An act of kindness doesn't have to be a grand gesture. Even those small acts of kindness can make a difference in someone's day. That was just the case for Amie Mickey when she _______ a bumper sticker on her car reading: You Matter.
Amie started to do this several years ago. At first, she wondered if people would_______it. However, much to her surprise, she began seeing a flood of _______ every time she hit the road. More often than not, people _______slowly near her car would roll down their windows, raising their_______,waving and smiling. Sometimes, she even found some sticky notes left on her windshield saying things like “You _______too! “Once while she was driving down the highway, she became_______ when a man driving a sports car at a high speed pulled his car alongside suddenly, waving and mouthing, “You matter!” Though it took her some time to recover from the_______,she still felt happy. Last year, someone _______ her car while she was waiting for her friend in the car by the roadside, saying to her, “It is a(an) ________sticker. I’ve seen various stickers before, but none of them have touched me as your sticker has done. “The two small words on the sticker seem simple enough, but they really struck a chord with many complete strangers who________to catch sight of the sticker.
Stories like Amie's really________the rest of us. Sometimes a kind word or gesture may lift our________ and it doesn't cost a thing except for a little extra thought. Maybe it means offering a friend a hug, praising the children when their children ________well in school, helping someone out or volunteering at animal shelters or shelters for the homeless. Acts of kindness are waiting everywhere. Small as they seem, they can make a ________ impact on the world, and help form general goodness.
1.A.tore up B.picked up C.fixed up D.put up
2.A.watch B.overlook C.notice D.neglect
3.A.attention B.strangers C.confusion D.trouble
4.A.running B.driving C.walking D.riding
5.A.voices B.hats C.shoulders D.thumbs
6.A.count B.share C.value D.matter
7.A.frightened B.frustrated C.embarrassed D.disappointed
8.A.parking B.speed C.incident D.event
9.A.approached B.blocked C.repaired D.cleaned
10.A.important B.special C.typical D.skeptical
11.A.happened B.occurred C.managed D.offered
12.A.shock B.inspire C.delight D.satisfy
13.A.feelings B.thoughts C.spirits D.minds
14.A.work B.exercise C.conduct D.behave
15.A.reliable B.subjective C.positive D.brief
Youngsters usually benefit from having a relationship with someone older and wiser to mentor（指导） them. The mentor might be a teacher, family member or more experienced peer. However, not everyone is suitable to be an influential, positive role model. 1. Here are some common characteristics of good role models.
They are confident. Most people admire those who have much confidence in themselves. 2. So they are able to acknowledge their skills and achievements without becoming arrogant ( 自 大 的 ). Just as Child Development Specialist Dr.Robyn Silverman suggests, healthy self-confidence shows as pride in who you are and what you've learned throughout your life.
3. Role models show their commitment to a desired goal by their actions and are willing to invest the necessary time and effort to achieve success. They don't give up easily and continue trying when faced with challenges. Their determination to succeed encourages youngsters to follow through and reach the goals they set for themselves.
They are respectful. 4. Young people appreciate being treated with respect and admire those who treat them and others that way. Role models who show selflessness and an equal, non-prejudiced view of those different from them earn the admiration of others.
They are optimistic and creative. Role models inspire others with a positive outlook on life. For example, a community leader faced with a financial setback （ 挫折） might welcome the opportunity to organize a fund-raising project that pulls everyone together in a constructive manner. 5.
A.They are hard-working.
B.They are knowledgeable.
C.Role models show respect for others.
D.Pick someone having the same hobbies and similar qualities as you.
E.Good role models have a healthy appreciation of their accomplishments.
F.Effective role models possess desirable characteristics that make them easy to look up to.
G.Role models tend to see the bright side in difficult situations and can find creative solutions.
