Christina Horsten and Felix Zeltner tried not to panic when they were hit with a $400 rent increase on their Park Slope apartment in 2016, and realized they would have to move for the second time in two years. Instead of feeling intimidated by the unexpected event, they hit upon an unconventional idea: Why not move to a new neighborhood every month for a year?
At first, things went remarkably well. They found their next apartment, a beautiful apartment in Chinatown. The next months brought stops in Staten Island and Harlem. As September approached, their next place to live proved difficult to find. When their Harlem lease (租约) ended, they took a road trip, then fell for a false advertisement in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, when an apartment they found advertised online wasn't actually available to rent. And eventually they got their money back through Paypal. “That was rock bottom,” Ms. Horsten said.
Over the rest of the year, they spent time in a townhouse in Mott Haven, as well as apartments in Chelsea, the East Village, Hell’s Kitchen, and Williamsburg. “In the end, we were like, ‘Why should we even stop doing this?’ ”Ms. Horsten said. But then a lease takeover on Listings Project caught their attention: a two-bedroom apartment atop an Upper West Side townhouse.
A second daughter, Lily, was born in January. And with a newborn, they have no intention of moving again anytime soon. Still, many aspects of their adventure have remained with them. “In the same way that we’ve tried to keep minimalism (极简主义) in our life, we try to stay in touch with all the people we’ve met,” Ms. Horsten said.“We realized it was a lifelong project to try to get to know NewYork City,” she added. But there is one member of the household eagerly waiting for a repeat: their 4-year-old daughter Emma.“ I think she loved it the most,” Ms. Horsten said.“At all the places we stayed, she found things I never noticed: children’s books, a dollhouse, a drum set. Even now, she’s like,‘When are we moving to a new home?’ And we’re like,‘We kind of like it here.’ ”
1.What does the underlined word “intimidated” in Paragraph1 mean?
A.Frightened. B.Surprised.
C.Embarrassed. D.Confused.
2.While looking for a place to stay, where was the couple nearly cheated?
A.In Chinatown. B.In Sunset Park.
C.In Staten Island. D.In Harlem.
3.What’s the couple’s plan for next month?
A.Buying a townhouse in Brooklyn.
B.Staying in the apartment in the Upper West Side.
C.Donating their daughter’s toys to those living nearby.
D.Looking for a two-bedroom apartment for their newborn.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.East or west, home is best. B.Where to start, where to end.
C.Wherever you are, there is home. D.Another month, another neighborhood.
Home party marketing originated in America in the early twentieth century. At that time, direct selling had become a very common part of American life. Door-to-door salesmen would travel throughout the country selling anything from sewing machines to cure-all medicines. In 1931, a man named Frank Stanley Beveridge who had dug enough gold by doing this selling started a company called Stanley Home Products. The company sold cleaning supplies to housewives.
Soon after Mr. Beveridge began his company, one of his salesmen began selling Stanley products at home parties. The salesman would organize a Stanley Party where he could give a cleaning demonstration (演示) to a room full of guests. It allowed him to sell Stanley products to many different customers at once, and it proved to be much more effective than standard door-to-door sales. The practice quickly became the main marketing strategy (策略) of Stanley Home Products.
Next, during the 1940s, many housewives started selling Stanley products to make extra money for their families. The job was perfect for housewives because Stanley sellers could work from home and set their own schedules. A single mother named Brownie Wise took full advantage of this opportunity and quickly became one of Stanley’s top sellers.
Not long after that, she started her own direct selling business called Tupperware Patio Parties, which focused on selling a new type of plastic food container, Tupperware, using the Stanley home party system. Wise had realized Tupperware was perfect for the home party system. She could show her customers its patented (专利的) airtight seal, and she could also take away their anxiety about the safety of plastics -a fairly new invention at the time. Wise’ s company was very successful, and it was soon selling more Tupperware than department stores.
Today, many other companies have adopted home party marketing plans. So, next time you leave friend’s party with a hundred dollars’ worth of new Tupperware or jewelry, you can thank Frank Stanley Beveridge and Brownie Wise for your unintended purchase.
1.What do we know about Frank Stanley Beveridge?
A.He was an inventor of many home products.
B.He was an experienced door-to-door salesman.
C.He was the president of Tupperware Patio Parties.
D.He was the first person to organize a Stanley Party.
