There are advantages and disadvantages to coming from a large family. The disadvantages are never so _______ as when someone wants to go to _______ .For a large family with a single parent, they _______.
My mother made just enough to pay the bills and _______the other children at home. If I desired to go to college, it was up to me to _______ ways. I found that I qualified for some grants (助学金）because of my _______ and my SAT scores. There was enough to _______ school fees, but not enough for room and _______. I accepted a tough job as part of a work-study program —_______ dishes in the school cafeteria. It was the ________ work I had ever done. And my________ went up and down.
Just when I thought my college career was coming to the ________ ，an angel appeared. He ________ asked me to cook meals for his grandparents and help them get up and go to bed on ________ but paid twice the money I’d made washing dishes. Now I would have time to study.
Grandma spent hours playing her old off-key piano. One day，she ________ to teach me the art because she thought my life needed some fun. Weekends in their house became more than just ________ and cooking; they were filled with ________sounds.
Sadly, during Christmas break Grandma died of a chest cold. Then Grandpa was put in a retirement home. Surprisingly, I ________ an envelope from Grandma. In it was enough money to pay for the rest of my school year and a request that I ________piano lessons.
Now, years later, when I walk by a piano, I ________and think of the scene where Grandma is playing the piano too, smiling at me.
1.A.tiresome B.apparent C.impressive D.delicate
2.A.work B.bed C.class D.college
3.A.double B.decline C.appear D.spread
4.A.educate B.help C.support D.satisfy
5.A.depend on B.pick up C.find out D.set aside
6.A.situation B.background C.statement D.story
7.A.escape B.cover C.face D.cancel
8.A.clothing B.food C.transport D.shelter
9.A.cooking B.serving C.preparing D.washing
10.A.worst B.shortest C.hardest D.latest
11.A.grades B.spirits C.pains D.gains
12.A.destination B.top C.middle D.end
13.A.simply B.deliberately C.honestly D.calmly
14.A.Sundays B.weekends C.weekdays D.holidays
15.A.preferred B.planned C.decided. D.offered
16.A.books B.dishes C.cares D.words
17.A.noisy B.various C.wonderful D.strange
18.A.accepted B.remembered C.received D.fetched
19.A.run B.take C.give D.review
20.A.cry B.whisper C.tremble D.smile
We all want to go somewhere — somewhere that has been on our bucket list ages.1. We often picture the scenes like four cities in seven days, “must-see’s” in Tokyo，famous landmarks in Europe and so on. It’s as if the faster we’re checking things off our list, the more we are experiencing.
2. Traveler, the South Korean reality show, can perhaps give us some idea of what travel is like Traveler's travelers don't have a mission and there isn’t a competition for them to win.
Instead, it focuses on “depicting (描绘) the real experience of traveling by showing the processes of finding a place to stay or grabbing (拦下) a taxi”, according to The Korea Times. 3. It isn’t about getting or not getting somewhere as quickly as possible, but about simply being excited as you’re getting there or not getting there at all.
4. You may ignore the guidebook’s recommendation and ask local people where they prefer to eat and hang out. And you’ll be surprised by what a place has to offer when you’re not busy rushing around and checking things off your bucket list.
Travel is just like life. There is little fun in it if everything is predictable. 5. But as travel blog CheeseWeb puts it, as long as you keep an open mind, you’ll see that “everywhere is ‘somewhere”’.
A.It’s true that we all want to go “somewhere”.
B.But do you know what you are experiencing?
C.Why not stop rushing you off your feet and slow down?
D.This is actually the concept of what’s called “slow travel”.
E.So, we tend to squeeze as many sights into our trip as possible.
F.You may try to wander off the main road and take a back street instead.
G.However, concerning it’s probably not quantity that counts but quality.
