Happiness depends upon ourselves
I stared at the word “Happiness”, my creative-writing assignment (作业) about emotion, on my blank(空白的) paper. No format(格式) at all.
It was not the lack of structure (结构）______ the word “happiness” that was ______ me. Anything else I could have ______ well, say, jealousy (嫉妒) or pain. But I was ______to write about happiness.
There was a ______ at my bedroom door. “Hey, Sarah?” asked a small voice. “Can I come in?” “Rachie.” I said to my five-year-old sister. “I’m ______ now.”
“But this is important.”
I ______. “Okay, then.” Rachie came in. “Um, I caught my favourite butterfly. It’s ______ pretty. But I let it go because Mommy said it would die.” “So, what’s the ______?” I asked. “Well,” she whispered ______ she were about to share a deep ______. “When I set it free, I was ______. Does that make me a mean person?” I ______. “Of course not. You were just happy it was free.” I gave her a ______ . “Now I have work to do.” “What work?” she asked. I ______ my blank paper. “I have to write about happiness.” “Oh, that’s easy.” “What’s your happiness?” I asked. She thought a few seconds. “Butterflies,” she said ______ and left.
Bu
tterflies! I thought abou
t our ______. She was happy to catch the butterfly and happy to see it go. Maybe she was right. Butterflies ______ nothing but happiness. Maybe butterflies aren’t exactly the ______ to happiness, but there is something to be said about the simple things in ______ . And with that, I started to write.
1.A. or B. but C. and D. nor
2.A. bothering B. inspiring C. surprising D. attracting
3.A. analyzed B. explained C. handled D. adjusted
4.A. reminded B. supposed C. persuaded D. prepared
5.A. knock B. call C. push D. beat
6.A. annoyed B. dizzy C. puzzled D. busy
7.A. begged B. sighed C. urged D. refused
8.A. equally B. hardly C. really D. slightly
9.A. effect B. result C. decision D. problem
10.A. as if B. only if C. so that D. in case
11.A. sorrow B. secret C. feeling D. pain
12.A. awful B. excited C. glad D. disappointed
13.A. argued B. nodded C. added D. smiled
14.A. hug B. tip C. look D. hand
15.A. read through B. glanced at C. set down D. turned over
16.A. angrily B. blindly C. anxiously D. simply
17.A. conversation B. conclusion C. debate D. interview[
18.A. discover B. bring C. benefit D. expect
19.A. barrier B. introduction C. key D. limit
20.A. need B. return C. work D. life
Have you ever heard of spring fever? When we have spring fever, are we really sick? Originally, yes. 1. But now people used it to mean a sudden increase of romantic feelings.
These days, we use “spring fever” to describe a restless feeling after the long, cold days of winter. 2. It is also a verb that means something happening or appearing quickly.
Imagine that you are resting in the chair when suddenly you see a mouse run across the floor. You spring into action! You jump from the chair and run after the mouse! 3. And it works! But when you tell your roommate that you caught a mouse in a trap, tears spring from her eyes. You feel badly, but she really should have told you about her pet mouse Charlie!
4. You say to her, “You can’t just spring that on me! I’ll need time to find another roommate!” But then you think that maybe it’s for the best. Every time you see her you feel guilty about Charlie. 5. She always expects you to buy her things: she wants you to spring for lunch, spring for movie tickets, and sometimes even spring for groceries.
So, when you spring for something, you pay for someone else.
A. Many people suffer a lot from it.
B. You roommate turns her back on you.
C. But the word “spring” is not just a season.
D. Spring fever used to refer to an actual illness.
E. Then your roommate is moving out tomorrow.
F. That night you spring a trap with some cheese in it.
G. And anyway, she does something that really annoys you.
Nobody likes doing the dishes, but it turns out that doing this daily task might pay off in an unexpected way. According to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, washing dishes by hand instead of using a dishwasher might prevent the development of allergies.
Researchers in Sweden surveyed the parents of 1,029 children ages 7 and 8. They discovered that children whose families hand-washed the dishes instead of using a machine were less likely to have allergies.
Earlier research has shown that dishes washed by machine are cleaner than those washed by hand. So why would kids who eat off slightly dirtier plates be better off when we talk about preventing allergies? One explanation is based on a theory known as the “hygiene hypothesis (卫生假说),” which says the reason why kids develop allergies is that their surroundings are actually too clean.
Your immune (免疫) system keeps you healthy by fighting germs (病菌) like bacteria and viruses. But when you have allergies, it overreacts and tries to fight ordinary things like pollen (花粉) or certain foods.
Being exposed to germs, particularly early in life, is good training for the immune system, says the lead author of the study, Dr. Bill Hesselmar of Queen Silvia Hospital in Sweden. “You excite the immune system in various ways and it becomes tolerant.”
This study shows that while using the dishwasher might be easier, the old-fashioned method of cleaning up could be better for your health.
1.What’s the advantage of washing dishes by hand?
A. Hand-washed dishes are much cleaner.
B. It encourages people to do housework.
C. It helps prevent allergies.
D. Dishes are easier to wash.
2.What can we know about the theory of the “hygiene hypothesis”?
A. There is no harm done if kids live in a slightly dirty place.
B. There is no need to keep the surroundings clean.
C. It’s better for kids to use clean plates to keep healthy.
D. It’s wise to use a dishwasher to prevent allergies.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. Pollen. B. The immune system.
C. The germ. D. A certain food.
4.What’s the result when our immune system becomes tolerant?
