The "Greener Grass" Syndrome
Have you ever met the situation where you kept thinking that there are better opportunities out there compared to your current one you are having? This is the syndrome when one is always looking at the other side of the fence and thinks that the grass is greener there.1.
Why are you like this? Uncertainty and curiosity play a big part in creating the "greener grass" syndrome.It is because we arc uncertciin of whether what we arc holding onto now is the best for us and whether there are any better choices out there.
2. In fact, it sometimes does us more harm than good because often looking out for the "greener grass" will exhaust our energy and attention and finally we can grow even angrier, or at least more dissatisfied.3. We mostly prefer new over old because new things arc fascinating and our curiosity keeps reminding us to explore the other side of the grass.These are the two factors that cause us to feel dissatisfied with what we have and always thinking of finding the greener grass at the opposite side.
If you have this syndrome, chances are you are missing out lots of things you currently have now. So what can you do to cure the greener grass" syndrome? The first thing is to recognize that your current job is your best choice right now..4.
Secondly, always apply your best efforts to your current job. Otherwise, what can you make out of your job when you hardly devote any effort? Last but not least, always keep this truth in mind.The grass is always greener on the other side, and the other side is always greener no matter which side you arc at.5.
A.Try to focus on "what is" instead of "what if".
B.Such uncertainty causes us to keep looking into alternatives.
C.Humans are also curious by nature and we love new things.
D.Focus on "what if” and seek for the best choice.
E.Choose a side, stick to it and make the best out of it.
F.This is what I call the "greener grass" syndrome.
G.It has its own origin, primarily rooted in fantasy and fear.
For a few months twice a year, the waters off California are home to gray whales moving north or south between the coast of Mexico and the Bering Sea. This year, however, it seems that fewer whales are surviving the journey north. So far this year, a total of 30 dead gray whales have washed up on the West Coast: Eight in Washington, one in Oregon and 21 in California. Those numbers are unusually high.
In Northern California, three out of four of the dead whales that have been examined so far appear to have died of starvation and the fourth was killed by a ship strike, said Barbie Halaska, a research assistant at The Marine (海洋的) Mammal Center (TMMC), a nonprofit organization that rescues and rehabilitates (使康复) marine mammals in California. Halaska and her colleagues examined the four whales—three young whales and one adult male — and planned to examine the remaining dead whales in the region in the next couple of days.
Gray whales were once severely threatened by whalers. Only around 2,000 of them lived in the ocean in 1946, so an international agreement to stop gray whale hunting was signed in order to help the population recover. Gray whales were removed from the endangered species list in 1994 when the population reached 23,000 individuals and TMMC predicts there are now around 26,000 gray whales in the Pacific Ocean, which is about the number before the whaling boom got up steam almost 200 years ago.
Although the gray whale population has recovered to a certain degree, the number of dead whales washing up this year is alarming, Halaska said. Climate change and declining fish stocks are likely key factors in the whales’ poor health, she said .
Halaska stressed that boaters and beachgoers on the West Coast should watch out for gray whales this time of year.
1.What are the statistics in paragraph 3 about?
A.Severe conditions facing gray whales.
B.An agreement to stop killing whales.
C.The evolving development of gray whales.
D.The number of gray whales in different times.
2.What’s Halaska’s attitude towards the population of gray whale?
A.Worried. B.Discouraged.
C.Optimistic. D.Uncaring.
3.What may be talked about following the last paragraph?
A.The importance of gray whales.
B.Gray whales’ living environment.
C.Things to do to help gray whales .
D.Ways to increase gray whales’ population.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Gray Whales Are Threatened by Whalers
B.Why Many Gray Whales Died on California’s Coast?
C.Gray Whales Are in Great Danger of Dying Out
D.Where Gray Whales Move to Avoid Being Hunt?
On a bright early summer morning, many young swimmers gather at a local swimming pool in the state of Maryland. They are members of a competitive summer swim team, and that’s a regular part of their daily life. As they train and cut seconds off their times, which makes them closer to the championship in the following large-scale (大规模的) competitions, they are getting lots of physical exercise and vitamin D from the sun. However, the benefits of belonging to a sports team are not just honor or health related. You can learn useful life skills.
Paul Waas, coach of the swim team, explains, “The discipline (自制力) comes into play when you’re talking about concentrating on the details that your coaches are saying as it makes you faster rather than going up and down the pool the same way you have every time. When you focus on what you’re doing right and what you can do better, then you’ll see the improvement.”
Besides, there is also responsibility, goals and workings within a group. Again, here is Coach Waas. “It’s really great! It’s so fun to watch from year to year. I’ve had kids who as 7-year-olds on the team could barely pay attention in practice and were only interested in who was going first. Now they’ve come back as 8-year-olds, having set some goals and having things that they want to achieve. These skills can help them a lot.”
But playing the sports is not without harm. Some can be hard on the body. Young athletes suffer serious injuries that follow them into adulthood. Coach Waas says that in fact, swimming is different from most others. First, it poses a lower risk of injury. The second one relates to how swim teams are structured. Actually, children are not the only ones who can benefit. Adults can also benefit from team sports.
