It was a hot summer day. The sun was shining brightly and all I could think of was_____down with a scoop of my favorite ice cream. I decided to make a quick _____to the newly opened ice cream parlor(冰淇淋店) close by for a mid-day _____.
I ordered my ice cream in a fancy cone and asked the server to _____two tubs of chocolate ice cream for folks at home.
___I knew it, I was halfway ______my icy treat and was enjoying the view of the two colorfully prepared ice cream flavors, sitting pretty one next to the_____.
Now that my to-go order was _____, I headed to the payment counter to settle the bill. _____, the cashier (收银员) had forgotten to bill my ice cream, ______only for the two tubs.
The next few ______passed by as I debated between doing what was______ — clearing the bill and moving out, and doing what was right —______the error. I knew if I didn’t bring the error in the bill to his ______, my ice cream would be charged against his ______.
That moment, my decision was made and I went and told him ______he had missed.
He looked at me in ______and thanked me profusely for telling the error. Had it not been for my ______ telling the error, he would have been fined. The smile of relief on his face made me smile, too.
I came out of the ice cream parlor feeling really ______ about myself. I knew that day how wonderful it feels to do what is right ______what is easy.
1.A. calming B. breaking C. cooling D. setting
2.A. choice B. trip C. decision D. promise
3.A. meal B. work C. treat D. cure
4.A. sell B. take C. make D. pack
5.A. While B. Although C. Unless D. Before
6.A. through B. up C. over D. across
7.A. another B. other C. one D. others
8.A. ready B. slow C. late D. over
9.A. Satisfyingly B. Disappointingly C. Annoyingly D. Surprisingly
10.A. taking B. spending C. charging D. buying
11.A. days B. weeks C. hours D. seconds
12.A. easy B. ridiculous C. interesting D. right
13.A. referring to B. pointing out C. finding out D. looking into
14.A. mind B. face C. notice D. note
15.A. expenses B. salary C. taxes D. fine
16.A. why B. where C. that D. what
17.A. need B. relief C. disbelief D. anxiety
18.A. honestly B. obviously C. secretly D. incredibly
19.A. good B. fresh C. awesome D. well
20.A. other than B. rather than C. regardless of D. apart from
Happiness begins from appreciation
If you are feeling that life just cannot be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive. When stressed, depressed, upset or otherwise in a negative state of mind because you are aware that misfortune keeps occurring, it is important to shift those negative thoughts to something positive. 1.
It is often very hard to think positive when so many things are negative, but be sure that someone, somewhere is worse off than you. 2. If you start with one small, positive thing and appreciate it during the course of your day, you will begin to move into a more positive situation and people will start showing up in your life. With appreciation, you will find that over time, you will change your outlook and choose to be happy, regardless of the events around you. 3.
● Begin and end each day with a “Thank you for this wonderful, glorious day!”
● When you see the rise of gas prices, say “I am so glad to have a vehicle in which to get around.”
● When your boss is too hard on you, say “I am grateful for my job as I know that many don’t have one.”
● If you are having health problems, be grateful for what does work: “I really do appreciate it that my eyes see, my ears hear, my mouth tastes, my legs walk, my arms lift and my mind thinks and everything else works.”
● Write down what you’re grateful for each day. In moments when you’re feeling really down, read loud what you wrote previously. 4. If you practice this regularly, you will find your list getting longer and longer.
The key is to move yourself into a positive thought and keep it there long enough to make it a moment of appreciation. 5.
A. This will certainly help uplift your spirits.
B. If not, you will only attract more misfortune.
C. It is of great importance to learn to be grateful.
D. The more you appreciate, the happier you’ll be.
E. You have made some achievements in your career.
F. Here are a few common examples for you to practice.
G. You can choose to think differently by beginning with the smallest of steps.
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love, (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression. The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marianm Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression-eating or mood changes-and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Romance is a two-edged sword for adults.
B. Parents should forbid their children’s love.
C. Romance is good for young people.
D. Puppy love may bring young people depression.
2.Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
A. Careless parents whose children are deep in love.
B. Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness.
C. Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.
D. Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The older a woman is, the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance.
B. Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly.
C. Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents.
D. Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression.
4.What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
A. confused B. disapproving
C. neutral D. scared
All too often, a choice that seems sustainable(可持续的)turns out on closer examination to be problematic. Probably the best example is the rush to produce ethanol(乙醇) for fuel from corn. Corn is a renewable resource —you can harvest it and grow more, almost limitlessly. So replacing gas with corn ethanol seems like a great idea.
