Summary Writing
My neighbour’s children love playing hide-and-seek as all children do, but no one imagines that a game they played last week would be reported in the local newspaper.
One afternoon, they were playing in the vacant lot down by the corner. Young Paul, who is only five years old, found the perfect place to hide. His sister, Natalie, had shut her eyes and was counting to ten when Paul noticed the mail box at the corner and that the metal door was standing open. The mailman had just taken several bags of mail and had carried them to his truck which was standing a few feet away. Paul climbed into the mail box and pulled the door closed so hard that it locked. Soon realizing what he had done, he became frightened and started crying. At that time, Natalie was looking for him everywhere but could not find him. It was lucky that she happened to stand at the corner for a minute and heard her brother’s cries. She immediately ran to tell the mailman who hurried back from his truck to unlock the metal door. Paul was now free, but he had such a bad fright that he could not stop crying. The mailman, however, soon found a way of making him laugh again. He told him that the next time he wanted to hide in a mail box, he should remember to put a stamp on himself!
What makes us happy?
There has long been a notion that money buys happiness. However, although“we really, really tried that for a couple of generations, it didn’t work,”said Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life.
Thanks to a travel-inspired revelation（启发），Jay has been happily living a simpler life for 12 years.“I always packed as lightly as possible, and found it delighting to get by with just a small carry-on bag,”she told CNN.“I thought if it feels this great to travel lightly, how amazing would it be to live this way? I wanted to have that same feeling of freedom in my everyday life.”
Jay decided to get rid of all her unnecessary possessions and live with just the essentials.“I wanted to spend my time and energy on experiences, rather than things.”
Jay is a follower of a movement called“minimalism（极简主义）”. Growing numbers of people have been attracted to this life-style all over the world. Minimalists are typically progressive and concerned about the environment, Leah Watkins, a lead researcher at Otago University in New Zealand, told Stuff magazine in March.
But many simply experienced unhappiness caused by owning too many possessions. Depression with the materialism of our world isn’t new. English romantic poet William Wordsworth summed up how dispiriting（令人消沉的）this was back in 1802, at the beginning of the industrial age, when he wrote:“Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers”. His preference was to go back to nature. Closer to our own times, the hippies（嬉皮士）of the 1960s also sought to“drop out”of modern life.
And for many minimalists, their key is to unload. Without objects, they“believe people are forced more and more into the present moment and that’s where life happens,”wrote Stuff.
But does simplicity ever feel like a sacrifice?
“It’s eliminating the excess—unused items, unnecessary purchases—from your life. Well, I may have fewer possessions, but I have more space…Minimalism is making room for what matters most,”said Jay.
And“the real questions”，according to Duane Elgin, US social scientist, are“what do you care about?”and“What do you value?”
He told CNN:“It’s important for people to realize minimalism isn’t simply the amount of stuff we consume. It’s about our families, our work, our connection with the larger world, our spiritual dimension. It’s about how we touch the whole world. It’s a way of life.”
1.What was the author’s main purpose in writing the text?
A.To argue whether money buys happiness.
B.To recommend one of Francine Jay’s books.
C.To explore the trend of minimalism.
D.To give tips on how to lead a happy life.
2.What inspired Francine Jay to live a simple life?
A.A book she came across.
B.A follower of minimalism she met on a trip.
C.The pleasure she enjoyed from travelling lightly.
D.Her desire to keep up with modern life.
3.According to Leah Watkins, a typical minimalist tends to ___.
A.be in love with materialism
B.like saving and visiting nature often
C.be disappointed with his or her current life
D.be environmentally friendly and live with fewer things
4.Which of the following would Duane Elgin probably agree with?
A.Minimalism is a healthy lifestyle that is in conflict with modern life
B.Minimalism means people have to sacrifice some pleasure to live simply
C.Minimalism limits people’s freedom to enjoy their lives to the fullest.
D.Minimalism enables people to reflect on what truly counts in their lives.
With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dump, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friends, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy(礼貌)to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to ignore the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.
1.What is the author’s attitude towards the present world?
A. Critical B. Positive
C. Satisfied D. Indifferent
2.The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by _______.
A. explaining carefully B. speaking loud
C. keeping silent D. laughing hard
3.According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that _________.
