My three-year-old son, Nathan, was digging the sand to build a castle. Although I warned him it'd be_______, he insisted on building it in the_________ of every single wave that would _________on the shore.
I sighed, figuring the only way to make him _______was to do as he liked and let him see what would happen. I only hoped he wouldn't be too _________ when that first wave destroyed his_________.
But when the water came and washed away his castle, he jumped up and down and clapped his hands. “That's_______! Let's do it again!” I didn't know how he could_______seeing his fruit of labor ruined.
“Is it really fun when the waves wash away the_______?”
“Yes,” he said.
Looking at him, I thought about my________at home. Nothing I did there ever seemed to________.I prepared dinners, which ten minutes after I placed them on the table were________consumed. I mopped floors only to see someone________them on their first trip in from the back yard. My life was just one never-ending to-do________.
Just like the sand castles Nathan built, all my________ were washed away by a giant wave called Family Life. Nothing I did lasted beyond the moment.
Because of this, I often struggled feeling________. I wondered if the things I did________. And if nothing I did mattered, that meant that I didn't matter.
But as I watched my child________in the sand happily, I realized that I'm building something________ , something that will last forever.
I’m__________a family.
1.A.taken apart B.washed away C.cleared up D.dug out
2.A.front B.charge C.form D.path
3.A.crash B.dance C.float D.appear
4.A.understand B.regret C.refuse D.struggle
5.A.angry B.frightened C.surprised D.upset
6.A.future B.creation C.world D.gift
7.A.difficult B.impossible C.simple D.great
8.A.imagine B.stand C.avoid D.risk
9.A.tools B.clothes C.shoes D.castles
10.A.pet B.item C.life D.plan
11.A.last B.happen C.help D.exist
12.A.completely B.suddenly C.finally D.personally
13.A.empty B.dirty C.narrow D.dry
14.A.experiment B.survey C.list D.puzzle
15.A.tears B.worries C.feelings D.efforts
16.A.confused B.fancy C.competitive D.unfair
17.A.counted B.appeared C.changed D.faded
18.A.lying B.digging C.rolling D.sleeping
19.A.actual B.slight C.important D.formal
20.A.protecting B.designing C.building D.creating
Light in a bottle
This is such a simple idea! It’s a special lamp that needs and costs nothing to run. It wasn’t invented by a famous scientist, but by a man called Alfredo Moser in Brazil sixteen years ago. In his hometown at the time, they had problems with electricity. 1. One day, Moser and his friends were talking about how they could create a signal in an emergency. One of them suggested using a bottle to reflect the light from the sun. This made Moser think. 2.
All you need is a clean plastic bottle. Fill it with water and close it with a black top. The black top attracts the sun. A drop of bleach (漂白剂), the kind you use to clean the house, is added to the water to keep it clean. Then a small hole is cut in the roof of the room where you want the light, and the bottle is pushed through the hole. 3. It’s much stronger than the light from a candle!
Moser shared his idea with his neighbours and his light bottles were fixed in the local supermarket. Ten years later, the MyShelter Foundation in the Philippines heard about Moser’s idea. 4. Now there are Moser lamps in more than 140,000 homes throughout the Philippines and the idea has spread to a number of other countries, too. 5. Moser lamps have surely made life easier for a lot of people!
A.Why not use water to make light?
B.In India, the bottles are used in countryside schools.
C.Moser was very good at making things around the home.
D.People’s homes and small businesses were often left in the dark.
E.Following Moser’s method, the organization started making lamps in 2011.
F.While there’s sunlight outside, the light will be carried through the water into the room below.
G.MyShelter also offers training for people who want to earn money by fixing the lamps in their communities.
Rachel Carson was concerned about what was happenig to the environment. So in her book Silent Sping, she warned that some chemicals were poisoning the air, the water, the earth, and all its creatures. She imagined a time when spring would not bring the rebirth of flowers, trees, and the songs of birds. The book became a bestseller, and Ms. Carson was in great demand as a speaker. People lisened to her because what she said made sense, and because she was a scientist who knew her facts.
