I was having breakfast, when "OUCH!" I screamed. “Why do you pinch （捏）me?”
"You're not wearing green/' said my little brother; Tex. “Everyone knows you get pinched if you don’t wear green on Saint Patrick's Day!"
I was mostly mad about getting pinched, but also a tiny bit glad about being reminded that it was Saint Patrick's Day.
I panicked. "What am I going to do? I don't have time to change. I'll get pinched all day long!" "Well,", Tex said, taking the old green baseball hat off his head, "you could borrow my lucky hat.”
"But it's your favorite!" I said.
"I know,” said Tex. "Just promise to give it back after school."
"No problem," I said, glancing in the mirror on my way out the door. "I look like a fool in this thing !"
"A lucky fool.” said Tex.
"Hum." I grabbed my backpack. "Thanks, I think?'
Now, before I go on, you should know that I'm not a superstitious （迷信的）person. I don't believe that thirteen is an unlucky number or that breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck.
Anyway, I was racing to catch the school bus, and I saw a dollar on the sidewalk! I looked around to see if anyone was looking for it, but people just kept stepping on the poor thing, so I decided to rescue it. I had found pennies before, but never a dollar!
My luck didn't stop there. Carlos and Jackson were sitting behind me, quizzing each other on spelling words.
I turned around and said, "You guys know that test isn't till tomorrow right?"
"It got switched to this morning," said Jacsksn. "Remember?"
"That's right. I totally forgot!" I said. "I'm so lucky that I sat in front of you. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have found out till it was too late!” I got out my spelling words, studied all the way to school. And ended up getting a good mark in the test!
The minute I got home, I gave Tex a big hug.
“This is the luckiest hat in the world,” I said. "I'm never taking it off!
"But you promised to give it back!" said Tex.
"Please—oh—please let me borrow your lucky hat for one more day!" I begged.
"Tomorrow I'm auditioning （试演）for the school play, and I need every bit of help I can get.” "OK," said Tex. “One more day. But you'd better be really nice to me."
"I will," I agreed. "In fact, here you have my lucky dollar!” Tex cried with joy, then started dancing around and waving his gift in the air.
The next day turned out to be super lucky. My audition couldn't have gone better.
"Wow, Arizona!" said my friend Mareya. "I can't believe how amazingly you just did! You are so getting a major part in this play!"
"Thanks! But honestly. the only reason I did OK is because I had my lucky hat.”
"What lucky hat?” asked Mareya.
“This one,” I said, reaching into my backpack, where I thought I'd put Tex's hat since I couldn't
wear it for the audition. But it wasn't there! " Oh no!" I cried. "It's gone! What am I going to tell Tex?”
Mareya helped me look for it. Luckily, we found Tex's hat in my locker. Also luckily. I discovered that I could be lucky with or without a goofy-looking hat.
"So it wasn't the hat," said Mareya. "This is just a wild guess, but maybe it was all those hours you spent practicing over the past month.”
"Hmm,” I said. “It's possible.”
So, dear friend, I guess you could say that luck is a combination of being prepared, believing in yourself... and maybe just a tiny bit of magic! In other words, luck may come your way, but you have to be ready for it when it does!
1.What can we infer from what the writer said "I look like a fool in this thing"?
A.She thought she became a fool when wearing the hat.
B.She didn't like to wear the green baseball hat.
C.She didn’t believe the hat would bring her a good luck.
D.She thought she was foolish to put on the green hat.
2.What did the writer think of her behavior of picking up a dollar?
A.It was a shameful behavior. B.It was an individual behavior.
C.It was a moral behavior. D.It was a fortunate behavior.
3.When was the writer reminded of the test?
A.On the school bus. B.A few minutes before the test.
C.In the classroom. D.When the quiz began.
4.Which of the following statement is CORRECT?
A.The writer begged Tex to give the hat to her.
B.The writer's audition was quite successful.
C.The writer bought a present for her brother.
D.The writer got the major part in the play.
5.What does the underlined word "goofy-looking" most probably mean?
A.Good-looking. B.Lucky-looking.
C.Foolish-looking. D.Cool-looking.
6.At the end of the story, the writer realized that " "
A.an ounce of luck is better than a pound of wisdom
B.bad luck always comes in threes
C.behind bad luck comes good luck
D.opportunities are only given to those who are well-prepared
Intelligence makes for better leaders —from undergraduates to managers to presidents — according to multiple studies. It certainly makes sense that handling a market shift or anything alike require intelligence. But new research on leadership suggests that, at a certain point, having a higher IQ stops helping and starts hurting.