A. it makes people more confident B. it can pick up people’s spirits
C. it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world D. it can help people get on well with others
4.In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to _______.
A. introduce a practical way to get through daily life
B. convince people of the power of humour
C. encourage people to be humorous in daily life
D. talk about his own understanding of humor
A periwig is a style of wig that was popular between the 17th and 19th centuries, particularly in men’s fashions. It also played a part in _________ some sort of hygienic (卫生的) standard. The modern term for a hairpiece (假发) — wig, is believed to have _________ from periwigs.
Wigs were popular in the ancient cultures of Egypt and Greece for the _________ they offered from the sun. After the fall of Rome, they fell out of _________ for centuries. It wasn’t until the time of French King Louis XⅢ that wigs became popular again. In fact, many experts _________ the prematurely bald king on his wigs he was wearing in the French court, _________ the long, curly style called the periwig.
The styling of the periwig _________ with time and trend. Later fashions often required that the wigs be powdered with a mixture of flow and starch to make them appear _________. For the best wigs, human hair was used, _________ less expensive versions used animal hair or mixed the two together.
Wigs were used not only to conceal ____________, but to protect the wearers from lice (虱子). Throughout the Middle Ages, most European countries considered bathing unhealthy. It was not ____________ for nobles to bathe only once a year. As a result, people often shaved their heads, as their bathing ____________ did nothing to prevent lice in their hair. Wigs were also often infested (爬满) with lice, but were ____________ for comfort.
After King Charles Ⅱ came into power again in England, the trend became popular among the British. Charles spent the better part of his exiled (流放的) youth in the French court, and gained much ____________ for French styles. Between the King of England and King Louis XIV of France, periwigs became a ____________ for the courts of both nations.
1.A.enjoying B.applying C.maintaining D.lowering
2.A.developed B.prevented C.distinguished D.suffered
3.A.attraction B.temptation C.civilization D.protection
4.A.sight B.popularity C.control D.order
5.A.admire B.blame C.charge D.compliment
6.A.in particular B.except for C.thanks to D.together with
7.A.continued B.disappeared C.varied D.mixed
8.A.black B.red C.green D.white
9.A.because B.although C.unless D.since
10.A.identity B.appearance C.baldness D.personality
11.A.uncertain B.uncommon C.unfortunate D.unnecessary
12.A.hobbies B.costumes C.carpets D.habits
13.A.acceptable B.removable C.considerable D.breakable
14.A.appreciation B.experience C.support D.confidence
15.A.decoration B.custom C.necessity D.therapy
Grammar
According to Zhang Jianming, the local telecom and industry regulator, Shanghai aims to build over 10,000 5G base stations by the end of this year. A comprehensive deployment（部署）of the network can transmit at least 10 times faster than 4G 1. peak rates, Zhang added.
Aside from speed, 5G will largely break the limits of time and space. In a 5G era, the future workplace 2. no longer just be a fixed office location. Instead, the internet will connect talent from far and near, 3.（enable）them to work together more efficiently.
Last month, a patient 4.（suffer）from Parkinson’s disease received the world’s first 5G-based remote brain surgery. Conducted by Ling Zhipei, chief physician of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, the surgery 5.（last）for about three hours. Ling started the operation in Hainan Hospital, manipulating（操控）the surgical instruments 3,000 kilometers away in Beijing on a computer connected to a 5G network.
“The 5G network has solved problems like video lag and remote control delay experienced under the 4G network, ensuring a nearly real-time operation. And you have no such feeling 6. the patient is 3,000 kilometers away,” Ling said.
The remote surgery is one of the latest attempts made by people working in different sectors（行业）7.（unlock）the potential of 5G technology. 8. success has paved the way for future relevant research and bridged the gap of medical resource imbalance among different regions.
9. 5G technology becomes more mature, its applications in the transportation, agriculture and healthcare industries are bound to（必定）flourish even more than 10. in the 4G era.
你的美国交换生同学Peter来信说他想参加学校的一个社团，能够强身健体类的，也能够借此和大家互动交流，请你根据他的要求给他写一封回信，内容要求如下：
1. 推荐一个社团，并说明理由；
2. 社团活动内容，报名方式；
3. 你可以提供的帮助。
注意：
1.词数 100 左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
Dear Peter,
How are things with you?
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Yours,
Li Hua
