Once upon a time, there was a king who had twin sons. There was some _______ about which one had been born first. As they grew up, the king sought out a _______ way of choosing one of them as the crown prince.
One day he said, “My sons, the _______ will come when one of you must succeed (继任) me as king. The _______ of power are very heavy. To find out which of you is _______ able to bear them cheerfully, I'm sending you to one of my advisors, who will place equal burdens on your _______. My crown will go to the one who first _______ bearing his burden.”
The brothers _______ together at once. Soon they met a weak and _______ woman struggling under a heavy weight. One of the boys suggested that they stop to help her. The other ________, “We have a burden of our own to worry about. Let’s be on our way.”
So the second son ________ on while the first stayed behind to help the woman. As he continued, the first son found others who needed ________: a blind man who needed assistance to go home and a lost child whom he carried back to her ________ parents.
Eventually he did reach his father’s advisor, ________ his own burden, and went back home with it ________ on his shoulders. When he arrived back at the palace, his brother met him at the gate and greeted him with ________. “I don’t understand, ” the brother said. “I ________ Father the burden was too heavy to carry. How did you ________ it alone?”
The future king replied ________, “I suppose by helping others carry their burdens. I ________ the strength to bear my own.”
1.A.difference B.concern C.surprise D.confusion
2.A.convenient B.fair C.simple D.familiar
3.A.hour B.day C.month D.year
4.A.burdens B.benefits C.shares D.desires
5.A.worse B.harder C.better D.rougher
6.A.shoulders B.hands C.head D.back
7.A.leaves B.flees C.stays D.returns
8.A.set aside B.set out C.set up D.set down
9.A.excited B.disappointed C.aged D.surprised
10.A.proposed B.suggested C.agreed D.objected
11.A.hurried B.looked C.planned D.insisted
12.A.effort B.help C.courage D.confidence
13.A.tired B.trapped C.worried D.frightened
14.A.bore B.shared C.removed D.lessened
15.A.fearfully B.frequently C.hopelessly D.safely
16.A.pleasure B.sadness C.admiration D.fear
17.A.told B.scolded C.delighted D.comforted
18.A.transport B.direct C.manage D.find
19.A.carelessly B.painfully C.proudly D.thoughtfully
20.A.lost B.lacked C.found D.measured
Whether you' re a child, teenager, young adult or are middle-aged, respect for your parents is an important value. Your parents are the people who raised you, devoting time, energy and money to your development. 1. No matter your age is, there are 5 ways to show respect.
●Respect their belongings.
One important way to show respect is to show regard for the things important to your parents. For younger children, this may mean not touching jewelry or other valuable things. For grown children, respect may mean returning a borrowed tool in good condition and on time. Lack of respect for a parent's belongings is a violation of personal boundaries. 2.— And never borrow things without asking first.
●Punctuality .
3. Therefore, always be on time. For teenagers, showing up on time means coming home by curfew （宵禁）.Adult children should show up on time for family dinners or events, or to pick a parent up for a medical appointment. Call if you're going to be late because parents worry about children, no matter their age is.
●4.
Remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other special days is a sign that you honor your parents. Make plans to take them to lunch or dinner or bake a cake or cookies. Most parents don't expect expensive gifts, but a handmade gift is always appreciated .A phone call from a grown child who lives too far for a visit is a welcome sign of respect.
●Be kind.
Kind words and affection are simple ways to show respect. Tell your parents you love them. Listen and allow your parents to speak without interruption. Show a sincere interest in what your parents have to say. Be patient with your parents and don't rush them. Never talk back or be rude or disrespectful. Acknowledge your parents' achievements. 5.
A.Celebrate with them.
B.Be a good listener.
C.Don't take advantage of your parents' kindness and generosity.
D.Treat your parents the way you would like to be treated.
E.Being respectful helps build positive relationships with others.
F.And they love you unconditionally throughout your life.
G.Lateness indicates a lack of respect.
If maths is the language of the universe, bees may have just uttered their first words. New research suggests these busybodies of the insect world are capable of addition and subtraction (减法) — using colors in the place of plus and minus symbols.
In the animal kingdom, the ability to count — or at least distinguish between differing quantities — isn’t unusual: It has been seen in frogs, spiders, and even fish. But solving equations (方程式) using symbols is rare, so far only achieved by famously brainy animals such as chimpanzees and African grey parrots.
Building on previous research that says the social insects can count to four and understand the concept of zero, researchers wanted to test the limits of what their tiny brains can do.
