To Any Soldier
My army career was baptism by fire (战火的洗礼). Married for only year and half, I was _________ my wife and baby daughter when I was Bent abroad. As a unit on the go in the years _________ cell phones and Wi-fi, we had _________ opportunities to communicate with loved ones.
One night while sitting by myself, investigated the "Any Soldier" _________, a time-worn cardboard box with letters and packages from my fellow Americans. I chose one shoebox-size _________. Inside was a bag of chocolate-chip cookies which were no longer _________ Underneath, I found about 20 cards from children who had _________ stick figure people and asked about riding camels, eating spiders, and how often I could swim in the ocean. At the _________ was a letter from their teacher in Ohio _________ how her kids had put the box together and how they supported our efforts in the war.
I was __________ touched by this gesture and decided to write a letter of gratitude. I __________ the teacher for what her children had done.
Around 2013, I received a Facebook friend request from a woman with whom I __________ no contacts. I replied that __________ we were friends, I could not accept her request. Her reply __________ with me.
"Dear sir, "she wrote. "We have never __________, but in 1991 I was a second-grade teacher at a school in Ohio and our classroom sent a care package __________ to 'Any Service Member'. The thank-you letter you __________ was framed and has been posted on the wall of the school for more than 20 years. I wanted to again thank you for your __________ to our country. God bless you."
We never spoke again, but this gracious teacher __________ my belief in doing what my mother always taught me: Write thank-you notes — you never know how many people your kindness can __________.
1.A.forgetting B.missing C.expecting D.appreciating
2.A.before B.of C.on D.for
3.A.wonderful B.unique C.limited D.equal
4.A.report B.member C.incident D.mailbox
5.A.package B.letter C.book D.card
6.A.cold B.homemade C.warm D.fresh
7.A.recommended B.shocked C.drawn D.imagined
8.A.bottom B.beginning C.back D.best
9.A.proving B.explaining C.admitting D.reminding
10.A.truly B.hardly C.secretly D.merely
11.A.admired B.praised C.scolded D.thanked
12.A.lost B.shared C.recognized D.discovered
13.A.since B.although C.unless D.once
14.A.agreed B.dealt C.reasoned D.stuck
15.A.informed B.met C.quarreled D.taught
16.A.returned B.presented C.linked D.addressed
17.A.composed B.received C.read D.delivered
18.A.apology B.attention C.service D.introduction
19.A.challenged B.strengthened C.abandoned D.shook
20.A.change B.surprise C.touch D.defend
Mind Tricks to Improve Your Thoughts
You know that annoying saying "There's no such thing as a quick fix"? 1.. There's a ton of cool data that explains how little things you do with your body can subconsciously and instantly influence your thoughts. Read on to learn a few brilliant shortcuts.
1. Solve a problem, fast (THE TRICK: Take a few steps backward.)
The backward movement enables the brain to go into problem-solving mode. It's like putting the cliché (陈词滥调)2."into action. Definitely worth trying the next time you're stuck.
2.3. (THE TRICK: Hold a heavy object, like a paperweight.)
When people held a heavy object, they attached more importance to their own opinions and to the things around them. So if you need to make a decision on an important issue, pick up a hand weight to trick your brain into evaluating the situation in a more serious way.
3. Prevent a petty fight from blowing up (THE TRICK: Nod your head yes.)
4.. So if you nod your head, it fools your brain into being more agreeable to whatever it is you're hearing. The next time you want to stop a stupid argument before it gets out of hand, just nod your head as you listen to the person talk will feel more open and therefore able to find ways to compromise
4. Sharpen your memory (THE TRICK: Doodle (胡写乱画) on pad of paper.)
Doodling can make you more likely to absorb info you hear. 5.. One reason is that drawing may engage the area of the brain that might otherwise be used for daydreaming.
A. Make a tough decision
B. Learn to walk before you run
C. Take a step back and see the big picture
D. Well, science has proven that idea wrong
E. In fact it can increase memory by almost 30 percent
F. A quick embrace has some sort of calming power on the brain
G. We associate actions with the feelings that tend to direct them sub
Recently coined words such as "selfie" and "hangry" reflect humans' evolving language. The communication patterns of other social animals, including whales also vary over time. The songs adult male humpback whales produce during the breeding season, for example, are constantly changing.
