Recently I have heard something that surprised me. I heard that people who win the lottery (彩票) are _______ for about 3 weeks. And then they go back to their _______ situation. I _______ that they would have been happy for a much longer time.
The reason for this is that every time we try to _______ how we feel by using something outside of ourselves, like winning the lottery, or getting a new car or house, it never _______. The resulting feeling of happiness often lasts only a short time. We cannot _______ it for very long. In some ways, it may be a good thing. It makes us remember that happiness _______ does come from within and is available(可获得的)to us at any moment. True happiness has _______ to do with what is happening outside. It is an inner job. Happiness is a _______.
We can make the decision to be happy for a whole day, when we ____________ in the morning. We can find something that brings us great ____________, like sitting outside in the garden under an old tree and ____________ the birds sing, or watching the dog or cat play, and just ____________ the moment. It is our ____________ state and we only need allow it in. At any moment, we can ____________ to take a deep breath, and remember who we really are, and why we came here, and that truly is to feel ____________ and the aliveness of being.
“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when we ____________ it, is always beyond our reach, but, if you sit down ____________, it may fall upon you,” said Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American novelist. So, today, no matter what is going on in your own ____________, stop and spend a few moments breathing deeply and just ____________ to be happy, whatever that means to you.
1.A.intelligent B.happy C.fortunate D.anxious
2.A.positive B.unusual C.brilliant D.previous
3.A.thought B.imagined C.admitted D.wished
4.A.explore B.experience C.change D.discover
5.A.appears B.works C.forms D.matters
6.A.keep B.show C.avoid D.hide
7.A.occasionally B.frequently C.hardly D.really
8.A.much B.some C.little D.any
9.A.choice B.chance C.result D.task
10.A.stand up B.look up C.turn up D.wake up
11.A.success B.pleasure C.surprise D.worry
12.A.making B.expecting C.hearing D.finding
13.A.enjoy B.spend C.save D.waste
14.A.special B.normal C.personal D.natural
15.A.stay B.stop C.leave D.arrive
16.A.pity B.energy C.joy D.power
17.A.look for B.run after C.care about D.laugh at
18.A.noisily B.nervously C.carefully D.quietly
19.A.mind B.heart C.life D.body
20.A.appear B.decide C.agree D.move
How to Achieve a School Goal
Every person wants to achieve the goals set at the beginning of a new school year.
•1.. When it comes to choosing your goal,make sure that it states exactly what it is that you want to achieve. If your goal seems too big,divide it into simpler,easier tasks.
•Write down your goal. You can write it in a journal or write it on a sticky note. Writing keeps your memory fresh and helps you clear up the useless things in your brain. Try to keep a journal or a diary.
•Break your goal down. By breaking your goal up manageable sections,it allows you to mentally make your way through the goal until the end of a year. 2. . Therefore you’re far less likely to give up or dodge your goal by taking shortcuts or refusing to do anything.
•3.. Turn off all distractions(使人分心的事物)like TV,the Internet,your phone and every other devices you have at home. Keep emails,phone calls,texts,ete. to a minimum.
•Make it happen. 4. . Thinking is a useful start but thinking doesn’t do the heavy work and thinking certainly won’t move mountains. Go out every morning knowing what you need to do and then do it!
•Stay positive. Keep saying that you can do it. Stay motivated and be confident.
•Reward yourself. 5. . Every once in a while,if you complete a goal,treat yourself to an extra bar of chocolate or make time to read that book you’ve been wanting to read two months ago.
A. Don’t be too hard on yourself
B. Put a brake(阻力)on distractions
C. This method makes it easier to handle
D. Carry out your goal as soon as possible
E. It is necessary to choose a proper way to finish the goals
F. Don’t think to yourself that over time you will manage to do it
G. Choose specific,realistic goals or even one single but very important goal
“Can’t hold a candle to” is a popular expression. When there was no electricity, someone would have a servant light his way by holding a candle. The expression meant that the person who couldn’t hold a candle for you was not fit even to be your servant. Now, it means such a person cannot compete.