Scientists trained 14 bees to link the colors blue and yellow to addition and subtraction, respectively. They placed the bees at the entrance of a Y-shaped maze (迷宫), where they were shown several shapes in either yellow or blue. If the shapes were blue, bees got a reward if they went to the end of the maze with one more blue shape (the other end had one less blue shape); if the shapes were yellow, they got a reward if they went to the end of the maze with one less yellow shape.
The testing worked the same way: Bees that “subtracted” one shape when they saw yellow, or “added” one shape when they saw blue were considered to have aced the test. The bees got the right answer 63% to 72% of the time, depending on the type of equation and the direction of the right answer — much better than random guesses would allow—the researchers report today in Science Advances.
Though the results came from just 14 bees, researchers say the advance is exciting. If a brain about 20,000 times smaller than ours can perform maths using symbols, it could pave the way to novel approaches in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Just don’t ask the bees to do your homework anytime soon.
1.Why do the scientists conduct the research?
A.To teach them maths. B.To test the power of tiny brains.
C.To explain the meaning of colors. D.To get access to machine learning.
2.What does the underlined word “aced” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A.Given up. B.Entered for.
C.Got through. D.Checked over.
3.What might the research make contributions to?
A.Language acquisition. B.Arithmetic learning.
C.Protection of animals. D.Development of AI.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Bees “Like” Counting
B.Bees “Tell” Colors Apart
C.Bees “Perform” Maths Using Shapes
D.Bees “Get” Addition and Subtraction
For as long as there have been gifts, we naturally make choices based on the recipient (接受者). But what if we have been wrong all along and we could turn things around, which not only made gift buying easier, but the recipient happier?
In 2015, psychologists Lauren Human and Lara Aknin conducted an online survey, which suggested that when people buy gifts, they prefer to choose something based on the recipient’s personality and tastes. Most people also said that they preferred receiving gifts bought with them in mind: gifts for them.
But Human and Aknin wondered if this approach to giving failed to take advantage of the way we connect as people. So they sent 78 volunteers into a shopping centre before Mother’s Day. Half were told to buy a card that “reveals (揭示) your knowledge of the recipient” while the others set out to buy a card that “reveals your true self”. After the purchase, the givers who had thought partly of themselves reported feeling emotionally closer to their mothers.
To find out how that approach goes down with recipients, the psychologists did another test, asking more than 100 students to choose a song on iTunes to give to a friend, partner or family member. Each half of the group received the same instructions as the card buyers. Results revealed that recipients of songs that revealed something of the givers felt closer to them than those who received gifts bought only with them in mind.
Human and Aknin suggest it might apply to all gifts. “If building stronger social connections is the underlying (潜在的) goal” of a gift and surely it should be — then we “may well be advised to offer more self-reflective gifts”. In short, for a present to be meaningful, you need to give away a bit of yourself, even if there is a risk that the gift might not so closely suit the recipient’s practical needs or tastes as one acquired purely with that in mind.
Moreover, giving something of oneself can be a safer act, the psychologists added. Because it reduces the risk of revealing poor knowledge of a recipient by attempting to buy something that fits their character — and failing.
But a note of caution here: what the research does not examine is the potential risk in repeated, unsympathetic giver-centered giving, which, according to Human and Aknin “could signal self-obsession”— and nobody wants to reveal that about themselves.
1.From the Mother’s Day card test, we can conclude that _______.
A.gifts chosen with the giver in mind work well on the giver
B.most people choose gifts with the recipient in mind
C.most people choose gifts based on their personal tastes
D.gifts chosen with the giver in mind work well on the recipient
2.What do the underlined words “them, them” refer to in order of appearance?
A.The recipients; the givers.
B.The givers; the recipients.
C.The givers; the givers.
D.The recipients; the recipients.
3.Which of the following is Human and Aknin’s advice on gift giving?
A.Choose gifts that reflect more of yourself.
B.Just focus on your own tastes when choosing gifts.
C.Buy something that fits the recipient’s character most.
D.Be careful not to signal your true personality.
4.Which is the best title of this passage?
A.The tradition of gift giving.
B.The purpose of gift giving.
C.The effect of gift giving.
D.The psychology of gift giving.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hungry pandas don’t particularly care whether there’s a partial government shutdown. The Washington National Zoological Park’s most famous residents still need to be fed, as do thousands of other animals, even as the facility closed its gates Wednesday.
The zoo will remain closed to the public. On Wednesday, the normally bustling (熙熙攘攘的) Connecticut Avenue gateway was locked tight. Just behind the fence, a statue of a giant panda that would normally be covered in climbing children sat alone and neglected. The zoo’s animal care staff will use the downtime to conduct comprehensive medical checks on the animals.
