All of us can give others a hand as long as we are willing to do so. Actually, there are some people doing kind things all the time. Spreading kindness, one good deed at a time, is Karla Gibson’s mission. “I wish everyone could join me. There are so many ____ things going on in the world; I mean every day,” said Karla.
Karla had the ____ and sense of duty in December of 2013. The single mother of three said she tended to feel depressed around the holidays, so she ____ to do something to cheer others up. She started a Facebook page and ____ her good deeds each day, from feeding the homeless to giving Easter gifts to the incarcerated (囚犯). She hoped to ____ others.
“We have to do something. Our ____ can make a difference in someone’s day. You ____ know when someone might be having their worst day, and then something like buying them a coffee can change their whole attitude,” Karla ____.
Karla’s greatest ____ so far had to do with coffee. On September 27th, Karla’s birthday, she went to her local Starbucks and gave the ____ $127 to pay for other people’s drinks. She sat at the end of the drive-through holding a ____ that read, “Have a great day.” She ended up ____ about 23 customers. “It was really fun. It was ____ one of the best birthdays ever.” she said. Her kindness that day didn’t go ____. One couple was so grateful that they surprised her with flowers and balloons to show their ____.
Karla’s acts of kindness have become a ____ affair. Her two sons are always ____ others. “Sometimes I’ll ask Kyle, ‘So, did you do anything extra nice today?’ and his answers are like ‘Somebody ____ something in the hallway and I picked it up’ or ‘I held the door for someone’, that kind of thing,” said Karla.
It’s because of Mom that the boys think it’s ____ to give a hand to others. “I think it’s a great idea of hers. It’s always nice to help someone out ____ they really need it,” said Karla’s 15-year-old son Chad.
1.A.good B.bad C.new D.casual
2.A.commitment B.appointment C.preference D.success
3.A.managed B.agreed C.hesitated D.decided
4.A.did B.mentioned C.shared D.missed
5.A.greet B.inspire C.introduce D.remember
6.A.kindness B.happiness C.stories D.sadness
7.A.still B.often C.never D.even
8.A.whispered B.explained C.reported D.replied
9.A.surprise B.challenge C.concern D.moment
10.A.cashier B.customer C.beggar D.secretary
11.A.mark B.sign C.symbol D.flag
12.A.paying for B.picking up C.paying off D.picking out
13.A.occasionally B.usually C.probably D.hardly
14.A.unoccupied B.unnoticed C.unorganized D.unquestioned
15.A.wisdom B.existence C.generosity D.appreciation
16.A.society B.love C.holiday D.family
17.A.encouraging B.inviting C.helping D.affecting
18.A.dropped B.bought C.found D.fell
19.A.strange B.lucky C.cool D.funny
20.A.after B.though C.unless D.when
A lot of kids and adults say they get nervous during social situations. Maybe it’s speaking up in class or making a phone call or just trying something new. You might feel butterflies in your stomach, or your heart may beat faster or you get suddenly sweaty. 1. And if fear of being embarrassed or making a mistake is getting in your way, there are some things you can try on your own to help.
2.
Experts agree that avoiding situations that make us anxious can actually make things worse in the long run. Getting out of something you didn’t want to do might make you feel better in the moment, but you will still feel anxious the next time you’re asked to do it.
Push yourself.
While leaving your comfort zone isn’t easy, it can be very good for you. That’s because anxiety tends to go away when you start doing the things that make you anxious.3. You might find you have the skills to handle it. And next time you’re in that situation you might feel less self-conscious.
Practice a lot.
As an experiment, try doing something that makes you nervous.4. Whatever you do, you’ll find that it gets easier over time. That’s because by practicing the things that make you nervous you are actually improving your ability to easily handle them.
Relax yourself.
Instead of trying to relax by watching television or visiting a website, try a deep relaxation practice that has a physical effect on the mind.5.
A.Don’t avoid something.
B.Being nervous is uncommon.
C.Pay no attention to your original thoughts.
D.Those things are your body’s reaction to fear.
E.Start with little things like answering questions in class.
F.So try to face your anxiety and fear and see what happens.
G.For example, doing things like yoga can also help you stay calm.
Your colleague’s sharp comment keeps replaying in your mind. Two of your students are trapped in a “he said/she said” battle. When you reflect on your emotional reactions, you sometimes get caught up in cycles of negative feelings, which can make you feel even worse. If so, the answer may lie in a skill called “self-distancing”，the ability to take a step back and view yourself more objectively. According to a research, when people adopt self-distancing while discussing a difficult event, they make better sense of their reactions, experience less emotional suffering, and display fewer signs of stress.
But what might self-distancing look like in action? Consider a typical “he said/she said” student conflict where they are each focusing on their own feelings. One is thinking，“I can’t believe he did that to me.” And another insists, “She really hurt my feelings.” However, if you ask them to take the self-distancing, they might step outside of themselves and ask broader questions: “Why was he so hurt in this situation?” or “How did her anger affect him?”
Although this approach may sound too simple to be effective, studies indicate that a change in point of view can have a powerful effect on the way people think, feel, and behave. Here are several different techniques you can try.
First，consider how a thoughtful friend might respond after quietly observing their situation. Besides, avoid using the pronoun “I”. Focus on using third-person pronouns, he, she, they, and they were able to see the stressful event as challenging rather than threatening. Finally, ask yourself, “How would I feel about this one week from now or ten years from now?” This form of mental time travel may be effective because our attention is directed away from our immediate, concrete circumstances.
1.What is self-distancing?
A.Getting stuck in negative emotions. B.A stressful situation.