New research has found that grey seals can simulate(模仿）human speech and songs. The study carried out by Dr Amanda Stansbury and Professor Vincent Janik,at the University of St Andrews,found that grey seals use the same sound production system as humans due to having similar vocal tracts(声道）。
Three young grey seals-Zola,Gandalf and Janice-were monitored from birth by Stansbury and Janik to determine their natural talents.Once this process was complete, the researchers began teaching the seals to simulate common seal sounds or noises a seal might normally hear from a herd mate in the wild.Fish was used to encourage the seals to come out of the water and sing a series of notes.Stansbury would record the seals'own sounds and play them back.The seals quickly learnt that if they sang back the same notes, they would be rewarded with fish.
Once the seals were familiar with this process and could easily copy these basic sounds,Stansbury and Janik used higher and longer tones and unfamiliar vowels from human speech.The seals were then rewarded for matching these new sounds.Stansbury even used some combinations to simulate songs that no seal would be expected to produce under natural circumstances.Zola had a gift for copying up to ten notes of songs such as Twinkle,Twinkle,Little Star and the theme song of Star Wars.Gandalf and Janice were better at accurately reproducing combinations of human vowel sounds.
Stansbury said,"I was amazed how well the seals copied the model sounds we played to them.Copies were not perfect,but given that these are not typical seal sounds,it is pretty impressive.Our study really shows how flexible seal voices are."
After one year of working with the researchers,the seal pups were released back into the wild."This study gives us a better understanding of the development of vocal learning,a skill that is important for human language development."Janik believes this knowledge can help to develop new methods to study speech problems.
1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A.Grey seals 'learning environments.
B.A research finding on grey seals.
C.Humans 'sound production system.
D.A comparison of humans and grey seals.
2.In the study,fish would be given when the seals
A.made funny noisesre B.came out of the water
C.repeated the same notes D.copied typical fish sounds
3.What can we find about Zola based on the research?
A.It can copy some musical sounds played to her.
B.It is good at copying human vowel sounds.
C.It is smarter than Gandalf and Janice.
D.It likes singing children's songs.
4.What does Janik think of the research result?
A.It shows the living environments of grey seals.
B.It leads to a better understanding of human vocal system.
C.It raises an awareness of the need to protect grey seals.
D.It brings inspirations for research on speech problems.
It's common that a Japanese-American bows on the phone—but only in Japanese. Behaviors and manners can become so routine that they appear even when there's no need for them.Those who are bilingual and bi-cultural know first-hand that how we behave can depend on what language we are speaking.Experts have shown that who you are in the moment can depend on the language you are using at that time.
This is because when you have an experience,the language you are using becomes associated with it.For bilingual people,this means certain memories are more closely associated with one language than the other-a phenomenon called language-dependent memory.For example,a childhood memory is more likely to be remembered when the language spoken during that childhood event is spoken again.
How we think and feel can thus change depending on what language we are using.For example,people who are bilingual have an intensified stress response when listening to the words of scolding in a native language.This may be,in part,because our early memories associated with learning a"bad”word or being scolded by our parents happened in our native language.
Because emotions play a key role in how we make decisions,people are often more sensible when making choices in the less emotional foreign language.When asked whether they would be willing to give one person's life to save a group,people who speak more than one language are much more likely to say"yes" when answering in a foreign language.The unpleasant feelings that can prevent us from making difficult choices are reduced when we're using a non-native language.
The Language we speak has an influence on how we think,feel,and even behave.In a way,knowing different languages can provide people with a variety of views through which to see the world.
1.Why is the example of Japanese-American mentioned?
A.To show the influence of culture is huge.
B.To show bowing is Japanese people's routine.
C.To show Japanese people are polite on the phone.
D.To show one's use of language affects one's behavior.
2.What does the underlined word"intensified"in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Worse.
B.Better.
C.Increased.
D.Limited.