Another expression is“hold your tongue.”It means “to be still and not talk”. “Hold your tongue” is not something you would tell a friend. But a parent or teacher might use the expression to quiet a noisy child.
“Hold out” is an expression one hears often in sports reports and labor news. It means to refuse to play or work. Professional (专业的) football and baseball players “hold out” if their team refuses to pay them what they think they are worth.
The expression “hold up” has several different meanings. One is “to delay (耽误)”. A driver who is held up by heavy traffic might be late for work. Another meaning is “for a story to be thought true after surveys”. A story can hold up if it is proved true.
“Hold on” is another expression, which means “wait or stop”. As you leave for school, your brother may say, “Hold on, and you forgot your book.” It is used to ask a caller to wait und not to hang up his or her telephone.
Our final expression is “hold the line”. This means “to keep a problem or situation from getting worse — to hold steady”. For example, the president may say he will “hold the line on taxes”. He means there will be no increase in taxes.
1.In which of the following sentences can the expression “can’t hold a candle to” be used?
A.Some footballers refuse to play a game.
B.Someone else is wanted on the phone.
C.Someone is not equal to a job.
D.Someone is delayed by heavy traffic.
2.The tone of the phrase “hold your tongue” is probably a little ________.
A.interesting B.polite
C.unfriendly D.joking
3.If some workers “hold out”, they probably ______.
A.change their attitude B.refuse to work
C.make a promise D.show their devotion
4.What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
A.Hold is a difficult word for learners to master.
B.Expressions made of “hold” have different meanings.
C.English has so many words and expressions.
D.Hold is one of the most popular words in English.
It was dawn of March 21, 2018. Gary Messina was on his morning run along New York City’s East River. Suddenly something caught his eye – a large 60-year-old man balancing on the four-foot-high fence that guarded the path from the water. As Messina got closer to the scene, the man took a step forward and slipped into the dark river below.
When Messina reached nearer, the man was struggling in the water, clearly unable to swim. Other joggers also heard the man’s cry. David Blauzvern and John Green dropped their phones and keys on land and jumped in. “People had called the police, but it was unclear when they’d get there.” says Green. “We just reacted.” Messina joined them in the river. Just as the jumper was losing strength, Blauzvern take hold of him. The pair were about 30 yards from the seawall when Messina and Green caught up to them. They seized the man, with Blauzvern supporting his back and Messina and Green holding him up from either side. As the men made their toward the concrete seawall that stretched (延伸) for blocks in each direction, Blauzvern had an awful realization: there was no way out of the river.
By now, a crowd had gathered on land. “A rescue boat is on its way,” someone yelled to them. Swimming forward was getting tougher by the minute. The jumper, who was six foot two and weighed around 260 pounds, was heavy in his rescuers’ arms. After ten minutes, they managed to get to the river’s edge. “I’ve never been so out of breath,” says Blauzvern.
Fifteen minutes after the men had jumped into the river, the two-man rescue boat appeared. But because it couldn’t risk getting too close to the seawall, the men had to swim out to it. “I was completely out of energy at this point,” says Blauzvern. The men in the water pushed the jumper while the men in the boat pulled him up and, finally, to safety. The man they had saved was taken to the hospital for evaluation(评估). Details on his condition have not been known. As for the rescuers, each of them was at work by 10:30 a.m. “I was a bit late,” admits Blauzvern, smiling. “But I had a good excuse.”
1.The story mainly centers around ________.
A.why the old man slipped into the river
B.who saved the old man
C.how the old man was rescued
D.when and where the accident happened
2.Who was the third to jump into the water and join the rescue?
A.Gary Messina. B.David Blauzvern.
C.John Green. D.An unknown jogger.
3.Of the following statements, which one sounds reasonable based on the passage?
A.The rescued man is rather tall and fat.
B.Police would never be found on the spot of rescue.
C.The process of rescuing the man took up the whole morning/
D.The man was actually saved by the two-man rescue boat.
