Mother’s Day, 2017 was the last time that all my three kids would be kids at home. I was ________ a Mother’s Day to remember.
That morning, I got up early and left for ________ . The boys and I were going ________ , not unusual, so I expected the time I’d have with the three of them surrounding me during break. I entered the office after my class, _____ the crowd for their faces. I didn’t find the boys, but wasn’t too worried ___ their classes often ran late. I found a row with plenty of room for all the four of us, ________ spots for my handsome young men.
The longer I sat there, the more ________ and angry I got. How could they ________ their mother on this of all days? I couldn’t ________ my work, only on how I’d been wronged. ________ the time the last morning class ended, I could hardly wait to get home and give them a piece of my mind.
Arriving home, I noticed a pile of roses on the ground. I looked closer and saw they were the ________ of a track made from fresh flowers, which led to our room. As I ________ the flowers, the door got opened and three ________ faces greeted me. They let me see what they’d been working on all ________ .
________ the entire floor were the words, Happy Mother’s Day, We Love You. They were spelled out with ________ . The space was ________ with the sweetness of roses and other flowers. They’d asked for a leave and worked all morning, gathering the fresh flowers and ________ them into a surprising message.
I immediately realized I’d been hurrying in my ________ of the situation. While I had been feeling unloved, they had spent their time writing a ________ to show how much they really cared.
1.A. allowing B. realizing C. expecting D. declaring
2.A. church B. hospital C. shopping D. work .
3.A. completely B. separately C. actually D. sincerely
4.A. asking B. leaving C. calling D. searching
5.A. because B. thought C. until D. once
6.A. changing B. saving C. choosing D. marking
7.A. hurt B. absurd C. guilty D. confident
8.A. cheat B. consume C. ignore D. frighten
9.A. focus on B. throw away C. cut down D. figure out
10.A. Since B. For C. in D. By
11.A. introduction B. beginning C. requirement D. ending
12.A. followed B. selected C. smelled D. picked
13.A. shouting B. smiling C. flying D. running
14.A. day B. night C. afternoon D. morning
15.A. Discovering B. Transforming C. Covering D. Replacing
16.A. books B. flowers C. hardship D. effort
17.A. eye-catching B. tasty C. precious D. alive
18.A. pushing B. tricking C. arranging D. urging
19.A. change B. improvement C. judgment D. explanation
20.A. message B. word C. letter D. promise
When you are dealing with a stressful situation or going through a hard time, people in your life can help you. When someone who cares knows what you’re going through, it helps you feel understood and not so alone.1.Problems seem smaller when you talk about them with the right person. You can do better and find out solutions more easily when you share your problems.
There are lots of different ways to get and give help. 2.Other times you need advice on things. Help can be very easy, like a homework project. Or it can go on for a while, like teaching to bring up a failing grade or advising to get through a difficult situation.
It’s likely you remember times someone helped you. Friends helped you get through sadness or deal with disappointment. 3.Teachers might have guided you through the college application process. 4. You might give a hand to your classmate who met difficulty.
Friends, parents,teachers and other adults can be great resources when you need help. 5.
Doctors can offer specialized help for a health problem. Accountants can be consulted about the tax laws.
A.Having a right person means a lot.
B.Difficulties are everywhere in your life.
C.Parents taught you to stop a bad habit.
D.Sometimes you just want to hear an encouraging word.
E.You need to learn to give help in the right way.
F. And you can also remember times when you helped others.
G. There are also times when you need the extra help that a professional can provide best.
There's a curious thing about people.All of us are driven in some way or another to achieve—we want to run faster,be more creative,win more awards,and earn more money.But here's the thing: if you want to offer warm words of wisdom,constructive criticism or "360-degree feedback(反馈;反应)",then think again.Most of us would rather not hear it.
Our easily-broken egos(自尊心)are partly to blame.We all want to meet our own expectations of ourselves,and so being criticized can present a huge threat to our egos.Yet as decades of psychological theory and research have indicated,people have endless tricky strategies(策略) of remaining positive in the face of criticism.For this reason,rather than us welcoming feedback with open arms,our first response is often an automatic defense.These reactions serve to make us feel better about ourselves.
