I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭), credit cards, and success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us ______ chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell ______. I found myself homeless and ______. I had my truck and $56. I ______ the countryside for some place I could rent for the _____ possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road over the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was ______, full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and ______ a corner to camp in.
The locals knew nothing about me, ______ slowly, they started teaching me the _______ of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began sticking around to _______. They started to teach me a belief in a ______ American Dream – not the one of individual achievement but of ______.
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were ______ for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place. Up on the ______, my most valuable possessions were my _______ with my neighbors.
Four years later, I moved back into ______. I saw many people were having a really hard time, ______ their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to ______ a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house, but over time I’ve had nine people come in and move on to other places. We’d all be in ______ if we hadn’t banded together.
The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about ______ we can all survive together.
1.A. separately B. equally C. violently D. naturally
2.A. off B. apart C. over D. out
3.A. awesome B. priceless C. alone D. passionate
4.A. crossed B. left C. toured D. searched
5.A. fullest B. largest C. fairest D. cheapest
6.A. occupied B. abandoned C. emptied D. robbed
7.A. turned B. approached C. cleared D. cut
8.A. but B. although C. otherwise D. for
9.A. benefit B. lesson C. nature D. art
10.A. chat B. fight C. struggle D. perform
11.A. wild B. real C. different D. remote
12.A. neighborliness B. happiness C. friendliness D. kindness
13.A. unique B. expensive C. rare D. necessary
14.A. mountain B. downtown C. river D. countryside
15.A. cooperation B. relationships C. satisfaction D. appointments
16.A. reality B. society C. town D. life
17.A. creating B. losing C. quitting D. finding
18.A. put in B. turn in C. take in D. get in
19.A. yards B. shelters C. camps D. cottages
20.A. when B. what C. whether D. how
Having a healthy family life can lower risk of heart attack and boost your chance of living longer. 1.．
Care for elders in a loving way
Caring for an elderly loved one is a wonderful way to show compassion and service, and it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice everything. 2.. Kids and marriages can be powerfully impacted by how these decisions are handled，both negatively and positively. They thoroughly think through the potential impact of moving an aging parent into the home or providing extended care. A good boundary with an aging parent is to do occasional outgoings.
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude
Healthy families set a culture of being grateful for the things you appreciate in life, big and small. Set up a respectful space where at the end of each day, each family member share what they are grateful for. 3.．
Keep treats out of sight(and out of mind)
What you see is what you want to eat. 4.. Put the sugary treats out of sight and leave colorful fruits and vegetables out on the counter or on the most visible shelves in the fridge so that you're more likely to reach for a nutritious snack.
5..
Healthy families will create a safe environment for healthy communication, where each individual feels like their feelings are acknowledged. When conflict arises, they don't have to agree with each other but they still need to acknowledge each other's feelings. They still feel their opinions are valued. They also learn tools for how conflicts can be resolved. No one shuts down, or runs away when there is disagreement. They work it out.
A．Fight fair
B．Live healthily
C．Keep healthy snacks highly visible in your kitchen
D．If you keep fighting，you will hurt your family
E. Here’s how to maximize this amazing health asset(资产)
F. This sets up an atmosphere of appreciation that all can benefit from
G. Healthy families have boundaries with aging parents and grandparents
Darwin noted that some human emotional expressions might have started as part of a physiological function: for example, exposing the teeth to bite food. The function, however, took on meaning and became a form of communication which signals anger.
The same may be true for the animals. Baby monkeys cry for attention. They also cry to signal to an adult that they want to be carried.
“Chimpanzees do make upset voice when they are being weaned (断奶) by their mothers or have lost their mothers or another individual,” says Anne Pusey, a professor at the University of Minnesota. “They whimper (呜咽) and cry and scream. When we hear these calls, the emotion involved seems obvious. However, they do not weep in the sense of producing tears. I have seen an adolescent male whimpering when he lost sight of his older brother with whom he had been traveling.”
Babies of many mammalian species, including rats, cry. Moreover, when a baby rat cries, often his mother brings the fallen pup back into the nest. This is probably a straightforward communication, as it is with humans. However, psychologists at the University of Iowa aren’t convinced.
The Iowan researchers can cause the same crying sounds by producing large decreases and then increases in blood flow. The blood flow also goes down when baby rats get cold. Thus, they conclude baby rats cry in the same way that we sneeze. Of course the rat baby could be crying because he’s cold and wants his mother to know.
“All young mammals make cries when separated from their mother,” says Jaak Panksepp, a psychologist at Bowling Green State University. “If you’re willing to call this crying, then certainly other animals show this emotional response.” he says, “Some of us take seriously that animals do have emotions.”
1.According to the first paragraph, what kind of emotion does “exposing the teeth” express?
A. Disappointment. B. Excitement.
C. Anger. D. Happiness.
2.Which is one probable reason why young chimpanzees might be crying?
A. They meet their brother.
B. They have nothing to eat.
C. They are being breast-fed.
D. They are parted from their mother.
3.Under what circumstance will baby rats cry just like humans’ sneeze?