But in a new study, researchers investigated the permanence of non-song whale vocalizations (发声) known as calls and found that the majority have remained stable over multiple decades. This surprising result suggests that calls may function as important tools for conveying information about foraging (觅食), social behaviors and whale identity.
"The running hypothesis is that any time the whales are talking about something other than breeding, they're using calls, " explains Michelle Fournet, a marine ecologist now at Cornell University and lead author of the new study. These vocalizations, which typically last only a few seconds, are extremely diverse. They can be heard by other whales several kilometers away.
Fournet and her collaborators amassed nearly 115 hours of archival recordings collected in southeastern Alaska between 1976 and 2012. By analyzing the duration and frequency of the calls, the researchers grouped them into 16 types. Fournet and her team detected 12 of them in both the earliest and most recent recordings -and each of the 16 call types recurred over at least three decades, the scientists reported last September in Scientific Reports. This finding led Fournet to conclude that these particular vocalizations most likely are essential to the whales' survival ensuring foraging success and social contact. "For calls to stay in the [collective] conversation for so long is an indication that these call types are vital to the life histories of humpback whales, " she says.
Next summer Fournet plans to travel to Southeastern Alaska to play back recordings of calls humpbacks there. The goal is to test theories about the functions of different calls, she says, adding "We're going to go and start the conversation. "
1.The first paragraph is intended to draw readers' attention to ______.
A.whales' good gift in singing songs
B.humans' creative invention of words
C.the wide use of language in the world today
D.social animals' changing way of communication
2.Which of the following are most likely to be TRUE about humpback whales' calls?
A.They often last several minutes. B.They can still be heard from a distance.
C.They are divided into 12 types. D.They help whales sleep very well.
3.What does the underlined word "recurred" in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?
A.Repeated. B.Changed.
C.Suffered. D.Disappeared.
4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that later scientists would try to______.
A.record the real-life calls of humpbacks
B.advance new theories of humpbacks' calls
C.find out the specific meanings of humpbacks' calls
D.travel all over the world to collect more calls of whales
You return from work on a hot August evening. Your unwashed teenage son is on the sofa scrolling through Instagram, as he has been doing for the past eight hours. Not for the first time, you ask yourself: why are school summer holidays so insufferably long?
This is a more serious question than it sounds. Many children will return from the long break having forgotten much of what they were taught the previous year. One study from the American South found that this "summer learning loss" could be as high as a quarter of the year's education. Poor children tend to be the worst affected, since rich ones typically live in homes full of books and are packed off to summer camp to learn robotics, Latin or the flute.
Summer holidays vary greatly from country to country. South Korean children get only three weeks off. Children in Italy and Turkey get a whopping three months. So do those in America, where their parents, unless they are teachers have an average of only three weeks off a year, among the shortest holidays in the rich world. Companies should let them take a bit more, since burnt-out workers are less productive. But, for their children six weeks out of class is plenty.
Youngsters will hate the idea of a longer school year. Sceptics note that, although those barely rested South Korean pupils do superbly in exams, they are often miserable. It would be unwise to import South Korea's pressure-cooker approach, in which a single exam determines every child's future. But plenty of Western children could usefully spend a bit longer at their books.
More time in school need not mean repeating the same old lessons. Some extra drilling would be beneficial, particularly for those falling behind. But the summer could also be a time for different wind of learning: critical thinking, practical skills, financial literacy, work placements with local firms — schools should be free to experiment.
1.The author mentions the experience in the first paragraph to introduce teenagers'______.
A.long school summer holidays B.addiction to smartphones
C.unwillingness to learn D.unhealthy lifestyles
2.What do we know about "summer learning loss"?
A.It affects only children from poor families.
B.It results from children's poor memory.
C.It could be as high as half of the year's learning.
D.It can be reduced by spending more time learning.
3.In the author's opinion, how long is the summer holiday supposed to be?
A.Three weeks. B.Six weeks.
