The stage lights dimmed, and I took a quick look from behind the heavy black curtains into the audience. Blinded by the lights, I quickly______. It seems that a great number of eyes were looking at me. I took a deep ______as the music of my dance began to play. I entered the stage and began my______, the graduation test of the classical Indian dance.
After a decade of learning this art form, I had______been considered ready to take on the most difficult act. The test is the most important event in a dancer's life, as it pays______to all the factors in one's life that______the dance form: one's culture and family.
The performance is undertaken only by the most______and determined students. It is a difficult process that requires much______. For more than six months, I spent two to three hours every day______these dances. Many times, I______myself to my physical and mental breaking point, but still I would not stop. I could not give up. There was always so much more to do and so much more to______.
I______a lot about myself in those tiring hours. I learned that I was far too______to give up, and I was too proud to prove myself______after I had set an unrealistic goal. Even with physical pain and mental______, I forced myself to meet my______. Even when I was at the end of my______, there was always something driving me on, forcing me not to give up.
Fortunately, I made it. What I had done______the success. It was in those hours that I learned what a dancer______is. Those time was evidence that I could______something I set out to do.
1.A.reached out B.set off C.pulled back D.broke away
2.A.sleep B.breath C.thought D.sorrow
3.A.career B.attempt C.response D.performance
4.A.eventually B.easily C.absolutely D.desperately
5.A.debt B.respect C.interest D.visit
6.A.develop B.rescue C.introduce D.promote
7.A.beautiful B.focused C.intelligent D.considerate
8.A.talent B.strength C.comprehension D.commitment
9.A.recording B.discussing C.practicing D.designing
10.A.pushed B.addicted C.treated D.applied
11.A.forget B.design C.learn D.research
12.A.discovered B.abandoned C.controlled D.undertook
13.A.brilliant B.brave C.stubborn D.discouraged
14.A.careless B.nervous C.frightened D.wrong
15.A.function B.stress C.level D.action
16.A.budget B.deadline C.expense D.expectation
17.A.limit B.purpose C.preparation D.destination
18.A.increased B.deserved C.expanded D.exposed
19.A.completely B.chiefly C.originally D.truly
20.A.change B.supply C.accomplish D.explain
Children who have developed leadership skills are sure to have a bright future. 1. Not only will they gain more self-esteem and interact more easily with their peers, they can also make an impact on their community. These qualities will continue to develop as children grow up. Here are simple techniques to develop children’s leadership qualities.
Discuss peer pressure. Children are often exposed to peer pressure and worry about how others view them. 2. Leadership requires being socially involved, but still honoring personal morals and standards. Discuss hypothetical (假设的) peer pressure situations and ask kids to consider how they’d behave in different situations.
3. When they’re able to clearly show their thoughts, they feel more self-confident and are able to deal with complex problems. You can help by encouraging children to speak out and by listening seriously to their thoughts. Although many children go through rebellious stages, don’t enforce silence. Instead, suggest self-expression.
Teach by example. 4. Even if they don t express it aloud, children may see you as a role model. Model leadership behavior by helping others, volunteering in leadership positions and taking action in everyday life.
Develop children’s individual talents and encourage participation. Every child has potential for leadership skills, but not every child develops skills in the same way. 5. A child might be a talented athlete or skilled at painting and drawing. Find ways for kids to develop these skills in a group setting, which promotes teamwork and social skills.
A.Encourage children to express themselves.
B.Pay attention to specific interests and abilities.
C.Find volunteer and community service opportunities.
D.Children start benefiting from leadership skills at any age.
E.Children with self-awareness have a greater ability to lead.
F.Children observe the adults in their lives, and value what they see.
G.Talk with your children about the importance of avoiding peer pressure.
Britain faces social problems as lots of people are set to lose their jobs in technological revolution, Bank of England’s chief economist warned.
Andy Haldane said the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution will make the machine replace humans to do thinking things. The dark side of the change could be a much bigger breakdown of employment than in Victorian times, with professions such as accountancy (会计) among those at risk.