The partial government shutdown began on December 22. President Donald Trump’s demand for money for a border wall with Mexico has been the sticking point in passing funding bills for several government departments. Trump said Wednesday that the shutdown will last "as long as it takes."
With no signs that the shutdown will end soon, Washington’s tourism officials are working to ensure that tourists don’t cancel their trips entirely. The mayor’s office and Washington’s tourism bureau (旅游局) have released a list of private museums and off-the-beaten-path attractions for visitors including the Newseum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Museum of the Bible, Ford’s Theatre and DAR Constitution Hall.
“We know that federal government shutdowns cause many disruptions for both residents and visitors, but we want to remind everyone that while the federal government might be closed, D.C. is open for business,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The pandas were not available for comment.
1.Why are the animals waiting to be fed?
A.Because the government has been closed by Donald Trump.
B.Because the zoo makes a profit not enough to support the animals.
C.Because people’s interest in animals gradually declines.
D.Because the government has limited the budget of the zoo.
2.What conclusion can be made based on paragraph 3?
A.Most Americans do not support the president’s plan to build a wall on the border.
B.It might take a long time for lawmakers and the president to agree on a budget.
C.Lawmakers are working with the president to reopen the government quickly.
D.The government shutdown has caused many people to lose their jobs.
3.Why did the mayor’s office and Washington’s tourism bureau release the list of attractions?
A.To attract more visitors from other countries.
B.To reduce the effect of government shutdown.
C.To keep people away from the bustling zoo.
D.To call on citizens to learn about the country’s history and culture.
4.What does the author mean by “The pandas were not available for comment”?
A.The pandas’ needs were not as important as building the border wall.
B.The pandas were busy with cleaning up their own mess.
C.The pandas were innocent and the victims of the political fight.
D.The pandas were ignored and unavailable for visitors.
Wonderful Museums in Cyprus.
The Leventis Municipal Museum
It shows the history of the city of Nicosia from prehistory to the present time and covers several traditional buildings on Hippocrates Street No.15-17. The idea of creating a museum memorizing the history of Nicosia was that of the former city leader, Lellos Demetriades. The museum was planned in 1984 and finished in 1989. Two years later, the Leventis Museum was honored with the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum aims to contribute to the protection of Nicosia's history.
Opening hours：Tuesday—Sunday (10:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m.）
Closed：Monday and public holidays
Entrance：Free. The Museum provides equipment for visitors with disabilities.
The Stemi Museum of Village Life
The museum shows the history of Stemi Museum from its foundation to the end of World WarⅡ. Sewing tools and equipment, handkerchief, kitchenware, pots and jars，traditional clothing are some of the exhibitions of this amazing museum.
Open: All year round
Monday to Sunday—October 1 to March 31 (10 a.m.—4 p.m.）
Monday to Sunday—April 1 to September 30 (10 a.m.—6 p.m.）
Free entrance
Marion-Arsinoe Archaeoloigical Museum
The Museum of Marion-Arsinoe is located in Polis Chrysochous. The exhibits are from the ancient city of Marion, renamed Arsinoe in the 3rd century BC.
Address: 26 MakariosⅢ Avenue, Polis, Paphos.
Opening hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday (8 a.m.—3 p.m.), Thursday (8 a.m.—5 p.m.), Saturday (9 a.m.—3 p.m.)
Monday and Sunday closed.
Entrance Fee：￡1.75；half price on national holidays.
Maa-Palaeokastro Museum
The small museum is located within the Maa-Palaeokastro site. Built in 1989，the museum's unusual design is the work of architect Andrea Bruno. The museum houses a small collection of objects，mainly copies, as well as some educational information on the site.
Open daily: 8:30 a.m.—5 p.m. (November—March), 8:30 a.m.—6 p.m. (April—October). All year round.
Entrance Fee：￡1.75
1.Which museum takes disabled visitors into consideration?
A.Maa-Palaeokastro Museum.
B.The Stem Museum of Village Life.
C.Marion-Arsinoe Archaeological Museum.
D.The Leventis Municipal Museum.
2.What is on display in the Stem Museum of Village Life？
A.Famous paintings.
B.Things used in daily life.
C.The education of the villagers.
D.The story of the village leader.
3.Which museum can you visit at 9:00 a.m. on Monday?
A.The Leventis Municipal Museum.
B.The Stem Museum of Village Life.
C.Maa-Palaeokastro Museum.
D.Marion-Arsinoe Archaeological Museum.
