There is an old Chinese proverb that states “One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade,” and this is how it should be with mothers and daughters. The relationship between a mother and a daughter is sometimes confusing. The relationship can be similar to friendship. However, the mother and daughter relationship has unique characteristics that distinguish it from a friendship. These characteristics include a hierarchy (等级) of responsibilities and unconditional love, which preclude mothers and daughters from being best friends.
Marina, 27 years old, said, “I love spending time with my mom, but I wouldn’t consider her my best friend. Best friends don’t pay for your wedding. Best friends don’t remind you how they carried you in their body and gave you life! Best friend: don’t tell you how wise they are because they have been alive at least 20 years longer than you.” This doesn’t mean that the mother and daughter relationship can’t be very close and satisfying.
While some adult relationships are still troubled, many find them to be extremely rewarding. This generation of mothers and adult daughters has a lot in common, which increases the likelihood of shared companionship. Mothers and daughters have always shared the common experience of being homemakers, responsible for maintaining and passing on family values and traditions. Today contemporary mothers and daughters also share the experience of the workforce and technology, which may bring them even closer together.
Best friends may or may not continue to be best friends, but for better or worse, the mother and daughter relationship is permanent, even if for some unfortunate reason they aren’t speaking. The mother and child relationship is closer than any other. There is not an equal relationship. Daughters should not feel responsible for their mother’s emotional well-being. It isn’t that they don’t care deeply about their mothers. It’s just that they shouldn’t be burdened with their mother’s well-being.
The mother and daughter relationship is a relationship that is not replaceable by any other. Mothers never stop being mothers, which includes frequently wanting to protect their daughters and often feeling responsible for their happiness. Mothers always “trump (胜过)” friends.
1.What does the underlined word “preclude” in paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Differ. B. Prevent.
C. Benefit. D. Change.
2.What do we know from the text?
A. The mother and daughter relationship can be replaced by a best friend.
B. A mother’s love brings her and her daughter a close friendship.
C. The mother and daughter relationship goes beyond best friends’ friendship.
D. Marina has a troubled relationship with her mother.
3.How does the author mainly prove his statements?
A. By listing data. B. By giving explanations.
C. By quoting sayings. D. By making comparisons.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. How to Be a Good Mother and Daughter?
B. Who Is a Mother’s Best Friend?
C. Mothers or Friends?
D. Can a Mother Be a Daughter’s Best Friend?
Mark Rothko, one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century, was born in Daugavpils, Latvia in 1903. His father immigrated to the United States, fearing that his son would be drafted (招募) into the Czarist army. Mark stayed in Russia with his mother and elder sister; they joined the family later, arriving in the winter of 1913, after a 12-day voyage.
Mark moved to New York in the autumn of 1923 and found employment in the garment trade and took up residence on the Upper West Side. It was while he was visiting someone at the Art Students League that he saw students sketching a nude model. According to him, this was the start of his life as an artist. He was twenty years old and had taken some art lessons at school, so his initial experience was far from an immediate calling.
In 1936, Mark Rothko began writing a book, which he never completed about the similarities in the children’s art and the work of modern painters. The work of modernists, which was influenced by primitive (原始的) art, according to him, could be compared to that of children in that “Child art transforms itself into primitivism (原始主义), which is only the child producing a mimicry (模仿) of himself.” However, in this same work, he said that “The fact that one usually begins with drawing is already academic. We start with the colors.”
It was not long before his multiform developed into the style he is remembered for; in 1949 Rothko exhibited these new works at the Betty Parsons Gallery. For critic Harold Rosenberg, the paintings were a revelation. After painting his first multiform, Rothko withdrew himself to his home in East Hampton on Long Island. The discovery of his definitive form came at a period of great grief; his mother Kate died in October 1948 and it was at some point during that winter that Rothko chanced upon the striking symmetrical (对称的) rectangular blocks of two to three opposing or contrasting, yet complementary colors (对称). As part of this new uniformity of artistic vision, his paintings and drawings no longer had individual titles: from this point on they were simply untitled, numbered or dated. However, to assist in distinguishing one work from another, dealers would sometimes add the primary colors to the name.
1.Mark Rothko’s family have experienced all of the following except .
A. a separation from his father B. the call up of the army
C. a temporary stay in Russia D. a 12-day voyage to the United States
2.What made Mark Rothko want to be an artist?
A. His move to the Upper West Side.
B. His visit to the Art Students League.
C. His sight of the students’ drawing.
D. His lessons took in art school.
3.Mark Rothko thought modern art share some similarities with child art because .
A. they are both considered childish and academic
B. they are both ways of expressing primitivism
C. they are both a copy of the painters themselves
D. they ate both striking blocks and colors
4.Which of the following statements is true about Mark Rothko’s style?
