Long long ago in a far away village, lived two young men who are much like today’s young men.
The two brothers were loveable, ______ undisciplined (不守纪律的), with a wild character in them. Their naughty behavior turned ______ when they began stealing sheep from the local farmers — a serious crime in this placer, so long ago and far away. ______, the thieves were caught. The local farmers ______ their fate: They would be branded on the forehead ______ the letters ST for “sheep thief”. This means they would ______ with them forever.
One brother was so ______ by this branding that he ran away; he was never heard again.
The other brother, filled with ______ and determined to do all he could to ______ the villagers he had wronged. Whenever there was a sickness, the sheep thief came to care for ______ with soup and a soft touch. Whenever there was work needing to be done, he came to help with a lending hand. It made ______ difference whether the person was rich or poor, he was there to help. Never ______ pay for his good deeds, he lived his life for others.
Many years ______, a traveler came through the village, sitting at a sidewalk cafe eating lunch, the traveler saw an old man with a ______ brand on his forehead seated nearby. The stranger noticed that all the villagers who passed the old man stopped to ______ a kind of word, to pay their ______; children stopped their play to give and receive a warm hug. ______, the stranger asked the cafe owner, “What does that brand on the old mail a forehead ______?
“I don’t know. It happened long ______ I was born. “The cafe owner replied. Then ______, for a moment of reflection, he continued: “… but I think it stands for ‘Mint’.”(圣人)
1.A. and B. but C. or D. so
2.A. well B. good C. serious D. poor
3.A. In time B. On time C. All the time D. By the time
4.A. declined B. delivered C. demand D. decided
5.A. in B. on C. at D. with
6.A. fetch B. bring C. send D. carry
7.A. disappointed B. satisfied C. embarrassed D. criticized
8.A. guilt B. happiness C. sadness D. excitement
9.A. make up B. make up for C. make out D. make for
10.A. the poor B. the rich C. the sick D. the blind
11.A. no B. any C. much D. few
12.A. receiving B. charging C. getting D. accepting
13.A. late B. lately C. latest D. later
14.A. small B. strange C. outstanding D. terrible
15.A. share B. spare C. talk D. tell
16.A. thanks B. regrets C. respects D. sorry
17.A. Curious B. Dangerous C. Generous D. Humorous
18.A. stand for B. stand out C. stand on D. stand by
19.A. after B. before C. that D. where
20.A. crying B. smiling C. waiting D. pausing
The Internet has opened up a whole new online world for us to meet, chat and go where we’ve never been before. But just as in face - to - face communication, there are some rules of behavior that should be followed when on - line. 1. Imagine how you’d feel if you were in the other person’s shoes.
For anything you re about to send: ask yourself, “Would I say this to the person’s face?” If the answer is no, rewrite and reread.2.
If someone in the chat room is rude to you, your instinct (本能) is to fire back in the same manner. But try not to do so. 3. If it was caused by a disagreement with another member, try to fix the situation by politely discussing it. Remember to respect the beliefs and opinions of others in the chat room.
4. Offer advice when asked by newcomers, as they may not be sure what to do or how to communicate. When someone makes a mistake, whether it& a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If it’s a small mistake, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before saying anything. Having good manners yourself doesn’t give you license (特许) to correct everyone else. 5. At the same time, if you find you are wrong, be sure to correct yourself and apologize to those that you have offended.
It is not polite to ask others personal questions such as their age, sex and marital status(婚姻状况). Unless you know the person very well, and you are both comfortable with sharing personal information, don’t ask such questions.
A. Everyone was new to the network once.
B. If you do decide to tell someone about a mistake, point it out politely.
C. It’s natural that there are some people who speak rudely or make mistakes online.
D. The basic rule is simple: treat others in the same way you would want to be treated.
E. You should either ignore the person, or use your chat software to block their messages.
F. When you send short messages to a person online, you must say something beautiful to Hear.
G. Repeat the process till you feel sure that you’d feel comfortable saying the words to the persons face.
Monty Hempel is a professor of environmental science at Redlands University in California. He studies ecological literacy-or ecoliteracy (生态素养) for short. Ecoliteracy is the ability to think about and understand the natural processes that make life possible.
Monty Hempel says ecoliteracy gives people knowledge about environmental problems. But he says it does not always work to get them to change their behavior.
Mr. Hempel wrote part of the World watch Institute’s latest State of the World report. He says in his article, “Some people think that ecoliteracy is just a green form of science literacy. And what I have tried to ask is whether that’s enough. In other words, what an ecologically literate person needs to know might include things like the cycles and the flows, the energy systems, all of those kind of things that we would call the science of ecology.”
“That doesn’t seem to lead to action to protect our environment — to protect our life — support system to the level that we need to. Just because that we know, a lot about the environment doesn’t mean that we actually act to save it. After all, actions speak louder than knowledge.”
He adds that people may not be very worried about environmental problems if they seem far away. “Some people call it psychological distance. A lot of climate issues (问题) are worse in the Arctic and most of us don’t spend time in the Arctic. And so, there^ a certain distance. But there’s also a distance that’s happening in the world as it urbanizes (城市化) - people spending more time in front of screens and less time out in nature. We become, if you will, disconnected from the natural systems that used to be the key to success for a human being.”
To help children discover the wonders of nature, children should learn about nature in school, he adds. But he also points out there is a high mountain for people to climb from knowledge to action.
1.From what Monty Hempel says in Paragraph 3, we learn that .
A. ecoliteracy is more than a green form of science literacy.
B. people have learnt more knowledge about ecoliteracy.
C. ecoliteracy can greatly affect how nature works.
D. people with enough knowledge will better protect the environment.
2.In Mr. Hempel’s opinion, which is the most important for environment protection?
