Saying thank you can have positive effects on your health and the well-being of others.
I once witnessed kindness from complete _______ last year and it really impressed me. It was a sunny afternoon. It _______ me at first that my partner fall unconscious on the ground suddenly on our way to the office. Soon I realized that I had to calm down and call _______ services. Within minutes, a police car and ambulance arrived, _______ with police and nursing staff. My partner was rushed to the _______, where he received the care that he _______.
Few days later, my partner got better, and I wrote thank-you notes to those _______ police and nursing staff and baked for them. When I _______ the cakes to them the next day, they thanked me for the gifts. Thanked me? All I’d done was baking, but they’d _______ a life. I drove away feeling relaxed and ________, partly because I’d done a good deed, but ________ because I was amazed that there are so many ________ people. They do a lot of great things; ________, they expect nothing in return.
Research has shown that sharing thoughts of gratitude (感恩) and performing acts of kindness can ________ your mood and health condition. I think it is probably ________ I felt happier than usual then.
“We know from studies in the literature that gratitude does have a good ________ on how you feel, and that it ________ life satisfaction.” says Willibald Ruch, a psychology professor at the University of Zurich who researches the effects of character strengths ________ gratitude and humour. “It’s ________ the top five causes of happiness.” he adds.
You can ________ positive changes in your own life by choosing to embrace gratitude.
1.A. friends B. colleagues C. strangers D. students
2.A. attracted B. panicked C. pleased D. confused
3.A. food B. telephone C. emergency D. parking
4.A. shared B. begun C. covered D. filled
5.A. hospital B. factory C. company D. office
6.A. learnt B. needed C. provided D. admitted
7.A. annoying B. helpful C. interesting D. wealthy
8.A. lent B. sold C. delivered D. arranged
9.A. controlled B. raised C. saved D. lost
10.A. anxious B. disappointed C. sad D. happy
11.A. mostly B. finally C. necessarily D. similarly
12.A. poor B. selfless C. energetic D. smart
13.A. instead B. otherwise C. however D. therefore
14.A. destroy B. discover C. improve D. explain
15.A. whether B. when C. where D. why
16.A. influence B. challenge C. impression D. balance
17.A. wastes B. expects C. increases D. reduces
18.A. instead of B. such as C. due to D. except for
19.A. among B. off C. over D. about
20.A. supply B. make C. avoid D. demand
When your friends suddenly stop talking to you, it can leave you confused on what to do next. 1. However, basically, your friends are either really upset with you, or it has nothing to do with you at all. But how can you tell? What’s more, what should you do?
Find out if they have shut all their friends out or just you. It’s important to figure out if your friends have moved on from everyone, or just you. If it’s just you, then you probably did something at some point. 2. They try to get their forgiveness.
Reflect on yourself. Have your friends been upset with you for a while? Would you get it if they were? Not all people yell or scream when they’re upset. 3. If you fail to hear exactly what they’re saying, or you keep doing the same thing over and over again, they may move on and completely shut you out.
Communicate in a different way. There’s always the possibility that your friends haven’t shut you out completely, but they are bored with a certain form of communication, like texting or chatting online. 4. If so, trying a different method to reach your friends could make things better.
5. If you can’t get responses from your friends, consider reconciling (和解) with them at some point in the future. Send them a note—Let them know you care about them and leave the door open for them.
A. Give them a helping hand.
B. So sometimes they take a break from it.
C. If you feel it was something bad, apologize for it.
D. Let your friends know you’re open to friendships.
E. There are many reasons why your friends might shut you out.
F. Your friends may not answer your calls or emails suddenly.
G. Some people will talk to you calmly about something you did.
As any parent knows too well, sometimes a little white lie is the only way to make a naughty child quiet. Indeed, parents have shared the top white lies they’ve told their children. While some of them are amusing, others are somewhat cruel.
