The life of George Washington was characterized by a high regard for punctuality. For him, being on time was a way of showing ______ to others, and he ______ to be treated with the same level of respect ______.
Once Washington asked a man to bring some ______ he was interested in buying at five in the morning.______, the man arrived fifteen minutes late. Washington's groom(马夫) told the man that the general(将军) had been ______ there at five, but had now moved on to other business. Washington said that he wouldn't be able to ______ the horses again until the following week. The man left with his horses, feeling a deep sense of ______.
When he told Congress(国会议员) that he'd meet with them at noon, he could almost always be found walking into the meeting room just as the clock was ______ twelve.
Washington's punctuality extended to his ______ as well. He ate dinner each day at ______ four o'clock. When he ______ members of Congress to dine with him, and they______ late, they were often ______ to find the president halfway done with his meal or even leaving the table. To his shocked, late______ he would say, "We are punctual here. My cook never asks ______ the guests have arrived, but whether the hour has come."
And when Washington's secretary arrived late to a meeting, and blamed(责怪) his ______ for his lateness, Washington quietly replied, "Then you must get another watch, or I another______."
Washington, one of the most respected presidents in American history, is a good example to us all. Today, punctuality is still a(n)______ part of the character of a nice person. So next time when you are struggling with arriving______, think of these stories about the punctual president.
1.A. appreciation B. respect C. pity D. concern
2.A. hated B. decided C. expected D. refused
3.A. in return B. in time C. in exchange D. in total
4.A. weapons B. boots C. horses. D. guns
5.A. Therefore B. Besides C. Or D. However
6.A. waiting B. looking C. searching D. standing
7.A. raise B. feed C. ride D. examine
8.A. honor B. shame C. joy D. sorrow
9.A. showing B. pointing C. striking D. telling
10.A. study B. bedtimes C. work D. mealtimes
11.A. completely B. exactly C. correctly D. strictly
12.A. invited B. enjoyed C. allowed D. remembered
13.A. called B. left C. arrived D. started
14.A. surprised B. disappointed C. calm D. excited
15.A. officers B. friends C. neighbors D. guests
16.A. when B. whether C. why D. where
17.A. phone B. bell C. alarm D. watch
18.A. secretary B. assistant C. colleague D. boss
19.A. active B. major C. essential D. leading
20.A. just now B. on time C. right away D. at last
How to Love Your Parents
Even if you think that your parents are mean at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part, a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents.
1. A gentle "good morning" and "I love you" will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world. Without your parents, we might still wander at an unknown corner in an unknown world.
Respect them more and cherish these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them, preparing yourself for when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, write down your feelings, or talk to a friend.2.
Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they are who struggle to keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes.3.
Keep company with them. Do things with your parents together like watching TV, or go somewhere with them. Listen to their old stories and learn from them.4. And then you will find they are your teachers in one way or another.
Some people simply may not be able to love their parents.5. Seek help if you are being abused(虐待) in any way. Parents do not have a right to harm you.
A. And remember forgiveness is the key.
B. Parents will in turn express their love to you.
C. Tell them you love them every morning.
D. After this, share your feelings with your parents.
E. Please remember parents are as important as friends.
F. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can.
G. There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example.
Over millions of years, African penguins have developed a keen sense of where to find food. Once they're old enough, they set off from the shores on which they were hatched(孵化) for the first time and swim long distances in search of tasty fish like anchovies and sardines. But they don't search directly for the fish themselves. When African penguins head out to sea, they look for areas with low surface temperatures and high chlorophyll(叶绿素). Because those conditions signal the presence of algae(藻类). And lots of algae means lots of plankton(浮游动物), which in turn means lots of their favorite fish. Well, that's what it used to mean.
Climate change plus overfishing have made the penguin feeding grounds a mirage(海市蜃楼). The habitat is indeed plankton﹣rich, but now it's fish﹣poor. Researchers call this an "ecological trap." "It's a situation where you have a signal that previously pointed an animal towards good﹣quality habitat. That habitat has been changed, usually by human pressures. The signal stays, but the quality in the environment gets worse."
Richard Sherley, a zoologist at the University of Exeter and his team used satellite imaging to track the African penguins from eight sites along southern Africa. Historically, the birds benefited from tons of fish off the coasts of Angola, Namibia and western South Africa, but now they're going hungry.
"I was really hoping we'd see them going east, and finding areas which the fish had moved to but it ends up being quite a sad story for the penguins." said Richard.
The researchers calculate that by falling into this ecological trap, African penguin populations on South Africa's Western Cape have declined by around 80 percent.
Some research groups are exploring the idea of moving them to a place where they can't get trapped, like the Eastern Cape. But Sherley thinks that a solution in the long run means making and carrying out rules to create more sustainable(可持续的) fishing industry, which needs public support.
1.How do penguins find their food?
A. They discover fish with their keen sense.
B. They swim long distances directly for fish.
C. They make signals to each other when finding fish.
D. They look for warmer and greener areas.
2.What is an ecological trap for the African penguins?
A. A trap set to catch penguins.
B. A good fish habitat with few fish.
C. A habitat rich in plankton.
D. A mirage on the sea.
3.What can be done to help the penguins in the long run?
A. Move the penguins to other places.
B. Create nature reserves for penguins.
C. Keep a balanced fishing industry.
D. Increase the population of penguins.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. African penguins are losing their habitats.
B. African penguins are falling into ecological traps.
C. A sustainable development is needed.
D. African penguin populations have declined.
Most people can't live to 100. Those who do live so long can hardly walk, let alone take part in any activities. A few people, however, take part in dangerous activities even though they are more than 100 years old﹣ They keep going and going! There is a great grandmother who likes challenging herself although she is 101 years old this year.
