I stepped outside into a beautiful summer day. The sun made everything look bright and cheerful. It would have been an excellent day for a picnic—if I still had a __ someone to picnic with.
Nobody would have suspected the thunderstorm going on inside my heart. Lightning illuminated (照亮）hidden emotions briefly, followed by a series of __ hopes. Small drops of tears poured down, washing off what remained of my romantic dreams. .
I sat at the bus stop with a book, reading the __ paragraph for the fifth time and trying to look unconcerned about my internal (内心的）weather patterns. Sunglasses __ my puffy (肿胀的）eyes and returned the reflection of a nearby flower. I will never love __ Love is just an illusion (幻觉)leading __
I was so __ in my thoughts, so I didn't notice the man taking a __ beside me. "Excuse me, Miss, but I couldn't __ noticing that you're reading O. Henry. He's my favorite author."
His deep __ surprised me. His __ smile warmed up my damp heart and __ some of the storm clouds. "He's my favorite as well." I tried to __ his smile.
We spent the next fifteen minutes talking about __ and its influence in today's culture. The bus came and went. We __ not to notice.
“__ ，my name is Mark." As his __ hand shook mine, an electric current coursed through me. "
Do you care to __ me for lunch?" he added, ignoring my blushing (绯红的）cheeks. "Let's start all over again, shall we? I'm __ about what 1 did yesterday. I will never make you angry again."
A __ appeared, leading the way to a heart of gold. I followed it.
1.A. special B. clever C. happy D. rich
2.A. lasting B. ruined C. fresh D. high
3.A. difficult B. funny C. same D. next
4.A. hurt B. masked C. blinded D. cupped
5.A. first B. less C. alone D. again
6.A. nowhere B. forward C. outside D. downstairs
7.A. interested B. puzzled C. absorbed D. surprised
8.A. chance B. picture C. drink D. seat
9.A. imagine B. appreciate C. help D. start
10.A. love B. voice C. thought D. understanding
11.A. mysterious B. forced C. proud D. friendly
12.A. blew away B. brought back C. gathered up D. figured out
13.A. ignore B. return C. describe D. stop
14.A. literature B. friendship C. weather D. history
15.A. happened B. agreed C. pretended D. expected .
16.A. In return B. To begin with C. On the other hand D. By the way
17.A. bare B. warm C. strange D. skinny
18.A. take B. thank C. join D. pay
19.A. worried B. curious 、 C. excited D. sorry
20.A. rainbow B. rainstorm ‘ C. thunderstorm D. sandstorm
Developing a Funny Personality
Put yourself under the spotlight. Tell self-deprecating (自嘲的）jokes rather than make jokes at the expense of others. 1. Rodney Dangerfield made fun of both his sanity (理智）and his looks with this one: "I went to the psychiatrist (精神病医生)，and he says 'You're crazy.' I tell him I want a second opinion. He says, ‘Okay，you're ugly too!'"
Know your audience. 2. Some people find that sensationalism causes them to laugh; others find that satire (讽刺) does the trick. Learn which is which, and deliver your jokes and anecdotes so that they apply to many different categories of humor and emotion at once.
Mislead the mind. Misleading the mind is what we referred to earlier as surprise. 3. Verbal jokes use this element to the greatest level possible, trying to misdirect your attention in the same that magic tricks do.
4. Good timing is really important, because if you give the brain too much time to work out a situation or joke, the funny moment will pass by. This is probably why jokes people have heard before don't work, as recognition dulls the humor because the brain is already well-prepared by experience. React quickly and strike while the humorous moment exists.
Be observant. Look for the humor in everyday situations, and see what others don't. 5.
A. Strike while the iron is hot.
B. Different things make different people laugh.
C. Surround yourself with people who are funny.
D. More people will be more willing to laugh, instead of being laughed at.
E. You can expand your reach a good deal by listening to other funny people.
F. Often, the unnoticed humor that is standing right in front of our eyes has the most effect.
G. This is when you create a difference between what someone expects to happen and what actually happens.
The New economy has brought great business opportunities besides great challenges. Not since the Industrial Revolution has managing with change been so urgent a matter. Indeed, the Information Age has accelerated the pace of market and business changes to the point where some firms have set up "change departments" whose job is to constantly look for opportunities to change the firm and make it more productive.