Although previous research has shown that groups with smarter leaders perform better by objective measures, some studies have suggested that followers might subjectively view leaders with extremely high intellect as less effective. Decades ago, Dean Simonton, a psychologist from the University of California, Davis, proposed that brilliant leaders' words may simply go over people's heads, their solutions could be more complicated to carry out and followers might find it harder to relate to them. Now Simonton and two colleagues have finally tested that idea, publishing their results in the July 2017 issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology.
The researchers looked at 379 male and female business leaders in 30 countries across fields including banking, retail and technology. The managers took IQ tests and each was rated on leadership style and effectiveness by an average of eight co-workers. IQ positively correlated （和......正相关）with ratings of leader effectiveness, strategy formation, vision and several other characteristics—up to a point. The ratings peaked at an IQ of around 120, which is higher than roughly 80 percent of office workers. Beyond that, the ratings declined. The researchers suggest the "ideal" IQ could be higher or lower in various fields, to 140 or 100, depending on whether technical or social skills are more valued in a given work culture.
"It's an interesting and thoughtful paper,” says Paul Sackett, a management professor at University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the research. “To me, the right interpretation of the work would be that it highlights a need to understand what high-IQ leaders do that leads to lower understanding by followers,” he says. “The wrong interpretation would be, “Don’t hire high-IQ leaders.'"
The study’s lead author, John Antonakis, a psychologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, suggests leaders should use their intelligence to use creative language that will persuade and inspire others—the way former U.S. President Barack Obama did. "I think the only way a smart person can signal their intelligence properly and still connect with the people,” Antonakis says, "is to speak in charming ways."
1.The reason why those with high IQs are viewed as worse leaders is probably that .
A.followers think of their leaders to be less effective
B.their IQ has a positive correlation with leader effectiveness
C.they are hard to get their schemes across to followers
D.their social skills can't be recognized in some work culture
2.Which of the following graphs shows the correct relationship between IQ points and leadership qualities?
A.
B.
C.
D.
3.To improve their leadership, high-IQ leaders can.
A.interpret the work they are involved in
B.use inspiring and accessible language
C.take a course in leader effectiveness
D.communicate more with their followers
4.What could be the best title for the passage?
A.A way to success for high-IQ leaders
B.The latest research on intelligence
C.Choose to be a leader of low intelligence
D.Does a high IQ advance your leadership
Some people always seem to have sunny outlooks, while others never stop complaining. Naturally, scientists have asked why
In a study, University of Minnesota researchers David Lykken and Auke Tellegen analysed well-being questionnaires answered by 254 twins over a 10-year period. They found that identical twins' （同卵双胞胎）happiness was much closely paired over time than that of fraternal twins （异卵 双胞胎）.In a smaller sample of twins separated in infancy （婴儿期）and raised apart—removing the influence of a shared environment—the effect was slightly more pronounced. The authors went on to calculate that about 50 per cent of happiness genetic. The scientific community is still arguing about the exact number; but the basic finding is widely accepted.
If a large part of happiness is genetic, does that mean the rest can be acquired by upgrading your job, your house or where you live?
Decades of research support the theory of hedonic adaptation （享乐适应），sometimes called "happiness treadmill （快乐水车理论）"：after negative and positive life changes, individuals tend to return to a baseline level of well-being. One study examined 3,658 Germans who moved into new houses because they were frustrated with their old ones. Housing satisfaction generally rose in the first year and then began falling, though remained higher than before the move. But life satisfaction remained unchanged. Other studies have found that spikes in well-being after marriage, or a job promotion tend to fade within months. On the flip side, even after calamitous changes like widowhood, disability, and job loss, happiness usually trend upward again （although slowly and with more variability）.
In other words, chasing material life changes doesn’t offer much joy. Does that mean happiness is out of our control? Not at all, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside and the author of The Myths of Happiness. After conducting a review of 51 "happiness interventions"—including writing letters of gratitude, counting one's blessings and practicing random acts of kindness—Lyubomirsky and her co-author, Nancy L. Sin, found that these simple activities had a significance effect on well-being. In addition, enjoying positive experiences tended to increase appreciation of them.
"Happiness is not something where you either have it or you don't. You definitely can do something about it," says Lyubomirsky.
1.What does the theory of Hedonic adaptation refer to?
A.A person's happiness grows over time.
B.A person, tend to be happier when positive changes occur.
C.A person tends to be less happy when negative changes occur.
D.A person's long term happiness is not significantly affected by any event.
2.What does the underlined word “calamitous” in paragraph 4 mean?
A.significant. B.disastrous
C.gradual. D.constant
3.Which of the following may Soja Lyubomirsky agree with?
A.He who makes others happy is truly happy.
