About 6 years ago, I was on a plane next to a woman. I was tired and wanted to take a nap. But before I could go into “ignore pattern”, she tapped me on the shoulder to introduce herself.
“Hi: my name is Helga!”
We got to talking and eventually it came up that I had started an organization in high school called R.A.K.E.(Random Acts of Kindness, Etc.). As I described what we did, Helga got very serious and told me that she admired me for that. She told me a story about the last time she had flown. She was on the way to Arizona because she had gotten sudden news that her dad’s health was on the decline. Later her father’s physician called to inform her that her dad had rather suddenly passed away. For the 3-hour plane ride, she sat in silence around strangers.
When she arrived at the airport in Arizona, she walked to the nearest wall, sat down, and cried. And here is the part I’ll never forget about Helga’s story. For 2 hours she sat and wept while thousands walked to and fro in the airport. Helga looked al me and said, “Houston, not a single person stopped and asked if I was okay that day.” It was that day that I realized how much we need each other. It was that day I realized that kindness isn’t normal.
Kindness isn’t normal. That has stuck with me all these years especially now. I work in schools nationwide speaking about sympathy, kindness, empathy (同理心) and love. I’m reminded all the time that, for many of us, kindness is not usually our default setting. We spend so much time worrying about our problems, our lives, our insecurities, getting to our flight so we walk by or ignore people in need of help.
So, I’ve made it my mission to do my part in sharing stories with students, teachers, and parents about our need for character and sympathy. I’m always be on the lookout for the little opportunities that surround me every day to do something nice.
1.What impressed the author most about Helga’s story?
A. Helga’s anxiety over her father’s sudden illness.
B. Helga had no one to talk to on her flight lo Arizona.
C. Helga was ignored by people around her when she cried.
D. Helga couldn’t get over her sadness over her Father’s death.
2.Which can best explain the underlined part “default setting” in paragraph 5?
A. Usual way of doing things. B. Unexpected way to do things.
C. Ignorance to people around. D. Biggest surprise to others.
3.What can we know about the author?
A. He started many clubs in high school. B. He used to be a school teacher.
C. He teaches kids how to behave well. D. He is a promoter of a good cause.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Comforting People in Need B. Making Kindness Normal
C. Ignoring Unnecessary Troubles D. Practising Kindness on the Plane
Just as John Lubbock said, we may sit in a library and yet be in all quarters of the earth. Here are some of the coolest libraries of the world.
Stuttgart City Library
Despite a classic white-on-white color, Stuttgart City Library is one of the most visually appealing modern libraries. The amazing modem and simple look is the product of the Korean architect Yi Eun-young. The German library opened in 2011, and cost nearly 80 million euros to construct.
Kanazawa Umimirai Library
Architects from the Coelacanth K&H Architects studio designed the Kanazawa Umimirai Library lo create the best reading environment. Healed floors, an outpouring of natural light, and other features were specifically included lo achieve this goal. The wall, which consists of thousands of tiny openings, allows natural lighting into the building, improving the overall feel of the space. This Japanese library was opened in 2011, and reflects the appearance of many modem and simple spaces.
Library of Congress
In 1800, Congress set up the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.. Fifteen years later, Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library to replace books that were lost when the British set the building on fire in 1814. His books, which took nearly 50 years to collect, varied from texts on science, literature and philosophy, to books in a variety of foreign languages. These days, the Library of Congress offers more than 155 million items and the largest rare book collection in North America.
State Library of Victoria
The Slate Library of Victoria, located in Melbourne, Australia, is one of the largest exhibiting libraries in the world. Though it opened in 1856, major repairs took place between 1990 and 2004. The La Trobe Reading Room is one of the library’s main attractions due to its visually amazing architecture. The lawn at the library’s front attracts hundreds of city folk each day, who gather for lunch or to enjoy the statues there. The library currently contains over two million books, as well as armor (盔甲) of Ned Kelly, a folk hero against the ruling class.
1.Which library has the longest history?
A. Stuttgart City Library. B. Kanazawa Umimirai Library.
C. Library of Congress. D. State Library of Victoria.
2.What’s special about Stale Library of Victoria?
A. It has great architecture.
B. It has a folk hero’s statue in it.
C. It is the world’s largest exhibiting library.
D. It serves as a meeting place for the citizens.
3.What does the first two libraries have in common?
A. They are constructed in the modem style.
B. They cost a large amount of money.
C. They are designed by Korean architects.
D. They feature providing readers with natural light.
假定你是李华。你的笔友晓东是某学校一名高一学生。最近他来信说不知道如何学好高中英语，感到苦恼。请你给他写一封回信，提出你的建议。建议内容如下:
1.尽量用英语交流，不要怕犯错误；
2.坚持每天早晨朗读英语；
3.多读英文报纸，看英文电影。
注意:1.内容必须包括以上所有要点；
2.可适当增加内容，以使行文连贯；
3.词数:开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。
Dear Li Hua,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I hope you will find these ideas useful.
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文，文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(Λ)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Questioning can lead to searching for an answer. If we are in the habit of asking whether that we are told is true, we can find the correct answer and learn more.
Two years ago, our math teacher, Mr. Alex offered us an answer of a difficult math problem in class. Because the answer seemed a little strange, nobody but I doubted it. Think that his solution might be wrong, I carefully analyzed the problem and try to work it out in a different way. Half a hour later, I managed to find the correct answer. When I showed my answer to her, the teacher praised me for my independently thinking.
From this experience, I have been learnt that questioning can serve as a bridge that helping us to seek the truth.
课文填空
1.An advertisement uses words and pictures to _________ people to buy a product or service, or to believe in an idea. Newspapers, magazines, the Internet, radio and television are the most common places to find them. There are two main types of advertisements —commercial advertisements and public service advertisements(PSAs). A commercial advertisement is _________ which someone has paid for to advertise a product or service. PSAs are often run for free, and are meant to educate people about health, safety, or any other problem that affects public _________.
2.All through history, people from many different countries and cultures have lived together in Britain. The English language is made up of the grammar and _________ these people brought to Britain. That is _________ English has so many different rules that confuse people.
3.The Chinese language _________from Western languages in that, instead of an alphabet, it uses characters which stand _________ ideas, objects or deeds. Chinese words are formed by putting together different characters. In many cases, a single character can also make up a word. The history of the Chinese language can be examined by looking at _________these characters developed.
4.In 334 BC, he took his army, now with 42,000 men, into the Middle East and then Egypt, _________ every army that stood in his path. Then he turned his eyes east, and marched all the way to India, finding victory _________ he went. It seemed that nothing could stop him from taking control of the entire world.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
It is a great1.(true) that life is difficult. Once we really understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult. 2., most of us do not fully see it. They just complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy.
3.makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a really painful one. Problems, 4.(base) on their nature, cause sadness or regret or anger or fear. These are 5.(comfort) feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. It is in the whole process of solving problems 6. life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to strengthen the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability 7.(solve) problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to deal with. 8.(learn) from the pain of meeting and working out problems is9.great benefit. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct.” For this reason, wise people learn not to fear but to welcome10. pain of problems.
