One day a man was asked to paint a boat by the owner of the boat. He brought with him paint and ________and began to paint the boat bright red, as the owner asked him. While painting, he ________ there was a hole in the boat and decided to ________it. When he finished painting, he received his ______ and left.
The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter and ________him with a nice check, much ________ than the payment for painting, the painter was ________.” You’ve already paid me for painting the boat!” he said.
“ But this is not for the paint ________. It’s for having repaired the hole in the boat.”
“ But it was such a(n)________ service. Certainly it’s not worth ________ me such a high amount for something so unimportant!”
“ My dear friend, you do not ________ . Now let me tell you what ________. When I asked you to paint the boat, I ________ to mention about the hole. When the boat dried, my kids took the boat and ________ a fishing trip. They did not know that there was a ________ in the boat. I was not at home at that time. When I returned and noticed they had taken the boat, I was ________ because I remembered that the boat had a hole. Imagine my ________and joy when I saw them returning from fishing.
“ Then, I ________the boat and found that you had repaired the hole! You see, now, what you did? You ________ my children! I do not have enough money to pay your 'small' good deed.”
So, no matter who, when or how, just ______ repair all the “”leak” you find.
1.A. chains B. brushes C. beliefs D. pens
2.A. consulted B. reminded C. found D. confirmed
3.A. repair B. wipe C. hide D. measure
4.A. benefit B. baggage C. key D. money
5.A. admired B. treated C. presented D. comforted
6.A. higher B. less C. quicker D. wealthier
7.A. shocked B. excited C. moved D. surprised
8.A. award B. kindness C. job D. skill
9.A. cheap B. small C. valuable D. additional
10.A. lending B. selling C. borrowing D. paying
11.A. scream B. bow C. forgive D. understand
12.A. happened B. existed C. crashed D. circulated
13.A. decided B. hated C. forgot D. remembered
14.A. went through B. went on C. dreamed about D. turned to
15.A. hole B. sign C. rule D. danger
16.A. angry B. desperate C. embarrassed D. clumsy
17.A. sorrow B. situation C. patience D. relief
18.A. pulled B. spotted C. examined D. destroyed
19.A. saved B. taught C. instructed D. treasured
20.A. possible B. carefully C. actually D. finally
How to protect your ears
You and your friends are leaving a concert on a Friday night. When you get outside, your ears are ringing. You have to shout to be heard. 1. So no harm done…right?
Not quite. Temporary buzzing may be easy to ignore, but repeated exposure to loud noise will eventually cause serious--- and irreversible(无法治愈的)--- hearing loss. A new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston shows that one in five people between the ages of 12 and 19 are experiencing slight hearing loss, and one in 20 have mild hearing loss. 2.But the good news is that there plenty of ways you can protect your ears from further damage — and still listen to the music you love:
Ask around. Put your earbuds in or your headphones on, and then ask a friend next to you whether or not he or she can hear what you’re listening to. 3.Turn it down.
Buy noise-canceling headphones. A pair of earbuds or headphones that fits comfortably will limit outside noise so that you can hear your music better at lower volumes.
Take breaks. 4. So when listening to music, take your headphones off for 15 or 20 minutes and let your ears enjoy the quiet.
5.You can buy a cheap pair at any drugstore as an easy way to lower volume at concerts — or while playing or practicing your own music — without changing the quality of the sound.
A. Use earplugs.
B. Keep the volume below 70 percent.
C. If the answer is yes, your music is too loud.
D. But by morning, your hearing is totally back to normal.
E. Like every other part of your body, your ears need rest.
F. Unfortunately, there’s no way to get back hearing you’ve already lost.
G. The exposure to noise is louder and longer than in any previous generation.
How many times do you check your Facebook page in a day to see whether your latest post has got another “like” or “thumbs(拇指) up”?
Although you might be embarrassed to admit how many times you do this, don’t worry—psychological findings have shown it’s completely normal. In fact, the pleasure we derive from receiving a “like” is equal to that of eating chocolate or winning money, and we can’t help wanting more. According to the findings, which observed 32 teens aged between 13 and 18, the feedback circuit (反馈回路) in the teens’ brains is particularly sensitive, and the “social” and “visual” parts of their brains were active when they received “likes” on the social network. The research also showed that though the thumbs up might come from complete strangers, the good they derive from them worked all the same.
