The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intentions. It was a ________ day and I was going to the funeral (葬礼) of a little boy named Bobby. Bobby died after ________ from and being caught under the tractor which was ________ by his mom, Sue. I knew that I ________ to be there for my friend Sue.
While I was getting dressed for the funeral, a good ________ came to buy Lisa, Bobby’s ________, a stuffed toy (毛绒玩具). I knew this idea to buy the stuffed toy must be ________, since I had never done anything like this before, or even ________ it. For that matter, I left the house ________, stopped at a local store and bought a cute stuffed animal. I didn’t have time to decorate it, so I ________ a pretty gift bag and some ________ tissue paper. I put the stuffed animal in the bag and put the tissue paper over the top of it.
When I walked into the funeral home, I saw little Lisa sitting with her ________ hanging down. I walked over and handed her the pretty gift bag. Lisa ________ with tears in her eyes and gave me a weak ________. She removed the tissue paper, took the stuffed animal out of the ________ and held it close throughout the ________, as if it was her brother. I could see that ________ this stuffed animal made Lisa feel better.
That the smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intentions is ________. I could have ignored this thought to buy the stuffed animal and give it to Lisa. ________, I am very happy that I ________ a small act of kindness that day.
1.A. regular B. long C. busy D. sad
2.A. failing B. playing C. falling D. sleeping
3.A. directed B. driven C. repaired D. pushed
4.A. expected B. happened C. needed D. tended
5.A. idea B. answer C. problem D. aim
6.A. girlfriend B. sister C. mother D. neighbor
7.A. great B. popular C. clever D. old
8.A. found out B. believe in C. complained about D. thought of
9.A. safely B. excitedly C. early D. secretly
10.A. opened B. borrowed C. made D. bought
11.A. thin B. colored C. waste D. new
12.A. arms B. head C. hair D. legs
13.A. looked up B. turned up C. stayed up D. reached out
14.A. suggestion B. smile C. excuse D. introduction
15.A. house B. store C. bag D. car
16.A. night B. ceremony C. performance D. party
17.A. protecting B. ordering C. choosing D. holding
18.A. true B. simple C. possible D. common
19.A. Meanwhile B. Besides C. Still D. However
20.A. did B. remembered C. returned D. received
You have heard it said many times — the only thing constant in life is cha
nge. Change happens in every area in our lives, such as moving into a new apartment or home and changes in career or business. So we cannot avoid change in life. 1. Here are some of the benefits of change:
Change leads to opportunities. You will realize that each change in your life is actually an invitation to new opportunities. Remember every new opportunity has its own benefits.2. However, it is always advisable to consider the benefits that those new opportunities will bring. If you accept changes in your life, you will benefit from each new opportunity.
3. If you are used to doing the same thing over and over again, you may get bored, and lose the interest in your life. Change ensures that your experiences differ from day to day, month to month. Remember that the world is always in a continuous motion.4. These make life exciting.
Change means progress. If you look back to your life ten years ago, you were very different from what you are today. 5. This is called progress. And these growth experiences are the reason why you should appreciate changes in your life.
There, we should take advantage of change and make it work for us in positive ways.
A. Luckily, change is important in our lives.
B. Technologies, trends, and politics keep on changing.
C. Change is one thing that makes our lives interesting.
D. You may reject these opportunities, whenever they come.
E. Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
F. You have the power to make every day a good day by accepting changes.
G. There are many things that have happened in your life, which helped you grow.
Laughter is a universal way to express joy. But as it turns out, your laughter reveals a lot more than the fact that you are happy. It enables listeners, even those that cannot observe you, immediately to realize if you are having a good time with a close friend or laughing politely with a complete stranger.
At least that is the conclusion reached by a team of scientists led by Greg Bryant, an associate professor of Communication Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. The researchers began by requesting participants from across the globe to send them audio clips(音频片段) of people laughing. The 48 tapes they received ranged from recent recordings of laughter between two college friends to ones from conversations that occurred a decade ago. The clips also had all possible combinations — interactions between friends, strangers, all-male groups, all-female groups, as well as a mix of both genders(性别).