“Father Christmas is watching you,” “Carrots will make you see in the dark” and “Your pet has gone to live on a farm” are among the top white lies parents tell their children. The top 20 list of little lies that adults use shows that four in five parents have told their children something that isn’t true. The threat of Father Christmas is on the top, with 62 percent of parents employing St. Nick to keep their kids under control. The second on the list is: “We’ll see”, which any little one knows really means “no”.
The majority of British people say that they lie to their children to protect their innocence, to save them from being upset or to stop them behaving badly. The top white lie told to kids about their pets is “your pet has to live on a farm in the countryside”, which is employed after one dies or has gone missing. On average, parents think that children are ready to start learning about death at the age of seven and a half.
One 62-year-old recalled that when he was four, his cat ran away, because it kept having its tail pulled. It was 53 years later that it was revealed that the cat had actually been given away to stop it from scratching the furniture. One respondent (应答者) said that he still remembered that when he was young, he believed his father’s statement that the entire world used to be in black and white before colour photography came along.
Forty percent of parents say that they would definitely lie to their children to keep up their belief in Father Christmas, and over all say they’d certainly tell the truth about a pet dying. However, one in ten parents say they’ve replaced their children’s dead pet with a one looking the same to cheat their children into believing it was still alive and well, found the study by Blue Cross pet charity.
1.The threat of Father Christmas which is used to control children shows that .
A. some children fear and respect Father Christmas
B. Father Christmas is more important than parents
C. children should learn more about festivals
D. Father Christmas does live in the world
2.What can we conclude from Paragraph 4?
A. Children don’t understand why their parents tell white lies.
B. Parents’ white lies may do harm to their children.
C. Children don’t really mind their parents’ white lies.
D. Parents’ white lies may leave a deep impression on their children
3.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. Parents’ different understandings of while lies.
B. Parents’ different attitudes to telling white lies.
C. Parents’ different worries about white lies.
D. Parents’ different white lies.
With freezing temperatures on the way, now it is the time to take steps to protect your four-legged family members from the cold, wet weather San Antonio winters often bring. With a few simple measures, you can ensure your pets stay happy and healthy throughout winter.
What is the best way to protect your pets during freezing cold weather? Bring them inside. Pets (especially cats) are safer indoors. Can’t have your pets inside the house? Purchase a dog house or give your pet a safe, warm place to rest.
Certain pets are more vulnerable (易受伤害的) to cold temperatures than others. Short-haired dogs, very young or old dogs and all cats should not be left outside during winter months. Short-haired dogs may benefit from a sweater while outside.
Pets that spend much of their day outdoors will need some extra food throughout the winter months. That’s because they use up more energy trying to stay warm. A few extra kibbles probably won’t hurt but make sure your pets are getting daily exercise if they’re easy to gain weight. Always provide fresh, clean water regardless of the season. Check water daily and clean bowls regularly.
Be mindful of your pets while winterizing your car. Antifreeze (防冻剂) is deadly to pets that are attracted to its sweet taste. Store all chemicals out of reach, especially if are going to bring your pets into the garage on cold nights. It is necessary to warm up the car before you head out with your pet. A warm engine can be a welcome spot for a cold cat and the noise should scare them away before your start the engine.
San Antonio’s Animal Care Services wants to remind people that the City of San Antonio has laws that protect pets from neglect, including exposure to freezing weather conditions. Animal Care Service warns that if you find any pet around being left in the freezing cold weather, you can call the City’s 311 Customer Service line.
1.If you have a short-haired dog, you’d better ________ in winter.
A. keep it inside all the time B. keep it company
C. dress it in a sweater D. pay more attention to it
2.What does the underlined word “kibbles” Paragraph that ________.
A. Workouts B. Signs C. Pet food D. Dog tips
3.We can learn from the fifth paragraph that ________.
A. pets need more water in winter B. pets are always being curious
C. chemicals send an attractive smell D. it’s better not to take pets in the car
4.It can be concluded from the passage that ________.
