I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard the young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s this lady here, my_______!”
The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to_______.
I smiled and told her: “It’s okay.” Then I talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darry Kramer. How are you?” He_______ me from head to toe, and asked: “Are you a little_______?”
“Yes, I have a son,” I answered. “Why are you so little?” he asked.
“It’s the way I was_______,”I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand, and left.
My life as a little person is filled with_______like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.
It takes only one glance to see my_______. I stand 114 cm tall. I was born a dwarf (侏儒)._______ so, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.
I didn’t_________ how short I was until I started school. Some kids picked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to____________ the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I ______________ to climb the school bus stairs.
But I learned to smile and____________the fact that I was going to be____________my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I____________ in personality.
I’m 47 now, and the stares have not______________as I’ve grown older. People are____________when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I____________myself: “Look what else I have — a great family, nice friends.”
It’s the children’s questions that make my life____________. I enjoy answering their questions. My______________is that people will accept their peers (同龄人), no matter what size and shape they come in, and treat them with____________
1.A.weight B.size C.shape D.personality
2.A.scold B.explain C.apologize D.reply
3.A.studied B.identified C.inspected D.checked
4.A.lady B.mummy C.person D.girl
5.A.raised B.viewed C.treated D.born
6.A.excuses B.pains C.stares D.stories
7.A.shortcoming B.difference C.ugliness D.shyness
8.A.Just B.Even C.If D.Or
9.A.admit B.care C.fear D.realize
10.A.hate B.tolerate C.forget D.ignore
11.A.determined B.struggled C.managed D.learned
12.A.refuse B.enjoy C.consider D.accept
13.A.exposed B.pitied C.noticed D.avoided
14.A.made up for B.ended up with C.kept track of D.made use of
15.A.increased B.decreased C.improved D.changed
16.A.scared B.satisfied C.amazed D.puzzled
17.A.remind B.inform C.warn D.praise
18.A.fantastic B.meaningless C.embarrassing D.special
19.A.promise B.intention C.hope D.advantage
20.A.respect B.frankness C.sympathy D.emotion
Friendships can be sources of joy and sources of sorrow. There isn’t exactly a rule book on what to do when things get tense or bad.1..
Broken promises
Jan Yager, a specialist in this field often hears from people who’ve been hurt by a friend’s broken promise. Dr. Yager likes to point out we don’t have formal contracts with friends where we’ve agreed to never disappoint each other. Therefore if you bring a fantasy about what the ideal friend will do in any situation to a relationship, 2..
When things feel unbalanced
Maybe you feel like you’re always sharing about your life, but your friend doesn’t open up about hers. It’s common for relationships to experience periods where things are unbalanced. Maybe one friend is going through a breakup and needs extra support. It’s also possible another friend simply has more to discuss at any given time. 3..
4.
It doesn’t feel great when you check Facebook Monday morning to find out that your friends went on a weekend getaway without you. Scott Christnelly, another specialist, says, “I encourage clients to express their feelings about it but also not to jump to conclusions.” Then find someone else to talk to — maybe, a family member, or a close friend (not the one who went on the trip) — to explain how you feel. If you do make conversations, 5..
A.Feeling left out
B.Feeling stressed out
C.you are expecting too much of your friend
D.you are setting yourself up for disappointment
E.you can brainstorm what might have happened and how you will respond
F.In times like these, it’s important that you practice becoming a better listener
G.Here are tips on how to manage the common relationship difficulties from specialists
Dutch officials toasted on Tuesday the opening of what is being called the world’s first 3D-printed concrete bridge, which is meant to be used by cyclists. There was applause as officials wearing hard hats and workmen’s jackets rode over the bridge on their bikes at the opening ceremony in the southeastern town of Gemert.
“The bridge is not very big, but it was rolled out by a printer which makes it unique,” Theo Salet, from the Eindhoven University of Technology, told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Work on printing the bridge, which has some 800 layers, took about three months after starting in June and it is made of pre-stressed concrete, according to the university. “One of the advantages of printing a bridge is that much less concrete is needed than in the conventional technique in which a mould (泥浆) is filled,” it said on its website, adding “a printer deposits the concrete only where it is needed.”
The eight-metre (26-foot) bridge crosses a water-filled channel to connect two roads, and it was tested for safety to bear loads of up to two metric tons in cooperation with the BAM Infra Construction Company. “Although designed for bikes, it could take up to 40 trucks,”the designers said. “We are looking to the future,” said the head of BAM, Marinus Schimmel. “3D printing meant fewer rare resources were needed and there was significantly less waste,” he added.
The Netherlands is among countries, with the United States and China, taking a lead in this cutting-edge technology, using computers and robotics to construct objects and structures from scratch without using much traditional manpower. Last year a Dutch architect unveiled (提示) a unique 3D printer with which he hopes to construct an “endless loop” building. And a Dutch start-up called MX3D has begun printing a stainless-steel bridge, of which a third is already completed. The aim is to finish printing by March and lay the bridge over an Amsterdam canal in the future.
1.According to the text, what makes the bridge unique?
A.It adopts 3D printing.
B.It opens only to cyclists.
C.It is made of new material.
D.It uses much less concrete.
2.Which does Marinus Schimmel agree ?
A.In theory, it can support up to 40 bicycles.
B.The kind of bridge is energy-saving.
C.The kind of bridge is safer than traditional ones.
D.The technology has been used widely.
3.Which statement is true based on the last paragraph?
A.The project of an “endless loop” building has begun.
B.A stainless-steel bridge has been half constructed.
C.China is a country with advanced 3D printing.
D.3D printing technology needs no manpower.
4.Where can you read this passage?
A.News report. B.Engineering paper.
C.History textbook. D.Advertisement.