In a classic episode (片段）of The Simpsons, Homer's class reunion ends in shame when one of Homer’s guilty secrets is exposed: he never graduated from high school. To get his diploma, he must pass a science test. As he sits down to retake the exam, he holds one of his trademark dialogues with his brain. “All right，brain. You don’t like me and I don’t like you. But let’s just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.”
Many a true word is spoken as a joke. Homer Simpson’s Everyman character really is an Everyman. For most people, engaging in the kind of effortful thinking that is required to pass a science test feels too much like hard work. It is so much easier to quit and let the brain’s autopilot take over.
And no wonder. Evolution has blessed the human brain with all kinds of mental shortcuts that make life manageable. If we had to think about every action or weigh up every decision, we would break down. As a result, certain ideas and modes of thinking come naturally to us, such as effortless thinking.
But at huge cost. Our mental shortcuts work fine at the level of individuals and small-scale societies, but in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, they are a danger to society. Effortless thinking is at the root of many of the modern world’s most serious problems: terrorism，hatred, inequality and religious extremism. All are caused by people disengaging their critical thinking and going with their gut (非理性的）feeling.
Everybody is capable of gut feeling, but also of the critical thinking. Both thinking styles are needed to make the world go round. Unfortunately, the latter requires training that is unavailable or unappealing to many people.
One of the bright spots in 2017 was the start of a movement called the March For Science. Those who believe in the power of science need to keep on marching, or give more power to people who don’t much like their own brains — or other people’s.
1.What does the author want to convey through Homer's story?
A.Feeling is very important.
B.Drinking beer is harmful to one’s brain.
C.High school seniors should work hard.
D.Most people hate effortful thinking like Homer.
2.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A.Our mental shortcuts function well.
B.Effortless thinking is expensive for people.
C.Effortless thinking is dangerous to society.
D.People prefer effortless thinking to critical thinking.
3.What does the author think of critical thinking?
A.It makes the world go round.
B.It needs necessary training.
C.It works fine at the level of personal affairs.
D.It leads to the March For Science in 2017.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.We Need to March Towards Science
B.Thinking Contributes to Social Problems
C.Effortless Thinking Is Out of Date
D.Critical Thinking Is Urgently Needed
More than half of UK species have suffered declines in recent years and 15 percent are at risk of vanishing (消失), a report has warned. There is little evidence to suggest the rate of loss is slowing down.
Farming is key to what is happening,with more intensive agriculture affecting nearly half of the species studied and responsible for nearly a quarter of the total impact on wildlife. A loss of mixed farms, changes to sowing patterns,increased use of pesticides and fertilizers and a loss of habitat (栖息地）have taken their toll. The report said government farming policies had led to dramatic changes in farming practices,almost doubling wheat and milk yields since the 1970s, but often at the expense of nature by interrupting the food sources and habitats species rely on.
Climate change is also increasingly affecting UK nature although the impacts are mixed with some species spreading north or surviving better in warmer winters, but others are hit by the loss of coastal habitat, increased sea temperature and wilder weather. In the long term, global warming poses one of the greatest threats to nature around the world. Wildlife is also being hit by urban development, loss of town green areas, changes to the way land and forests are managed and over-abstraction (过度抽取)of water.
“The natural world needs our help as never before,” said naturalist and TV presenter David Attenborough. “We must work together, governments, conservationists, businesses and individuals to help it.”
The good news is that the creation of new wetland by conservation programs and the planting of new woodland, as well as wildlife-friendly farming programs, are providing habitats for struggling species. Reintroduction of species such as the pine marten (松貂)and large blue butterflies is also helping, but more needs to be done, the report said.
1.What does the underlined phrase “taken their toll” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Cost much money. B.Had bad effects.
C.Changed farming policies. D.Interrupted the food sources.
2.What is the main cause of UK species decrease?
A.The development of agriculture.
B.The over-use of water.
C.The change of climate.
D.The loss of habitats.
3.What does the author intend to tell us in the last sentence?
A.More large blue butterflies are needed in UK.
B.More should be done for the diversity of species.
