My grandparents lived in a town in Michigan. Every summer I stayed with them as a young child. I came from the _______ but loved the small place where they lived. People there knew everyone else, their kids, their pets and their ancestors. The bond with them continued to grow _______ I grew older.
My grandma was _______ at making something exciting by hand. She would make little sandwiches and we'd have tea parties. She'd plant flowers and carefully _______ them. She'd _______ sweaters for her grandchildren as well as making beautiful _______ for each one. I remember the small thimble （顶针）she would use while doing her needlework. _______ her thimble on her finger, she'd remark, "I wouldn't want to sew without one."
A few years ago my grandma _______ at the age of 91. After attending her funeral, I realized how _______ our lives had changed. I missed her very much. When my birthday came, I was feeling ________ because there was no card from my grandma. But what happened later made me feel that she was ________ that special day with me. While I was arranging some ________ pillows that my grandma had made, I ________ felt something inside one pillow. It was small and ________ I moved the object to a seam （接缝）and I carefully opened it. To my delight, out ________ a tiny silver thimble!
How ________ it was to find something that had been a part of her. Not realizing it had fallen off her finger, my grandma ________ it in that little pillow for me. I carefully laid the thimble along with the other things I had ________ over the years, which reminded me of the pleasant ________ of her.
I heated the tea kettle and made some tea, using my best china, as my grandma always did, and enjoyed my tea and my grandma's __________. What a wonderful birthday that was!
1.A.building B.cottage C.city D.town
2.A.as B.though C.that D.if
3.A.mad B.angry C.good D.poor
4.A.watch B.tend C.pick D.cut
5.A.mend B.buy C.wash D.make
6.A.books B.houses C.quilts D.bikes
7.A.Buying B.Placing C.Collecting D.Removing
8.A.called on B.fell ill C.dropped in D.passed away
9.A.quickly B.shamefully C.slightly D.slowly
10.A.upset B.worried C.thrilled D.surprised
11.A.sharing B.thinking C.planning D.wasting
12.A.tiresome B.ugly C.colorful D.broken
13.A.eagerly B.carelessly C.suddenly D.gladly
14.A.neat B.difficult C.hard D.soft
15.A.went B.came C.took D.made
16.A.ashamed B.proud C.wise D.exciting
17.A.mixed B.sewed C.hid D.stored
18.A.learned B.designed C.collected D.saved
19.A.memory B.book C.letter D.clothes
20.A.kettle B.tea C.thimble D.coffee
Live Long and Prosper
You can't avoid getting old. But the decisions you make now about how you spend your day will have a great impact on the quality of your life.
We collected the latest research and talked to health, financial, and wellness experts to uncover the most important things you can do to keep the spring in your step and a healthy balance in your bank account through the years. 1.
Be grateful
Write down three things you're grateful for each day. 2. Studies show that people who are grateful report better sleep, stronger relationships, fewer aches and pains, and lower blood pressure. Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan, happiness researchers who are married to each other, share positive things about their days with one another. "It's a simple two-minute habit that allows us to learn about high moments and feel more connected," Gielan says.
3.
Going outside, especially into a green space, is an easy way to improve your well-being and mental state, says Lori Gottlieb, a psychotherapist and the author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. "I actually make it a point to go outside every day," she says. "I'll walk around the block, breathe, and look at the sky. It's like pushing the reset button. "4. Researchers from University of Alabama found that spending just 20 minutes in a park led to a 64 percent increase in life satisfaction——even if you just sit on a bench.
Get moving
Yes, you've heard it before, but decades of research show that exercise improves your health, lifts your mood, and lengthens your life. In fact, Harvard researchers found that as little as 15 minutes of moderate physical activity a day can increase your life span by three years. 5. Ball State University researchers found that people in their 70s who were lifelong exercisers were indistinguishable in many ways from healthy people 30 years younger.
Simple as these tips are, they have proven to be very useful if carried out on a regular basis. To live long and prosper, you always have a choice.
