I was fifteen years when Dad called my two younger brothers and me into the entertainment room of our house．I was ______! I thought we would play games or even see movies together! "Bring a notebook and something to write with," said my dad _______we reached the entertainment room．My brothers and I stopped dead in our tracks and _______ each other in horror! His request was unusual, and our excitement turned to_____．We_______that games or movies were not the reason we were called out．
As we went back for a notebook and pencil, we _______to think about the reason for this gathering．We thought family meeting was not _______because Mom was out shopping．In the entertainment room, we found three chairs ________a huge blackboard．Dad asked us to sit down．"I want your full______．We are going to have a weekly meeting every Saturday morning．That is ____ I've called you here," he said, sounding businesslike．"I'm going to teach you what I've learned about life．So take it___．"
For the next five years, rain or sunshine, in sickness or in health．Dad _______us once a week．He taught us on a variety of _______—manners, the importance of education, respect for others, home repairs, and the list went _______．We filled one notebook after another, which we all _______well．
As I came to my eighteenth birthday, the lessons became________lessons and then every other month, until they slowly drifted away．My brothers and I were older, and we had school activities, sports activities and job responsibilities that became very _______to manage．
It's been years now since we had those classes with Dad．We are________with careers （事业） and wives of our own．Very often, _____, one of us has a situation where we need help from Dad．At this time, we________take out our notebooks; we needn't call home．
1.A. surprised B. eager C. disappointed D. excited
2.A. unless B. before C. until D. since
3.A. stare at B. aim at C. seek for D. pay attention to
4.A. amazement B. sadness C. fear D. relief
5.A. decided B. appreciated C. hoped D. admitted
6.A. wanted B. continued C. refused D. forgot
7.A. convenient B. important C. interesting D. possible
8.A. turning to B. connecting with C. faced with D. making up
9.A. attention B. imagination C. attraction D. consideration
10.A. because B. when C. where D. why
11.A. seriously B. logically C. hopefully D. faithfully
12.A. protected B. helped C. taught D. joined
13.A. methods B. contents C. problems D. subjects
14.A. on B. with C. up D. by
15.A. used B. kept C. understood D. knew
16.A. weekly B. regular C. monthly D. informal
17.A. foolish B. difficult C. necessary D. unusual
18.A. grown B. familiar C. bored D. careful
19.A. instead B. therefore C. however D. besides
20.A. just B. seldom C. still D. hardly
Why Don’t Students Like School?
Most of the teachers I know entered the job because they loved school as children. 1. However, they are understandably discouraged when they find that some of their students don’t like school much, and that they, the teachers, have great difficulty inspiring them. Why is it difficult to make school enjoyable for students?
As a matter of fact , the brain is not designed for thinking. It’s designed to ask you not to have to think, because the brain is actually not very good at thinking. Thinking is slow and unreliable. 2.People like to solve problems, but they do not like to work on problems that cannot be solved. If schoolwork is always just a bit too difficult for a student, it should be no surprise that he doesn’t like school much.3.
What is the nature of being human? 4. Many people would answer that it is our ability to reason that makes us different—birds can fly, fish can swim, and humans can think . (By thinking I mean solving problems, reasoning, reading something complex, or doing any mental work that requires some effort.) Shakespeare thought highly of our cognitive(认知) ability in Hamlet: “What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason!” Some three hundred years later, however, Henry Ford came up with a quite different opinion, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few people are interested in it.” They both had a point of view. Humans are good at certain types of reasoning, especially compared to other animals, but we hardly often exercise those abilities. 5.Thinking is not only painful, as Ford noted, it’s also slow and unreliable.
A. A cognitive scientist would add another point of view, “Humans don’t think very often because our brains are designed not for thought but for escaping from thought.”
B. What sets us apart from other species?
C. Of course you could make each decision with care and thought.
D. However, people enjoy thinking if it is successful.
E. Therefore, teachers should reconsider how they encourage their students to think, in order to make thinking enjoyable enough for students to go after.