A report by the accountancy firm PwC last month warned that more than 7 million jobs in Britain had been lost over the next 20 years as technological change sweeps though workplaces.
The majority of these are in jobs in the retail, transport and manufacturing industries. However, other traditional professional sectors could also be at serious risk.
Economists treat the arrival of increasingly intelligent computers and robots as the fourth industrial revolution. The first was the shift from agricultural to urban societies, the second saw the widespread use of electricity and steel, and the third was the digital revolution when computers, the Internet and mobile phones were developed.
Mr Haldane said the hollowing-out (空洞化) experienced in the past years could be on a greater scale in the future so it is important to learn the lessons of history and ensure that people are given training to take advantage of new opportunities.
“Jobs were effectively taken by machines of various types, there was a hollowing-out of the jobs market, which left many people for a long period out of work and struggling to make a living,” Haldane added, “That heightened social and financial tensions, and led to a rise in inequality. This is the dark side of technological revolution.”
“That hollowing-out is going to be potentially on a much greater scale in the future, when we have machines thinking and doing the cognitive and technical skills of humans.” Mr Haldane said professions like accountancy could be among those hardest hit by the rise of AI. But he suggested economists could escape.
1.What is the dark side mentioned in the text?
A. The hollowing-out has become a major social problem.
B. Less and less people have the desire to learn accountancy
C. Intelligent computers and robots decrease good workers.
D. The technological revolution causes people to lose jobs.
2.Why are economists the lucky dog in the new technological revolution?
A. The study about economy is at a low level.
B. Economists work on a traditional professional job.
C. There is no machine that can work as an economist.
D. Economists have the chance to avoid technological revolution.
3.What should be done to deal with the serious situation?
A. To call for people to devote more to studying history.
B. To teach people to grasp the chances technological revolution brings about.
C. To warn people not to work on transport and manufacturing industries.
D. To ask workers to develop and think as the intelligent computers and robots do.
4.What attitude did Haldane have towards the future employment?
A. Positive. B. Aggressive.
C. Critical. D. Worried.
It’s common knowledge that some countries have higher life expectancies than others, but the city you live in can also affect your health.
Some cities are hard on their residents. In places with poor city planning, for example Lagos, which was called out recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit, public spaces are few, making outdoor activities hard. Lack of infrastructure (基础建设) blocks the streets with cars and the air with pollutants, and residents work long hours for little money.
These are just some of the factors added up by Spotahome, a rental agency. They’ve analyzed data from a range of sources, including the World Health Organization, TripAdvisor and the CIA World Factbook to score each city on health, gym availability and quality, life expectancy, obesity, green space and other elements to make a list to work out which are the world’s healthiest cities.
The list is certainly Euro-centric and sunshine is seen as a positive factor. It does go some way towards suggesting which cities are getting it right in providing a good life for their residents. It may not be surprising to learn that most of the healthiest cities are in northern Europe, known for its people-first approach to city planning. The cities of Australia and Canada also do well. However, the first American city is only in 34th place. The UK doesn’t fare too well either-its only city in the top 50 list is London, in 40th.
Whether you’re planning a wholesome holiday, or simply wondering what your city can do better in its quest for happy citizens, the list of the 50 healthiest cities will give you pause for thought about the future of city planning. Here are the slender, healthy-eating, clean-aired cities that are getting it right.
1.What plays the key role in building a healthy city according to the text?
A. Local culture. B. City planning.
C. Economic condition. D. Geographical position.
2.What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A. How the list of healthiest cities came into being.
B. What Spotahome discovered in the recent study.
C. The reasons why Spotahome carried out the study.
D. The places where the data of the study came from.
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. Cities in America lack enough sunshine.
B. The UK ranked higher than America in the list.
C. Australia and Canada have the best city planning.
D. Some people in Lagos may live a poor life.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A. The best places to have a rich life
B. The happiest lifestyle in the world
C. The city factors affecting your health
D. The nice countries to keep healthy
When Kevin Durant gave his tearful MVP speech in 2014, the NBA star made sure to thank one person who had been there with him from the very beginning: his mother. His heartfelt words about the sacrifices she made for Durant and his brother led to a lifetime movie about her journey as a single parent, The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story.