The team then played the short recording, each lasting less than a second, to 966 people spread across 24 different cultures around the world. The listeners ranged from people living in remote areas to those living in some of the world’s most modern cities. To the team’s astonishment, despite the cultural and regional differences, the listeners were able to identify the difference in laughter between friends and strangers, 61% of the time.
The scientists, who published their findings in the Scientific Journal, say that the accuracy was even higher when it came to recordings of only women laughing. The researchers think that this is probably because women are more transparent in expressing their feelings than men.
Bryant says that the results of this cross-cultural examination show that people all over the world perceive laughter in similar ways. As Neuroscientist Carolyn McGettigan at the Royal Holloway University of London puts it, “A laugh among friends is a special sound, no matter where you live!”
1.What can we learn about Greg Bryant’s research?
A. It was based on tapes from 966 people.
B. Its findings were beyond the team’s expectations.
C. It proved that laughter is a universal way to express joy.
D. Most of his findings were published in the Scientific Journal.
2.Why did the listeners identify all-female laughing more accurately?
A. Women are sensitive to interesting things.
B. Women are less likely to hide their feelings.
C. Women prefer to express their joys by laughing.
D. Women are good at communicating with others.
3.What does the underlined word “perceive” probably mean?
A. Understand. B. Receive.
C. Explain. D. Spread.
Many freshmen may get anxious at the thought of living at their new campus and making friends but 18-year-old Melanie Salazar already has someone older and wiser to show her the ropes: her 82-year-old grandfather. The story of Salazar and her grandpa, Rene Neira, is spreading after she showed a photo of her grandpa’s first day of class this term at Palo Alto College (PAC).
I’m so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this term! He is 82 years old and not giving up,” said Salazar then. The old man is now in his second term at the community college with just one class left before he gains his associate’s degree(副学士学位) in economics. Salazar, meanwhile, has just started her studies there. “Grandpa and I are very close,” Salazar said. “I like to say he’s my best friend.” She said that it’s nice to have her grandpa on campus, whether they’re walking to class together or having lunch.
Neira first went to college in the 1950s, but after getting married and starting a family he had to put his dream of getting a degree on hold to raise his family. He took classes throughout the years, but it’s only now that he’s finally close to reaching his goal. With plans to graduate soon, Neira won’t just stop with his associate’s degree. He hopes to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio to get his bachelor’s degree.
Salazar’s sweet social media post is inspiring dozens across the Internet, young and old. “My grandpa is very hard-working,” she said. “He will spend hours in the library studying in his own time because he’s very devoted to his education. It’s amazing that his story can inspire so many people in this way.”
1.What does the underlined part “show her the ropes” in Para.1 probably mean?
A. Show around the campus. B. Tell her the secret behind success.
C. Teach her how to adapt to college. D. Show her how to become popular.
2.What does Salazar think of going to college with her grandfather?
A. She has to face lots of challenges. B. She is filled with pride and joy.
C. She is drawing much attention. D. She is under a lot of stress.
3.What do we know about Neira?
A. He wants to stay in his college longer.
B. He’s never had college education before.
C. He aims to get the highest college degree.
D. He once gave up education to earn a living.
4.What can be inferred from Neira’s story?
A. Time and tide wait for no man. B. It’s never too old to learn.
C. Practice makes perfect. D. No pains, no gains.
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1.他过着忙碌的生活，养活一大家子的人，这一点给了他成就感。（lead a...life; support; achievement）
2.我突然想到这本书是给青少年设计的，有助于建立他们的信心。（hit; intend; build up）
3.只有这样我们才能集中注意力于我们的工作上。 （only句首；focus on）
4. 多亏了他的研究，联合国在消除世界饥饿的斗争中又多了些方法。（thanks to; rid...of; battle）
5.在过去十年中，使用化肥导致了严重的问题。（decade; ing形式做主语; fertilizer; lead to）
