It was officially Christmas vacation. The whole family spent Christmas morning _______gifts. I had bought my baby sister Melissa a toy cat at the local dollar store. When she _______it, I was delighted that she liked it.
Melissa also had a gift for me. With a smile she tried to resist, she _______ the package to me. “For you,” she said.
I pulled back the paper to _______ the gift to the rest of the family — one red Barbie car — Melissa's favorite toy. Words _______ me. I looked back and forth between the gift she'd given me and the _______toy cat I'd given her. Melissa loved that car more than all her other toys. I was wondering _______ she was parting with what she treasures.
Realizing Melissa was _______ her favorite toy, I pushed through the confusion I was feeling to said, “Melissa, really, you don't have to. This is nice of you, but you should _______it.”
She whispered, “I loved that car ...________ I want you to have it.”
In that ________ I knew Melissa wasn't giving me a ________; she was giving me her heart — ________it came in the form of a little red plastic car. Christmas wasn't about parties or presents or getting things, Christmas was about ________ and I would never be too ________ for that.
1.A.making B.sending C.purchasing D.exchanging
2.A.noticed B.found C.designed D.opened
3.A.lent B.handed C.carried D.delivered
4.A.offer B.show C.display D.expose
5.A.failed B.struck C.lost D.moved
6.A.lovely B.special C.small D.cheap
7.A.how B.why C.what D.when
8.A.looking for B.making up C.giving away D.turning down
9.A.remain B.change C.keep D.forget
10.A.since B.while C.and D.but
11.A.occasion B.moment C.period D.situation
12.A.cat B.surprise C.toy D.pleasure
13.A.now that B.even if C.because D.unless
14.A.love B.hope C.dream D.faith
15.A.casual B.permanent C.smart D.old
Here’s a new reason to be an optimist. 1. Pessimists, of course, might have suspected this all along-but now there’s actual research behind it.
Boston-area scientists found the most optimistic people live an average of 11 to 15 percent longer than their more pessimistic peers.
In previous studies, researchers have found that more optimistic people tend to have lower risk of diseases and early death, said Lewina Lee, the lead researcher and a psychiatry professor at Boston University School of Medicine. “2.“
Optimists generally expect good things to happen in the future and feel like they can control important outcomes. They tend to stay positive whatever comes their way.
3. There’s good news: The mind-set is about 25 percent hereditary (遗传的). Lee said, meaning people have some control over their level of good thoughts. She said people can become more optimistic by imagining a future in which their goals have been reached.
To conduct their research. Lee and the other scientists compared results from two independently conducted studies-one that followed nearly 70,000 women for a decade and another that followed about 1,400 men for 30 years. 4. They ranked themselves on statements including in uncertain times, “I usually expect the best” or “I'm always optimistic about my future.”
The conclusion that optimistic people tend to live longer holds true regardless of other factors, Lee said.
The study leaves one question unanswered: 5. Although it's unclear, the researchers believe optimists may be better at regulating stressors and bouncing (反弹) back I from upsetting events. Optimists also generally have healthier habits, like exercising more and smoking less.
A.Not a natural optimist?
B.Our study took it one step further.
C.Why are optimists likely to live longer?
D.Why do women generally live longer than men?
E.An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
F.People self-reported their optimism on questionnaires.
G.Those who see the glass as half full, according to a new study, live longer.
Over the past year, companies have been rolling out electric scooters (踏板车) by the thousands in cities across the country from Milwaukee to Washington, D. C. to Lubbock, Texas. People download the app, find a nearby scooter and then just unlock and ride. But as these shared scooters have spread, so have concerns about safety.
Portland, Oregon in the middle of a four-month e-scooter pilot program. You see these scooters everywhere — parked on sidewalks (they don't require docking stations, which most shared bikes do), taking fast corners and going through traffic. But something you don't see much of helmets.
On a recent weekend, a 32-year-old woman who didn't want to give her name because she's breaking the city's helmet rule is riding for the first time with some of her friends. None of them are wearing helmets, which both the city and the scooter company require with good reason. “One of our friends almost just got run over. The brake lights on theirs don't work,” she says.
Part of the draw of these scooters is their flexibility — most riders we talked to jumped on a scooter on the spur of the moment. And, given the fact that most people would not want to share helmets with strangers they don't come with helmets attached. So people end up riding without any safety gear.
Yet this is against the rules, but many people just don’t want to carry around helmets. Data from bicycles suggest that people participating in share programs have lower rates of accidents than those using their own vehicle. And many transportation advocates point to the fact that helmet requirements deter bike usage.
Still helmets provide protection. Riding a scooter is very different from riding a bike.
And people on e-scooters are starting to show up in emergency rooms with injuries.” We've seen things from broken bones to punctured (刺穿) lungs.” says Catherine Juillard, a doctor at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
1.What does the 32-year-old woman want to convey?
A.Riding a scooter is difficult. B.Riding a scooter is dangerous.
C.E-scooters are of poor quality. D.E-scooters bring great convenience.
2.Why are e-scooters not equipped with helmets?
A.Because of high cost. B.Because of people's habit.
C.Because they are not effective. D.Because they are not necessary.
3.What does the underlined word “deter” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A.Limit. B.Allow. C.Decide. D.Promote.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.To Wear or Not to Wear helmets? B.E-Scooters Do More Harm Than Good.
C.How to Reduce the Risk of E-Scooters? D.With E-Scooters Come Safety Concerns.
New Mexico has announced a plan to make public colleges and universities free for all people in the state, a Proposal considered one of the most ambitious attempts in education these years.