A. Their blood flow is decreased.
B. They feel cold and long for affection.
C. Their blood flow is increased.
D. Their mother brings them back home.
4.Where is the passage most likely taken from?
A. An animal journal. B. A physiology book.
C. A health magazine. D. A cultural newspaper.
Think plants are just boring green things that you use for food and decoration? Think again! Plants are able to do some pretty awesome things that you’re probably totally unaware of.
Researchers have discovered that plants have the ability to communicate with an underground network made up of fungus (真菌) , which serves the plants in many ways. Tomato plants use the fungus web to warn each other of their own unhealthy conditions. Trees connected through the fungus network could move nutrients (养分) to and from each other. It is believed that larger trees move nutrients to smaller ones to help them to survive.
Not only that, but they can also damage unwelcome plants by spreading poisonous chemicals through the fungus. It sounds like the plant world had the Internet before we did.
Some plants have a rather impressive line of defense against being eaten. When sensing they are being swallowed, they give off a chemical into the air that attracts the insect’s natural enemy. The enemy attacks the bug, thus saving the plants. This is basically the plant kingdom version of getting your older brother to beat up that kid who steals your lunch money.
You might be aware that humans and animals have an internal clock. But did you know that plants also have this clock? This means they can prepare for certain times of day just like we do. Is it because they can react to light at sunrise? In a study, scientists found that plants use the sugars they produce to keep time, which help to regulate the genes responsible for the plant’s own internal clock. So, in a sense, ―wake up with petunias (矮牵牛) is just as valid as ―wake up with the chickens.
Nature is full of surprises. So for those of you who didn’t know the wonders of plants, now you do.
1.How many ways does the network of fungus serve the plants?
A. Two. B. Three.
C. Four. D. Five.
2.What does the underlined words ― “your older brother” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. The chemical given off by plants. B. The insect’s natural enemy.
C. The bug attacked by the enemy. D. The plant to be eaten by the insect.
3.What helps the plant keep time?
A. The sugars produced by itself. B. Its own genes.
C. The time of sunrise. D. Its response to light.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To show his love of different plants.
B. To share his study on some awesome plants.
C. To introduce the unknown abilities of plants.
D. To make people aware of plant protection.
Compassion（同情）is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款机）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash, had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if fortune had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable, “Charge it to me,” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
1.The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits______.
A. promised to obey the store rules
B. hoped to have the food first and pay later
C. forgot to take his credit card with him
D. could not afford anything more expensive
2.Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?
A. Kind and lucky. B. Friendly and helpful.
C. Poor and lonely. D. Hurt and disappointed.
3.Why did the author refuse the old gentle man’s request first?
A. He considered the old man dishonest.
B. He felt no pity for the old gentleman.
C. He wanted to keep his present job.
D. He expected someone else to pay for the old man.
4.What lesson did the author learn from this experience?
A. Obeying the rules means more than compassion.
B. Wealth is most important in older age.
C. Experience is better gained through practice.
D. Compassion means helping in some way.
International Airport Sheremetyevo Moscow
►If You've Lost Personal possessions
On Board
Contact the airline’s representatives
At the Airport
Contact:
-- Sheremetyevo Police Department
…………………………………… +7(495)578-22-55
--Unclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal C
…………………………………… +7(495)578-23-26
--Umclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal D
…………………………………… +7(499)500-65-52
(domestic flights)
+7(495)753-86-41
(international flights)
When collecting Lost and Found items, you shall have an identification document, a boarding pass or a ticket, and also to indicate a place where the items were lost and prove they are yours.
►If Your Luggage Is Lost or Damaged
Before leaving the arrival area, please turn to the Lost and Found counter to file a report. The written claim shall be submitted to the airline company not later than seven days from the time when the luggage was to be collected.
If your luggage is not found within twenty-one days of the time when the claim was filed, you have the right to claim damages in the amount of not more than 600 rubles per kilogram. Amount refunded (退款) for a hand luggage lost through the fault of an airline is not more than 11,000 rubles regardless of its weight. Amount refunded for damaged luggage is calculated based on the tariffs (关税).
Keep your flight documents (a ticket, boarding pass, luggage tag, and delayed luggage report filed at the airport) until the end of the procedure for searching for your luggage.
Current information on luggage-tracing results
…………………………………… +7(495)578-76-65
Lost and Found service of Aeroflot Airlines
…………………………………… +7(495)544-33-25
(from 9:00 to 20:00)
+7(495)753-86-41
(24 hours)
For further information please contact the airline.
1.What should you do if you find your personal possessions lost on board?
A. Turn to the airline’s staff. B. Contact the police office.
C. Submit a claim to the company. D. Go to the Lost and Found counter.
2.How much money can you claim if your 20-kilogram hand luggage is damaged?
A. It depends on its weight. B. It depends on the tariffs.
C. 12,000 rubles at most. D. 11,000 rubles at most.
3.Which number should you dial if you found your luggage missing at midnight on your arrival?
A. +7(495)578-76-65. B. +7(495)578-23-26.
C. +7(495)753-86-41. D. +7(495)544-33-25.