Psychological research exposes this unhealthy appetite for ignorance.In one study,students watched a false educational film about a serious disease called "TAA Deficiency".In fact,TAA Deficiency is completely fictional,but the students were not told this information;instead,they were asked whether they wished to provide a cheek test for assessing(评估)their risk of developing the disease.Half of the students were told that if they ever developed TAA Deficiency,then the treatment would involve them taking a two-week course of pills.Of this group,52% agreed to provide the cheek test.The other half of students learned the treatment would involve taking the pills for the rest of their lives.Of this group,only 21% agreed to the test.
These findings show a common pattern seen in other studies within and beyond the context(背景) of healthcare. That is,people are especially resistant to hearing feedback when they believe it could force them to do something difficult or unpleasant.
1.What can we infer from paragraph 1?
A. People should be satisfied with what they have.
B. People should offer constructive criticism.
C. People should be cautious when giving advice.
D. People should care less about others.
2.How do people usually react when facing criticism?
A. They try to accept it.
B. They deal with it seriously.
C. They tend to support or protect themselves.
D. They turn to psychological theory.
3.Why didn't most of the second group agree to the test?
A. They didn't believe in the result.
B. They knew there wasn't such a disease.
C. They were sensitive to the negative result.
D. They didn't agree with the test.
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. Meeting Criticism B. Rethinking Feedbacks
C. Improving Healthcare D. Fighting TAA Deficiency
What do you do if your nation has a severe water shortage and happens to be located in a desert? If you have the resources, you turn to technology, which is what a company in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (阿联酋) (UAE for short) is planning to do. The country, which gets less than four inches of rain per year, could solve its issue with water shortage by dragging icebergs from Antarctica to its shores. The first such attempt will begin in 2018.
Once the iceberg is at UAE shores, the ice above the waterline would be cut off and crushed into drinking water, which would then be stored in large water tanks. The iceberg would also have a broader impact, says Abdullah Mohammad Sulaiman Al Shehi:
“Cold air out from an iceberg close to the shore of the Arabian Sea would cause rainstorms across the Arabian Gulf and the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula all year round. As the rising air expands, cools and condenses (冷凝) due to the decrease in air pressure, water vapor (水蒸气) is collected in the clouds, which becomes heavy and falls as rain.” More icebergs will bring more water vapor and clouds, creating a profound (巨大的)effect on the regional climate over a decade, turning the desert into “green meadows(草地)”. The melting iceberg would also add fresh water to the Arabian sea, returning biodiversity. There would also be a boost(兴旺) for tourism from all the people interested in looking at the icebergs. The Emirates Iceberg Project comes from a group of efforts by NABL called “Filling the Empty Quarter”. The project aims to dramatically influence the deserts of the “Empty Quarter”, the planet’s largest sand desert. The region is also the richest oil-producing area in the world, including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE and Yemen.
1.What is the UAE planning to do according to the text?
A. To collect fresh sea water from Antarctica.
B. To drag icebergs from Antarctica to the country.
C. To make icebergs from Antarctica melt.
D. To get 20 billion gallons of fresh water from icebergs.
2.What Al Shehi said reflects the effect of icebergs on_______.
A. the weather B. the industry
C. the biodiversity D. the tourism
3.According to the text, the deserts of the “Empty Quarter” are______.
A. turning into green meadows
B. the resource of salt in the Arabian sea
C. the empty area without population
D. abundant in oil as a matter of fact
4.According to the text, icebergs to be dragged to UAE’ shores will _________.
A. bring water vapor and sand
B. add salt water to the Arabian sea
C. become “green meadows”
D. attract people interested in looking at the icebergs
Music has a great effect on everyone. But does music affect plants, too? People have been experimenting with music for almost three decades. From school-level projects to higher-level scientific experiments, the effect of music on plants has been a confusing and debatable topic.