F. If we are all so bad at thinking, how does anyone get through the day?
G. They want to help their students feel the same excitement and passion for learning that they felt.
England's highest main-line railway station is in serious trouble, deserted and unmanned since it was officially closed in 1970, Dent, located high in the hills of Yorkshire, wakes up on six summer weekends each year, when a special train unloads walkers, sightseers and people who simply want to catch a train from the highest station to its platforms.
But even this limited being may soon be brought to an end. Dent station located on the Settel to Carlisle railway line, is said to be surrounded by the most beautiful scenery in the country. But no amount of scenic beauty can save the line because of the British Rail's money problems.
It is now an open secret that British Rail sees no future for this railway line. Most of its trains disappeared some time ago. Bridges, built a century ago, are falling down. It is not alone. Half a dozen railway routes in the North of England are facing a similar threat. The problem is an old system and an almost total lack of cash to repair it. Bridges and tunnels are showing their ages, the wooden supports for the tracks are rotting（腐烂） and engines and coaches(车厢) are getting old.
On main lines between large cities, the problem is not too bad. There lines still make a profit and cash can be found to keep them in good condition. But on the country branch line, the situation is different. As track wears out, it is not replaced. Instead speed limits are introduced, making the journey longer than necessary and discouraging travelers.
If a bridge is dangerous, there is often only one thing for British Rail to do: go out and find money from another places. This is exactly what it did a few months ago when a bridge at Bridling station was threatening to fall down. Repairs were calculated at 200,000 pounds just for one bridge, so British Rail was pleased, and rather surprised when two local councils(理事会) offered half that amount of money.
1.Of all the railway routes in Britain, the one which passes through Dent
A. is the most historic.
B. passes through the most attractive countryside.
C. is the most expensive route for tourists.
D. carries the greatest number of tourists.
2.What is the most urgent（ 迫切的）problem for many country railway lines ?
A. Rebuilding bridges.
B. Repairing engines.
C. Renewing coaches.
D. Replacing stations.
3.Who would appear to be the people most affected by the difficulties facing the British Rail?
A. The people who do much business.
B. The groups who are organized .
C. Large city people and local people.
D. The people who want to have holidays for touring.
4.How should British Rail improve the financial situation of the country railway lines?
A. By bringing in speed limits
B. By decreasing preserving costs.
C. By increasing train fares
D. By asking local councils for help
Hello friends,
This is Christmas Week, when you may have any emotions of happiness or sadness, pain or panic, fears or frustrations. Put the negative emotions aside and focus on building better relationships with our tips below.
Relationship Tips for Getting Along at the Holidays
1. Speak Your Love in Words. The best gift you can give another person is words of praise, thankfulness, and appreciation from your lips.
2. Hear What Your Friends and Family are Voicing Their Stress. Listen carefully to those around you -- a gift that will lower their stress.
3. Center Your Heart. Focus on the true, deeper meaning of the holiday season. This will help everyone become easier to get along with because the heart of Christmas will remain whole.
4. Ask those who are celebrating with you what their expectations are. Communicate the plans clearly so people feel informed.
5. Be prepared for changes. Don't be a Christmas Scrooge ordering family around. Instead slow the pace, be agreeable, and give choices so that you create an environment of connecting and sharing.
6. Take Time for being Romantic. The greatest gift you can give your husband or wife, children, and friends is harmony at home.
7. Express Your Joy. Make memories (and take lots of pictures) by making the most of all your relationships. Capture the best moments with your camera.
-----------------------------
*** Get the rest of the10 Holiday Tips from each of 14 Experts like this in Simplify Your Holiday Season, available HERE. Get one of the 50 free copies on a first-come, first-served basis or a 50% discount off $30 by Jan 1.2017.
Mark Your Calendar（日历） for January 4 & 5 our free next online workshop "New Year, New You: Maximize Your Time, Minimize Your Weight."