C.Two months. D.Three months.
4.What is the author's suggestion?
A.Schools should try new approaches to teaching.
B.Schools should provide more exams for students.
C.Schools should think about how to make the best use of the summer time.
D.Schools should offer more materials for students to do laboratory experiments.
The cracked (有裂缝的)step four years ago was the start of it. That day, I awoke tired-the children were tiny and needing so much — and I had a golden afternoon of rest ahead, my mother stepping in to allow me to catch up on my sleep. I dropped them off and drove home -the sun shining and my bed signaling. As I was about to enter the house, I caught sight of a deep crack beneath my feet.
Without thinking, I turned around walked back to the car and drove to a DIY store. Four hours later, I had all the tools, had mixed my own cement (水泥), filled in the crack and repaired the foundation. Perfect. As I stood up to take a photo of my handiwork, I realized that I was trembling. I'd forgotten my shot at a nice long nap, and my children were already on their way home. That sleep... that promise to self was broken, because I had focused, instead, on the crack in the step.
Suddenly, everything started to hurt. My head, my throat, my back. I couldn't stop shaking. What earned then is that when we break the promises we make to our bodies they will not be silenced. This is when we overwork and overthink to the point of breaking down. Ironically, for many of us, it is only when we have no choice — when we fall ill — that we learn to listen. For me, when that crack ended in a hospital stay which sent me to bed for two unmoving weeks while my body worked to clear two different infections, the lesson is ever present. I did it to myself — a whole twisted spin on DIY.
Sadly it took another two ridiculous DIY projects or the message to finally get through. The cracks will never be fully filled. Focus, then, on your own inner core the feeding of that light, that fire and that strength.
1.What made the author so sleepy in the first place?
A.Taking care of the kids. B.Visiting her mother.
C.Doing the housework. D.Dealing with DIY projects.
2.How did the author feel as soon as she finished her repair work?
A.Regretful. B.Upset.
C.Proud. D.Thankful.
3.What is the author's purpose in writing the text?
A.To present a way to fill a crack.
B.To show the danger of DIY.
C.To stress the importance of sleep.
D.To encourage focusing on oneself.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.The Cracked Step B.You Do It to Yourself
C.Focus on DIY D.A Life-changing Experience
Your reference to the old series I Am Joe's Body in your letter explaining how the new design came about prompted me to share this. In the70s, I was a heavy smoker. I knew it wasn't healthy but could not change my habits. Then I read “I Am Joes Lung”. The next morning, I walked out my front door and coughed up blood. Talk about a wake-up call. On New Year's Eve, I had less than half a pack of cigarettes left, so I decided to finish that and then quit cold turkey. Your magazine saved my life. All these years later, I am saying thank you.
—Norm Mast Middlebury, Indiana
I enjoyed your article on Mr. Yassin Terou and his family and business. Because my Facebook Feed seems to regularly have postings about crimes and fear caused by immigrants, I shared the article there. I hope that it gets passed on for people to focus on a positive contribution that immigrants are giving our country.
—Connie Nuber Surprise, Arizona
I have been enjoying Reader's Digest since I was eight years old. I now share articles with my eight-year-old grandson, and he also enjoys them, especially the jokes. Make all the changes you want because it seems each change makes the Digest better.
—Beverly Mita Pine Island, New York
Personally, I do not like the new format. It isn't as easy to see where one section ends and a new section begins. Why fix something that wasn't broken?
—Paul Okoniewski Bruce Township, Michigan
The Funniest Jokes Since the Internet. Your collection of "Mistakes That Take the Cake" reminded me of my husband's 50th birthday cake, which read:
Happy Birthday,
Bill &Papa!
And Under That
We Love You!
—Diane e. Meeks Vidalia, Georgia
1.Comments from above do not cover articles from______ section.
A.Food B.Health
C.Jokes D.Inspiring stories
2.Who has different opinions about Reader's Digest from the others?
A.Norm Mast. B.Beverly Mita.
C.Paul Okoniewski. D.Diane e. Meeks.
3.The selections above are most probably from ______ of Reader's Digest.
A.columnists B.readers
C.critics D.editors