B.Joy and sorrow are next-door neighbors.
C.Man is the master of his happiness.
D.Joys shared with others are more enjoyed.
The 9th China International Garden Expo
May 18—November 18 Beijing
News
Green-Fingered Beijing Garden Expo Opens to Public
International Garden Expo Opens in Beijing
13,000 Volunteers Prepare for Beijing Garden Expo
Beijing Garden Expo Encourages Family Gardening
Cover stories
Land Rehab
Beijing Garden Expo presents a combination of traditional beauty and enlightened urban development
African Pavilions Open for Business
Beijing Garden Expo's International Exhibition Area still developing Impetus for Development
For your information
Opening time: 8:00 a.m. ― 9:30 p.m.
Location: Beijing Garden Expo Park, Fengtai District
Ticket price: 100 yuan ($16) on normal days; 150 yuan ($24) on 16 designated days
Transportation
Subway: Garden Expo Park Station on Line 14
Shuttle bus: Start from Beijing West Railway Station and Beijing South Railway Station
Bus: Line310, 843,327,385
Beijing Garden Expo in photos
Garden Valley Formerly a 30-meter-deep large sand pit covering 20 hectares of land area, in the Garden Expo Park on the western bank of the Yongding River in Beijing's Fengtai District (CHINANEWS.COM)
Ginkgo Avenue in the Garden Expo Park (CHINANEWS.COM)
European-Style Garden (SHI GANG)
Beijing Park (XINHUA) Hong Kong Garden (CHINANEWS.COM)
Taiwan Garden (CRI)
Harbin Park
It features the white Russian-style church, one of the core landscapes in the park（CHINADAILY） Hefei Park
Four stone lions around the memorial arch represent majesty and decency. The vivid stone lotus carved on the arch stands for incorruptibility, which corresponds with the design concept of the park （CHINA DAILY）
Related reports
2011 International Horticultural Exposition 2010 Shanghai World Expo Beijing in Pictures
1.Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Visitors can take subway Line 14 starting from Beijing West Railway Station.
B.The two photos of Ginkgo Avenue and Harbin Park come from the same source.
C.A family of three will pay 300 yuan to visit the Garden Expo on any day.
D.Visitors can appreciate the beauty of the stone lotus in Hefei Park at the Expo.
2.What is the purpose of this passage?
A.To introduce volunteers to the Garden Expo. '
B.To offer information about the Garden Expo.
C.To promote the gardening industry in China.
D.To attract more visitors to the Garden Expo.
On the last day of college before graduation, our professor walked up on stage to give us a final lesson, which she called "a life lesson on the ____ of mindsets （思维模式）As she _____ a glass of water over her head, everyone __ her to mention the typical "glass half empty or glass half full" question. _____ with a smile on her face, the professor asked, "How heavy is this glass of water I'm holding?"
Students shouted out answers __ from eight ounces （盎司）to a couple pounds.
After a few moments of __ answers, she replied, “In my opinion, the absolute weight of this glass doesn't _____ . It all __ how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it's ___ light. If I hold it for an hour ___, my arm might feel painful. If I hold it for the whole day, my arm will feel completely numb, __ me to drop the glass to the floor. In each ___/the weight of the glass doesn't change, __ the longer I hold it, the heavier it _____ to me."
As the class nodded their heads in ______, she continued, "Your worries, ________ and
stressful thoughts are like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and _____ happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to feel ______ . Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb, ______ to do anything else until you ______ them.”
1.A.origin B.trend C.standard D.power
2.A.picked B.laid C.raised D.pulled
3.A.urged B.begged C.expected D.advised
4.A.Instead B.Therefore C.Otherwise D.Anyway
5.A.coming B.ranging C.transforming D.judging
6.A.various B.visible C.quick D.short
7.A.concern B.matter C.care D.mean
8.A.refers to B.results in C.depends on D.mixes with
9.A.fairly B.exactly C.theoretically D.merely
10.A.only B.again C.later D.straight
11.A.permitting B.forcing C.encouraging D.reminding
12.A.section B.problem C.case D.field
13.A.so B.or C.for D.but
14.A.remains B.feels C.proves D.looks
15.A.agreement B.relief C.fear D.shock
16.A.happiness B.disappointment C.curiousness D.engagement
17.A.something B.everything C.anything D.nothing
18.A.pain B.terror C.sorrow D.doubt
19.A.unwilling B.unable C.unwise D.unlucky
20.A.destroy B.hide C.drop D.accept
Paying too much attention to the details, Yuke is _____.
A.out of the woods B.as free as a bird
C.not able to see the forest for the trees D.salt of the earth
