Growing up, I wanted to be just like my mom. She was kind. People always seemed to feel comfortable in her presence. For years, she was a volunteer in our community. I loved going to the local nursing home with her where she taught a ceramic class.
On one summer day, Mama told me to get changed and meet her at the car.
I had planned to spend the day at the lake with friends. Why did she have to ruin everything? I imagined the cool lake water. Annoyed, I climbed into the car and slammed the door shut. We sat in silence. I was too upset to make conversation.
“Tasha, would you like to know where we are going?” Mama asked calmly.
“No,” I said.
“We are going to volunteer at a children’s shelter today. I have been there before and I think it will benefit you,” she explained.
When we reached the shelter, Mama rang the doorbell. Moments later, we were greeted by a woman. She led us to the front room where all of the children were playing. I noticed a baby whose body was scarred with iron marks. I was told it was because she wouldn’t stop crying. The majority of the children had noticeable physical scars. Others hid their emotional wounds.
As I took in my surroundings, I felt a gentle tug on my shirt. I looked down to see a little girl looking up at me. “Hi. You want to play dolls with me?” she asked. I looked over at Mama for reinforcement. She smiled and nodded. I turned back and said, “Sure.” Her tiny hand reached up and held mine, as if to comfort me.
My mom taught me a worthy lesson that summer. I returned to the shelter with her several times. During those visits, some of the children shared their troubled pasts with me and I learned to be grateful for what I had. Today as I try to instill(逐渐灌输) these values in my own child, I reflect back to that experience. It was a time that I will never forget.
1.The author admired her mom for ________.
A.her kindness to others B.her excellent teaching
C.her quality of honesty D.her positive attitude to life
2.When she was asked to go out with her mom, the author was ________.
A.excited B.surprised
C.angry D.worried
3.From the passage we learn most children in the shelter ________.
A.were often punished by staff B.weren’t allowed to go outside
C.were once treated badly D.all suffered from mental illness
4.The underlined word “reinforcement” in the passage is closest in meaning to “________”.
A.truth B.support
C.comfort D.help
It is quite natural for all of us to want to preserve and protect the foods we purchase. With that in mind, we often think that the best way to do that is by putting them in our refrigerators. However, that is not always the case.
Bread
Nothing dries out bread faster than your refrigerator. In the event that you have made sandwiches with the bread, then you can place them in the fridge. The cold temperature will make the bread tough and chewy.
Tomato
We all love tomatoes for their taste. But putting them in the refrigerator will cause them to lose all of their flavor (口味). Plus, the cold air in the cooler stops the ripening process as well. And as we all know, ripening is what gives every tomato more taste and flavor. For best results, keep tomatoes out, and inside a basket or a bowl on your counter.
Salad
Oil or vinegar based salad can be stored for a long period of time without refrigeration. Moreover, refrigeration of salad dressings brings bad smell. Keep in mind that some salads that are mayo (蛋黄酱) or yogurt based should be refrigerated in order to keep them fine. So if you have some salads that have been already dressed, you can keep them away from your fridge without any hesitation.
Egg
It is a long debate whether you should keep eggs inside your refrigerator or not. One study suggests that keeping eggs whether in a refrigerator or not does not change their normal qualities, so it can be said that if you keep eggs at room temperature, there should not be any problem. There is another study that shows that keeping eggs inside the refrigerators has a bad effect on the natural taste and flavor of eggs, so it is wise to keep eggs outside of your fridge.
1.Which of the following lose(s) water quickest in the cooler?
A.Bread B.Tomatoes.
C.Salad. D.Eggs.
2.What should we do with tomatoes to get the best taste?
A.Put them in the cooler. B.Cook them at once.
C.Make them ripen faster. D.Leave them in the shade.
3.What will go bad easily without refrigeration?
A.Dressed salad. B.Mayo and yogurt.
C.Oil and vinegar. D.Salad dressings.
No sooner ______ down than the phone rang.
A.he sat B.had he sat C.sat he D.he had sat
There is a lot of evidence _______ he was involved in the crime reported in the newspaper last month.
A.which B.whether C.that D.when
This restaurant wasn't that other restaurant we went to.
A.half as good as B.as half good as
C.as good as half D.good as half as
If she doesn’t want to go, nothing you can say will ________ her.
A.persuade B.promise C.invite D.support