2.Why was being a home party seller a perfect job for housewives?
A.They liked holding parties at their house.
B.They could make some money quickly.
C.They needed hardly any pre-job training.
D.They could work under a flexible schedule.
3.According to Wise, why was Tupperware perfect for the home party system?
A.It was liked by party organizers. B.It required a demonstration.
C.It sold badly in department stores. D.It was especially made for the system.
4.This text is organized in the pattern of ____________.
A.time and events. B.comparison and contrast.
C.cause and effect. D.argument and explanation.
Architect Daniel Libeskind is the designer of such global landmarks as New York's One World Trade Center and Berlin's Jewish Museum. In his new book, he reviews his life's work and its inspirations — including these books.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. I love Lewis Carroll; he's a total genius (天才). His two classic works are children's books for grown-ups because they show aspects of the creative mind that we all have but seldom use in adulthood. Inspired by Carroll, I make a habit of trying to learn seven amazing things before breakfast.
Ulysses by James Joyce. Joyce once said that if Dublin were destroyed, you could recreate the entire city from this novel. You can't do urban planning without Ulysses because it is a labyrinth (迷宫) you can never leave.
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. Proust's great novel is really a book of reflections about how architecture — our living spaces — creates a blueprint (蓝图) for our dreams, our desires, our emotions, and our memories. Where we have lived, what we have eaten, and what kind of cups we use — all of those aspects are examined here in minute detail.
Emily Dickinson's Herbarium by Emily Dickinson. From childhood onward, Dickinson collected, pressed, and classified the plants she grew in her garden in Amherst. Through the pictures in this book, you can see how her poetry — all her symbols, all her metaphors (隐喻), the colors she mentions — mirrors nature. You don't even have to read her poetry to see what a great artist she was.
1.Which of the following books is set in Dublin?
A.Ulysses. B.In Search of Lost Time.
C.Through the Looking-Glass. D.Emily Dickinson's Herbarium.
2.Whose book has pictures of various plants?
A.James Joyce's. B.Emily Dickinson's.
C.Marcel Proust's. D.Lewis Carroll's.
3.What can be learned about the books mentioned in the text?
A.They are all novels. B.They are written for children.
C.They offer inspirations for Daniel Libeskind. D.They focus on the power of nature.
How does keeping things tidy change people psychologically? You gain greater confidence in yourself. Also, you become more optimistic and calmer in the mind than before. There are several reasons for these changes: your self-image improves as you start living in tidy beautiful rooms, and you gain decision-making skills as you continue to choose between which things to throw or give away and which to keep. The way we let go of things in the Kon Mari Method plays an important role as well.
The Kon Mari Method has a step where we give thanks to the things before we throw them away. Not only would you say “thank you for sparking joy in me" to a favorite piece of clothing that you wore till it was threadbare, you would also say to a piece of clothing you never wore once “thank you for teaching me that this color doesn't look good on me". You will appreciate the roles of all the things that have come to you and experience appreciation for all of them. Through this experience, you will rediscover the truth that you have been supported by so many things and you will deepen your gratitude for things you leave behind.
To share a personal example, I have always had little confidence in myself. When I get nervous before a large speaking assignment, I think to myself that I'll be fine because
these clothes are protecting me and these shoes are supporting me, and that calms me down. Once you start feeling constant gratitude for your things and your home through tidying up, you will start feeling relief and calm as if you are always protected by something larger than you.
1.What psychological change may tidiness bring to people?
A.They will become more confident. B.Their confidence will become less.
C.They will become less optimistic. D.Their self-image will be damaged.
2.What does the underlined word “threadbare" mean in the second paragraph?
A.fashionable B.fancy
C.out of date D.worn out
3.What should people show to clothes they have never worn in the Kon Mari Method?
A.Regret. B.Worry.
C.Gratitude. D.Patience.
4.Why does the author mention his own experience in the last paragraph?
A.To show off his wonderful speaking skills.
B.To give an example of the benefit of tidiness.
C.To explain how he has become a confident person.
D.To show his special taste in choosing suitable clothes.
Whether paired with a bottle of nice red wine or a burger, cheese can be a delicious treat. But it is not perhaps, the ideal material to use in printing — unless you are a team of nutritional scientists. One group of researchers used 3D printing to create a cheese. And the cheese could provide a valuable insight for engineers who are still developing materials for 3D printing.