Today, the NBA superstar’s mom travels the country as a motivational speaker and philanthropist (慈善家). On Monday, she spoke at Thomson Reuters’ in New York about her personal struggles to achieve financial stability and shared the financial advice she gave her son when he entered the league with CNBC.
“I wanted him to realize he has worked hard,” she says, “And it is OK for him to enjoy himself because of his hard work. But it is also imperative that he prepares for his future.” While she advised him to enjoy the rewards of his labor, she also wanted to make sure that her son knew the importance of financial planning.
She told the audience that when she found herself a single parent to two children at 21, she couldn’t follow the financial principles. Rather than planning for the future, she focused only on how her money could make ends meet for that moment.
Recently, Durant has teamed up with Laurene Powell Jobs for a new philanthropic program called College Track which is aimed at helping disadvantaged kids attend college. As part of the program, Durant has committed to donating $10 million to his hometown’s public school system.
Durant’s mom says that in addition to his financial decisions, she is proud of his philanthropic work and his desire to help the community. “I thought giving back was always very important, and so we talked about that and he had seen that from us as a family and it’s one of the things that I taught him,” she says.
1.What is The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story mainly about?
A. Durant’s career path.
B. Durant’s hard childhood.
C. Durant’s mother’s devotion to the family.
D. Durant’s mother’s struggling to be independent.
2.What does the underlined word “imperative” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Enjoyable. B. Important.
C. Unusual. D. Hopeful.
3.What are the financial principles of Durant’s mom?
A. Enjoying now and planning for the future.
B. Sharing rewards and creating a charity program.
C. Spending less money and saving for the emergencies.
D. Donating money to the charity and helping more schools.
4.What made Durant pay attention to the charity program?
A. His kind heart. B. His poor hometown.
C. His mother’s teaching. D. His difficult life experiences.
Let’s look at the movies we can’t wait to watch in 2019
Dumbo (March 29)
Dumbo is a 1941 American film produced by Walt Disney Productions. The main character is an elephant who is nicknamed “Dumbo”. Dumbo is always laughed at for his big ears, and he is rejected by the other elephants. With no parent to care for him, he is alone. But in fact, he is capable of flying by using his ears as wings. A live-action adaptation of the film directed by Tim Burton is scheduled to be released on March 29, 2019.
Shazam! (April 5)
Shazam is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Directed by David F. Sandberg, the film is set to star Asher Angel as Billy Batson, a teenage boy who can transform via the magic word “Shazam” into an adult superhero, played by Zachary Levi. It will be the first film version of the character since the 1941 series Adventures of Captain Marvel (the character’s original name).
Aladdin (May 24)
Aladdin is a fictional character and the role of the film Aladdin (1992) based on Aladdin, a folk tale of Middle Eastern origin He is voiced by Scott Weinger, while his singing voice is provided by Brad Kane. Aladdin never received a formal education, and has only learned by living on the streets of Agrabah. He has to steal food in the local market in order to survive. Mena Massoud is set to play a live-action version of the character in a live action adaptation of the 1992 film.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters (May 31)
Godzilla, King of the Monsters is a 1956 Japanese-American science fiction film, co-directed by Terry O. Morse and Ishiro Honda. It is a heavily re-edited American adaptation. For this new version of Godzilla, some of the original Japanese dialogue was translated into English, and some of the political, social and anti-nuclear themes were removed completely.
1.Which one will be shown to the audience as a form of film for the first time?
A. Dumbo. B. Shazam!
C. Aladdin. D. Godzilla, King of the Monsters.
2.Who is the actor of the newest version of Aladdin?
A. Scott Weinger. B. Brad Kane.
C. Terry O. Morse. D. Mena Massoud.
3.On which day can you watch a film about a pitiful animal according to the text?
A. March 29. B. April 5.
C. May 24. D. May 31.