C.A study on relieving emotional stress. D.Reflecting on yourself objectively.
2.Paragraph 2 is developed by____.
A.example B.definition
C.classification D.process
3.Which of the following statement uses the techniques of self-distancing?
A.I’m angry with him.
B.How I wish I could go back to the past!
C.How did these two people get to this point?
D.He grabbed my notes, and then, and then...
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Why Self-distancing Matters
B.The Application of Self-distancing
C.Breaking the Cycle of Negative Reflection
D.Ways to Reflect on Emotional Reactions
Throughout our daily lives, we have known plenty of people and will know more. But how can we tell if someone is trustworthy? In a paper published recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researcher gave us the answer.
The researchers asked 401 adults from the United States to fill out a questionnaire measuring their guilt-proneness(内疚倾向) in different situations as well as several other qualities, and then play a short online game. In this game, Player 1 is given $1, which they can choose to give to Player2. Any money given to Player 2 is then automatically increased to $2.50. Player 2 can then decide whether to keep all of the money or behave in a trustworthy way by returning a portion of the money to Player 1. The researchers found more guilt-prone people were more likely to share the money with Player1. Actually, in follow-up studies, guilt-proneness predicted trustworthiness better than other personality qualities the researchers measured.
Why might guilt lead to trustworthy behavior? The researchers found people who were guilt-prone also reported feeling an obligation to act in ethical(合乎道德的) and responsible ways while interacting(互动) with their partners in the game. People who are guilt-prone tend to avoid engaging in behavior that might harm or disappoint others. If they do something bad, guilt encourages them to try to make things right again.
Then， how can we use this research to ascertain whether someone is trustworthy? “One way to do this might be observe how they respond to experience regret,” lead author Emma Levine, assistant professor at the University of Chicago Levine, explains. Another way is to ask them to describe a difficult dilemma they faced in the past, suggests co-author Taya Cohen, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University. This is particularly effective, Cohen and her colleagues have found, because it allows us to see if they’re concerned about the effects their actions have on others.
1.What may make others feel that we are reliable according to the text?
A.Our good qualities to help them out.
B.Our tendency to experience guilt.
C.Our kind attitude towards them.
D.Our team spirit in the game.
2.What may connect guilt with trustworthy behavior?
A.A sense of responsibility.
B.A feeling of disappointment.
C.The way one interacts with others.
D.The ability to tell right from wrong.
3.What does the underlined word “ascertain” in the last paragraph mean?
A.Ask B.Express
C.Describe D.Determine
4.How is the text organized and developed?
A.By providing background.
B.By making a lot of comparisons.
C.By answering the raised questions.
D.By analyzing effects of guilt-proneness.
In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animals. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others. Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we're brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇吼)or even shouting at me. At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can. And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don’t, pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
1.People will feel happy, according to the author's findings, when __________.
A.they offer their help to others B.they receive others’ help
C.they feel others’ kindness to them D.they show their weakness to other people
2.Why does the author feel sad sometimes?
A.Because he has a soft heart, showing sympathy to others.
B.Because he is disabled and relies much on others.
C.Because some people pretend to be kind, but in fact they are not.
D.Because some people fail to see the kindness in others.
3.What did the other drivers do when they saw the flashlights?
A.They sped up to pass because they didn’t want to wait.
B.They stopped their cars to offer help.
C.丁hey put on their flashlights too.
D.They waited with patience.
4.In this passage, the author advises us to _________.
A.be independent of others and handle problems by ourselves
B.accept help from others for everything
C.admit our weakness
D.show our bravery
The hotel roof top bar will never go out of style. Whether it’s on the 6th floor or the 65th, there’s something undeniably appealing about dining, drinking, swimming and yoga-ing high above the streets of the city below. Here are some of the best (relative) newcomers.
Qr Melbourne
The locally loved rooftop at QT is something of a chameleon (变色龙). By day, it’s the site of pop-up yoga sessions that allow guests to take in the skyline from within their downward does. At mealtime, it’s a place to dine on vegetables from chef Andrew Harmer’s rooftop garden. And after dark, it becomes a happening bar serving high-concept cocktails.
The Silo, Cape Town
The design of this new hotel ensures that every room has a dizzying view, but the roof top is especially enjoyable. The rooftop, which feels like it’s floating above Cape Town, has fantastic views of Table Mountain, Lions Head and the ocean. There’s a guests-only infinity pool (无边际游泳池) and a restaurant and a restroom with 360-degree views over the city.
Aria Hotel Budapest
The pride of this hotel is its High Note Sky Bar, with a year-round rooftop garden that offers wraparound (全景的) views over the city of Budapest. The bar managers chefs and bake chefs work together to ensure maximum enjoyment.
The Winery Hotel, Sweden
It’s the sixth floor of this hotel in Solna, where the rooftop life comes alive. Along with a restaurant that serves wine, cocktails and spaghetti, the hotel hosts DJ sessions that create the sensation of being in a much larger city.
1.What’s special about the rooftop at QT?
A.The rooftop is a chameleon.
B.The rooftop can function as different sites.
C.The roof top serves high-concept wine.
D.Guests can dine on meat from Andrew Harmer’s rooftop garden.
2.According to the text, in which hotel might you order baked bread?
A.OT Melbourne.
B.The Silo. Cape Town.
C.Aria Hotel Budapest.
D.The Winery Hotel, Sweden.
3.What do the four hotel roof tops have in common?
A.There’s a year-round roof top garden.
B.There is yoga-ing on all four root tops.
C.Guests can enjoy themselves at the hotel roof tops.
D.There’s a restroom for guests to appreciate the view.