A team from the school of food and nutritional sciences at University College Cork (UCC) conducted a series of tests evaluating the 3D-printed cheese. 3D printing materials need to be fluid (液态) enough to flow but also capable of setting into a definite shape or structure.
After melting the cheese at 75°C (167°F) for 12 minutes, the UCC team then ran it through a modified commercial 3D printer. The machine, which usually prints with plastic, was fitted with a syringe (注射器) to allow it to print with the melted cheese.
The UCC team used several techniques to examine the effects of the 3D printing process on their cheese. They compared the 3D-printed results to processed cheese that had been melted and then cooled, as well as another sample that was left untouched. Cheese that was 3D printed was 45% to 49% softer than the processed cheese, the researchers said. They also discovered that 3D-printed cheese was a little darker in colour and more fluid when melted, though it melted at about the same temperature as processed cheese.
Dr Kelly and his colleagues are now testing other types of dairy products which can be 3D-printed. Dr Kelly said, “We are using mixtures of milk proteins at present to build a product, perhaps a high-protein snack, and designing recipes which might work best for a 3D printer. ”
1.What problems are the engineers facing in 3D printing a cheese?
A.They don't have proper material.
B.They can't find a bottle of nice red wine or a burger.
C.They can't make the cheese very delicious.
D.They know much less than nutritional scientists.
2.How did the researchers use the 3D printer to make cheese?
A.They raised the temperature to 75°C.
B.They added a syringe to the printer.
C.They bought some cheese to paint it.
D.They evaluated the 3D-printed cheese.
3.What is the advantage of the 3D-printed cheese?
A.It melts more easily. B.It tastes more delicious.
C.It costs less money. D.It is much softer.
4.What will Dr Kelly and his colleagues do next according to the last paragraph?
A.Publish a report on their research.
B.Invent a new 3D printer.
C.3D print more milk food.
D.Make more cheese with their machine.
When we walked into the cafe, we were greeted by a waitress who smiled, held out a menu, and pointed to a table. It's only when we asked for a table for six that we realized something was a bit different. The waitress glanced at our group and held up six fingers. That's because all the staff are deaf.
Last month, the Huffington Post visited Smiles Cafe in Granada. The business only employs people who are deaf, from the waiters to the cooks. “My goal is for this cafe to be a mirror for other businesses to lose their fear of hiring people with disabilities," the founder Antonio Bunuel, who is from Spain, told HufPost. “It's also for the people who work here to lose their own fear of getting into the work force," he added, “So they can fly.”
In the city, about 1 person in 15 has a disability. But around 99 percent of people with a disability are unemployed. While the law requires companies to employ two people with disabilities for every 50 employees, many businesses don't. “Smiles Cafe was born out of a provocation. 99 percent of people with disabilities here are jobless. That was wrong!" Bunuel said. “So I decided to open a cafe where all of the employees were deaf to show that it works.
At the cafe, customers order by pointing to items on the menu, which have special symbols to indicate substitutions. For instance, if you're ordering fruit parfait, and you don't want yogurt on it, you just point to the illustration (图示) of the parfait, and then to the image of yogurt with a big red “X" over it. To help customers communicate with staff and learn while they eat, the walls are covered with letters? words and phrases, from “Thank you" to “Welcome" with illustrations that show the corresponding translation. The cafe, now five years old, is a project of the non-profit Centro Social Tio Antonio. “We've opened a small window," the founder said, “If it serves to create awareness, then that's a start.
1.Why did the waitress hold up her fingers when the author ordered?
A.All workers were deaf. B.She didn't want to say anything.
C.She was suffering a throat ache. D.It was a special greeting.
2.What did the founder of the cafe expect his employees to do?
A.Make a big fortune. B.Become well-known in the city.
C.Recover from their illnesses. D.Overcome their fears to work.
3.What does the underlined sentence mean about Smiles Cafe in Para 3?
A.People expected to keep a good volunteering tradition.
B.It was founded to take a challenge of employing the disabled.
C.Founders reached an agreement after discussions.
D.The disabled were worried about their work at first.
4.What is helpful to the customers in the cafe?
A.The deafness of the employees. B.Special symbols on the menu.
C.The non-profit model of the cafe. D.The awareness of the employer.