Rachel Carson was primarily interested in the world of sea and shore, so she became a marine biologst for the government. She studied and recorded facts about the sea' s plant and animal life, their special characteristics, and the nature of their environments. In 1951, she wrote The Sea Around Us, which brought her honors, fame, and respect around the world.
Ms. Carson then devoted herself full-time to research and writing. One thing much on her mind was the effect of modern technology on the natural environment. One day, a distressed friend wrote her to say that a plane spraying(喷洒) DDT had flown over her yard, and the next day several birds lay dead. Carson decided to act.
For four years she studied the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in the United States, and then she wrote Silent Spring.
In her book Ms. Carson said that these pesticides would harm much more than insects. She explained that these poisons would pollute the environment. “Even if their effects are not immediately observable, they remain for years in the water and the soil, and they become part of the food eaten by animals and humans.
Besides, after a time, insects develop immunity to pesticides,” she said.
Recent studies have shown that pesticides can affect human brainwave activity and cause loss of memory and inability to concentrate. We should still remember Rachel Carson’s words, “I think we are challenged as we have never been challenged before to prove our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”
1.Silent Spring is a book that__________
A.aims to raise people’s environmental awareness
B.stresses the importance of the cycle of nature
C.describes the author' s childhood experiences
D.asks people to enjoy the beauty of spring
2.The underlined word “distressed” in Paragraph 3 probably means________
A.curious B.humorous C.excited D.worried
3.According to the text, Rachel Carson________
A.became world-famous due to Silent Spring
B.warned against the use of chemicals to kill insects
C.had a good knowledge of the planets in the universe
D.created a system for improving human brainwave activity
4.What Rachel Carson said in the last paragraph suggests that________
A.we should prove ourselves to be the ruler of this world
B.it's a chance for us to prove our mastery of nature
C.it's time for us to think about what we have done
D.settling on the earth is a challenge for humans
No doubt there are ups and downs in life. Whatever the situation is, you shouldn’t lose your joy of life. Life is for a limited period only and no one knows how long he/she will live, so why do you waste your precious time in worrying about the things that are beyond your control? Be happy, and enjoy your life unconditionally (无条件地).
You enjoy good days but you also need to learn how to enjoy bad days, even enjoy your pain. In 2016 when I was in Geneva, Switzerland, I suffered a sudden heart attack. My colleagues called an ambulance and I was taken to hospital with much pain in my chest. Before reaching hospital, I was totally exhausted with pain and was going to lose control of my emotions. Then the doctor in the ambulance said, “Don’t worry; you are in safe hands.” His words took away all my pain because I started realizing that it was no time to worry about pain and it’s time to be happy that my life was safe. At that time, I learnt an important lesson that in pain there is a hidden joy and whoever sees the bright side can enjoy pain. My pain turned into a joy which greatly helped me recover more quickly than expected.
You not only enjoy success but you also need to learn to enjoy failure. Failure provides you with an opportunity to benefit from so many choices you’ve made. Celebrating failure will raise your morale and make you more powerful and determined to achieve success. We all make mistakes in life but only the courageous (勇敢的) people not only laugh at their own mistakes but also let other people laugh at them and then they reach success without any spiritual burden (负担). A person who learns from mistakes and knows how to turn the bad situation into his/her favor is the most intelligent person and really enjoys his/her life.
1.What does the author mainly tell us in the first paragraph?
A.Life is full of ups and downs. B.People’s lives only last a limited period.
C.We should enjoy our life unconditionally. D.Bad situations can be changed into good ones.
2.Why did the author still feel happy when experiencing much pain?
A.His colleagues were always with him.
B.He could be looked after by his parents.
C.He planned to enjoy the last days in life.
D.His doctor made him realize the value of being alive.
3.The underlined word “morale” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “________”.
