Now it was time for the wheat to come into the ears, but the weather was so dry that the old men's hair was turning grey out of concern. This morning, the clouds were rolling and the thunders were________. It began to pour soon. Finally, the old farmers who were looking forward to the rain happily ran to the_________of the field, looked at the rain-fed crops, and made a ________to the sky excitedly.
A stone lying on the ground witnessed this and was very unhappy about it. It said_________ “Oh, it seems that everything is happy for it! It seems that the rain were an international guest of________ but what did it do? It has only been two________ three hours. What's the big deal? Nonsense!” The stone looked at himself and said, “Yes. I have lived here for thousands of years. I have been so_________ and polite, but no one comes to________ me and thank me. The world is so________.It's _________ that I often hear people say the world is ugly.”
“Shut up!” An insect listened impatiently and ________ the stone with a firm tone: “The rain does not ________ long and sometimes even remains at most one hour, but rain is moistening the earth. With the________ of the rain water, the farmers can get harvest, and________ living here for hundreds of thousands of years in the field, you are completely useless. Not only that, but you are still________ this piece of rich soil. You are just a piece of useless_________. Who got any good from you? You are worthless, isn't it? ” The stone was________ and bowed his head in ________
Similar to this stone, some people like to boast(自吹自擂) of their forty years of hard labor and their ________ to the people. What is the essential difference between them? No one has received any benefits from them, and what is the ________ of their existence?
1.A.flashing B.appearing C.booming D.happening
2.A.center B.edge C.bottom D.top
3.A.bow B.choice C.decision D.hit
4.A.enthusiastically B.disgusting C.enviously D.deliberately
5.A.honor B.pleasure C.pity D.trouble
6.A.and B.to C.or D.till
7.A.hopeful B.modest C.helpful D.proud
8.A.inform B.greet C.praise D.comfort
9.A.unfortunate B.unfair C.awkward D.impressive
10.A.no doubt B.no pain C.no way D.no wonder
11.A.interrupted B.refused C.disturbed D.interviewed
12.A.arrive B.leave C.last D.lie
13.A.instruction B.leadership C.guides D.aid
14.A.in favor of B.in honor of C.in spite of D.in memory of
15.A.taking off B.taking up C.holding on D.holding up
16.A.carriage B.baggage C.space D.field
17.A.cheerful B.hopeless C.thankful D.speechless
18.A.shame B.pride C.sign D.comfort
19.A.devotion B.determination C.inspiration D.courage
20.A.assessment B.value C.importance D.base
After a tiring day, your bedroom, a comfortable and inviting space, should be one place where you can finally relax. If the space seems too limited, you can try out these tips to make it look larger.
1. Avoid dark colors and increase natural light.
In a small room, walls and decoration that are dark can make the area seem even smaller. Choose light color like cream and peach for your walls. 1. Try to allow as much natural 1light as possible to fall into the room, through the window or the balcony door. 2.
2. Look for furniture that uses wall space.
Choosing furniture that fits into a corner or which can be placed against a wall will greatly increase ground space in your room. 3.-----try hanging some on one wall and see the difference it makes.
3. Find creative ways to store your stuff.
Make full use of the built-in shelves and storing capacities in the kitchen and bathroom.4.You can also look for multi-function furniture: a coffee table with drawers, or a foot stool with interior storage.
4.5.
When doing weekly clean ups, throw out your old and unused objects and keep only the essential items in view. You can also cut back on the unnecessary appliances. Move the table fan out into the living room during winter. If your bedroom is already small, don’t bring in a TV. If you already have one, try moving it out and see if it gains you extra space.
A. Mirrors also create an impression of space.
B. Remove untidy and unnecessary appliances.
C. Store rarely used items in a box under your bed.
D. Purchase the possible less furniture for your room.
E. Bright sunlight can kill some bacteria in your bedroom.
F. Sunlight will brighten the room and make it seem more cheerful.
G. Pillows, curtain covers, and decorative items should also be light in color.
Nowadays, we can read almost all “truths” on social media sites. But are they really reliable? Sites such as the micro messaging service Twitter, the social networking site Facebook and the photo-sharing app Instagram might “misrepresent the real world,” according to a study by computer scientists from McGill University and Carnegie Mellon University.
The scientists warn that gathering information about public views and trends from these sites is unwise. There are still large parts of the population who do not take part in social media activities. Also, there's a risk that many social media users are under- represented. Instagram, for example, appeals to younger adults in urban areas while Pinterest is used mainly by females aged 25 to 34. And only 5 percent of Twitter users are over 65 years old, according Io the study.
However, this is not the only issue, according to the scientific team. The design of a website can influence how people behave online, creating what the researchers call “Internet bias.” For example, micro-blogging sites such as Weibo promote “popular” stories. It saves time for some, but it also limits readers' choice of what they see. In the end, many people open those stories and make them more “popular.” But it's not because they choose those stories. Rather, it is because the content is right in front of them.
Besides, it's possible that not everyone on your social networks is real. There might actually be a few fake accounts among them. Fake “bots” pretend to be human and are often included when measuring or predicting human behaviors online.
The findings might be more important than you would think, since many social media studies “are used to inform and justify decisions and investments among the public and in industry and government,” said Derek Ruths, assistant Professor at McGill's School of Computer Science.
If the team is right, you might have to think carefully the next time you say, “It's true, you know; I read it on Weibo.”
1.Why does the author mention Twitter, Facebook and Instagram?
A.Because they are the best social media sites today.
B.Because they are not in favor of the current study.
C.Because the public are sharing truths on these sites.