The plan, if approved, would allow students, regardless of household income, to attend any of the 29 states public colleges and universities. State officials estimate that the program, officially called the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, will help 55,000 students each year attend college.
Calling the plan “the moonshot for higher education,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle LujanGrisham announced it on Wednesday at the New Mexico Higher Education Summit in Albuquerque. “It means better enrollment (注册). It means better students' success. In the long run, it means economic growth, improved outcomes for New Mexico workers and thinkers and parents,” Lujan Grisham said, “It means a better trained workforce.”
Twenty other states have set up tuition free education programs for two-year community colleges. And New York created a scholarship program to allow students to go to public colleges and universities without paying tuition. But there are household income requirements and other rules, including that receivers live and work in New York for several years after graduating. The New Mexico proposal has no such restrictions. And some experts wonder if the lack of program regulations is one of its disadvantages.
Wil Del Pilar, the vice president for higher education at The Education Trust, said there is a risk that wealthier students will benefit the most in the program, since there are no income requirements. “When you have limited state dollars, I would argue that we should target those dollars toward those who struggle the most to pay,” Del Pilar told NPR.
Like the New York s scholarship program, New Mexico's covers just tuition, not other living costs. To Del Pilar that is a problem. He said the promise of free college takes more than eliminating (取消) tuition. Paying for housing, meals, books and transportation are still challenges for many low-income students, he said.
1.What's the purpose of the New Mexico plan?
A.To reform the system of education.
B.To improve the quality of education.
C.To attract more students around the world.
D.To make higher education more accessible.
2.What was Lujan Grisham’s attitude towards the New Mexico plan?
A.A little doubtful. B.A little confused.
C.Full of curiosity. D.Full of confidence.
3.Compared with the New Mexico plan, the New York program .
A.has fewer restrictions B.benefits more students
C.has more requirements D.covers more living costs
4.What is the problem with the New Mexico plan according to Del Pilar?
A.It is limited to tuition. B.It doesn't include tuition.
C.It opens to all college students. D.It's only available to poor students.
I didn't grow up in a very loving family. In fact, there are few, if any, happy memories I have of my childhood involving my family members. My happiest moments were spent with the few friends I was allowed to have. My family eventually distanced from all the neighbors. So the time came when I didn't even have neighborhood kids to play with. So, I learned to spend my time reading, discovering nature and setting and achieving small goals for myself.
There was another family in town that was quite similar to mine. They had a lot of children like my own family. They attended the same church. I always wondered what it would be like if my family were more like them. They never knew it, but I watched them and admired hem. They were happy and close — everything I wished my family could be.
Decades Later I found myself back at that very same church I had left behind. This time I was in that church for my mother's funeral. As I approached the church for the funeral, memories came flooding back home. I remembered the warm, kind smiles of that family when I was a child.
After the funeral service, I heard a familiar voice call my name. I turned around and he was there, the father of that, family I had admired when I was young. He was a church volunteer for my mother's funeral lunch. We chatted for a bit. I pointed out my happy child to him and it was at that point I realized I was raising my boy in a way I had seen him raise his own children so long ago. He didn't realize it, but my son s life has been greatly affected by him.
Live your life with virtue.You never know who’s watching, who you will inspire and whose life you'll change.
1.What do we learn about the author's parents?
A.They got along well with each other.
B.They were good at educating children.
C.They didn't love the author very much.
D.They didn't do well in dealing with people.
2.Why did the author go back to the town decades later?
A.To meet the man. B.To visit the church.
C.To work as a volunteer. D.To handle something personal.
3.Which of the following words can best describe the man?
A.Reliable. B.Humorous.
C.Kind-hearted. D.Hardworking.
4.What message does the author intend to convey?
A.Try to build a happy family. B.Watch your words and deeds.
C.Learn from others all the time. D.Help others whenever possible.
Break Through the Noise
By Tim Staples & Josh Young
The chance of getting a video onto YouTube's front page is 1-in-20, 000, 000, but Tim Stales, founder and CEO of Shareability, knows how to make the algorithms (算法) of Google, and Facebook work for you — and he has the results to prove it, with a business that has gotten their videos onto You videos onto YouTube's front page an amazing 25. Here he shows marketers, businessmen, and those who want to be famous can develop clever videos that collect millions of views.
Girl, stop Apologizing.
By Rachel Hollis
Rachel Hollis has seen it too often: women not living into their full potential. In Girl, Stop Apologizing, Rachel Hollis sounds a wake-up call. She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in light of other people — whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee — instead of learning how to know who they are and what they want.
The Ride of a Lifetime
By Robert Iger
Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2005, during a difficult time. Competition was more intense than ever and technology was changing faster than at any time in the company's history. In The Ride of a Lifetime, Robert Iger shares the lessons he's learned while running Disney and leading its 200, 000 employees, and he explores the principles that are necessary for true leadership.
Stillness Is the Key
By Ryan Holiday
In Stillness is the Key, Holiday shows why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead. All great leaders, thinkers, artists, and athletes share one quality. It enables them to concentrate, to achieve happiness and to do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness to be steady while the world spins (旋转) around you.
1.What docs Break Through the Noise intend to teach us?
A.How to avoid noises. B.How to share videos.
C.How to attract attention. D.How to become wealthy.
2.What is The Ride of a Lifetime mainly about?
A.Some life lessons. B.Some personal stories.
C.Ways to live a happy life. D.Ways to manage a business.
3.Which of the following can help us to stay focused?
A.Break Through the Noise. B.Girl, Stop Apologizing.
C.The Ride of a Lifetime. D.Stillness Is the Key.