1.Why do the swimmers gather at a swimming pool in the early morning?
A.To obtain vitamin D from the sun. B.To build practical skills for future.
C.To join in a large-scale competitive. D.To carry out their routine practice.
2.What do Paul Waas’ words imply in paragraph 2?
A.Swimmers should concentrate on details.
B.Members get disciplined and focused in the team.
C.Coaches play a key role in layers’ improvement.
D.Most swimmers enjoy sinning in the same way.
3.What happens to the kids after a year’s training?
A.They are more aware of what to do. B.They pay less attention to training.
C.They devote more time to practice. D.They care more about who goes first.
4.What does the author want to convey in the text?
A.Exercise benefits everyone. B.Swimming is better than other sports.
C.Team sports teach life lessons. D.Physical exercise should be a habit.
Before my daughter, Evelyn, was born, I eagerly expected her first year of life. I imagined celebrating every milestone --- bonding with her as a newborn, seeing her smile for the first time, hearing her say her first word. 1 didn't think of feeding tubes, long hospital stays or an organ transplant( 移植). For Evelyn, the first year included all and more.
Evelyn came into this world at just 34 weeks, weighing less than 3 pounds. Genetic testing revealed she had Alagille syndrome, a genetic disorder that can damage the liver(肝脏),heart and other organs. Soon, we received the news that baby Evelyn needed a liver transplant. Our family moved nearer to UPMC Children's Hospial of Pittsburgh so that we were closer if a liver was available for Evelyn.
When Evelyn was added to the organ donation wait list, I was under the liver allocation policy in place at that time,which was map-based. This policy lacks any special consideration for transplant candidates.We were told it would likely take three months. Just then, a new policy for liver allocation was tried out.Under the new system, the sickest child patients get first priority(优先).The new policy was only in effect for a litle over a week, but in that period, Evelyn received her liver transplant. Had it been just one week earler or later, we would not have received the call.
As Evelyn recovers from her transplant, we are grateful for the change.I am also sad, because the new policy was short-lived. That means another mom like me might not receive that phone call with good news.
Other children should have the same opportunity as Evelyn to live healthy, happy lives. When it comes to liver transplant policy, we can and must do better for children.
1.What probably happened to Evelyn shorly after she was born?
A.She failed to give a smile.
B.She had a serious liver failure.
C.She said her first word quickly.
D.She suffered from a heart attack.
2.Why did the author's family move nearer to the hospital?
A.To save time.
B.To have money.
C.To see a doctor.
D.To get first priority.
3.What does the author mean by the underlined sentence?
A.Evelyn is healthy now.
B.They waited too long.
C.They were one week earlier.
D.Her daughter is fortunate.
4.What does the author want to express in the last pargraph?
A.We must guarantee kids have healthy livers.
B.Kids should have chances of a liver transplant.
C.The sickest kids should get liver transplants first.
D.The old policy lacks special consideration for kids.
We all like fantasy stories, and grow up reading and listening to fantasies. These tales fuel our imaginations, and satisfy our longings for adventures. The most interesting thing about fantasies is that their plots involve magical beasts and heroes，animal creatures talking like humans，and other things we can’t see in real life. Also, fantasies have a distinguished writing style, with freedom of expression.
Toy Fantasy
In toy fantasy stories, narrators(叙述者)bring their beloved toys to life that can live, talk, think，breathe and behave like human beings. You would see modern toy fantasies in a picture book format. Representative works are A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh and Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio.
Animal Fantasy
The animal fantasy tells tales about animals behaving like human beings, experiencing emotions, and having the ability to talk. However, animals in fantasies hold their various animal characteristics, too. Examples include The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter which influences children around the world.
Magical Fantasy
In a magical fantasy, you see a character having magical powers, or a strange magical object becomes the subject of the story. Stories of this type began widely spreading long ago, including Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.
Modern Folktales
Modern folktales are types of fantasy that narrators tell in a traditional tale accompanying some typical parts, such as strong conflict, little description of characters, and sometimes magical elements. These tales come before all others and are popular, as authors throughout history, have written them. Hans Christian Andersen has written several tales of this category including The Nightingale, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Thumbelina.
1.What is the common feature of the fantasies?
A.Their characters are highly popular.
B.Their events occur in the unreal world.
C.Their writing styles show desires for freedom.
D.Their plots encourage people to have adventures.
2.Who made a great contribution to the animal fantasy?
A.Carlo Collodi. B.Beatrix Potter.
C.William Steig. D.Hans Christian Andersen.
3.Which type of fantasy has the longest history?
A.The toy fantasy. B.The animal fantasy.
C.The magical fantasy. D.The modern folktales.
假定你是李华，你的美国笔友Jack来信向你询问如何保持健康。请你根据以下要点给他写一封邮件提些建议。内容要点如下：
1. 合理饮食； 2.加强锻炼； 3.保证睡眠。
注意：1. 词数：100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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