After typhoon, I went to the disaster-stricken area to look after rescued animals. There I met Lucy, another _________.
Lucy operates an animal _________ center. When I came to her website, I _________ a picture of Victor, a dog. I asked Lucy about Victor. She told me that she rescued Victor from a _________ man who’d thrown him around or put him into a tiny box. Victor had _________ on Lucy’s lap for several hours while she assured him he was safe and _________ to find him a loving home.
I decided to _________ Victor. I renamed him “Chase” for his _________ for chasing everything. Months later, Chase’s love for people and his _________ nature led us to earn a therapy-dog certification and start a __________ program at the local ________.
Kids read out to Chase to __________ their skills. Sometimes, even a kid who is __________ with reading will be comfortable doing so to a dog.
One little girl jumped up and down when she saw Chase entering the library. Her joyful enthusiasm made me __________ . When Chase greeted’ her with a __________ , she clapped and said, “Look, Mommy, he’s bowing!” Chase gave her his undivided __________ while she read him a story. When her time was up, she signed up to read again.
I’m grateful for everything about Chase that made this girl jump so __________. I hadn’t __________ him to bow; he’d bowed naturally. I’d known the library visits would be about helping kids learn to read. But I hadn’t realized what a __________ builder those visits would be for kids who were shy or didn’t fit in. Chase was also a wonderful ambassador (形象大使) for dogs—teaching kids to be loving and __________ to animals.
1.A.journalist B.teacher C.doctor D.volunteer
2.A.health B.rescue C.treatment D.recovery
3.A.studied B.took C.viewed D.commented
4.A.noble-minded B.ill-willed C.bad-tempered D.kind-hearted
5.A.trembled B.depended C.slept D.barked
6.A.promised B.managed C.failed D.pretended
7.A.support B.adopt C.accompany D.meet
8.A.hope B.talent C.desire D.passion
9.A.gentle B.boring C.competitive D.ambitious
10.A.writing B.comforting C.reading D.learning
11.A.library B.school C.hospital D.nursery
12.A.manage B.examine C.search D.practise
13.A.arguing B.dealing C.struggling D.working
14.A.weep B.smile C.think D.stay
15.A.bow B.gift C.wave D.hand
16.A.benefit B.interest C.affection D.attention
17.A.sadly B.truly C.happily D.properly
18.A.asked B.trained C.invited D.chosen
19.A.experience B.confidence C.appreciation D.fortune
20.A.rude B.familiar C.loyal D.caring
The negative thoughts inside your head can hold you back from making new friends, connecting with colleagues or sharing your brilliant ideas in meetings. For some people, these negative thoughts become too powerful and require professional attention. 1. The following are some tips to quiet your inner critic.
Label the voice.
The voice does not define you. Just identify it as an independent entity (实体) and give it a name. Call it your unreliable speaker, your negative Nelly or your passive Bob. 2.
3.
Negative thinking can do a lot on your central nervous system, causing you to react physically. 4. Whatever your response ― shaky hands, trembling voice, sweaty brow — a slow breathing in and a slower breathing out will help comfort the central nervous system.
Trust that the thought will pass.
It’s just a thought, and ifs just not that important—it’s irrational after all! 5. You don’t realize you’re empowering those thoughts, getting into a tug of war with them. You can choose to accept its presence in the moment and trust that it will pass.
All in all, don’t let that voice in your head tell you what to do.
A. Don’t waste energy fighting it.
B. Calm your central nervous system.
C. Slow your breathing to calm your thoughts.
D. For others, these negative thoughts will pass very soon.
E. Naming the voice almost turns it into someone else talking.
F. Have you ever started getting negative thoughts and suddenly felt physically bad too?
G. For the majority, simple ways can stop them discouraging you from connecting with others.
Wheat is a main source of food for people across the planet, accounting for a fifth of the calories consumed globally. But, as a result of climate change, scientists believe most parts of the world where the crop is grown will be hit by water shortages by the end of the century. And the U.S. could be among the countries worst affected, the authors of the research published in the journal Science Advances told Newsweek.
If climate change isn’t dealt with, by the year 2100, 60 percent of areas that grow wheat will be hit by water scarcity—up from the current level of 15 percent, according to the international team of scientists.
Co-authors Miroslav Tmka and Song Feng told Newsweek that in their previous research, they had shown climate change may cause soil to become less moist across most mainland U.S. states, including those where wheat is grown. As a result, the U.S. could be “one of the top most affected wheat producers” in terms of the increase in areas affected by severe droughts, they said in a joint statement.
Worryingly, existing research has predicted a 4.0 to 6.5 percent drop in global wheat production per 1 degree Celsius of warming if climate change isn’t eased. And it’s unlikely that wheat can be replaced if water becomes scarce, as it’s not as thirsty as other crops and can do without water for a relatively long period of time.
“If multiple regions are affected by drought at the same time, “it might be difficult to meet the demand even if the trade routes stay open and are not restricted by governmental measures,” warned Fengand Trnka. However, he said: “Studies show that if we continuously improve the sustainability and technologies in the coming decades and allow for international trade, we may overcome the negative impacts of climate change.”
1.How will climate change hurt wheat production?
A.By raising ground temperature. B.By reducing water supply.
C.By polluting the soil. D.By flooding the field.
2.What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
A.Wheat production caused droughts in most mainland U.S. states.
B.The United States is the biggest wheat producer in the world.
C.Climate change is closely watched by American scientists.
D.The United States will suffer most from climate change.
3.Why is wheat unlikely to be replaced by other crops in a drought?
A.It is the primary food for most countries.
B.It is not influenced by global warming.
C.It is widely grown in most countries.