We know music is sound and sound is nothing more than a wave. Plant growth is a result of the cell division that takes place within the cells. But why is music associated with plant growth? In humans, music has a strong effect on our health and mood, and over the years, people have claimed that the same effect has been observed on plants, too. Plants are sensitive by nature, and many people claim that they have feelings just as humans do. There are stories about plants shedding tears. Although scientists do not support these as facts, these myths have led them to take up various experiments on plants.
Various studies have proved that plants respond to acoustic (音响的) energy. It increases their rate of growth and their size, and influences their overall health. Dan Carlson, after a thorough study over a span of many years, has reached a conclusion that music helps plants absorb nutrients(养分) more efficiently.
It took Dan about fifteen years to develop a foliage spray (叶面喷剂) that is used beneficially with the sound frequencies. Carlson calls this spray “Sonic Bloom”. His findings have proved to be beneficial for countless farmers and have resulted in-according to Guinness Book of World Records-the largest indoor plant on record.
The Purple Passion was treated with the Sonic Bloom process. It grew to be 1,300 feet tall and was alive even after 25 years. Its normal lifespan(寿命), however, is 18 months and it grows not more than 18 feet tall. The book, Secret of the Soil, writes about Sonic Bloom and its results. Sonic Bloom is also sold in the market.
1.What inspired scientists to experiment with plants?
A. The effects of music on humans.
B. Plants are sensitive by nature.
C. The cell division taking place within the cells.
D. People’s debatable opinion of the effect music has on plants.
2.What is the main idea of Para. 3?
A. Nutrients are important to plants.
B. Music can have some good effects on plants.
C. How the rate of growth of plants can be improved.
D. What kinds of music can contribute to the growth of plants.
3.What did Dan Carlson develop?
A. A spray called “Sonic Bloom”.
B. A method to grow larger plants.
C. A special plant that grows very fast.
D. Acoustic energy that plants respond to
4.Why is the Purple Passion included in Guinness Book of World Records?
A. It is the oldest indoor plant.
B. It is the largest indoor plant.
C. It gives off the most pleasant smell.
D. It can grow in the toughest conditions.
Get ready to fill your days full of fun and adventure. West Dorset, an area of outstanding natural beauty, is always a place to go and there is always something going on. The following are some of the star attractions.
Mapperton House &Gardens
Impressive valley gardens surrounded by wooded landscape.
Gardens open: Daily 11am---5pm except Saturdays, March to October included.
Booking through Tel: (01308) 862645 or www.mapperton.com
Bridport Museum
Local history museum detailing the town’s famous rope and net trade with additional changing temporary displays. We also have a year round Local History Gentre nearby where you can complete local and family history research.
Open: Monday-Saturday, April to October included.
Booking through Tel: (01308)458703 or www.bridportmuseum.co.uk
Furleigh Estate Wine Tours
Vineyard and winery, producers of the UK’s most outstanding sparkling wine. Come and see how the 2016 Winemaker of the Year makes wine.
Open for sales: 11am-4pm Fridays and Saturdays, tours at 2 pm
Booking through Tel: (01308)488991 or www.furleighestate.co.uk
Email: info@furleigliestate.co.uk
Old Crown Court and Cells
Experience two hundred years of shocking crime and punishment. Location of Tolpuddle Martyrs’
trial. Tours of court room and cells on selected afternoons mid-July to end August.
Open: Monday-Friday, March to September included.
Booking through www.visit-dorset.com
For all the latest information about attractions including opening times, prices and also some great discounts and special offers, please go to www.visit-dorset.com.
1.Where can you learn about wine making?
A. At Mapperton House & Gardens B. At Old Crown Court and Cells
C. At Bridport Museum D. At Furleigh Estate
2.Which website should you visit if you want to get a good price?
A. www.furleighestate.co.uk B. www.visit-dorset.com.
C. www.bridportmuseum.co.uk D. www.mapperton.com
3.On what day of the week can you visit all the four places?
A. Monday B. Tuesday
C. Friday D. Saturday