When my husband and I moved back to the United States years ago, we had been living an adventurous life on a boat overseas. We moved to Maine and fell in love with a piece of land. It came with a huge farmhouse much larger than we needed. We went rapidly from living in an extremely small space on the water with only two bags to a life on land as a family of four in a big house jammed with stuff.
How did we end up with so much stuff? We just didn't see things piling up so quickly. It's an embarrassment of riches. It's an overabundance. And it's burying us.
A couple of weeks ago, going through a pile of books I’d organized, I found my late mother's now-twenty-year-old copy of “Simplify Your Life" by Elaine St. James. I’d read it a number of times, adding my own penciled notes and folding down more pages.
Wondering if St. James wrote other books on the topic, I began an Internet search that led me deeper and deeper into simplicity, and a concept that was new to me, zero waste. I sensed that what was missing from our life, from our home, was emptiness. My house can't breathe, it's no wonder I feel like I can't either.
Now, my husband and I have undertaken an experiment that we hope will lead to a major lifestyle shift for our whole family. I first started to declutter and downsize by cleaning my kitchen. I emptied out my cupboards and drawers. I put everything needed on our dining-room table. Everything else went into a huge bin for sale. My drawers are beautiful now and I’m content to take this step.
Like any new beginning, there are hesitations. But in a few months, we will move into a new house less than half the size of the one we have. Can my two kids adjust to the idea of reducing their two separate rooms to one small shared bedroom with just a few toys? I can see I'm still thinking about what I will lose. But what I hope becomes clearer is what we will gain by letting go.
1.How did the author feel about the life back to the United States?
A.She enjoyed the new spacious house.
B.She loved the abundance of materials.
C.She complained about owning too much.
D.She desired a much richer life.
2.Why did the author mention Elaine St. James and her book?
A.To show what a great influence James had on her.
B.To advise more people to read James's book.
C.To indicate how her late mother liked reading.
D.To explain why a simple life counts to everyone.
3.What does the underlined word “declutter" mean in Para 5?
A.recover B.remove
C.prepare D.escape
4.What is the author doing according to the last paragraph?
A.Persuading her kids to live simply.
B.Reflecting her hesitations about letting go.
C.Questioning her sudden change on life.
D.Missing her life on the boat.
Harvard Summer Programs for High School Students
Are you a high school student aged 15 to 18? Then consider spending your summer at Harvard, where you can explore a variety of college-level courses, live and learn alongside a diverse set of peers, thus paving the way for a successful college experience you desire before your real college life. It is also an opportunity to expand your worldview, meet new people from all over the globe, and gain valuable knowledge and skills.
Pre-College Program
A two-week experience featuring noncredit courses
Join other curious high school students on campus at Harvard, and explore topics as wide ranging as American law, philosophy, public speaking, the sciences, and writing. The program features:
★On-campus housing with fellow pre-college students.
★Structured days with weekday class meetings and pre-college activities.
During your two weeks at Harvard, you attend class for three hours a day and participate in college readiness workshops or team-building events. In the evenings, you eat in the dining hall, finish homework in your room, and attend social activities.
Secondary School Program
College courses for credit in a seven-week session
This is your test-drive of college. At Harvard, you are fully involved in college life— balancing time between classes, homework, and after-school activities.
The program features：
★College courses you attend alongside current college students from around the world.
★Credit you can transfer to a college in the future.
★The choice to live on campus, commute, or study online.
★The freedom to schedule your days.
You may choose to enroll in one or two courses. Outside the classroom, you can attend workshops, take trips to nearby colleges, and join in activities like sports and musical pursuits. A healthy balance of organized events and free time allows you the independence you will find in college.
1.What will the Summer Programs help the participants to do?
A.Adapt to the college life in advance. B.Become a would-be college student.
C.Get an admission to Harvard. D.Change high school courses.
2.What does the Pre-College Program allow the participants to do?
A.Organize events as assistant teachers.
B.Study together with current college students.
C.Get credit needed for college courses.
D.Live on campus with other pre-college students.
3.What feature does the Secondary School Program have?
A.Some job opportunities are offered.
B.Students can take courses in a flexible way.
C.It provides chances to explore the world.
D.Specially-designed tests are included.
假设你是李华，你发现很多同学不吃早饭，经常熬夜等不健康的生活方式。学校校报的英语专栏正在开展以”健康生活方式”为主题的英文征文活动，你打算投稿。请根据以下提示的信息写一篇英语短文。
1. 指出现在部分同学生活不健康的现象；
2. 结合实际提出建议。
注意:词数100左右。
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阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
We humans are only born with one set of eyes, so it’s our job to take care of1.(they) for our whole lives. The good news is that if we do a few simple2.(thing) every day, we can protect our eyesight (视力) and reduce the risk of3.(hurt) our eyes.