A. This simple practice helps rewire your brain for greater happiness.
B. Do some indoor activities.
C. Read on for some great advice.
D. It also appears to keep your body young.
E. Be grateful to those who have been there for you through thick and thin.
F. Get fresh air every day
G. Spending time in nature has been proved to lower stress and blood pressure.
A MENTORING (导师制）program is giving life changing opportunities to Banbury youth.
Young Inspirations was founded two years ago to provide mentoring sessions for students and unemployed young adults aged 11 to 21.
Alex Goldberg, the program’s founder, said： “We set up Young Inspirations because we wanted to give young people experiences which will potentially be life changing and broaden their outlook.” “We try to create work experience opportunities that will really make a difference to our youth. For example, we’ve secured internships (实习）with world-famous firms such as Honda.”
“At a time of funding cutbacks, schools are finding it more and more difficult to offer this kind of mentoring because of that. It is extremely important that these opportunities are available both to help youth with their school work and grades and to give them opportunities which may help shape their futures." Kieran Hepbum, 14, is one of a group of Banbury youth who has benefited from the program so far. In October the Banbury School pupil was accompanied by Young Inspirations staff to Paris where he was an observer at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) International Youth Forum(论坛).
The event was held for young people from around the world, to seek their views on how the future of youth and education should look. Kieran joined several hundred observers mostly in their
20s and was the only UK school pupil to attend the event. Kieran thinks the trip was a life changing experience. Before we left 1 didn’t quite know what to make of it but when we got there we didn 't stop、it was amazing” he said, “We went to three or four hours of debates each day and then did something cultural each afternoon.”
The main theme of the forum was how youth can drive change in political and public life. It dealt with issues(问题）such as drug abuse, violence and unemployment.
Kieran said： It has really helped me to improve my confidence and social skills as well as my school grades and I was voted most improved pupil at school in August.”
The Young Inspirations mentoring sessions take place each Friday in Banbury.For details visit www. younginsviratiom. com.
1.Why is The Young Inspirations mentoring program set up?
A.To provide youth with unique experiences
B.To train staff for world-famous firms
C.To equip the unemployed with different skills
D.To offer job opportunities to young adults
2."What does the underlined “that” in paragraph 5 refer to?
A.the shortage of money
B.the lack of support from firms
C.the effect of unemployment
D.the lack of opportunities
3.We can learn from the passage that .
A.the visit to the United Kingdom was amazing
B.the mentoring sessions are held every day except Friday
C.the youth have found a way to solve their problems
D.Kieran has made great progress in many aspects
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Alex Goldberg, Founder of Young Inspirations
B.Kieran, Banbury School Pupil to Paris
C.Young People Find a World of Opportunity
D.Debates Help Youth with Their Grades.
Do you ever pull your phone out of your pocket，thinking it is vibrating（振动），only to find that it isnˈt？This phenomenon，which scientists call"phantom（幻觉的）phone vibration"，is very common．Around 80% of people surveyed say they have imagined their phones vibrating when they were actually still．
So，what leads to this universal behavior？According to the BBC，the explanation lies in your brainˈs ability to discover signals from the outside world．When your phone is in your pocket，there are two possible states：it is either vibrating or not．Meanwhile，you also have two possible states of mind：the judgment that the phone is vibrating，or that it isnˈt．Ideally，you match the four states correctly．
However，sometimes your brain decides that the results of missing a call are more serious than a"false alarm"．Therefore，you become more sensitive（敏感的） to vibrations so that you donˈt miss anything． This is just like the fire alarm in your home---it can be annoying when it goes off in response to just a tiny bit of smoke．But thatˈs a small price to pay compared to a fire really breaking out because the alarm fails to alert you．Now，you might still ask：why canˈt our brains just make every judgment correctly without being too sensitive to false signals？The answer is that your brain bears a heavy burden every day．"You get a large amount of sensory(感觉的) information thatˈs coming from your eyes，ears and skin，and you canˈt deal with all that information all the time，"Michael Rothberg，a researcher at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield，US，told Live Science．
For example，the rustling（沙沙声）of clothing or the growling（咕咕声）of your stomach may both lead your brain to believe that they come from the vibration of your phone-it is like trying to hear your name being called in a noisy room．
So，perhaps you should just check your phone whenever you think itˈs vibrating．Itˈs not too much trouble to do that，is it？
