Miracles（奇迹）come in moments.
The scene of this minor miracle ______ in the living room of my house under an old, broken ceiling fan（吊扇）with a little glass angel hanging from its pull string（挂绳）.
My youngest son has a severe form of autism（自闭症）. ______ he is in his twenties now he still has the mind of a small ______. He speaks only a few words. He is always ______ in his own world. Most of the time he is happy but there are also times when he can be terribly ______. He will cry for no ______ that I can see. He will even hit himself. It always hurts me to see him suffer this way ______ when there is little I can do to help.
This morning was particularly trying for him. He ______ on and off for an hour. Finally he ______. I was still feeling stressed, however, and wearily sat down at my computer to see if I could get a little work done.
As I was turning it ______, though, I heard my son ______ for the first time all day. I turned my head and saw him ______ directly under the glass angel hanging from our ceiling fan. The light from our house lamps seemed to shine and sparkle all around him like a halo（光环）. His eyes sparkled too as the little ______ swung gently above his head. He laughed again and ______ at me.
At that moment my heart opened. I could see that the miracle was ______ me that my son was more than his autism. I saw the ______ and light of his spirit and knew he was here for a(n) ______. My eyes watered and I feel ______ for this minor miracle and gentle reminder of his love for all of us.
Miracles are all around us, but we ______ always see them with our eyes. We often have to see them with our ______. Keep your heart open to them then. And let yourself be the miracle you are meant to be!
1.A. breaks out B. goes up C. takes place D. comes back
2.A. Ever since B. As if C. Now that D. Even though
3.A. child B. student C. fool D. host
4.A. busy B. lost C. patient D. nervous
5.A. upset B. dangerous C. injured D. disappointed
6.A. hope B. doubt C. reason D. surprise
7.A. hardly B. especially C. quietly D. naturally
8.A. painted B. worried C. laughed D. cried
9.A. broke down B. calmed down C. fell down D. jumped down
10.A. on B. up C. off D. over
11.A. forgive B. apologize C. laugh D. call
12.A. pulling B. wandering C. lying D. standing
13.A. angel B. light C. roof D. spirit
14.A. glanced B. glared C. stared D. smiled
15.A. tricking B. reminding C. watching D. seeking
16.A. love B. pain C. concern D. shock
17.A. interview B. award C. visit D. purpose
18.A. sorry B. grateful C. curious D. responsible
19.A. shouldn’t B. mustn’t C. can’t D. needn’t
20.A. hearts B. glasses C. thoughts D. strengths
What I should keep in mind:
Everybody doesn’t have to love me. I don’t necessarily like everybody I know, so why should everybody else like me? I enjoy being liked and being loved, but if someone doesn’t like me, I will still be okay and still feel like I am an okay person. 1.. I don’t need approval all the time. If someone does not approve of me, I will still be okay.
I don’t have to control things. I will survive if things are different than what I want them to be. I can accept things the way they are, accept people the way they are, and accept myself the way I am. There is no reason to get upset if I can’t change things to fit my idea of how they ought to be. There is no reason why I have to like everything. 2..
I am responsible for my day. I am responsible for how I feel and what I do. Nobody can make me feel anything. If I have a rotten day, I am the one who allowed it to be that way. If I have a great day, I am the one who deserves credit for being positive. It is not the responsibility of other people to change so that I can feel better. 3..
It is important to try. I can. Even though I may be faced with difficult tasks, it is better to try than to avoid them. Avoiding a task does not give me any opportunities for success or joy, but trying does. 4.. I might not be able to do everything, but I can do something.
I can be flexible. 5.. More than one person has good ideas that will work. Everybody has ideas that are worthwhile. Some may make more sense to me than others, but everyone’s ideas are worthwhile, and everyone has something worthwhile to contribute.
A. I can get along well with them.
B. Even if I don’t like it, I can live with it.
C. I can deal with it when things go wrong.
D. I am the one who is in charge of my life.
E. Things worth having are worth the effort.
F. There is more than one way to do something.
G. I cannot make somebody like me just like someone cannot get me to like them.
We now think that chocolate is sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it’s an ingredient（构成部分）in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called Mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers.
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.
The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao, too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are the chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.
1.It was _______ that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.
A. the Spaniards B. the people in England
C. the owner of a chocolate factory D. the workers in the chocolate factory
2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The word “chocolate” comes from a Mexican word.
B. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys like them.
C. Workers must dry and roast the beans to remove the bitter taste.
D. Nobody had the idea of adding sugar until the sixteenth century.
3.The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because ________.
A. it cured man’s diseases B. it was good for digestion
C. it was strong and bitter D. it was a kind of drink for good health
4.Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?
a. The Spaniards started drinking cacao.
b. A factory mixed milk and chocolate together.
c. It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao.
d. Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England.
e. A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate.
A. a-c-d-e-b B. a-c-b-e-d
C. a-c-e-b-d D. d-e-a-c-b
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things. If this is even possible, it is short-term. If you order someone to do something against their will, they may do it because they feel they must, but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term. They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down, making the person unable to function at his or her best. If they connect you with this emotion of fear, they will become less functional around you, and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot, but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively. Fear has no place in leadership.
