For me, two of the loveliest words in English are “Life persists”.
I _______ them years ago as a college student, sitting in the library, _______, working on a paper. Out of nowhere, those words came _______ off the page in a quote: “In the midst of death life persists, in the midst of _______ truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.”
Suddenly I wasn’t unhappy and impatient any more. Then I _______ my granddad. I loved to talk with him. And I was _______ to hear what he’d think of it. He had poor hearing, so I had to _______ it a few times, but once he _______ it, he laughed. “All I can say to that is totally _______,”he said on the phone. I told him how glad I was, after a long winter, to finally see spring and ________ to find that quote. “Why is that?” he asked. "Well, spring is a sure ________ that life persists. And it just makes me ________.”
He laughed again, and then in his ________ voice, he recited for me his ________“spring time” words: “The desert shall rejoice(高兴), and ________ as the rose does…Even with joy and singing.”
Many years later, ________ my husband and I drove across a desert with many wildflowers and blooming cactuses(仙人掌), I could ________ hear my granddad laughing: “The desert shall rejoice."
Life persists, and so do we, in the silence of ________ and the blooming of cactuses; and in the dead of ________ and the green of spring. Spring ________ us that we’re alive forever.
1.A. looked for B. came across C. picked out D. made up
2.A. bored B. worried C. tired D. confused
3.A. running B. dancing C. rushing. D. moving
4.A. fear B. doubt C. terror D. lie
5.A. called B. visited C. consulted D. informed
6.A. patient B. confident C. upset D. desperate
7.A. copy B. print C. repeat D. recite
8.A. got B. made C. undertook D. managed
9.A. puzzlement B. excitement C. agreement D. amusement
10.A. practically B. especially C. obviously D. naturally
11.A. way B. inspiration C. mark D. sign
12.A. nervous B. energetic C. merry D. alive
13.A. lovely B. calm C. cold D. high
14.A. impressive B. superb C. classical D. favorite
15.A. exist B. flower C. survive D. sow
16.A. after B. when C. until D. although
17.A. hardly B. always C. almost D. mostly
18.A. journeys B. words C. world D. desert
19.A. winter B. spring C. summer D. autumn
20.A. convinces B. ensures C. reminds D. strikes
Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways. 1. Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.
You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. 2. Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process. 3.
The following methods may work best for you.
● Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.
● Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.
● Write your notes in your own words.
● 4.
● Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.
As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand(速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time. 5.
A.Use words not complete sentences.
B.There are three practical note-taking methods.
C.You must write your notes on separate paper.
D.Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.
E.you will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.
F.That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.
G.First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.
With golden sunshine and a gentle breeze(微风), autumn is the most beautiful seasons in the year. This is a great time to go outside and have fun. Go to a valley to see red maple trees,go and pick fruit in an orchard or find an open field to fly your kite in.
However, for many high school students, these great activities may be just a dream. With plenty of work to do, they spend all their hours indoors, struggling for a high mark in their exams. Of course, study is one of the most important things for teenagers. But life is definitely much more than that.
Sometimes we spend so much time studying that we forget how to make life wonderful. In doing so, we lose the real purpose of life —to be a valuable and happy person. To enjoy just how great it is to be alive, we have to put down our books and pens and look around us. Students, take some exercise to improve your health, talk with your parents and friends for understanding and walk around outside to refresh(振作)our body and mind.
Going out and enjoying the beautiful countryside often helps our creativity in our work. Chinese craftsman, Lu Ban created a saw to help woodworkers. But if he hadn’t walked outside, he would not have been inspired by a kind of toothed(锯齿状的)grass. We could also suppose if Newton hadn’t rested under that apple tree, then he wouldn’t have been hit by an apple, and his classic(经典的)theories would not have come out.
Going out is not only a break from hard work, but a chance to add to life experience. So come on, give your brain a good rest. Step out of the books and get your bag ready for an autumn outing. We are sure you will get much more than knowledge from the exciting journey.
1.In which paragraph does the writer make a summary about his opinion?
A.Paragraph 1. B.Paragraph 2.
C.Paragraph 4. D.Paragraph 5.
2.Why is going out a dream for many high school students?
A.They are unhappy to do so.
B.They have too much work to do for getting high marks in the exams.
C.Their parents don’t allow them to do so.
D.They think study is the most important thing for them.
3.The passage is developed mainly by______________.
A.describing the beautiful scenery in Autumn
B.pointing out the present situation of high school students
C.making predictions
D.reasoning and giving examples
4.What message can you learn from the passage?
A.Going out can make high school students get more.
B.Nature is power.
C.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
D.The author isn’t happy with our education at all.
Language teachers, learners and other professionals across the USA are celebrating National Grammar Day on March 4. The holiday, created by Martha Brockenbrough in 2008, celebrates the rules and best practices for the English language. Brockenbrough is the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, or SPOGG, which operates a website where Brockenbrough writes about different language issues.
Mignon Fogarty, who is organizing National Grammar Day celebrations this year, wrote the book “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” Fogarty appeared on the NBC television program “Today” on Wednesday. She discussed new additions to the English language. “People think that dictionaries choose new words because they are proper, she said.” But mostly they choose words because people use them.”
The American Dialect Society chooses a word every year that is new or used in a new way .The choice for 2015 Word of the Year was “they,” used to refer to “he” or “she”. The Oxford English Dictionary adds new words after finding evidence people are using the words often. Researchers for the dictionary also look for evidence the words will be used well into the future.