C.The report sounds the alarm for the UK’s wildlife.
D.Enough measures have been taken to protect the natural world.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A poster. B.A brochure.
C.A magazine. D.A notice.
As an elementary school student in New York City, Robert Lee would stare in disbelief at his classmates throwing away half-eaten sandwiches after lunch. His Korean immigrant parents had taught him not to waste food.
While studying finance and accounting at New York University, Robert remembered this lesson all the time. When Robert and his friend Louisa Chen entered a college entrepreneurship (创业）contest，they proposed an idea for a food-rescue nonprofit group： Their program would deliver leftovers from the dining hall to homeless shelters seven days a week all by volunteers. Their idea won the competition. With the $ 1,000 prize, they founded Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) in July 2013. In just the first few weeks, Robert’s team delivered a donation of enough spaghetti and meatballs to feed 20 people at a New York City homeless shelter.
Robert, who had taken a job as an analyst at J. P. Morgan, devoted his spare time to creating a network of New York City restaurants, from small delis (熟食店）to large chains like Starbucks and Panera Bread, agreeing to donate food, and he enlisted volunteers to make food deliveries. After RLC received national press attention, homeless shelters and soup kitchens in Portland, Oregon, Washington, DC and other cities reached out to Robert for partnership advice. The organization now reaches 16 cities around the country.
Only a year into his finance job, Robert gave up his six-figure salary to focus on RLC. “I compared one hour of impact at J. P. Morgan to one hour at RLC，and the difference was just tremendous,” he says. “One shelter told us that our donations allowed them to provide entire dinners for more than 300 people, three nights a week，” Robert says. “Things like that make me gladly quit my job.”
1.How did Robert feel when his classmates threw away food?
A.Astonished. B.Embarrassed.
C.Disappointed. D.Interested.
2.What do we know about the RLC?
A.It won $ 1,000 prize.
B.It got supported by many restaurants.
C.It asked the homeless shelters for advice.
D.It has branches all over the world.
3.Why did Robert leave his job at J P Morgan?
A.One shelter spoke highly of him.
B.RLC offered him six-figure salary.
C.He could make a bigger difference in society.
D.The work at J. P. Morgan was not suitable for him.
4.Which of the following best describes Robert?
A.Confident. B.Modest.
C.Humorous. D.Selfless.
Sign up for the Los Angeles Times Book Club
Welcome to the L. A. Times Book Club, an opportunity to see, hear and interact with world-class authors, celebrities and newsmakers as they discuss their books and tell their stories. What stories do you want to share with the city? What authors would you most like to meet? Here’s your chance to help us build something amazing.
The latest
On Saturday, Feb. 15，author and former Los Angeles poet laureate (获奖者) Luis J. Rodriguez will discuss From Our Land to Our Land, a new collection of stories and essays about race, culture, identity, and belonging. Rodriguez will be in conversation with Times reporter Daniel Hernandez at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. Call 213-804- 2722 to get tickets.
On March 11, the book club authors Jeanine Cummins (American Dirt) and Reyna Grande (A Dream Called Home) in conversation with Times Column One editor Steve Padilla. Ticket information is coming soon.
Earlier, we read The Library Book by bestselling author Susan Orlean and hosted a community forum where Orlean and readers shared library stories. We also took a deep dive to explore what L. A. is reading right now and showed book lovers how to read for free with library apps.
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1.What is special about the L. A. Times Book Club?
A.It has all kinds of library apps.
B.It gives readers access to different cultures.
C.It provides information about some celebrities.
D.It invites you to communicate with great authors.
2.Which author will you meet if you book a ticket now?
A.Susan Orlean. B.Jeanine Cummins.
C.Luis J. Rodriguez. D.Reyna Grande.
3.How can you get more information from the Club?
A.Subscribe to the club news.
B.Contact the club @latimeshooks.
C.Call the organizer.
D.Send an email to bookclub©Latimes. com.