The way we affect people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion. We can order someone to do something, which may be part of the work day, or we can employ them at the emotional level, so they become fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation（积极性）.
Today’s work place is all about relationships. Anyone works harder in a positive environment in which they’re recognized and valued as a human being as well as a worker. Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like. Leaders understand the way things work. They know money is not the only most motivating factor in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of Emotional Intelligence-knowing your own emotions, and how to deal with them and those of others. Developing your emotional intelligence is the best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you, which is the key to the leadership skills.
1.When may an employee have a feeling of fear in the work place?
A. He is forced to do things. B. He cannot work at his best.
C. He feels his brain shut down. D. He thinks of this work as a burden.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. People like to connect leadership with fear.
B. Good relationship is the key to business success.
C. Working conditions affect people’s physical health.
D. Smart people are more functional in the work place.
3.To positively affect employees, what should a leader do first of all?
A. Provide better suggestions. B. Develop his own personality.
C. Hide his own emotion of fear. D. Give his employees a pay rise.
4.Good leadership is mainly seen in a leader’s ability to ___________.
A. give employees specific instructions B. help raise employees’ living standards
C. deal wisely with employees’ emotions D. provide a variety of projects for employees
About six years ago I was going through a tough time, trying to work two jobs to afford my rent. On a cold Sunday morning, I went to GameStop-a video game retailer（零售商）, to cancel the game I’d booked. A woman in a car parked outside called me when I exited the store. Though it was in broad daylight, I was shy about it and kept some distance when I walked over. She said she couldn’t walk and requested me to purchase a Kinect, a popular game, for her as her son’s Christmas gift. Because of her leg disease it was painful for her to move around. She called ahead but the employee（雇员）wasn’t willing to help. She gave me about $ 100 in cash and her credit card.
I walked back in and bought the Kinect. Then it occurred to me that this woman, a complete stranger, trusted me. What was it that stopped me from lying about the payment method and just pocket her cash? She couldn’t know I wasn’t a cheat; and how could she possibly believe in someone so much?
I handed her the cash back, explaining I had to pay with her card-it was above $ 100 at the time, and handed over the game and her credit card. “This is what my son’s been longing for. Thank you! By the way, just from glancing at you, I know you are the one who will be a friend to someone in need. You have a face of an angel!” she said. She gave me $ 10 and refused to take it back. Then she drove away.
She had no idea how much of a difference even $ 10 made. I was able to buy a few cheap groceries for the week and it really made a hard time in my life a little better. She may think I helped her; however, I truly feel like the one who was being gifted something amazing.
1.What can we infer from Paragraph 1?
A. The author canceled the video game for saving money.
B. The author worked so hard that there was no time for games.
C. The author was unwilling to help and kept a distance from the woman.
D. The woman requested the author to purchase a Kinect for her son’s birthday.
2.What can we know about the woman?
A. She gave the author $ 10 for the video game.
B. She chose the author because he was handsome.
C. She might not know exactly how much the video game would cost.
D. She didn’t buy the video game by herself because of her laziness.
3.Which of the following words can best describe the author?
A. Kind and honest. B. Brave and curious.
C. Humorous and wise. D. Determined and energetic.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Kinect, a popular game. B. Help others, help yourself.
C. A stranger who had faith in me. D. An experience that changed my life.
Garden of the Drunken Bai Pond
With a history of more than 300 years, the Pond of the Drunken Bai, a classical garden in the style of Ming Dynasty, is among the Five Classical Gardens in Shanghai. “Bai” is said to be Li Bai, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. However, some believe that “Bai” indicates Bai Juyi, another well-known poet in the Tang Dynasty.
Zhujiajiao Ancient Town
Located at the bank of the Dianshan Lake in Qingpu District, Zhujiajiao Ancient Town, with a history of over 1,000 years, has been known as “Venice of Shanghai” for its simple but attractive appearance. Inside the own are rivers and bridges, giving tourists a sense of the ancient time.
Upside-down House
In China, the upside-down house is a new thing, but in foreign countries, it is getting more and more popular in recent years, especially in Poland. As is name suggests, the house is built inverted（倒置的）. Inside it, all the furniture and household items are placed upside down. People will feel the magic of a disorder space when walking in the house.
Chenshan Botanical Garden
The garden covers a total area of about 206 hectares（公顷）. Its theme is “plant and Health”, combining research, education and landscape appreciation. It opened to the public in April, 2010, and is expected to be the largest one in Shanghai.
Tickets: 40 yuan per person; children under l.2m: free of charge if accompanied by an adult.
1.Which of the following might have the longest history?
A. Upside down House. B. Zhujiajiao Ancient Town.
C. Chenshan Botanical Garden. D. Garden of the Drunken Bai Pond.
2.What can we know about the upside-down house?
A. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Poland.
B. It is increasing in popularity in foreign countries.
C. It is the latest fashion sweeping across the whole world.
D. It has been completely accepted both at home and abroad.
3.How much will a couple with a kid（1.4m）pay for Chenshan Botanical Garden?
A. 80 yuan B. 100 yuan
C. 120 yuan D. 160 yuan