D.It needs less water than other crops.
4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?
A.Health. B.Science.
C.Education. D.Entertainment.
A study has found that middle-aged and older adults who live in greener neighborhoods have a decreased risk of developing metabolic syndrome (代谢综合征) such as obesity, hypertension (高血压) and high blood sugar.
The study, published in Environmental Pollution, was conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). It differed from previous studies on the health benefits of green spaces in that it examined all of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome together collectively rather than as individual components. Having metabolic syndrome increases a person’s risk for heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The study from ISGlobal examined data from clinical examinations of over 6,000 British adults who were between 45 and 69 years old when the study began. The data was derived from four examinations participants went through between 1997 and 2013 that included blood analyses, blood pressure and measurements of weight. “These findings suggest that long-term exposure to green spaces can play an important role in preventing metabolic syndrome as a whole,” according to a press release published by ISGlobal.
The correlation between nearness to green spaces and better health could be associated with the expanded opportunities for physical recreation and lower exposure to air pollution, according to Carmen de Keijzer, ISGlobal researcher and principal author of the study.
Female subjects were more likely than males to exhibit the study’s association between living in greener neighborhoods and having fewer metabolic symptoms. “Women tend to spend more time in their residential neighborhood, which could explain this gender difference,” de Keijzer said. “We need greener cities if we want healthier cities.” de Keijzer added.
1.What do we know about the study from the first two paragraphs?
A.Young people were not included in the study.
B.Symptoms were examined one by one.
C.It was a joint effort of several institutes.
D.It was the first of its kind in decades.
2.What does the underlined word “derived” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Departed. B.Arrived.
C.Gained. D.Demanded.
3.Why do women have fewer metabolic symptoms?
A.Because they differ in gender.
B.Because they live in greener cities.
C.Because they live in healthier cities.
D.Because they stay more in where they live.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Greener Neighborhoods, Fewer Metabolic Symptoms.
B.Women Having Fewer Metabolic Symptoms.
C.Metabolic Syndrome Increasing Heart Disease.
D.Living in Greener and Healthier Cities.
I’ll never forget driving away from my village in war-torn Vietnam. I was five and my mum, Can, told me and my brother Tam we were going on holiday, but as she hugged us goodbye, she began to sob so much her whole body was shaking. I gripped my little brother’s hand as I watched the tiny village grow smaller in the rear view window. Like many Vietnamese children, we were adopted by an Australian family.
It was a scary, lonely and confusing time, and I missed my birth family horribly. “When am I going home?” I’d ask again and again in Vietnamese, but no one would answer me because they didn’t understand. I’d ask about my birth mother so often that my new parents told me she had died. I cried myself to sleep every night until I was eight or nine. My adoptive family were dysfunctional and home life was tough.
At 15, my adoptive mother died. After that, I was going through my adoptive father’s filing cabinet (橱柜) and I found an old letter, with a Vietnamese postmark. I felt delighted as I realized it was from my birth mum. Straight away, I wrote a long letter to the address she had given, explaining who I was and asking if Can was alive.
Soon after, I got a simple fax back, saying, “Mother still alive, very happy to hear from you.” My heart soared as I read her words. For the next few years, I exchanged letters with her and was thrilled to finally have contact with her. I was so grateful for that.
1.Why did the author’s mum begin to sob in Paragraph 1?
A.Because she felt excited when hugging her children.
B.Because her children were going on holiday.
C.Because her children were leaving her.
D.Because her whole body was shaking.
2.How was the author’s adoptive life?
A.Hard. B.Happy.
C.Easy. D.Free.
3.What was the possible reason for Can’s failing to contact the author?
A.Can didn’t like the author. B.Can didn’t know where the author was.
C.Can was dead. D.Can was not allowed to contact the author.
4.How did the author feel when she read her mum’s words?
A.Upset. B.Excited.
C.Lonely. D.Moved.
FOUR BEST BOOKSHOPS IN LONDON
Looking for something to read while in London? If so, you’re in luck: the British capital happens to have an incredible collection of bookshops.
Daunt Books
Are you going on a trip and want to read a novel or nonfiction book set in the place you’re headed? This bookshop arranges books by country, so it’s easy to find anything by place. (83 Marylebone High Street. Monday-Saturday: 09:00-19:30; Sunday: 11:00-18:00.)
Foyles Books
Dig, if you will, the picture: four miles of shelves holding up to 200,000 books. This legendary (传奇的) bookshop is impossible to leave empty-handed. It was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest bookshop on the planet. (107 Charing Cross Road. Monday-Saturday: 9:00-21:00; Sunday: 11:30-18:00.) Hatchards
In the year 1797, this London bookshop—the oldest in the city today—first flicked on its lights. It stocks an excellent selection of fiction, nonfiction, history and other genres. (187 Piccadilly Street. Monday-Saturday: 09:30-20:00; Sunday: 12:00-18:30.)
London Review Bookshop
There’s an excellent selection of history, philosophy, politics, new fiction and many other genres here. Plus, there’s a nice cafe in which you can crack open that tome (巨著) for the first time and start reading. (14 Bury Place. Monday-Saturday 10:00-18:30; Sunday 12:00-18:00.)
1.Which bookstore was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records?
A.Daunt Books. B.Foyles Books.
C.Hatchards. D.London Review Bookshop.
2.What is special about Hatchards?
A.It has a long history. B.It has 200,000 books.
C.It has a cafe. D.It has both fiction and nonfiction books.
3.Which place should you go to if you want to enjoy reading with a coffee?
A.83 Marylebone High Street. B.107 Charing Cross Road.
C.187 Piccadilly Street. D.14 Bury Place.