So, does it mean we should try our best to win as many thumbs up as possible? Not necessarily so if we know the reasons behind our desire for attention. In “why do people long for attention” by M. Farouk Radwan, he explained several cases in which people naturally longed for attention. Radwan said people who were an only child, who were used to being the center of attention in their house, may try to copy these conditions. Feeling “overlooked and unappreciated” might also lead you to long for attention. Other times, the state of being jealous, or wanting to cover your mistakes may also contribute to such longings.
In fact, too much desire for attention can create anxiety, and in turn ruin your happiness even when you get it. So what can we do about it? The answer is quite simple. “If people could adopt goals not focused on their own self-esteem（自尊）but on something larger than their self, such as what they can create or contribute to others, they would be less sensitive to some of the negative effects of pursuing self-esteem,” wrote psychology professor Jennifer Crocker.
So perhaps the answer to our addiction to “likes” is simply to focus on something larger than ourselves—a hard, but a worthy one.
1.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The thumbs up from complete strangers don’t work.
B. Desire for attention can definitely create anxiety.
C. Feeling ignored might lead you to be in need of attention.
D. The brain of teenagers is seldom sensitive.
2.What’s the reaction of receiving “likes” on the social network to the brain?
A. The social and visual parts become more nervous.
B. The social and visual parts of the brain are active.
C. The physical and sense parts of the brain become less sensitive.
D. The whole brain becomes cleverer.
3.Who wants to get more attention according to the passage?
A. The one who is the only child.
B. The old who lives happily with children.
C. The young who feels anxious.
D. Teens who want to discover their mistakes.
4.What’s Crocker’s suggestion about the negative effects of getting self-esteem?
A. Doing an interesting matter.
B. Working harder than ever before.
C. Having a bigger goal than their self.
D. Not checking your Facebook page in a day.
“Hey, little boy, will you support me when I’m getting old?” Wang Wenshan, 35, asked his newborn baby as he hugged him at home.
The Chinese tradition of raising sons to support parents in their old age has been weakened by the rapidly growing economy and improved standard of living. As is the case with more and more developed countries, China faces an aging society. People are living longer and having fewer children. Therefore, many Chinese families are falling into a 4-2-1 family pattern: a couple raises one child and supports four elderly parents. But few realize that a problem is likely to happen ahead.
The aging of the population is a trend that now affects a growing number of countries. The Information Office of the State Council, China’s cabinet, issued（发行） a white paper on measures China has been taking to help its elderly population. The paper said China’s population entered the aging period at the end of the 20th century and the proportion of people aged 60 and above accounted for over 10 percent of the entire population. By the end of 2005, China had nearly 144 million people over 60, accounting for 11 percent of the population, according to the white paper.
An expanding aged population inevitably means that many issues must be settled, as the problem concerns every aspect of society. It puts more pressure on each family, causing disturbing economic consequences and serious social problems. It also challenges the labor force supply and the pension system.
“I used to think that it’s not an issue for me to provide for the aged,” said Wang, whose parents and parents-in-law all enjoy pensions and medical insurance. But last year Wang’s father suffered from a serious illness and afterward Wang began to feel the pressure on his shoulders.
After his father recovered, Wang opened a bank account for each parent and put away some money in the account every month to prepare for future uncertainties. In addition, he has to save money every month to provide for his son’s future education. “I’m now breaking my back to support my family: saving pensions for the parents, my son’s education funds, and living costs.”
Wang also bought some commercial old-age insurance for himself. “We have to take precautions（预防） before it is too late, and many of my colleagues share the same view,” he said.
1.Which of the following is not caused by an aging society?
A. Social problems. B. Unemployment.
C. More pressure on each family. D. The problem of the pension system.
2.From the passage, we can infer ________.
A. the aging problem is one of the concerns of the Chinese government
B. China will encourage young couples to have more than one child
C. many people have realized the aging problem
D. children will not support their parents in China
3.Which of the following can be used to replace the underlined word “inevitably”?
A. Surprisingly. B. Certainly.
C. Hopefully. D. Evidently.
4.From the passage, we can see that ________.
A. China is the only country to face an aging society
B. most of the developing countries face an aging society
C. countries with a large population face an aging society
D. more and more developed countries face an aging society
When my sister Mertie told me she had put out tomato plants last summer, I was quite impressed.
