I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people _______ I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a _______person:
I think my _______started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my _______, and be left alone. I thought I was smarter everyone else, so I hardly ever _______to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really, _______. It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So tried a(n) _______. I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I _______to help. That was really a big _______for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of _______are still my best friends today.
A bigger cause of my new _______, however, came when I took a part-time job at a Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer s disease became my _______. Every time I came into her room, she was so _______because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never _______her, so I took her place. She let me _______. That making others feel good make me feel good, too. When she died, I was _______, but I was very grateful to her.
I think I am a much _______, person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not _______these experiences. They have _______e to care about other people more than about myself. _______who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.
1.A.since B.before C.or D.unless
2.A.famous B.simple C.different D.skilled
3.A.education B.career C.tour D.change
4.A.balance B.homework C.degree D.interest
5.A.talked B.wrote C.lied D.reported
6.A.careful B.lonely C.curious D.guilty
7.A.argument B.game C.experiment D.defence
8.A.dared B.offered C.hesitated D.happened
9.A.dream B.problem C.duty D.step
10.A.us B.which C.them D.whom
11.A.attitude B.hobby C.hope D.luck
12.A.friend B.partner C.guide D.guest
13.A.polite B.happy C.strange D.confident
14.A.bothered B.answered C.visited D.trusted
15.A.explain B.guess C.declare D.see
16.A.homeless B.heart broken C.bad-tempered D.hopeless
17.A.quieter B.busier C.better D.richer
18.A.forget B.face C.improve D.analyze
19.A.forced B.preferred C.ordered D.taught
20.A.miss B.like C.wonder D.expect
Are you preparing any gifts for your friends now? 1., but choosing a proper gift can be a big headache, because it takes a lot of time and effort to think of the right gift for someone. Before you finish your list, keep these dos and don’ts in mind:
♦ Do put thought into your gift.
If you like something, that doesn’t mean that your friend is going to like it, too. 2.. Don’t get him/her an ordinary gift, and reflect back on your previous conversations to see if he/ she talked about a certain gift he/she had been wanting to get.
♦ 3..
Make sure the gift you’re buying is appropriate for the person. For example, if you’re buying a friend a gift, remember not to overspend or personalize it too much. Take a moment to think about how your relationship is with the person before getting him/her something.
♦ Do get a gift receipt (收据)
If you’re purchasing something for your friend, make sure you ask the salesperson to include a gift receipt. It’s just a polite gesture, and you know your money won’t go to waste.4..
♦ Don’t leave the price tag (标签) on.
Make sure you don’t leave the price tag on the gift and that you’re giving a gift receipt and not the original bill.5., and it’s not important for him/her to know anyway.
A. Don’t buy an inappropriate gift
B. Don’t be afraid of spending money
C. Giving gifts has forever been so pleasant
D. Take some time to really think about what he/she likes
E. If your friend doesn’t like the gift, he/she can just exchange it
F. Giving someone you care about a very special gift can be tough
G. It’s not proper to let your friend know how much you spent on the gift
Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius. “There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.
But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.
Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.
Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work,” he answered. “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.
1.Edison thought ____________.
A.he could be happy if he was a genius
B.genius plays the most important part in one’s success
C.hard work could do better than genius
D.genius could do better than hard work
2.Edison was _____________.
A.very much interested in nature
B.interested in discovering the secrets of nature
C.interested in changing people’s ideas
D.uninterested in making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature
3.In Edison’s opinion, ______________.
A.thinking can supply people with enjoyment and pleasure as well as help
B.people’s success lies mostly in genius
C.hard work is the second important thing in making people successful
D.there are few secrets for him to discover later
4.The last sentence in the passage most probably implies __________.
A.life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beings
B.Edison made 100 inventions in his life
C.Edison was able to live and work for 100 years
D.people of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 years’ work
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
1.The writer of this passage must be ______.
A.an American B.a Chinese
C.a professor D.a student
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.
B.Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.
C.Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.
D.Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.
3.From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.
A.warmly welcomed at the airport B.offered a ride to his home
C.treated hospitably at his home D.treated to dinner in a restaurant
4.A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.
A.Friendships between Chinese B.Friendships between Americans
C.Americans’ hospitality D.Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships
When you hear Westerners (西方人) say “Drop in anytime” or “Come and see me soon”, you should realize that it doesn’t mean you are welcome to come over to their house anytime. It’s wise to telephone before visiting someone.
Never accept an invitation unless you really plan to go. You may refuse by saying, “Thank you for inviting me, but I may not be able to come.” If you are unable to come after accepting the invitation, be sure to tell those who invite you in advance (提前) that you will not be there.
When you have accepted the invitation to a party or a dinner, it is polite to bring small gifts with you, such as bottles of drink, flowers and chocolate. Sometimes Westerners may take you out to dinner in a restaurant and it does not necessarily mean that he is going to pay the bill at the end of the meal. He might want you to “go Dutch”, which means each person pays his own bill.
1.The best title of this passage is ________
A.Drop in anytime. B.Come and see me soon.
C.Invitation in western countries. D.Westerners.
2.When Westerners say “ Drop in anytime” or “Come and see me soon” , it means ______
A.you are welcome to visit them anytime
B.you are welcome to visit them, but you still need to call them before going to their house.
C.they don’t want you to visit them.
D.they will hold a party for you.
3.If a westerner invites you to go to his house, ________
A.you may refuse if you don’t plan to go.
B.you have to accept the invitation even if you don’t want to go.
C.you can’t accept the invitation.
D.and you accept the invitation, you must go.
4.If you have accepted the invitation to a party or a dinner, what kind of gifts will you bring?
A.Money. B.Televisions
C.Computers. D.Books
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Where: Becket, Massachusetts
When: June 15-Aug. 24
Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights (最精彩的部分) this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem's production of Alvin Ailey's “The Lark Ascending”, which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22. jacobspillow.org.
Moab Music Festival
Where: Moab, Utah
When: Aug. 29-Sept. 9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three “Grotto Concerts”, where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. moabmusicfest.org.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July 19-28
There's something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an “Indian village” and Old West museum to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money in the world's largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23. cfdrodeo.com.
The Glimmerglass Festival
Where: Cooperstown, New York
When: July 6-Aug. 24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year's performances include Wagner's “The Flying Dutchman” and Verdi's “King for a Day”, in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers (作曲家).
Tickets start at $26. glimmerglass.org.
1.If you want to enjoy a “Grotto Concert”, which date suits you best?
A.June 15. B.July 19.
C.August 24. D.September 4.
2.If you go to Cheyenne to watch a competition and enjoy a concert, how much will you pay at least?
A.$18. B.$22.
C.$36. D.$41.
3.If you are a big fan of Wagner, you're advised to go to _____.
A.Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
B.the Glimmerglass Festival
C.Cheyenne Frontier Days
D.Moab Music Festival