A. It’ll overreact to the foods we eat.
B. It’ll lead to the development of allergies.
C. It’ll make germs in our body more active.
D. It’ll prevent allergies and keep us healthy.
When I was two years old, I was diagnosed with a sensorineural (感觉神经) hearing loss. My mother cried when she found out—she wanted her son to be happy and able to experience everything life had to offer. I went to a special playgroup twice a week where a nurse discovered I had taught myself to read. I then attended a school for the deaf from age three to six.
I remember looking around the room there. People talked and signed to each other. I had a best friend and I did very well in class. But I told my mother that I wanted to go to the regular school with hearing people, because I felt more like a hearing person than a hearing-impaired (听力受损) one. I didn’t even use sign language! I lip-read and listened with my hearing aids. After visiting a public school for a day, my mother agreed to let me go. Needless to say, I have functioned very well.
Many people don’t even know I am hearing-impaired until they see my hearing aids. My girlfriend often forgets that I have any problem, and I feel fortunate that she does not look down upon people like me. The only problem I have with this hearing loss is that some people discriminate against me. The fact is that I am just as normal as anyone else. The only differences are that others need to speak up, and I have some help from my hearing aids.
The next time you see hearing-impaired people, don’t feel sorry for them—that just gives them an excuse to victimize themselves and hurt their own potential. Instead, encourage them and tell them that a handicap（缺陷）only hurts a person if he or she lets it.
1.Which is TRUE about the author when he was 5?
A. He was diagnosed with hearing loss.
B. He stayed at home with his mother.
C. He attended a school for the deaf.
D. He went to a special playgroup.
2.Why did the author want to attend the regular school？
A. He had few friends at the school.
B. He even didn’t know sign language.
C. He found it hard to fit in with his classmates.
D. He didn’t believe his handicap was a big problem.
3.What was the author’s problem at the regular school?
A. He couldn’t catch up with others.
B. Some people looked down upon him.
C. His girlfriend discriminated against him.
D. He performed poorly with hearing aids.
4.What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?
A. The disabled should regard themselves as normal.
B. If a person is handicapped, he will hurt himself.
C. A normal person shouldn’t hurt the handicapped.
D. A disabled person should be well treated.
Working as a volunteer is sure to enrich your life, and the lives of others, in more ways than you could ever imagine. It’s an exciting and personally inspiring experience and you’ll develop memories that will be with you forever.
As a volunteer, you’re making a meaningful contribution, working side-by-side with local people and sharing in the goals of a community that warmly welcomes you. You’re experiencing another culture like never before and really getting to know its people. You’ll gain a better understanding of the culture and yourself. There are a huge number of volunteering programs that offer different focuses. You may participate in a conservation project to help protect local environment or endangered wildlife, an educational project helping women or the disadvantaged, or a community project helping build essential facilities (基础设施) for a village or town.
These experiences will be hugely rewarding and also challenging, and will allow you to show what you really can achieve. Expect a culture shock as this is a grass-roots type of adventure, as you will be placed in remote areas with no phones, no television and sometimes no flushing toilet! What you will learn is the beauty of human nature, the power of team work and the difference you can make to the global community. You will also improve your personal growth. Increasing your social awareness, gaining self-confidence, building a sense of independence, discovering your strengths and talents, developing skills, expanding your social circle and developing a job finding network are just some of the potential benefits that will result from your volunteering experiences. You will get as much out of volunteering as you put into it—and quite often, you will get a whole lot more.
1.What would you focus on if you participate in an educational project?
A. Spreading a new culture.
B. Protecting endangered wildlife.
C. Helping kids from poor families.
D. Improving basic facilities.
2.What is needed for volunteer work according to the passage?
A. A wide range of social circles.
B. A good knowledge of local culture.
C. The volunteer experiences in remote areas.
D. The willingness to live a hard life.
3.What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To encourage volunteer work.
B. To describe the difficulties with volunteer work.
C. To show sympathy for the poor.
D. To introduce the operation of volunteer work.
Sometimes called Amazonia, the rainforest of the Amazon River basin is the largest in the world. It stretches (延伸) across more than half of Brazil and parts of seven other South American countries (and French Guiana). With a land area of 2.7 million square miles, the Amazon rainforest is almost two thirds the size of the US.
Rainforests are important to the health of the entire planet. Often called "the lungs of the planet", the Amazon rainforest, with its rich plant life, stores carbon dioxide while giving out the oxygen we need to survive.
At one time, rainforests covered 14 percent of Earth’s surface. Deforestation has reduced that figure to 6 percent today. Much of the loss has been in the Amazon.
Fortunately, over the years, Brazil has also become a world leader in rainforest preservation. A law called the Forest Code, originally passed in 1965, requires the Amazon’s farmers to protect 80 percent of their land from farming. And democratic governments beginning in the early 1990s began to enforce it seriously.
Efforts to save the Amazon increased under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2002—2011). Brazil set aside about 150 million acres of the rainforest, an area about the size of France, for protection. Deforestation fell by 74 percent between 2004 and 2009.
Other countries of the Amazon have also done their parts. This year, Peru created a forest reserve about the size of California’s Yosemite National Park.
1.What is the size of the Amazon rainforest?
A. About the size of France.
B. Nearly half the size of Brazil.
C. Over half the size of the US.
D. About the size of seven South American countries.
2.How much of the rainforest has been lost due to deforestation according to Paragraph 3?
A. 6%. B. Approximately 8%.
C. 14%. D. More than 50%.
3.Which country contributes most to the preservation of the Amazon rainforest?
A. Peru. B. Brazil.
C. The US. D. French Guiana.
4.What does the author feel about the situation of the Amazon?
A. Optimistic. B. Moved.
C. Worried. D. Uncertain.