D.Because information on these sites may not be reliable.
2.How is the passage developed?
A.By giving examples. B.By making comparisons.
C.By dividing into groups. D.By analyzing cause and effect.
3.Which word can best describe the author's attitude toward information on social media sites?
A.Ambiguous. B.Favorable.
C.Disagreeable. D.Cautious
4.What's the author's main purpose in writing the passage?
A.To analyze why information gathered from social media sites may not be trustworthy.
B.To remind readers of things they should watch out for when using social media.
C.To point out the advantages and disadvantages of social media.
D.To recommend popular social networking sites for readers.
When one man offered to take a woman stranger's baby so that she could rest on a recent flight, many people on the plane watched it.
“It was so touching,” one passenger, Andrea Byrd said. She shot a photo of the man carrying the baby up and down the aisle（通道） and posted it on Facebook, where it's since gone viral.
“I was in tears,” Byrd wrote in the post, which has been shared almost 100,000 times. “Not because he was white and she was black... but because it showed me today that there are, still good people out there in a world full of evil.”
The Southwest Airlines flight was heading from Minne- apolis to Atlanta on September 5.
The mom, Monica Nelson, who is pregnant, said she had been nervous about traveling alone with her 20- month-old son Luke. When he grew annoyed and wouldn't rest, the man seated next to them surprised her by offering to help, she said. He walked up and down the aisle holding the boy, soothing him to sleep.
“It was such a relief because I was a little worried traveling with him without my husband there to help out,” said Nelson, a teacher who lives in Atlanta. “I'm still very grateful- he was so kind.”
She said the man's name is Rcid, and she learned that he also has a son named Luke.
Byrd said she was particularly touched by the scene because she has two children of her own and could put herself in the mom's shoes. Now their story has touched thousands of people across the world, reminding people how powerful a simple act of kindness can be.
“It's good to know the world is not all bad,” Nelson said, “There are some really great people out there.”
1.How did the man help the woman in the flight?
A.He helped the baby to feel relaxed.
B.He gave his own seat to the woman.
C.He carried the baby up and down in the air.
D.He posted a photo of the woman on Facebook.
2.What was the result after Andrea Byrd posted the photo online?
A.The man suddenly became successful.
B.So many people were touched by the story.
C.Monica Nelson decided not to take a flight again.
D.The young mom and the man became good friends.
3.What does the underlined word soothing mean in paragraph 5?
A.To please somebody to make him sleep for long.
B.To ease somebody to make him feel comfortable.
C.To force somebody to be quiet and silent soon.
D.To sing songs to make him feel happy slowly.
4.Which statement about the man is TRUE?
A.His son's name is Luke. B.He is kind to Andrea Byrd.
C.He prefers to post photos online. D.He loves helping pregnant women.
Ask 9-year-old Annie what the worst thing was that ever happened in her house last year, and she won’t tell you that it was her parents divorcing, although they did. No, what Annie remembers most are the horrible fights leading up to the announcement about the divorce which was, as it turned out, and despite her parents anxiety about telling her, “not that big of a deal.” “I already knew they were not getting along well,” Annie says, “Every night after I went to bed, l would hear my parents fighting.” It made me really unhappy. When they finally decided to get a divorce, all of that stopped.
Annie's experience is more common than you might think, and there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that “staying together for the sake of the children” is not all it's cracked up to be, and may do more harm than good. According to psychologist Lynn Martingdale, hearing their parents argue is often more stressful for children than separation and divorce, and if you think that your children don’t know that there's trouble in family, then you're kidding yourself. The home life of children whose parents have an unhappy marriage is often far from ideal, and what's worse, parents will compound the problem by taking their unhappiness out on the children.
The Center for Moving Forward conducted a study in 2014 in which they followed 25families whose parents had been in marriage counseling. After tracking these families for 5 years, they found that the children of the parents who had eventually gotten divorced were not worse off than the children of those who had remained together, and in some cases had fared better. The study took into consideration, social and the children's general sense of well-being.
1.Why was Annie really unhappy according to paragraph 1?
A.Her parents fought every night. B.Her parents finally got divorced.
C.Her parents decided to abandon her. D.Her parents got along badly with her.
2.Which statement may psychologist Lynn Martingdale agree with?
A.Separation and divorce will hurt the children most.
B.Keeping an unhappy marriage hurts children more.
C.Children can't understand their parents' marriage well.
D.Children can’t feel the unhappiness from their parents.
3.What's the function of the last paragraph in the passage?
A.To give an example of divorce.
B.To support Annie's correct answer.
C.To further clear the author's view point.
D.To highlight the importance of the study.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Divorce Is Good for Children B.Divorce Is Not the Worst Thing
C.Fighting Is Often Stressful D.Staying Together Is for Children Only
Everything I Never Told You: A novel by Celeste Ng
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Synopsis（梗概）：
“Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet... ” So begins the , story of this novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle- daughter, a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eye and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue----in Marilyn's case that her daughter should become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James's case that Lydia should be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.
When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, the balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together falls into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost is. Lydia's older brother, Nathan, is certain that the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's the youngest of the family--- Hannab who observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened.
A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a good page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the conflicts within a family, and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.
1.What type of writing is this passage?
A.An exhibition guide. B.An announcement
C.A book review. D.An advertisement
2.How many people in the Lee family are mentioned according to the passage?
A.Four. B.Five.
C.Six. D.Seven.
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.James wants his daughter to be a homemaker.
B.In Hannah's eyes, Jack is actually the real killer.
C.Lydia takes on the high expectations of the family.
D.The family always live in harmony with each other.
