careful C. determined D. patient
9.A. interesting B. easy C. possible D. important
10.A. shared B. combined C. remembered D. separated
11.A. watch B. improve C. raise D. play
12.A. reminded B. invited C. permitted D. challenged
13.A. words B. skills C. lessons D. stories
14.A. used B. read C. learned D. spelled
15.A. encouraged B. warned C. forced D. allowed
16.A. Therefore B. Besides C. However D. Otherwise
17.A. If B. Since C. Although D. Unless
18.A. imagined B. noticed C. realized D. dreamed
19.A. make a difference B. turn away C. show off D. make a mistake
20.A. ready B. thankful C. sorry D. anxious
Five Things Ambitious People Never Say
(1)“I can’t do this—it’s too hard.”
Ambitious people never limit themselves or undervalue hard work with these words. 1.
(2)“I’m not good enough.”
Ambitious people never say they are not good enough. Saying you are not good enough holds you back and makes you vulnerable to quit when things get a little rough. And quitting when things get a little rough is never a good thing. The most successful people in the world are not quitters. 2.Be confident and believe in yourself, or no one else will.
(3) “I won’t make it through the obstacles.”
Challenges and obstacles are tests of your resolve and desire to succeed. 3.They say they will make it because they know better things lie ahead—the sun always shines after the storm.
(4) 4.
The only time people won’t take you seriously is if you don’t take yourself seriously. Insisting that people won’t take you seriously is an excuse not to do what you know you should do. Ambitious people never say these words. They respect themselves and honor their work and that earns people’s respect. Start respecting yourself and honoring what you do and people will respect and take you seriously.
(5)“I’m going to fail for sure.”
5.It can teach you valuable lessons and redirect you to the right path. Ambitious people don’t say they are going to fail and let that stop them from trying. They defy the fear of failure by taking calculated risks because they know the only time you are truly defeated is when you don’t try at all. Jim Carrey says it best: “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”
A. People won’t take me seriously.
B. They tell themselves they can do it.
C. They are hard workers who believe in themselves and their abilities.
D. People take it for granted that it is impossible.
E. Ambitious People never say they can do everything well.
F. Ambitious people never say they won’t make it through the hard times.
G. Failure is not entirely bad.
Single-sex schools are better than mixed schools
Message 1 — posted by Jane, Amsterdam
I think mixed-sex schools are the only way for children to learn, because it's natural. In higher education and their working life, they will be mixed so it makes sense for them to be mixed at school. School should reflect the real world.
Message 2 — posted by Hans, Germany
My reaction to this is very clear. For me, single-sex schools are much better, and the statistics show that they get better exam results, particularly at secondary level. Anything which helps children pass exams must be a good thing.
Message 3 — posted by Bill, USA
Boys and girls learn in very different ways. I feel that they should be educated separately so teachers can focus on their different needs. The way I see it is that if you have a zoo, you don't put the lions in with the zebras!
Message 4 — posted by Martin, London
My view on this is that it doesn't really matter. What is important is the curriculum (课程), and keeping students interested. I was a teacher and we had a lot of truancy (逃学) to deal with, and problems with students missing lessons because they found them boring. Never have a timetable with Maths as the first class on Monday morning!
Message 5 — posted by Emily, Sydney
I don't think there is any question that mixed schools are better. There is too much competition at single-sex schools, which often means that students don't make enough progress. I also think there is more bullying (欺凌) at single-sex schools, where children are picked on because of the increased competition. Single-sex schools lead to a “dog eat dog” situation.
1.What is Jane's attitude towards single-sex schools?
A. Favorable. B. Negative. C. Objective. D. Unconcerned.
2.Both Hans and Bill hold that _____.
A. teachers should meet students' different needs
B. boys and girls should be taught separately
C. schools should focus on students' exam results
D. mixed schools are better than single-sex schools
3.Martin stresses the importance of _____.
A. exciting students' interest in courses B. students' time awareness
C. training students to obey rules D. school management
4.Emily uses “dog eat dog” to show _____.
A. her support for single-sex schools
B. students' determined effort to succeed
C. the fierce competition in single-sex schools
D. the better education results in single-sex schools
If you and I met at a party, you would probably ask me what I do for a living, what town I live in — the kind of questions that would help you to build a picture of who I am. I might ask the same of you, but I probably wouldn't be listening. It's more likely I'd be looking at the label on your jeans, glancing at your shoes, and eyeing up your mobile phone. These are the things that really tell me who you are. In fact, I sincerely hope you would notice the same things about me. Well, that's the way it was a year ago.
I began to behave like this at a very early age. I remember the first day of junior school, standing alone in the playground, desperately wanting to make friends. I headed straight for what seemed to be the most promising group of boys. They were talking to girls, trading football cards, eating green sweets — all the things I wanted to do. As I attempted to talk with them, one boy asked me, “Do you support Manchester United Football Club?” Another asked, “Are you into Michael Jackson?” I answered yes to them all, even though the truthful answer was no.
Things seemed to be going well until one of the boys caught sight of my trainers. I'd never thought too much about them before. They were just plain blue sports shoes that Mum had bought, for playing in the back garden. At once, the group laughed very loudly, “Where did you get those from? A charitable organization?”
Looking at the boys in bewilderment (疑惑), I noticed for the first time that they all had similar shapes on the sides of their trainers, like the ones on footballers' boots on television. It wasn't just their shoes: crocodiles, eagles and tigers sat on the breasts of their T-shirts, and every single boy seemed to have the same school bag, a blue plastic bag with a leaping puma in silver on the side. I walked away quietly, depressed. From that day on, I was determined to be like them, if not more so.
1.What was the author like one year ago?
A. He was very interested in figure paintings.
B. He used to judge others by their appearances.
C. He was crazy about holding different parties.
D. He had some difficulty communicating with others.
2.How did the author react when asked about his favorite football team?
A. He replied proudly. B. He kept silent.
C. He told a lie. D. He refused to answer.
3.Why did the group suddenly burst out laughing?
A. Because they looked down upon the author.
B. Because they were attracted by the author.
C. Because they welcomed the author warmly.
D. Because they played a joke on the author.
4.After the first day of junior school, the author began to ________.
A. be addicted to television B. concern himself with animals
C. follow famous football players D. spend more money on branded goods
My father had just come back from his short-term business visit to England when I came in, rather late, to dinner. I could tell that my parents had been talking about something in that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet." I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” “It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."
1.The writer's father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.
A. it was bought at a low price B. it frequently broke down
C. it was a second-hand car D. it made him feel uneasy
2.The writer's father would enjoy being different unless ________.
A. there was no danger of showing off B. it drew much attention to him
C. it was understood as a joke D. it didn't bring him in arguments
3.The writer felt ________ about the idea of going to Eton.
A. unhappy B. unbelievable
C. delighted. D. complicated
4.Based on the passage we know that ________.
A. it is not easy for children to get admitted by Eton
B. children can go to Eton if they would like to
C. children who can go to Eton are very famous
D. children can’t decide whether they will go to Eton