A. Animal Care Service offers tips to protect pets in winter
B. whoever abuses pets will be sentenced to prison
C. many pets can’t survive the freezing winter
D. San Antonio sees numbers of homeless pets
In my bag I always carry the same essential items: my keys, my purse, some loose change, my mobile phone and my little blue vocabulary notebook. This year I am living abroad in Germany and I am trying to learn as much German as possible. I always knew that living abroad would be a great way to learn a foreign language but one thing I didn’t realize was how many new words and phrases I would come across every day! I see and hear new words everywhere; the announcements in the train station; menus in cafes; on social media; on the local newspaper and of course from my German-speaking friends.
At first I was slightly upset by the large amounts of German I didn’t understand. Speaking German in Germany is definitely very different from that in the classroom; I kept on looking up new words and by the end of the day I had forgotten most of them already. It was very frustrating. After a month of worrying that I would never be able to improve my language skills, I went to the stationery shop and bought a small notebook which easily fit into my handbag or even into my back pocket! I set myself the goal of writing five new words or phrases a day into my little blue book and soon enough it became one of my most valuable language-learning tools.
I don’t have any rules about which words I write down. Most days I write down words that I learn from my colleagues at work, words that I don’t understand in reading or words that I have learned from seeing them in context. For example, I have learned the names of many fruits and vegetables from looking at their labels in the supermarket (a very unexpected source of vocabulary!) and I have learned many words that I have heard on TV or on the radio. It doesn’t even matter if I know how to spell a new word straight away. If I hear a word but I don’t know how to spell it, I write down how I think it sounds and look it up later.
My little blue vocabulary book is now like my close friend. We go everywhere together. Setting this small daily goal has made me feel much more in control of my language teaming and I am already seeing an improvement. I will continue to use it for the rest of my stay in Germany and also when I return to university at home in September.
1.What can we conclude from the first paragraph?
A. New words are all around you in a foreign country.
B. Walking in the street is a good way to learn a language.
C. Life is really hard for anyone to live in a foreign country.
D. The author is skilled in learning a second language.
2.What was the author’s response when facing difficulty?
A. He felt helpless and hopeless. B. He was terrified.
C. He didn’t take a negative attitude. D. He set a high goal for himself.
3.What words will the author put down in the notebook?
A. The words that his teacher explained in classes.
B. He has no rules about which words to write down.
C. He asked his friends to tell new words and phrases.
D. The words he noticed in the shop or supermarkets.
4.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Learning German. B. My experience. C. The handbag. D. My notebook.
When mentioning China, what comes to mind? As a country with a history of more than 5000 years, China is rich in civilization and culture. What best represents China?
Confucius (551BC - 479 BC)
Confucius was a teacher and philosopher from the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. The philosophy of Confucius stresses individual morality including kindness, fairness, politeness, and sincerity. Confucius’ principles have a broad basis in common Chinese tradition and belief.
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with winding or crawling characters. The dragon symbol is frequently used on ancient Chinese emperor’s items including chairs or costumes. It is considered a representation of power.
Peking Opera
Peking Opera is considered the essence of China. As the larger form of Chinese opera, it has many “firsts” in Chinese dramas: the abundance of talents, the number of artists, opera groups and audience.
The Great Wall
There is an old saying that goes, “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.” The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, is a destination one must see when visiting China.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Developed in China, TCM has a tradition dating back to more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, cupping, massage, exercise (Qigong), and dietary therapy.
1.What do we know about Confucius according to the passage?
A. He died at the age of 82.
B. He put stress on teamwork spirits.
C. He was a teacher in the Warring States Period.
D. He created common Chinese tradition and belief.
2.Which of the following is regarded as symbol of power?
A. Confucius. B. Dragon. C. Peking Opera. D. The Great Wall.
3.What must you do when coming to China according to the passage?
A. Learn to exercise Qigong. B. Appreciate Peking Opera.
C. Pay a visit to the Great Wall. D. Experience the treatment of cupping.
4.What is probably the best title of this passage?
A. Cultural Symbols of China B. Rich in Civilization and Culture
C. Famous People and Places in China D. One of the Greatest of the World