Grammarly is a software application, or app, which can study writing and find grammar mistakes. In preparation for National Grammar Day, Grammarly studied the writing on the Twitter accounts of the 50 people with the most followers in the world and counted the average number of mistakes in their writing. Then the top 10 accounts with the fewest mistakes were listed.
Comedian Conan O’Brien had the best grammar. He averaged 0.21 mistakes for every 100 words he wrote. Businessman Bill Gates had the second best grammar, with an average of 0.22 mistakes. President Barack Obama came third with an average of 0.26 mistakes.
The National Grammar Day website has many resources for language learners. You can celebrate the day by reading our weekly series “Everyday Grammar.”
1.National Grammar Day is created to ________.
A.celebrate the birth of English grammar
B.improve the standard use of English
C.found the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar
D.publish diferent language issues
2.From the passage, we know new words are added in dictionaries mainly because they are ________.
A.properly used B.frequently used
C.newly used D.hardly used
3.Using Grammarly, we can ________.
A.read articles online B.correct errors in spelling
C.find grammar mistakes in writings D.check accounts of famous people
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Grammar is important to language learners.
B.Grammarly is a useful software application.
C.Famous people make fewer grammar mistakes.
D.National Grammar Day is celebrated in some way.
Ray Tokuda, a 54-year-old Japanese American, is proud of the title his school has given him. He is a shifu, a Chinese word meaning a master of martial arts.
He has been involved with Chinese martial arts for over four decades. After leaning them at the martial arts school in US New Mexico State, today he is among the most experienced kung fu teachers of the school.
Founded by a Chinese American in 1974, the training center accepts only those with stunning kung fu skills and a profound understanding of martial arts as its masters according to Shanti Thomas, general manager of the school.
Practicing martial arts two to three hours and helping students improve their skills have become Tokuda’s daily routine. Tokuda is teaching and learning at the same time now. He spends around 15 to 20 hours a week honing his skills and is also working on standardizing the Tai Chi curriculum for the training center.
He was sent to the martial arts school at 10, but he was unwilling in the beginning. His father had always wanted to learn Chinese martial arts but never got the chance, so he put him in.
He was afraid at that time because he thought kung fu was all about punching and kicking. But things changed after he learned that martial arts were more than that. “One of the things martial arts teach you is overcoming adversity (逆境),” Tokuda said. “As a little kid, my first lesson was that I could overcome it by diligence, perseverance and dedication.”
Learning Chinese martial arts was also an eye-opening experience because he could hear many ancient Chinese kung fu-related stories to better understand the essence of martial arts, Tokuda joined a China tour organized by his school in 2002. He described it as a martial arts pilgrimage (朝圣). “We went to Shaolin and Wudang and exchanged views and skills with kung fu masters there,” he said, fired by excitement while talking about the experience.
1.According to Shanti Thomas, who can be a master of the martial arts school?
A.One experienced in wushu and understanding its essence.
B.Those gifted and interested in martial arts.
C.Those having a good knowledge of martial arts.
D.One who knows many ancient martial arts stories.
2.What does the underlined word “honing” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Introducing. B.Improving.
C.Advertising. D.Displaying
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The martial arts school was founded by Shanti Thomas in 1974.
B.Tokuda paid a visit to Shaolin and Wudang by himself in 2002.
C.Tokuda spends about 15 to 20 hours a week training students.
D.Martial arts can teach one to overcome challenges.
4.Why was Ray Tokuda sent to learn Chinese martial arts?
A.Because he was crazy about Chinese culture.
B.Because he wanted to be a martial arts master.
C.Because his father had wanted to learn but could not.
D.Because his parents wanted to better understand Chinese culture.
Freelance writers Wanted
Associated Content is an online publishing platform that enables anyone to earn money by writing articles on the Web.
Writing for AC is a great work opportunity for students, stay-at-home parents and freelance writers –you can work on your own time and submit papers, reviews, essays, etc. on any topic that you have interest in. This is a job you can do from anywhere---all you need is access to the Internet.
Here’s how you get started:
1) Go to www. associatedcontent.com/join/hotjobs.
2) Follow the instructions to register.
3) Fill in your profile(简介),making note of your previous experience and your areas of experience (if any).
4) Start submitting articles. You’ll begin earning money as soon as your articles are published and the amount is based on the page views it receives.
In addition to our own library of content, we have hundreds of partners (Partner Content Team) who work with AC to obtain high-quality. As such, there are lots of opportunities for our most talented and productive writers to accept “Partner Assignments” on an as-needed basis.
If you’re interested in accepting higher paying Partner Assignments, send us a link to your AC profile once you have submitted at least five articles. We will review all submissions and pass them along to our Partner Content Team. If selected, you will start receiving special paid assignments from us on a regular basis, which you are free to accept or ignore.
NOTE: we pay our writers via PayPal daily.
Any questions? Email me: dernel@asociatedcontent.com
1.You can write for AC on condition that you .
A.have rich experience in writing
B.have access to the Internet
C.must register an account
D.must be free at home
2.How much you can earn for your published article depends on ___ .
A.the space it covers B.the topic it deals with
C.the opinion it voices D.the page views it receives
3.Partner Content Team is mentioned here to .
A.encourage people to write more articles for AC
B.lay stress on the importance of cooperation
C.seek more support from other business partners
D.show off its abundant library of content