“You can use me as a last resort(选择), and if nobody else volunteers, then I will do it.” This was an actual reply from a parent after I put out a request for volunteers for my kids’ lacrosse(长曲棍球) club.
I guess that there’s probably some demanding work schedule, or social anxiety around stepping up to help for an unknown sport. She may just need a little persuading. So I try again and tug at the heartstrings. I mention the single parent with four kids running the show and I talk about the dad coaching a team that his kids aren’t even on … At this point the unwilling parent speaks up, “Alright. Yes, I’ll do it.”
I’m secretly relieved because I know there’s real power in sharing volunteer responsibilities among many. The unwilling parent organizes the meal schedule, sends out emails, and collects money for end-of-season gifts. Somewhere along the way, the same parent ends up becoming an invaluable member of the team. The coach is able to focus on the kids while the other parents are relieved to be off the hook for another season. Handing out sliced oranges to bloodthirsty kids can be as exciting as watching your own kid score a goal.
Still, most of us volunteers breathe a sigh of relief when the season comes to a close. That relief is coupled with a deep understanding of why the same people keep coming back for more: Connecting to the community(社区) as you freely give your time, money, skills, or services provides a real joy. Volunteering just feels so good.
In that sense, I’m pretty sure volunteering is more of a selfish act than I’d freely like to admit. However, if others benefit in the process, and I get some reward too, does it really matter where my motivation lies?
1.What can we infer about the parent from her reply in paragraph l？
A.She knows little about the club.
B.She isn’t good at sports.
C.She just doesn’t want to volunteer.
D.She’s unable to meet her schedule.
2.What does the underlined phrase “tug at the heartstrings” in paragraph 2 mean?
A.Encourage teamwork.
B.Appeal to feelings.
C.Promote good deeds.
D.Provide advice.
3.What can we learn about the parent from paragraph 3?
A.She gets interested in lacrosse.
B.She is proud of her kids.
C.She’ll work for another season.
D.She becomes a good helper.
4.Why does the author like doing volunteer work?
A.It gives her a sense of duty.
B.It makes her very happy.
C.It enables her to work hard.
D.It brings her material rewards.
The expression, "everybody's doing it," is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a(n) ___ way as a larger group. This influence can be negative or positive, and can exist in both large and small groups.
People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly ___that some part of their self-respect comes from the approval of others. This instinct explains why the approval of peers, and the fear of ____, is such a powerful force in many people's lives. This instinct
drives people to dress one way at home and another way at work, or to answer a simple “fine" when a stranger asks "how are you?" even if it is not necessarily true. There is a(n) _____aspect to this: it helps society to function efficiently, and encourages a general level of self-discipline that ___day-to-day interaction between people.
For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes a(n) ___: in order to satisfy the desire, they may go so far as to ___their sense of right and wrong. Teens and young adults may feel forced to use drugs, or join gangs that ____criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel ___ to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to hold back the desire to buy a house or car that they can't afford in an effort to ___ the peers.
However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at ___may be urged to work harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of ___can also get a friend off drugs, or to help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one.
Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so ___that a person may not even notice that it is affecting his or her behavior. For this reason, when making important decisions, simply going with a(n) ___is risky. Instead, people should seriously consider why they feel drawn to taking a particular action, and whether the real ____ is simply that everyone else is doing the same thing.
1.A.traditional B.similar C.peculiar D.opposite
2.A.understandable B.believable C.acceptable D.surprising
3.A.disapproval B.failure C.absence D.independence
4.A.uncertain B.practical C.impossible D.vague
5.A.promotes B.prevents C.simplifies D.increases
6.A.challenge B.inspiration C.promise D.addiction
7.A.recognize B.abandon C.decrease D.define
8.A.avoid B.encourage C.decline D.punish
9.A.pressured B.respected C.delighted D.regretted
10.A.catch sight of B.stay away from C.make fun of D.keep up with
11.A.competitions B.interaction C.academics D.adaptation
12.A.knowledge B.interest C.assistance D.influence
13.A.abstract B.ridiculous C.subtle D.reasonable
14.A.consciousness B.motivation C.instinct D.encouragement
15.A.motivation B.danger C.support D.achievement
Directions: After trading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word: for the other blanks, use one word that best Jits each blank.
Marian Bechtel sits at West Palm Beach's Bar Louie counter by herself, quietly reading her e-book as she waits for her salad. What is she reading? None of your business! Lunch is Bechtel's "me" time. And 1. more Americans, she's not alone.
A new report found 46 percent of meals are eaten alone in America. More than half (53%) have breakfast alone and nearly half (46%) have lunch by themselves. Only at dinnertime 2. we eating together, 74%, according to statistics from the report.
"I prefer to go out and be out. Alone, but together, you know?” Bechtel said, 3. (look) up from her book. Bechtel, who works in downtown West Palm Beach, has lunch with coworkers sometimes, but like many of us, too often 4. (work) through lunch at her desk. A lunchtime escape allows her to keep a boss from tapping her on 5. shoulder. She returns to work feeling energized. "Today, I just wanted some time to myself,” she said.
Just two seats over, Andrew Mazoleny, a local videographer, is finishing his lunch at the bar. He likes that he can sit and check his phone in peace or chat up the barkeeper with whom he's on a first-name basis 6. he wants to have a little interaction. “I reflect on 7. my day's gone and think about the rest of the week," he said. "It's a chance for self-reflection. You return to work 8. (refresh) and with a plan.''
That freedom 9. (choose) is one reason more people like to eat alone. There was a time when people may have felt awkward about asking for a table for one, but those days are over. Now, we have our smartphones to keep us company at the table. "It doesn't feel as alone as it may have before all the advances in technology," said Laurie Demeritt, 10. company provided the statistics for the report.
假定你是李华，想邀请留学生朋友Daisy一起去观看汉服文化表演秀（Hanfu Culture Show）。请你用英语给她写一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 活动时间、地点；2. 活动内容（汉服走秀、专家解说汉服式样以及文化内涵等）。
注意：1. 词数100左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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（∧），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。
My hobby is rock climbing. I’ve been doing them for two years. In the beginning, I wasn’t very good, so I’ve gotten much better. I started rock climbing in junior high school. On first day, I felt high nervous, so I only climbed low rocks. It was hard, but very interested. So I kept on work, and now I could climb very fast. I like rock climbing because of it helps me stay in shape. It’s also a good way to make friend. I’ve met a lot of people. We climb, but we also hang out and spend time doing another things now.
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。
In the United States, over 25 percent of senior citizens (people over 65) live alone. Without friends and family nearby, seniors are at risk of 1. (have) depression (抑郁).
Many communities are trying to deal with this problem. Providence Mount St. Vincent, a retirement home (退休疗养院) near Seattle, Washington, has 2. (recent) run a program. Over 400 senior citizens live at Providence Mount St. Vincent, and over 40 children from a few months old 3. age five go to daycare there. The children spend the day there with the senior citizens while 4. (worker) look on.
The program has clear advantages. For the older people, their social life improves (改善); they read to and play games with the children, and encourage 5. (they) to do other activities. This makes the seniors feel 6. (use) and happy, and if they feel happy, their health may improve.
The children also get a lot from the program. They have 7. patient group of people to play with in a safe environment. Some of the older people 8. (be) disabled, and staying with them helps children learn 9. (be) more understanding of people with disabilities.
Now, there are many programs like the one at Providence Mount St. Vincent. 10. is believed that even if the very young and the very old don’t have a shared past or future, their shared present can be perfect.