Most firms have accepted the fact that they must make major changes. To remain competitive, companies recognize that they need to be in a constant process of changing themselves. This change is accompanied by the need to be willing to take risks in management style. Managers with such spirit have called themselves "change agents".
Despite some remarkable successes, however, introducing managing change has not been a simple matter. Firms have tried to introduce change to achieve its attendant efficiencies (节省幵支）through new technologies, restructuring, or outsourcing. Yet, this has cost a great deal of time and money, but often led to at best mixed results: approximately 75% of all change activities failed. 、
The reason for most of these failures is that change often lacks a central focus. Managers become confused by all different and sometimes conflicting advice they receive about change management. The result is a loss of central focus and disorganized policies. To improve their chances of success, it is extremely important that managers should understand the nature and process of the whole company's change and its challenges much better.
1.What is the article mainly about?
A. Developing strong marketing plans.
B. Bringing in top technologies.
C. Ways for companies to hire better managers.
D. Changes of companies' operations.
2.The words "change agents" in Paragraph 2 are closest in meaning to “_____ ”.
A. instructors B. customers
C. reformers D. performers
3.According to the article, why do companies frequently fail to change?
A. Managers are conservative. B. Not enough attention is paid.
C. Employees generally fight change. D. Policies are not well directed.
4.What does the article suggest managers do?
A. Spend more time and money. B. Improve their knowledge.
C. Buy more advanced technologies. D. Face their challenge directly.
More than half of American teenagers and young adults volunteered last year, and the best way to join in this group turns out to be peer pressure: Three quarters of people ages 13 to 22 whose friends volunteer regularly also do so, which is nearly twice the number of those who participate in voluntary activities based on their concern about particular social
problems. Those were the key findings of new research results published by DoSomething. org, a group working to get young people involved in social change. "
The study, based on data from 4, 363 young people, found that the most common form of support by volunteers was assistance with fundraising. 38 percent of those in the survey said they helped with solicitations (募捐)，leading the study's authors to conclude: "Young people are a secret weapon. A persuasive donation speech from an enthusiastic teen is a way more influential than a cold call or that newsletter you were thinking about sending."
The study also found a gender (性另ij) divide in volunteer activities. Boys were more likely to undertake physical activities such as environmental cleanup or working with younger children in sports, while girls were more likely to help the homeless and other needy people or to work with arts groups.
The researchers say the responses to the survey pointed out many ways that nonprofits can do a better job of getting young people to volunteer. Among their suggestions:
Offer ways to socialize. The very first thing that many young people think of in choosing volunteer activities is having a chance to interact with friends, especially those of the opposite sex.
"Think of volunteering like a high-school party," the researchers write. "Volunteering, like everything else, is about joining in, making friends, and having a good time."
1.The passage above mainly talks about ______ .
A. what a research about voluntary activities finds out
B. why young people take part in volunteer work
C. how young people can be persuaded to volunteer
D. where most young volunteers would like to work
2.Most young people are likely to take part in voluntary activities because _____.
A. they are concerned about particular social problems
B. their friends of the same age volunteer
C. they want to influence more people to volunteer
D. their assistance can help those in need
3.At the end of the passage, the writer would probably continue to list _____.
A. more ways for young people to socialize
B. more reasons to get young people to volunteer
C. more tips on getting young people involved in volunteering
D. more differences between different genders in volunteering
The third week of SEAL training means Hell Week. It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mud flats（泥滩） and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing-cold mud, the howling wind and the increasing pressure from the instructors to quit. As the sun began to set that Wednesday evening, my training class, having broken the rules, was ordered into the mud. The mud consumed each man till there was nothing visible but our heads. The instructors told us we could leave the mud if only five men would quit—just five men and we could get out of the extreme cold.
