Enjoy the challenge of a new term
The new term is finally here, which means, of course, it's time to return to school.
For many students across China, that also means having to leave home for the next several months and move into a school dormitory.
Being away from our family for a long time, however, often leads to homesickness, a feeling that most students have experienced at some point.
A study by the UK's National Union of Students found that up to 70 percent of UK students living away from home experience homesickness within their first few weeks of being away.
But homesickness isn't just a feeling of sadness that happens in our mind; it can also affect us physically.
“You feel homesickness in your stomach—it's an unease in which you feel uncomfortable, nervous, stressed because you're in a place or situation that's not familiar,” Joshua Klapow, a professor of public heath at the University of Alabama, us, told HuffPost.
According to Klapow, the body reacts physically when it's placed in an unknown situation such as being separated from one's familiar surroundings for a long time.
“It's an evolutionary(进化的) thing that makes us protect ourselves from danger when something is unknown," he told the HuffPost.
“When we think about home, we know that the sense of unknown … is not happening there, so we want to return.”
So, how can we overcome these physical reactions?
Ruth Hardy of the Guardian offered advice for students who are feeling the effects of being away from the safety of home.
“Try and establish routines(常规) quickly. This can make your new environment feel more stable and will hopefully make you feel more settled,” she wrote.
Making friends with others who are in your situation is also a great way to feel less homesick, according to Hardy.
The most important thing to remember, however, is that homesickness is completely normal and is nothing to be ashamed of.
And once it's gone, you're free lo enjoy the adventures and challenges of a brand new school year.
1.The study by the UK's National Union of Students is mentioned to .
A.show how homesickness causes harm to students
B.prove it's common for students to feel homesick
C.introduce some causes of homesickness
D.show how all young people are troubled by homesickness
2.What can we learn about homesickness?
A.It's only a feeling in our mind.
B.It usually disappears after a few weeks.
C.It has a physical influence on our body.
D.It always happens once we visit an unfamiliar place.
3.According to Klapow, why is homesickness helpful to humans?
A.It shows people the importance of their family.
B.It drives people to get used to changes.
C.It encourages people to express their feelings.
D.It keeps people away from possible dangers.
4.How does Hardy suggest people deal with homesickness?
A.Take part in as many activities as possible.
B.Talk about your problems with your friends.
C.Get into a routine as early as possible.
D.Avoid seeing things related to your home life.
A few weeks ago, I sat with a California farmer named Dave Ribeiro. I asked him what he wished to know about farmers. He smiled and said, “That we walk among you. We look like you and talk like you. We have advanced degrees and hobbies, just like you.”
Take Dave for example: He's a young man with a music degree. And if you walked past him on the street, you'd never think, “There goes a farmer.”
Is someone like Dave who you picture when you think of a farmer? Probably not. I think that most people would picture a man in his overalls(工作服). I can tell you, that does not represent Dave or any of the many other farmers I have gotten to know.
Not only do we have to throw out our previous impression of farmers, but farming as a whole doesn't look much like it used to either. We recently sent a team out to see what modern farming looks like, and they found farmers to be completely different from our usual ideas about them and also came across them in some unexpected places.
In a parking lot in a neighborhood of Brooklyn, they met a new crop of young farmers who were trying to bring fresh greens closer to eaters in the city by growing them in high-tech indoor vertical(垂直的) farms. In a Florida field under the fight path of an airport, they discovered farmers with university degrees growing plants that might someday fuel our cars. And in a modern farm in California, they observed how farmers were using technology to take the best possible care of their animals.
These farmers all spend their days in very different ways—none of them looks like the previous farmer we have in our mind—but they're all working on new ways to feed our planet. Not only do we need to change our idea of what farming looks like, but we also need to change our view of where solutions can come from. Feeding all of us is going to take all of us working together.
1.How does Dave describe today's farmers?
A.They often walk on the street. B.They are leading a very busy life.
C.They are similar to ordinary people. D.They have little time to make friends.
2.How does the author think most people see farmers?
A.They usually wear overalls. B.They have interesting hobbies.
C.They are skilled at growing crops. D.They know modern farming practices.
3.What was the purpose of the team?
A.To deepen connections among farmers.
B.To study different technologies in farming.
C.To find the new developments of modern farming.
D.To encourage farmers to use new farming method.
4.What do the farmers mentioned in Paragraph 5 have in common?
A.They all work in the city.
B.They all use high technology.
C.They all do hard physical work.
D.They all work with universities.
Living life to its fullest
On the night of August 24, 2001, everything changed when my friend's car hit a wall with me inside. I lost most of my right leg, and I was left bleeding with several broken bones. At the hospital, although my body was weak, my mind was still very clear. I just kept telling myself to hold on. A week later, I made a deal with the doctors that once I could roll onto my side, I could leave. Two weeks later, I was allowed to go home.
Although I left the hospital, the fight was far from over. My left knee was badly injured, which resulted in different operations over the next few years.
And soon, more of my right leg had to be removed. This made it harder to wear my false leg, so I donated it to a nurse who couldn't afford one for herself. The joy of being able to provide this gift for someone else was greater than the happiness I felt on any day I was able to wear it myself.
People often tell me they're proud of me for staying strong. But in my mind, staying strong has always been my only choice. So, on the day I left the hospital, I made a promise to myself to always live life to the fullest. Now, I may not be able to do things the way everybody else does them, but still, I always find a way to do them. I soon settled into everyday life again, until one day I realized I wasn't living my life as fully as I wanted to.
After 13 years of thinking that I was confident, I had an unfamiliar feeling sweep over me. For the first time in my life, I was not only confident but I wanted to help those around me.