3.When a person speaks a foreign language, he is likely to____
A.make a sound decision
B.prevent himself from danger
C.be influenced by other people
D.have difficulty making decisions
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.You Are Actually What You Are Speaking
B.Native Languages Make People Speak More
C.Different Languages Have Different Influences
D.Speak Your Native Language in Other Countries
On the 3rd of July,about six in the morning,I was watering my flowers.A young man entered the garden.He was blonde,beardless;he wore a German cap and gold glasses in a proud way.A long,loose woolen coat hung down in a sad way around his body.He wore no gloves;his leather shoes had huge soles.I put down my watering-pot, and greeted him in German with:"Guten Morgen!”＂Monsieur,"he said to me in French, but with a very unpleasant accent,"my name is Hermann Schultz;I have come to pass some months in Greece,and I have carried your book with me everywhere."
That praise filled my heart with sweet joy;the stranger's voice seemed more beautiful than Mozart's music,and I directed a swift look of gratitude toward his gold glasses.You would hardly believe how much we love those who have taken the trouble to understand our jargon(行业术语)。
I took him by the hand and seated him beside me on the garden-bench.He told me that he was a botanist and that he had a commission from the"Jardin des Plantes"in Hamburg.In order to complete his herbarium(植物标本馆)，he was studying the country,the animals,and the people.He expressed himself uneasily,but with frankness which inspired confidence.He questioned me,if not about every one in Athens,at least about all the principal persons in my book.In the course of the conversation,he made some statements on general subjects,which seemed to me quite insightful.Therefore, they motivated me to think more deeply and get a more reasonable opinion.At the end of an hour we had become good friends.
1.How did the author find the young man at first?
A.Fashionable.
B.Unfavorable.
C.Easy-going.
D.Indifferent.
2.Why did the author feel grateful to the young man?
A.Because he brought the author a good pair of glasses.
B.Because he thought highly of the author's achievements.
C.Because he delighted the author with Mozart's music.
D.Because he took the time to read the author's work.
3.What can we infer about the young man from the last paragraph?
A.He was good at public speaking.
B.He was lacking in self-confidence.
C.He was slow in learning German culture.
D.He was enthusiastic about studies of plants.
4.What's the author's purpose in writing the text?
A.To introduce a young botanist's achievements.
B.To show the start of his friendship with a stranger.
C.To describe the benefits of doing gardening.
D.To explain the beauty of studying biology.
Meeting at a church on a Friday night is not usual for most college students,but it is usual for the women members of the Alcoholics Anonymous(AA)in my hometown, which is an organization for alcoholics who want to stop drinking alcohol.AA is founded upon a number of principles,including twelve steps and twelve traditions,but the only requirement for becoming a member is a strong wish to stop drinking.
The AA meeting I attended was in a speaker week,which meant that most of the time was spent listening to a member talking about her journey with alcohol.The speaker told other members her true story of alcohol problems.The group processed the story in a positive way.I noticed several times when members laughed,smiled,and made brief supporting comments while she spoke.Later,a member named Lucy shared with me her view that"this is the kind of place where you can talk about things,and everyone just laughs...no judgment but support."Being able to talk about her feelings and experiences,receiving support,and the lack of judgment were a large part of her decision to keep coming to the meetings.
Years later,I looked back on the meeting I attended with positive memories.The members at the meeting were mothers,sisters,grandmothers,aunts,daughters,and friends.Some were professionals, some were students,and some were unemployed. Despite their differences,they united in their common goal for a better life.AA is a prime example of how a group of people follow a program and work together at changing their habits.The meeting changed the way I looked at addiction-it was no longer a monster. Now I think it's essential to have support when you're struggling with addiction,just as with any lifestyle change.
1.What is the purpose of the Alcoholics Anonymous?
A.To create a program for college students.
B.To improve the alcohol industry.
C.To help people give up drinking.
D.To break twelve traditions.
2.What is most likely to hurt Lucy's feelings according to the text?
A.Unfriendly judgment on her stories.
B.Loud laughter from the audiences.
C.Too little time left for her.
D.Silence after her speech.
3.What is the text mainly about?
A.Sharing feelings with friends.
B.My experience of an AA meeting.
C.AA helping women lead a better life.
D.Tips on getting rid of alcohol addiction.