Can you be too beautiful? It is hardly a problem that most of us have to bother — as much as we might like to dream that it were the case.
Yet the blessings and curses of beauty have been a long-standing interest in psychology. Do those blessed with shiny faces and an attractive body live in a cloud of appreciation — or does it sometimes pay to be ordinary? At the most basic level, beauty might be thought to carry a kind of halo (光环) around it; we see that someone has one good quality, and by association, our deep mind may assume that they have other good ones too.
But if beauty pays in most circumstances, there are still situations where it can have opposite results. While attractive men may be considered better leaders, for instance, hidden sexist prejudices (偏见) can work against attractive women, making them less likely to be hired for high-level jobs that require power. And as you might expect, good-looking people of both sexes run into envy — one study found that if you are interviewed by someone of the same sex, they may be less likely to employ you if they judge that you are more attractive than they are.
More worryingly, being beautiful or handsome could harm your medical care. We tend to link good looks to health, meaning that illnesses are often taken less seriously when they affect the good-looking. When treating people for pain, for instance, doctors tend to take less care over the more attractive people.
To conclude, scientists point out that focusing too much on your appearance can itself be harmful if it creates stress and anxiety — even for those already blessed with good looks. “If you are crazy about attractiveness, it may affect your experience and interactions,” she says. It’s an outdated saying, but no amount of beauty can make up for a bad personality. As the writer Dorothy Parker put it so elegantly: “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”
1.From paragraph 1, we can learn that .
A.some may be bothered by their unattractive appearance
B.most people are not afraid of being too beautiful
C.we might always dream about being bothered by others
D.being too beautiful can be a problem bothering everyone
2.Which is right according to the passage?
A.Doctors care more about beautiful patients.
B.Beautiful people tend to have a healthy body.
C.Attractive women and men have equal chance of leadership.
D.Focusing too much on your appearance can be harmful.
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
A.The more beautiful outside, the less beautiful inside.
B.Beauty can help make a better personality.
C.Beauty cannot make up for bad personalities.
D.Ugly people have more confidence in their personality.
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A.What is Real Beauty? B.The Bad Effects of Beauty
C.Benefits of Beauty D.Beauty, a Blessing?
I was about 30 years old and was working as a firefighter in the South Bronx’s Engine Co. 82. It was a restful Sunday and between alarms I rushed to the office to read a copy of the New York Times. I read an article on the Book Review section which openly stated what I thought to be a calumny — that William Butler Yeats had gone beyond his Irishness and was forever to be known as a universal poet. As I read it, my blood began to boil.
There were few things I was more proud of than my Irish root, and ever since I first picked up a book of his poems from a shelf when I was in the military, Yeats had been my favorite Irish writer, followed by Sean O’Casey and James Joyce.
I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out a letter of anger to the editor. Throughout Yeats’ poetry, his view of the world and the people in it was basically Irish. He had lived his life and written his poetry in a truly Irish way. It was annoying to think Irishness was something to be transcended (超越).
I don’t know why I felt it my duty to safeguard the reputation of the world’s greatest poet. I just knew that I had to write that letter.
After my letter got published, I received a letter from The New Yorker, asking for an interview. When my article Fireman Smith appeared in that magazine, the editor of a large publishing firm called me, asking if I was interested in writing a book about my life. I had little confidence to write a whole book, though the subject was worthy. I wrote Report From Engine Co. 82 in six months, and it sold really well. In the years that followed, I wrote three more best-sellers.
Being a writer had been far from my expectations. How had it happened? I often found myself thinking about it, and my thoughts always came back to that letter to the New York Times. For me, the writing was a natural consequence of the passion (热情) I felt and the subjects represented the great values burning within me as I wrote.
Over the years, my five children have come to me with one dilemma or another. My answer is always the same. Think about what you’re feeling and measure the heat of the fire in your heart, for that is your passion. Your education and your experience will guide you toward making a right decision, but your passion will enable you to make a difference in whatever you do. That’s what I learned the day I stood up for Ireland’s greatest poet.
1.Why did the author write to New York Times?
A.To present his love for literature.
B.To spread Irish culture to the world.
C.To show off his writing.
D.To defend the reputation of an Irish poet.
2.What does the underlined word “calumny” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A.A false statement. B.A great honor.
C.A total lie. D.A good reason.
3.Which statement is true according to the text?
A.The author thinks Yeats is more universal than Irish.
B.The author’s passion is the key to his success in writing.
C.Yeats’s poems inspires the author to be a writer.
D.The author believes education and experience count most.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Yeats, my Irish hero
B.My writing career
C.A letter that changed my life
D.Honesty is the best policy
Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare’s World
Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in1564 and where he grew up. The property remained in the ownership of Shakespeare’s family until 1806. The House has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world for over 250 years.
Enter through the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare’s World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.
Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.
Discover examples of furniture and needlework from Shakespeare’s period.
Enjoy the traditional English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet’s works.
The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map, nearest is Windsor Street (3 minutes’ Walk)
The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre, its exhibition and the garden are accessible to wheelchair users.
The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).
OPENING TIMES: 20 Mar to 19 Oct Mon to Sat: 9:00am to 5:00pm Sun: 9:30am to 5:00 pm 20 Oct to 19 Mar Mon to Sat: 9:30am to 4:00pm Sun: 10:00am to 4:00pm |
ADMISSIONS: Adult £4.90 Child £2.20 Family £ 12.00 (2 adults + up to 3 children) |
1.How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children?
A.£12.00. B.£14.20.
C.£9.80. D.£16.40.
2.Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace?
A.Behind the exhibition hall. B.At Windsor Street.
C.Opposite the Visitors’ Centre. D.Near the Coffee House.
3.A wheelchair user may need help to enter .
A.the exhibition hall B.the garden
C.the Visitors’ Centre D.the House