In 2014, I even started modeling. My dream is that one day a little girl will see me in a magazine and say, “Wow, she's beautiful, and she only has one leg. I could do that too someday, even though I have a disability.” My dream is simple: to inspire every man, woman, and child into knowing and believing that they are beautiful just the way they are.
1.How did the author feel after the car accident?
A.She complained that life was unfair to her.
B.She was unable to accept the loss of her leg.
C.She kept a positive attitude toward life.
D.She felt lucky that she was still alive.
2.Why did the author feel happy in Paragraph 3?
A.She was able to offer help to others.
B.She could wear her false leg again.
C.She had lived her life to the fullest.
D.She could do everyday things the same as everybody else.
3.Why did the author begin modeling in 2014?
A.She wanted to be a famous magazine star.
B.She wanted to encourage others to be confident about themselves.
C.She wanted to challenge herself to be a speaker.
D.She wanted to prove that disabled people could also succeed.
4.What was the author's main purpose in writing the article?
A.To stress the importance of having a dream.
B.To show how difficult the life is for disabled people.
C.To inspire others by sharing her past experiences.
D.To give advice to disabled people on how to make a living.
For some of us, the excitement of seeing a performance at a European opera house is just not enough. Fortunately, opera houses throughout Europe open their backstage doors to the public. Take advantage of these opportunities to look behind the scenes of some of the world's great opera houses.
Teatro alla Scala Opera House Tours—Milan
Discover the activities within the opera house on a backstage tour of the La Scala theater in Milan. The tour also includes an overview of the history of the theater and guides you through the auditorium(观众席) and the theater boxes.
Paris Opera House Tours—Paris
While it is possible to walk around the public areas of the beautiful Paris Opera House on your own, guided tours are also offered and are led by an English-speaking guide. During the 90- minute tour, you will learn about the theater's history and its architecture. You will also have an opportunity to visit the grand staircase.
Royal Opera House Tours—London
It is one of the most comprehensive of the opera house tours in Europe. The guide at the Royal Opera House takes you through sections of the backstage area to the props (道具) room, where workers build the sets, the costume shop and the ballet studios. There's a chance that you will even catch the ballet dancers backstage in practice in their big ballet studio.
La Fenice Opera House Tours—Venice
Teatro La Fenice in Venice offers a couple of options for visitors. A self-guided tour of the beautiful halls and grounds with a voice guide is available at the box office. Guided tours are also available with an expert that will explain the history of the opera house from its origins to its rebuilding.
1.In which opera house might you be able to see a costume shop backstage?
A.The Teatro alla Scala Opera House B.The Paris Opera House
C.The Royal Opera House D.The La Fenice Opera House
2.What do the above four opera houses have in common?
A.They all offer free guided tours.
B.They all open their backstage areas to the public.
C.They are all free to the public.
D.They are all located in France.
3.Where can we most probably find this text?
A.In a sports magazine B.In an adventure novel
C.In a history book D.On a culture website
Happiness always lies in giving help to others. And Steven Smith has just set us a good______.
Donald Austin is a teacher. He had a______accident several months ago. And he had to______three months in hospital. He also had part of his left______cut off.
Now he was able to go back home. Donald thought he could go______the steps to the front door of his home using walking sticks. But he wasn't as______ as he had hoped. And the wheelchair was too______. His wife, Jennifer Austin, couldn't lift it up the steps, even with his mother's help. Donald______ at last. And the family all felt very ______. They were out of strength and almost lost______.
Just then, a car ______ their eyes. It had driven past but was slowly ______ back. The stranger, Steven Smith, ______ and asked if he could help. The family watched Smith help Donald inside the house and place him ______ on the sofa. But Smith knew there was still more to do.
He thought Donald might have to ______ those steps many times in the future. So the next day, Smith came to Donald's house again. He asked if he could ______ a ramp(斜坡) in front of the house. With some other helping hands, Smith ______ built a ramp over the steps. And now the wheelchair can go up and down easily. The kind act brought the family to ______.
“This stranger has ______ the day for us twice within 24 hours,” Jennifer ______ on Facebook. “He brought us hope and made our day more beautiful.”
1.A.courage B.example C.record D.rule
2.A.serious B.strange C.clear D.strict
3.A.take B.cost C.spend D.get
4.A.arm B.stomach C.heart D.leg
5.A.down B.off C.out D.up
6.A.strong B.clever C.weak D.thick
7.A.small B.heavy C.full D.cheap
8.A.stood up B.went away C.gave up D.worked out
9.A.sad B.delighted C.annoyed D.excited
10.A.mind B.hope C.face D.weight
11.A.kept B.threw C.held D.caught
12.A.walking B.offering C.turning D.calling
13.A.stopped B.left C.removed D.arrived
14.A.rapidly B.silently C.suddenly D.carefully
15.A.jump B.climb C.enter D.run
16.A.build B.achieve C.complete D.search
17.A.slowly B.hardly C.easily D.successfully
18.A.success B.surprise C.tears D.anger
19.A.received B.saved C.contributed D.started
20.A.talked B.spoke C.wrote D.remembered
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词。在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
It is easy and very powerful to be kind to those who are kind to you. Yet, to experience the full power of your sincere kindness, offer it to people 1. are careless and rude to you. Sure, it is difficult to forgive those who are hurtful lo you. But the way to stop the hurt is by refusing to participate in it. Forgiveness gives you the upper hand. Be the one who is strong, who 2.(stop) the rudeness. Put the power of kindness 3. forgiveness to work for you and your world.