Almost all doctors keep telling us4.(eat) lots of fresh fruit and vegetables so we can have good eyesight. Furthermore, we need to protect our eyes when we spend long periods5.bright sunlight. The best way to do this is to wear sunglasses6.have 100% UV protection. Besides, it is important to protect our eyes when we work with7.( danger) chemicals(化学物质). For this reason we should always wear goggles (护目镜) in chemistry labs at work or at school.8.(final), we should not spend too much time in front of the computer or television screen. That is why if we have to use a computer for a long time, doctors suggest we take9.short break every fifteen or thirty minutes.
Having good eyesight10.(be) important. As the popular English expression goes, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.”
I still remember an old lady, a customer on the paper route in my hometown when I was 12 years old. She taught me a lesson in__________that I shall never forget.
On a(n) ________afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the__________of the old lady's house. The stone that I found was too smooth, ________it slipped from my hand as I let it go and________straight not for the covering on top of the house but for a small window on the house's back porch. At the sound of broken glass, we knew we were________.We turned and ________.
I was too ________ about getting caught that first night to be concerned about the old lady with the broken window in the freezing weather. However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been________, I started to feel guilty about her______________.She still greeted me with a smile each day________I gave her the paper , but I was no longer able to act comfortably in her ________.
I________my mind that I would save my money delivering paper. And after three weeks I had seven dollars that I calculated would pay for her window . I put the money in an envelope with a note________that I was sorry for breaking her window and________that the seven dollars would cover the cost of repairing it.
I waited until it was dark , moved________to the old lady ' s house and put the letter I didn ' t sign through the letter slot in her door . I felt ________ and could have the freedom of , once again , looking straight into the old lady's kind eyes .
The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and was able to ________ the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of cookies she had made herself. I thanked her and started to eat the cookies as I continued my________.
After several cookies . I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope , I was ________. Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said , " I'm proud of you.”
1.A.selflessness B.talent C.bravery D.forgiveness
2.A.winter B.summer C.spring D.autumn
3.A.window B.basement C.roof D.access
4.A.but B.so C.for D.or
5.A.landed B.left C.dragged D.headed
6.A.in trouble B.in many ways C.in danger D.in charge
7.A.got around B.sit around C.ran away D.hung out
8.A.embarrassed B.scared C.disappointed D.ashamed
9.A.discovered B.scolded C.punished D.involved
10.A.misunderstanding B.misbehavior C.misfortune D.mistake
11.A.until B.unless C.since D.when
12.A.encouragement B.presence C.company D.comfort
13.A.made up B.took up C.meet with D.picked up
14.A.proving B.showing C.convincing D.explaining
15.A.predicted B.declared C.hoped D.witnessed
16.A.hurriedly B.quietly C.patiently D.firmly
17.A.confused B.concerned C.relieved D.frustrated
18.A.abandon B.return C.understand D.respect
19.A.effort B.study C.journey D.route
20.A.shocked B.satisfied C.annoyed D.amused
Asking for help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. In American culture, the independent individual is seen as their ideal. As the University of Missouri at St. Louis states on its website under the heading Key American Values, “Americans have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.” The value also makes them think they can do everything themselves, and makes them feel bad about asking for help when they need it.
And when it comes to work situations, when they think about asking for help there, sometimes they fear that a request for help would make them look inept. While this has always been true for men, many women in the workplace have felt the need to try twice as hard as their male colleagues and do twice as much to get just as far and to prove their worth. Sometimes when we think about asking for help, our inner voices tell us, “See, if you admit you can’t do this on your own, they’ll see you for the imposter (骗子) you really are.”
But the fact is, even though individualism is on the rise, we can’t do everything by ourselves and we shouldn’t try.
Apple founder Steve Jobs once told the Santa Clara Valley Historical Association about the power of asking for help, and how he “never found anybody who didn’t want to help me when I asked them for help”. He said, at the age of 12, he called Bill Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, on the phone after getting his number from the phone book and asking him for spare parts so he could build a frequency counter(计频器). And Hewlett agreed and offered young Jobs a summer job assembling frequency counters.
“If you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far,” Jobs said.
1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A.What key American values are. B.Why Americans refuse to ask for help.
C.Asking for help is a sign of strength. D.Americans are responsible for their life.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “inept” in Paragraph 2?
A.impolite B.depressed C.incompetent D.sensitive
3.What can be learned from this US cultural phenomenon?
A.Americans suffer a lot from mutual distrust.
B.Americans see weakness as a sign of strength.
C.Americans should learn to build up confidence.
D.Americans think highly of individual values.
4.What can we learn from Jobs’ words in the last paragraph?
A.Don’t hesitate to ask for help. B.Be brave to try whatever you want.
C.Never ask for help. D.Learn to cooperate with others.