Mary Hardison believes that people should always be cheerful and more importantly, take on all kinds of adventures while they physically still can. So, instead of celebrating her 101st birthday with a boring party, she decided to go paragliding(滑翔跳伞)﹣ an idea she got from her 75﹣year﹣old son who recently took it up as a hobby.
So on her birthday, cheered on by her big family, she tied herself up together with expert instructor Kevin Hintze, and jumped down fearlessly from the sky near her home in Ogden, Utah. And, it was not just a simple jump either. According to Kevin Hintze, the grandmother encouraged him to turn around, as they made their way down.
This is not the first time that Mary has done something "wild" and "crazy". For her 90th birthday she rode all the adult rides at Disneyland. And, she is not done yet﹣ For her 102nd birthday she hopes to go down the 3,000 feet Alpine Slide at Utah's Park City Mountain Resort!
Not surprisingly, this great action has made Mary Hardison very famous and also earned her a place in the Guinness World Records where she broke a 2007 record set by a 100﹣year﹣old British woman. What an amazing lady!
1.What do we know about Mary Hardison?
A. She took up paragliding as her hobby at the age of 75.
B. She is a 101﹣year﹣old lady who likes challenging herself.
C. She was recorded in the Guinness World Records in 2007.
D. She is the oldest woman in the Guinness World Records.
2.From whom did Mary get the idea of going paragliding?
A. A 100﹣year﹣old British woman.
B. Kevin Hintze.
C. Her grandson.
D. Her 75﹣year﹣old son.
3.How does the author feel about Mary's action?
A. Amazed.
B. Supportive.
C. Doubtful.
D. Worried.
4.The text is likely to appear in .
A. a news report
B. an advertisement
C. a novel
D. a science report
My husband David was waiting at the door when our daughter Laura and I came back. It wasn't like him to be home so early. The disbelief on his face told me that something was up.
"Do you still have a job?"
"No. Redundant," he answered, looking away from me.
"OK. We'll figure it out," I replied calmly. I actually had no idea how we were going to figure it out. I immediately started to think of how we'd cut costs and who we should start to get in touch with. That night, after David had fallen asleep, I cried myself to sleep, and frequently sobbed(抽泣) in the shower in the days that followed.
I knew the loss of David's income would have great effect on us. He had worked for the same company for twenty﹣one years and was our main income. I work at home caring for Laura, and my income is uncertain. We have debts, and job hunting takes time.
Still, I was more concerned about my husband's emotional state than our financial situation. David's sense of identity was tied to his job. He called his parents to tell them about losing his job, but didn't say a word to anyone else for weeks. He told me that he felt like "a failure".
It was tough for me to watch David struggle with unemployment. One night several weeks after he lost his job, David woke me just before midnight, sweating, pacing the bedroom floor and saying he didn't feel well. We spent the night in the emergency room waiting to see if he had a heart attack. Thankfully, it was just a serious anxiety attack. It was then that I knew I needed to do more to understand what my husband was going through. Here is what I learned from my own experience﹣ and from talking to experts﹣ on how to support your loved ones through a job loss.
1.The underlined word in Paragraph 3 probably means .
A. A piece of cake
B. Out of question
C. It's a secret
D. Out of employment
2.What did the writer do about her husband's situation at first?
A. She always remained calm and gave him advice.
B. She appeared calm when in fact she was worried.
C. She began to write about his situation to the newspapers.
D. She talked to some experts to ask for advice.
3.What can we know about David?
A. He talked much to others to reduce his anxiety.
B. He never thought himself "a failure" even when jobless.
C. He was fired by the company for which he had worked for twenty﹣one years.
D. Once leaving the job, he suffered a heart attack and had to consult the doctor.
4.What will be talked about in the following part of the passage?
A. Why the company fired David.
B. How David suffered from the heart attack and the treatment.
C. How the writer supported David to get through the jobless period.
D. What the writer did to help get some income.
Mobile technology has created new ways for all types of learning styles to help discover new information.If you want to teach yourself things,here are some apps that will help you.
●Coursera
Perhaps one of the biggest advancements in the history of e﹣learning,Coursera has teamed up with top school like Duke,Stanford,and John Hopkins to bring you direct access to real college courses in psychology,computer science,business,and technology.Each course features pre﹣recorded videos,projects,and quizzes,just like you'd receive inside the classroom.
●Lumosity
This app features three﹣day sessions that target many different areas of brain activity:memory,speed,problem solving,and thinking flexibility.Each day you can participate in a timed session to sharpen mental intelligence and keep track of your progress over time.
●Duolingo
If you've ever wanted to learn a new language but didn't know where to start or couldn't afford expensive apps,you need to check out Duolingo.This app teaches more than a dozen languages by breaking up exercises into mini games.The developer of Duolingo claims that 34 hours of learning in this app equals a full term's worth of school.
●EarthViewer
Ever wonder what Earth looked like a million years ago?There's no better way to know than to look for yourself.Earth Viewer takes you on a digital journey to see how the landscape(地貌) and face of the planet has developed over the past 4.5 billion years,and view climate changes,sea level adjustments,or the evolution of famous cities.
1.Which app makes higher education courses available to its users?
A. Coursera.
B. Lumosity.
C. Duolingo.
D. EarthViewer.
2.What can be inferred about Lumosity?
A. It is the most effective app for language learning.
B. It guarantees you an admission to a key college.
C. It will save all your money upon brain training.
D. It can be helpful to our learning performance.
3.What is special about EarthViewer?
A. It offers wonderful journeys to us.
B. It shows us lots of beautiful city views.
C. It explains how the earth developed to us.
D. It warns us of the effects of climate changes.