A. Knowledge. B. Action.
C. Green living theory. D. Psychological distance.
3.Mr. Hempel thinks people may show no concern about some environmental problems because .
A. they lack knowledge on environment protection.
B. they are closely connected with the nature.
C. the problems are not serious at all.
D. the problems seem to be far away.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. It is the best way to learn about nature in school.
B. Climbing a high mountain is a good way to exercise.
C. It is easier to understand environment protection than to carry it out.
D. people should first collect waste in the mountains to protect the environment.
Mary had a dog, Lucky. Whenever her friends visit, she will warn them not to leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Lucky always hides his findings in his toy box in the basement (地下室), where his treasures would be placed.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Someone told her she was going to die of it. The night before she was to go. to the hospital she was with Lucky. A thought struck her - what would happen to Lucky? Although the three - year - old dog liked her husband, Jim, he was Mary’s dog . If I die, Lucky will be abandoned. He won’t understand I don’t want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
Mary was in hospital for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the dog looked just miserable. But finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so tired that she couldn’t even make it to her bedroom. Jim made her comfortable on the sofa and left her alone.
Lucky stood watching Mary. Sleep soon overcame her. When Mary woke up, she couldn’t understand what was wrong. Feeling heavy and hot, she couldn’t move her head. Panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized she was covered in every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sad dog had made trip after trip to the basement and back bringing his favorites. He had covered her with his love. Mary forgot about her illness. Instead she and Lucky began to walk further and further together every night.
It has been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer - free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes (隐藏) them in his toy box, but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
1.What had Mary been most worried?
A. Lucky was always stealing.
B. Her visitors usually left their luggage open.
C. Lucky hid his findings in the basement.
D. Her husband would have the dog deserted.
2.Why did Mary sleep on the sofa?
A. She was completely worn out.
B. She couldn’t find her bedroom.
C. Her husband asked her to sleep on it.
D. She was left alone at home.
3.What does the underlined part “Panic soon gave way to laughter” suggest?
A. Mary had been confused at the dog’s behavior.
B. Mary was still puzzled at the dog’s behavior.
C. Mary’s husband should have stayed at home.
D. The dog, Lucky, failed to murder Mary.
4.What happened when Mary was asleep?
A. Lucky stayed in the basement.
B. Lucky went out to look for Jim.
C. Lucky covered her with his treasures.
D. Lucky panicked her to wake up.
Next fall when you see geese heading south for the winter or flying in “ V” formation (队形), you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way.
As each bird spreads its wings,it creates an uplift (上升力) for bird immediately following. By flying in “ V” formation the whole flock (鸟群) adds at least 71% greater flying range, than if each bird flies on its own. People who share a common direction arid sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust (推动力) of one another.
When a goose falls out of the formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are. When the head goose gets tired, it flies backwards and another goose flies point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether it is with people or with geese flying south.
Geese honk (雁叫) from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What do we say when we honk from behind?
Finally and this is important, when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshots, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.
1.The first three paragraphs chiefly deal with .
A. scientific discovery about geese.
B. the importance of flight formation.
C. the advantages of “V” formation.
D. the reasons for geese’s flight.
2.The phrase which can best replace “stand by” in the last sentence is “ ”.
A. be against. B. support.
C. sit by. D. obey.
3.What does the author want us to learn from the geese?
A. Teamwork. B. Sympathy.
C. Kindness. D. Intelligence.
Here are a few of our favorite entries so far in our “Your Life: The Reader’s Digest Version” contest. After reading these, head over to Facebook and submit (提交) your own story about a special moment or lesson that shaped your life.
“There’s Always a John”
By Darla Boyd
My first year of teaching, there was a kid named John in my class. John was difficult to control and he nearly drove me crazy. While talking about him one day, an old teacher put his hand on my shoulder and said, “There will always be a John. Your job is to lean, to discover what make him different and help him grow better.” The next year, there was indeed another John. In the last 20 years, I’ve learned to enjoy all the kids like John. That advice taught me that there is something to appreciate in everyone.
“An Early Key Lesson”
By Elaine West
Before I began my first teaching job, my mother, a teacher of 30 years, gave me a very special gift, five simple words that have had an effect on my entire life: “Make friends with the janitor (门卫).” Her wisdom taught me the respect for all types of characters and continue to enrich my life to this day. Just five little words but what an impact they can have when you take them to heart.
“Raising Mommy”
By Jan Davis
Being a mother can always present challenges and rewards. Someone told me early in my parenting career that “Children will teach you everything you need to know”. Being a mother is being raised. Our children become our advisers. Their dreams become our professors, as we are taking notes carefully. The sounds of their laughter and smiles on their faces are a great reward to us or bring us great joy. Their tears remind us that it is okay to fail, wipe the tears away and try again.
1.What did the old teacher mean by saying “There will always be a John”?
A. There are always difficult students like John.
B. John will always be an ordinary student.
C. It is important to change John.
D. John is a very common name.
2.What did Elaine West’s mother advise her to do?
A. Don’t treat students differently.
B. Take care of janitors.
C. Respect people from different backgrounds.
D. Don’t judge people by appearance.
3.Which of the following would Jan Davis most probably agree with?
A. A mother should be given more care.
B. A mother improves herself greatly in parenting.
C. Being a mother has more challenges than rewards.
D. Children should realize the dreams of their parents.
4.The text is most probably a(n) .
A. notice inviting contributions. B. introduction to a contest.
C. ad for three new books. D. poster about a lecture.