Since she was a garden-beginner, Mertie researched exactly how far apart to space her tomato plants; what kind of fertilizer to use; how to keep away the bugs（害虫）, etc. Once they were planted, she took care of them daily, anxiously awaiting the juicy tomatoes to appear. But, day after day, her plants were tomato-less while all of her neighbors who had also put out tomato plants were already enjoying the fruit of their labor.
Frustrated(upset), Mertie gave in and went to the market to search fresh tomatoes. While paying, Mertie told the farmer her troubles. The farmer paused to think for a moment and then asked, “Well, what kind of tomatoes did you plant?”
“I think they were called Big Boy,” Mertie remembered.
“Well there’s your problem,” the farmer explained. “Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes have a 95-day growing period whereas regular tomato plants produce fruit in as few as 70 days…you just have to wait a little longer for the Big Boys.”
With that new knowledge, Mertie went home with excitement, knowing they would be worth the wait.
Thinking about my sister’s gardening experience, I had to smile. She just didn’t know that Big Boy tomatoes took longer--neither did I--but once she discovered that information, she was no longer discouraged and upset about the lack of tomatoes on her plants. Instead, she was encouraged and excited to see them a few weeks later.
It makes me wonder how many of us have “Big Boy” dreams in our hearts, yet we just don’t realize that they are of the “Big Boy” variety so we are discouraged and worn out with the waiting process. Instead of waiting with excitement, we give up on our dreams and figure we must have done something wrong to stop them from coming to pass. Frustrated, we see other people’s dreams coming true, and we wonder why ours haven’t yet been achieved.
1.To better grow tomato plants,what did Mertie do?
A. Using little fertilizer. B. Keeping them well close.
C. Watering them daily. D. Controlling pests on them.
2.Why did Mertie’s tomato plants fail to produce at the expected time?
A. Because they were destroyed by her neighbors.
B. Because she grew the wrong kind of tomatoes.
C. Because she didn’t manage the garden well.
D. Because they required more time to produce.
3.What does the author compare tomatoes to in the text?
A. Goals. B. Experiences.
C. Time. D. Imagination.
4.What does the text intend to show us?
A. It’s better late than never.
B. A bad beginning makes a bad ending.
C. Success sometimes needs a little patience.
D. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Plan your dream vacation to one of these excellent destinations.
St. Lucia
Abundant（丰富的） rainforests and splendid mountains are all reasons to visit this Caribbean island. St. Lucia offers the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. To take in the breathtaking scenery, plan to hike the Piton Mountains or dive in the waters of Anse Chastanet.
Banff. Alberta
This Canadian destination will bring out the explorer in anyone who visits. From hiking and whitewater rafting to skiing and snowboarding, Banff offers travelers an abundance of year-round outdoor activities. The Lake Louise Ski Resort is one of the largest in North America and the striking photo opportunities of the Canadian Rockies from Moraine Lake can’t be underestimated (低估).
Machu Picchu
According to travelers, a visit to this Peruvian UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) site is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Located in the Andes Mountains, it is the most familiar icon (象征物) of Inca civilization. Spend a few days accustoming yourself to the altitude in the neighboring city of Cusco, where you can experience a mix of Incan and Spanish cultures.
Great Barrier Reef
It’s easy to see why the Great Barrier Reef is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World – it stretches nearly 1,500 miles along the eastern coastline of Australia and features about 3,000 reefs, 900 islands and more than 1,500 species of fish. Travelers can see these amazing natural structures from the air or underwater. However, large amounts of coral bleaching (褪色) caused by rising ocean temperatures put this place’s continued existence at risk, so plan your visit soon to see this awesome sight up close.
1.What can you enjoy both in St. Lucia and Banff?
A. Hiking. B. Skiing.
C. Diving. D. Snowboarding.
2.Where may a historian choose to go?
A. St. Lucia. B. Banff. Alberta.
C. Machu Picchu. D. Great Barrier Reef
3.What do we know about the Great Barrier Reef?
A. It’s on the western coast of Australia.
B. It’s famous for coral reefs rather than fish.
C. People must take a plane to enjoy its beauty.
D. It may disappear if temperature keeps on rising.