1.According to this passage，phantom phone vibration ______ ．
A.is common among people with mental problems
B.can measure peopleˈs ability to collect information
C.happens when our brains react sensitively to false signals
D.helps our brains to make very quick and accurate decisions
2.Why is the fire alarm used as an example in this passage？
A.To show us the fire alarm is as sensitive as the phone vibration．
B.To help us understand the cause of phantom phone vibration better．
C.To tell us the phone vibration usually happens when a fire breaks out．
D.To convince us itˈs important to check our phones like checking a fire alarm．
3.According to Michael Rothberg，which is mainly responsible for phantom phone vibration？
A.A noisy background． B.A lack of much attention．
C.A heavy burden every day． D.An overflow of sensory information．
4.What does the author suggest we do about phantom phone vibration？
A.We should always fully believe our own sense of listening．
B.We should just check our phones whenever we think theyˈre vibrating．
C.We should ignore the vibration bothering when our phones are actually still．
D.We should think of the vibration carefully before we make correct judgments．
"Did you hear what happened to Adam last Friday?" Lindsey whispers to Tori.
With her eyes shining, Tori brags, "You bet I did, Sean told me two days ago."
Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happened to be yours truly, Adam Freedman, I can tell you that what they are saying is （a） not nice and （b） not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori aren't very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip （闲话）.I have noticed three effects of gossip: it can hurt people, it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction, and it can cause social pressures in a group.
An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic—breakups, trouble at home, even dropping out—that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.
If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? The answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor （传言）can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don't. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the "in group". In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority （优越感）.
Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The do's and don'ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.
The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your "juicy story" might have.
1.The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to _________.
A.introduce a topic B.present an argument
C.describe the characters D.clarify his writing purpose
2.An important negative effect of gossip is that it ___________.
A.breaks up relationships B.embarrasses the listener
C.spreads information around D.causes unpleasant experiences
3.Professor David Wilson thinks that gossip can ____________.
A.provide students with written rules
B.help people watch their own behaviors
C.force school to improve student handbooks
D.attract the police's attention to group behaviors
4.What advice does the author give in the passage?
A.Never become a gossiper B.Stay away from gossipers
C.Don't let gossip turn into lies D.Think twice before you gossip
Listed here are four of the thousands of impressive museums around the world.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao，Spain
Built in 1997，the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is one of the newest in the world.It has transformed the industrial city of Bilbao into a travelers' desired destination.The beautiful architecture of the museum has provided a dramatic background for movies and commercials.
The Louvre in Paris，France
Probably the most famous Louvre also holds the most famous painting in the world，the “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci.Crowds can be found any day surrounding the small，but mysterious painting of the smiling woman.But，the Louvre is much more than a home to the “Mona Lisa”．The Louvre is visited by more people each year than any other museum in the world.
The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia，America
Just opened in its new downtown location in 2012，the Barnes Foundation is “unique”in that it is a completely reproduced display from one man's private collection.Dr.Albert C．Barnes started collecting art in the early 20th century and collected，among others，the largest number of original Renoir paintings in the world.
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence，Italy
Walking on the marbled floors feels like stepping back in time.The building itself is a beautiful palace—like structure with frescoes(湿壁画) decorating the ceilings and walls.Viewers are bowled over(印象深刻) by the works by Botticelli，such as “The Birth of Venus”．Classic artworks from nearly 1，000 years ago describe religious events of the time.
1.Which of the following is the most popular?
A.The Louvre.
B.The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
C.The Barnes Foundation.
D.The Uffizi Gallery.
2.What makes the Barnes Foundation particular?
A.Its structure. B.Its collection.
C.Its location. D.Its history.
3.What type of writing is this text?
A.An activity poster.
B.An exhibition announcement.
C.An art show review.
D.A travel guide.