--------------------------
Have a very lovely Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope I prepared you well for Christmas, since over 1,000 people downloaded my 8 week Holiday Plan. I hope you were one of them and are peaceful and ready.
Warmly,
Marcia Ramsland, The Holiday Coach
www.OrganizingPro.com/Holidays
"Coaching Busy People to Make Every Day Count!"
1.According to the author, what can we infer from this passage?
A.negative emotions such as pain will not be experienced at Christmas time.
B.You can become the center and keep complaining about your trouble until your stress is gone.
C.You must try your best to spend some private time with your family or friends.
D.You can make strict rules for everybody to follow so that every activity is well-planned.
2.What kind of people need their next online workshop?
A.People who want to have a good relationship with family and friends.
B.People who want to make good use of their time and keep in a good shape.
C.People who want to make their holiday season simpler and more meaningful.
D.People who downloaded her 8 week Holiday Plan.
3.This passage is most likely to be ______.
A.an email between business partners
B.an email for advertising.
C.an email from an employer to the employees
D.an email between close friends
When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.
Early artists drawing these animals achieved a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or going on hands and knees into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex.
Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside.
Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are hardly recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.
1.Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
A. Wild Animals in Art
B. Hidden Prehistoric Paintings
C. Exploring Caves Respectfully
D. Determining the Age of French Caves
2.What does the underlined phrase “pays heed to” in paragraph 2 probably means?
A. discovers B. watches
C. notices D. buys
3.Why was painting inside the Lascaux complex a difficult task?
A. It was completely dark inside.
B. The caves were full of wild animals.
C. Painting materials were hard to find.
D. Many painting spaces were difficult to reach.
4.According to the passage, all of the following have caused damage to the paintings EXCEPT _______.
A. temperature changes B. air movement
C. water D. light
"Bill, you never miss！"Joe said admiringly. "Unless I'm in a real game, "Bill complained. "Then I miss all the time. " Joe knew that Bill was right. Bill performed much better when he was having fun with Joe in the schoolyard than he did when he was playing for the school team in front of a large crowd. " Maybe you just need to practice more, "Joe suggested. "But I practice all the time with you！"Bill said. He shook his head. " I just can't play well when people are watching me. " "You play well when I'm watching, " Joe pointed out. "That's because I've known you since we were five years old, "Bill said with a smile. " I'm just not comfortable playing when other people are around. " Joe nodded and understood, but he also had an idea.
The next day Joe and Bill met in the schoolyard again to practice. After a few minutes, Joe excused himself. " Practice without me, "Joe said to his friend. "I'll be back in a minute. "
Joe hurried through the school building, gathering together whomever he could find-two students, a math teacher, two secretaries, and a coach. When Joe explained why he needed them, everyone was happy to help. Joe reminded（提醒）the group to stay quiet as they all went toward the school's basketball court. As Joe had hoped, Bill was still practicing basketball. He made five baskets in a row without noticing the silent people standing behind him.
"Hey, Bill" Joe called out finally. Bill turned. A look of surprise came over his face. "I just wanted to show you that you could play well with people watching you," Joe said. "Now you'll have nothing to worry about for the next game!"
1.What would be the best title for the story?
A.Joe Joins the Team
B.Practice Makes Perfect
C.Bill Wins the Big Game
D.Bill's Basketball Problem
2.Which of the following caused Bill to feel upset？
A.That he played better in practice than he did during games.
B.That the schoolyard is not a good place to practice.
C.That Joe watched him too closely when he played.
D.That his team had lost too many games.
3.Why did Joe decide to gather a group of people？
A.Because he wanted more players for his team.
B.Because he wanted to help Bill feel less nervous.
C.Because he wanted to show them his talent.
D.Because he wanted more people to see the next game.
4.What can we infer from the passage？
A.The group had to be quiet because they did not want Bill to know they were there.
B.Bill played well in front of Joe because he wanted to prove to Joe he was a good player.
C.Six people including his basketball coach were watching Bill playing in the end.
D.Bill made five baskets in a row after he saw the group of people behind him.