Looking around the mud flat, it was apparent that some students were about to give up. It was still over eight hours till the sun came up--eight more hours of freezing cold. The chattering teeth and shivering moans (呻吟）of the trainees were so loud that it was hard to hear anything. And then, one voice began to echo (回荡）through the night--one voice raised in song. The song was terribly out of tune, but sung with great enthusiasm. One voice became two, and two became three, and before long everyone in the class was singing. We knew that if one man could rise above the great suffering then others could as well. The instructors threatened us with more time in the mud if we kept up the singing—but the singing went on. And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little less bitter and the dawn not so far away.
If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world it is the power of hope. The power of one person, Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela and even a young girl from Pakistan, Malala, can change the world by giving people hope.
So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud.
1.From the passage, we can see that being ordered into the mud was _____.
A. the last part of the training
B. the most useful part of the training
C. the real test of the trainees' intelligence
D. the punishment for the training class
2.The training class singing together ______.
A. inspired the instructors
B. helped them to kill the time
C. kept them from falling into the mud
D. encouraged them to fight their difficulty
3.The writer described his SEAL training experience mainly to tell the readers _____.
A. the power of a large crowd of people B. the advantage of the training
C. the way to bring about changes D. the reason to promote singing
4.In the last paragraph, the phrase "up to your neck in mud" most probably means _____ .
A. in an extremely difficult situation B. in a hard training class
C. in terribly cold weather D. in a lower social position
Tuesday, May 9，2017
Time |
Event | Details | Location |
4:30pm | Travel Tuesday at the Leventhal Map Center | Join us at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center as we explore a different part of the world on Travel Tuesday! Enjoy games, activities, coloring sheets, and more! *The first Tuesday of every month is Travel Tuesday. | Central Library |
Monday, May 15, 2017
Time | Event | Details ‘ | Location |
4pm | Theater Design Workshop | In theater design, it is the set designer's job to envision the scenery, furniture, and props that create the environment for the action to take place and the play to unfold. In this hands-on program led by architects from BSA Space, students learn about how the setting influences the action and the mood; and then use art, mathematics, and language arts skills to create their own three-dimensional model as a setting for their own story. This program will run for five weeks and has limited seating. To reserve a spot, please contact the West Roxbury Branch at 617. 325. 3147. This program is for children ages 6-9. | West Roxbury |
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Time | Event | Details | Location |
4pm | Giant Puppet-Making Workshop | The Puppeteers' Cooperative shows children how to create larger-than-life characters like animals or dragons using simple materials and techniques. This program will run for 6 weeks and has limited seating. To reserve a spot, please contact the Adams Street Branch at 617. 436. 6900. For children ages 6 to 12. | Adams |
Wednesday, June 14 2017
Time |
Event |
Details | Location |
3:30pm | DJ Classes with MMMMAVEN | Over the course of four weeks, participants learn the basics of DJing on industry-leading equipment, Mixtrack Pro Controller, and software, Serato DJ. In these hands-on classes, teens learn how to mix music with technology and explore the art of performance. This program will run for 4 weeks and has limited seating. To reserve a spot, please contact the Mattapan Branch at 617. 298. 9218. For teens ages 12 and up. | Mattapan |
1.Travel Tuesday at the Leventhal Map Center will____ .
A. show you around the Central Library
B. arrange for you to travel around the world
C. take place every Tuesday every month
D. enrich your knowledge of the world
2.Tom, an 8-year-old boy, wants to learn how to improve the setting for his play, he will join in ____ .
A. Travel Tuesday at the Leventhal Map Center
B. Giant Puppet-Making Workshop
C. Theater Design Workshop .
D. DJ Classes with MMMMAVEN
3.The four events will _______ ,
A. have limited seating B. take place in the afternoon
C. be held for the same age group D. last for five or six weeks
4.Where can children learn how to make an amusing animal with something at home?
A. At Adams. B. At Mattapan.
C. At West Roxbury. D. At Central Library.