4.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A.The man wanted to kill himself in the river.
B.The men is the river were all good swimmers.
C.The man was taken home immediately he was saved.
D.Blauzvern felt at ease even if he was late for work that day.
Plays are an important part of British culture. The West End theatre in London is the best place to watch a professional play, but acting also takes place in every school and village hall across the country.
There are over 2,500 non-professional drama groups in the UK today and they are an active part of community life. People from all walks of life take on acting roles besides their regular jobs. They do it for fun, for the love of acting and as a way to meet new people.
Not everyone in a drama club is a skilled actor, but enthusiasm is considered to be more important than talent. Friends, family members and neighbours enjoy getting together to watch the final performance and telling the people they know to “break a leg”. It’s a great way of bringing communities together. Also, in many rural parts of Britain, non-professional theatre is the only chance people have to see plays for miles around.
Many people get a taste for acting at school. Every school puts on a play at least once per year, usually at Christmas, and parents love coming to watch their children perform. Ask any British person and they’re sure to have happy memories of being in their school’s Christmas play, whether they played the role of Mary or Joseph or perhaps even a sheep or a donkey.
Another Christmas theatre tradition is the pantomime(童话剧). Pantomimes are a type of musical comedy for families. The audience is encouraged to participate in the performance-singing along with the music and shouting to the actors. Pantomimes are really fun to watch, especially for children.
British people love going to the theatre, professional or not, and many of them also enjoy performing. If you have the chance, go and see a play in the UK.
1.Where can British people probably see the best professional play according to the passage?
A.In the school halls. B.In every village hall.
C.In the West End theatre in London. D.In many rural parts of Britain.
2.Which is NOT the reason why people from all professions take an active part in plays?
A.To get to know more people. B.To look for the fun of life.
C.Because they enjoy performance. D.Because they don’t like their own jobs.
3.What does the underlined phrase “break a leg” mean in Paragraph 3?
A.Pay attention to safety. B.Say good luck and wish you success.
C.Wish actors good health. D.Avoid being hurt.
4.When is the best time to enjoy the play performance in the UK?
A.During the Christmas period. B.At the beginning of a school year
C.During family gatherings. D.The time when you’re visiting schools and villages.
Here’s a selection of festivals for tourists to the United States in summer.
San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Films at this odd cinematic event have a variety of musical accompaniments, including piano and violin. It includes some classic silent movies. If you want to see them all, you can buy a festival pass.
May 29 to June 1; www.silent film.org
Union Street Festival
This popular street fair stretches out over six blocks of the city, in the fashionable shopping area of Union Street. This year, there’s beer, wine, biscuits tasting and more separate themes-fashion, cuisine, tech, local, craft, and health and fitness.
June 7 to 10; www.unionstreetfestival.com
North Beach Festival
This is San Francisco’s oldest street party, with live entertainment, delicious food and arts and crafts. Situated in the Little Italy district, known for its associations with the “Beat Generation”, festival goers are guaranteed plenty of good Italian food. There is also as the “blessing of the animals”, a San Francisco tradition which takes place at the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi (610 Vallejo Street) at 2 pm on both days of the festival.
June 14 to 16; www.sfnorthbeach.org
Stern Grove Festival
This is the oldest free summer arts festival of its kind in the United States. It includes a wide variety of acts, from the local symphony orchestra to well known artists such as Smokey Robinson.
Sundays from June 22 to Aug 24; www.stemgrove.org
1.Which of the following festivals contains the most themes?
A.Union Street Festival. B.San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
C.North Beach Festival. D.Stem Grove Festival.
2.How is North Beach Festival different from the other festivals?
A.Festival goers can enjoy food in it. B.It lasts the shortest time.
C.It has the longest history of food. D.Some foreign culture is presented in it.
3.When can you enjoy the oldest arts festival in the United States?
A.Saturdays in July. B.Saturdays in May.
C.Sundays in May. D.Sundays in July.