One might get a bit more energy out of the ethanol than that used to make it, which could still make ethanol more sustainable than gas generally, but that’s not the end of the problem. Using corn to make ethanol means less corn is left to feed animals and people, which drives up the cost of food. That result leads to turning the fallow land –including, in some cases, rain forest in places such as Brazil—into farmland, which in turn gives off lots of carbon dioxide (CO) into the air. Finally, over many years, the energy benefit from burning ethanol would make up for the forest loss. But by then, climate change would have progressed so far thatitmight not help.
You cannot really declare any practice “sustainable” until you have done a complete life-cycle analysis of its environmental(环境的) costs. Even then, technology and public keep developing, and that development can lead to unforeseen and undesired results. The admirable goal of living sustainably requires plenty of thought on an ongoing basis.
1.What might directly cause the loss of the forest according to the text?
A. The growing demand for energy to make ethanol
B. The increasing carbon dioxide in the air
C. The greater need for farmland
D. The big change in weather.
2.The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “ ”
A. the energy benefit B. the forest loss
C. climate change D. burning ethanol
3.The author thinks that replacing gas with corn ethanol is .
A. impractical B. acceptable C. admirable D. useless
4.What does the author mainly discuss in the text?
A. Technology B. Sustainability
C. Ethanol energy D. Environmental protection
Five weeks ago I had a total hip replacement surgery (髋关节置换手术). In Canada, we have great healthcare system. That means we get our new hips for free.
My hip had been hurting me for years before I went to the doctor. Of course, it was free. She referred me to a surgeon, but the earliest appointment was in 10 months. That is what being free gets you. Ten months later, after some free X-rays, the surgeon told me I needed a surgery, which was about an 18-month wait, for some senior citizens had been on the operation list. Another 18 months! I dragged myself out of the surgeon, s office.
Walking through the hospital, I thought about the situation. As the breadwinner of a large family, I couldn’t wait that long, so I had to get to the front line. I was fully aware of what a Canadian should be like (Canadians are usually considered gentle and caring), but this time I really needed to fight for myself. At that very moment, in the shop window of the hospital, I saw a sign which read, “Volunteers Needed.” Suddenly, an idea occurred to me — I would get the job. Fortunately, they signed me up immediately because the average age of the volunteers at the shop was 75. They were desperate for some young blood.
Every Friday morning, I was at the shop. While seeing the hospital staff, I’d casually ask, “What do you do?” Then I’d tell them, “Well, I’m getting my hip replaced — in 18 months.
It’s going to be so great when the pain stops.” Soon, all the staff got to know me. Naturally, in my next appointment, the surgeon recognized me. Moments later, I had a surgery date just weeks away.
I had to say it was actually my volunteering that got me to the front of the line. And I’m not ashamed of it, for I intend to stick with the volunteering. Also, even when I cheated the system, I did it in a way that benefits society.
1.What can we infer from the second paragraph?
A. She felt rather disappointed.
B. She couldn’t walk because of the pain.
C. She was too scared to have the surgery.
D. She didn’t believe what the surgeon said.
2.Why did the writer decide to be a volunteer?
A. To donate blood to the hospital.
B. To get her new hip free of charge.
C. To receive some tiny gifts from others.
D. To approach the doctor for an early surgery.
3.What did the author think of her cheating?
A. It was a shame. B. It was a pride.
C. It was beneficial. D. It was a fair deal.
4.Which can be the best title for the text?
A. How I Got My New Hip
B. The Doctor Who Saved My Life
C. How to Be a Volunteer in Hospital
D. The Problem of Canada Healthcare System
The wonderful experiment I am going to introduce proves that air is just all around and that it presses down upon us. Air pressure is a wonderful force. When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body. The air all around you does the same. However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this. The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere. This layer surrounds the Earth, extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home. But make sure that you are supervised, because you will need to use matches. Now for the experiment！
What you need:
·A hard-boiled egg without the shell
·A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg
·A piece of paper
·A match
Method:
1） Check that the paper will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle.
2） Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle.
3） Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle.
4）Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle.
Result:
Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment. But be careful when you handle matches.
Why it happened
As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen（air）in the bottle. The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside. This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle. The air pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle. The outside air pressure against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! This proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it.
1.Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment?
A. The bottle could break.
B. You need to light the paper with a match.
C. The egg needs to be shelled.
D. The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle.
2.In the experiment, the burning inside the bottle can ________.
A. equalize the air pressure inside and outside
B. make a seal in the neck of the bottle
C. finish up the oxygen inside the bottle
D. produce more oxygen inside the bottle
3.How was the egg put into the bottle?
A. The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in.
B. It became salt without the shell.
C. The neck of the bottle was wide enough.
D. The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle.