A. It was inspired by Rosenberg.
B. It resulted from moving to Long Island.
C. It resulted from his grief.
D. It evolved (develop gradually) in 1948.
A notice at IKEA Shanghai has been shared widely among netizens on Chinese social media. It states that the stores cafeteria now requires customers to order food before sitting down in cafeteria seats. The policy is in response to an elderly blind dating group that occupies seats for a long time, consuming only their own food brought from home. Do you support IKEA’s new regulation? China Daily readers share their opinions with us.
Lee Xin (China)
The elderly are harmless. They are lonely and are probably hoping to find some company again. If anything, the store should at least sympathize with these old people.
Mbursian (US)
This is more for socializing than for romance. I really don’t think a home furnishing store is a good dating place for seniors.
IKEA could also post a reasonable time limit per visit during peak hours. Or instead of tables and chairs, they could use those standing tables and get rid of the chairs altogether. At least IKEA’s cafeteria isn’t occupied by the dancing grannies and their portable PA systems (音响).
SEARU (Australia)
Romance is the most important thing while eating is not that important! So a noble man always leaves more space for seniors’ love affairs!
Mr. Qiu (Shanghai, China 65 years old)
We have been to fast food outlets like McDonalds, but there are barely any peers there. We feel like aliens surrounded by youngsters. If there is another place in Shanghai where elderly people can gather, we are more than ready to pay twice as much and travel further.
TedM (UK)
Romance can arise in many places, even IKEA. However, this debate arose as a result of many people taking advantage of IKEA’s generous drink offers and going there to meet and stay with friends without buying anything. IKEA is a shop; it exists to provide a service for a reasonable profit. It is not a public park.
Michel (New Zealand)
To everyone romanticizing this, please also consider that the store has an image to uphold while protecting the interests of other paying customers. It is ugly to take up seats for such long durations while you make others wait.
1.How many people are in support of this new regulation?
A. 2. B. 3.
C. 4. D. 5.
2.What is the major cause of this new regulation?
A. Senior blind dates influencing their business.
B. IKEA has zero tolerance for romantic behavior.
C. The strong reaction of netizens on social media.
D. Old people eating their own food to save money.
3.People who are against the new regulation will probably agree that .
A. seniors’ love affairs can contribute to the store’s image
B. IKEA is the only place where seniors can find their peers
C. the society is being too judgmental and lacks understanding
D. IKEA should not reserve a special area for the old people to date
假设你是红星中学学生李华。你和同学在寒假期间去医院参加了志愿者活动，请按照以下四幅图的先后顺序，给校刊英语角写一篇英文稿件，介绍此次经历。
注意：词数不少于60。
提示词：自助挂号机 self-service registration machine
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假设你是红星中学学生李华。你的英国笔友Jim在给你的邮件中提到他想了解北京近几年发生了怎样的变化。请给他回复邮件，内容包括：
1．变化；
2．原因；
3．感受。
注意：1．词数不少于50；
2．开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
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Yours,
Li Hua
Are You a Prisoner of Perfection?
Do you struggle for a goal that is beyond your reach? 1. Are you setting yourself up for failure and shame when you can’t achieve the unachievable? Understanding what drives perfectionism is the first step toward releasing this self-created anchor that keeps us stuck.
Shame and fear are often the hidden drivers of perfectionism. We believe that if we can fashion a perfectly polished personality, flash our intelligence, and perfect our humour, then no one can hurt us with criticism and we’ll win respect and approval.
2. Politicians who display a desperate need to be right and refuse to acknowledge mistakes or uncertainty are often driven by a secret shame. They fear that showing vulnerability(弱点) will expose them to the accusation that they’re weak. They stick to a desire to be right, perfect, and polished, even when it’s obvious that the emperor has no clothes.
Perfectionism keeps us leaning toward the future. We’re constantly evaluating ourselves in order to do better. 3. However, if we can’t relax and enjoy lighter moments, then we become prisoners of our perfectionism. We get painfully self-conscious and take ourselves too seriously. Sadly, we deprive(剥夺) ourselves of the simple pleasure of enjoying the moment and being ourselves.
4. We realize that failing at any enterprise doesn’t mean that we are a failure. Without failures, we’ll never learn from our mistakes; we’ll never move forward in our lives. Those who succeed have made countless mistakes. The important thing is to learn from our error, forgive ourselves and move on.
Being human, perfection is impossible. 5. Releasing ourselves from the desire to protect our image, we’re freed to sail gracefully through our successes and failures—and enjoy our precious life.
A. Do you hold an idealized vision that is impossible to realize?
B. A cure to perfectionism is to make room for our human shortcomings.
C. Do you fear that others will be horrified by what you judge about yourself?
D. The addiction to staying perfect protects us from any sign of being imperfect.
E. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do our best and self-correcting along the way.
F. People who are addicted to perfection are often isolated, even if they seem outgoing and popular.
G. By accepting ourselves as we are and doing our best, we begin to rid the shame that drives perfectionism.