A.talent B.confidence
C.pleasure D.inspiration
4.The author thinks that the wisest person________.
A.never laughs at others B.has strong determination
C.is ready to do others a favor D.is good at learning from mistakes
At a comedy night at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, members of the school's comedy(喜剧) club bring lots of laughter to their classmates with funny speeches and humorous body movements. These college student comedian’s humour entertains busy, young people and eases their stress.
Yet the club member Ariella Shua says comedy is serious work. Every comedy starts as an individual project-- each member writes their own material. Then they try it out in weekly club meetings where all club members read the material, going joke by joke and seeing what works and what doesnt. Nothing unsatisfactory will be compromised(妥协). In this way comes a satisfying comedy.
Ariella joined the club last year. Now she does not go anywhere without bringing something on which she can take notes. ''Whenever I just have a thought in my head or when I see something or overhear someone saying something in the library, I just put it down, '' Ariella explained. ''when I'm trying to write my own set, I go through that…to see if there is anything in there that I can use. ''
Club president Nicholas Scandura finds writing one of the many skills he has developed since joining the club. ''Writing jokes takes a lot of critical thinking.'' he said. The club gives its members a sense of community. When they meet, they share funny experiences. tell jokes and laugh.
Harry Kuperstein discovered the club was a natural fit. Noticing the funny qualities of different situations improved his way of looking at the world. Becoming an active member also helped him work on the future skills he'll need as a medical doctor. ''Having jokes ready to go might help smooth these interactions and make you a better public speaker, '' he said.
1.What can a successful comedy be described as?
A.A group effort B.A personal project
C.A satisfying task D.A compromised result
2.What habit has Ariella formed since joining the club?
A.Creating her own style.
B.Going to the library regularly
C.Taking notes in class
D.Becoming a good observer
3.How can the club help Harry in his opinion?
A.By easing his stress of being a doctor
B.By preparing the ground for his career.
C.By changing his way of communication
D.By developing his interest in public speaking
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Laughter Is Serious Work
B.Humor Is an Edge in Jobs
C.Comedy Comes with Learning
D.Clubs Influence One's World View
Our Teen Summer Spanish Program is two weeks of fun, educational excitement that helps students learn Spanish fast. Our Spanish summer program allows our students to learn from highly trained, certified teachers and be absorbed in the language and the culture of Costa Rica.
Features include:
* Intensive(强化的) daily Spanish classes
* Extracurricular classes in dance, cooking, music, and handiwork
* Outdoor activities including hiking, camping, rafting, and ziplining(高空滑索)
* Homestay with a local Costa Rican family
* Volunteer work in needy neighborhoods
Our Teaching Methods:
We are proud to use TPRS---Total Physical Response Storytelling---in our curriculum. This innovative method uses strange and amusing stories to teach new vocabulary, increase fluency, and get students involved by giving them the opportunity to alter the details themselves. Because of the silliness, creativity, and repetition involved, TPRS allows students to learn easily and remember information effortlessly
Memorizing vocabulary and listening to lectures on grammar are slow, inefficient ways to learn a new language. The best way to truly learn and commit new material to memory is through conversation. In our Spanish classes, students can expect to speak up to 80% of each class. By speaking in the new language freely and consistently, students can see progress faster because they are using the new grammar and vocabulary that they have learned at the same time. This helps the brain remember the new words and grammar structures for future use, making it much easier to progress.
1.What does the program do?
A.It offers weekly Spanish classes
B.It focuses more on outdoor activities
C.It gives teachers a chance to receive training
D.It provides activities about the Spanish culture
2.What is the best way to learn a language according to the text?
A.Memorizing a larger vocabulary
B.Speaking more in the new language.
C.Mastering more grammar structures
D.Writing stories to share with others
3.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To employ experienced Spanish teacher
B.To hire foreign volunteers for a program
C.To attract teen foreigners to a program
D.To introduce language learning methods
