Last year I ruined my summer vacation by bringing along a modern convenience: the iPad.
Instead of looking at nature, I _______ my e-mail. Instead of reading great novels, I stuck to reading _______ newspapers each morning. And that was the problem: I was acting _______ I were still in the office. My body was on vacation but my _______ wasn’t.
So this year I made up my mind to try something _______: getting away from the Internet. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, _______ I’m not good at self-control. But I was _______. I started by _______ the iPad to my wife. Then, a stroke of luck: The mobile phone _______ at our cabin was worse than in the past. I was ________, forced to carry out my plan. Largely ________ from e-mail and my favorite newspaper websites, I had little way to ________ the world. I had no ________ but to do what I had planned to do all along: read books.
With determination and the strong support of my wife, I succeeded in my vacation struggle ________ the Internet. I finally ________ that it was me, of course, not the iPad, that was the ________.
I knew I had ________ when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi. “Don’t need it,” I said. ________, as we return to work, a test begins: Can I __________ when I’m back at work? I don’t plan to ________ my iPad completely. But I hope to resist the temptation(抵抗诱惑) to use it every five minutes.
1.A.received B.selected C.checked D.removed
2.A.online B.informal C.local D.traditional
3.A.so that B.as if C.now that D.even though
4.A.opinion B.identity C.mind D.curiosity
5.A.attractive B.logical C.magical D.different
6.A.since B.unless C.though D.so
7.A.excited B.shocked C.frightened D.determined
8.A.showing B.handing C.sending D.introducing
9.A.quality B.design C.signal D.technology
10.A.trapped B.ignored C.injured D.persuaded
11.A.taken out B.pulled down C.cut off D.carried away
12.A.rely on B.connect to C.help with D.look at
13.A.method B.goal C.trick D.choice
14.A.against B.for C.on D.to
15.A.expected B.realized C.permitted D.suggested
16.A.puzzle B.sign C.evidence D.problem
17.A.won B.forgotten C.suffered D.recovered
18.A.Somehow B.Anyway C.However D.Therefore
19.A.survive B.change C.escape D.continue
20.A.take apart B.give up C.turn to D.care about
What Teenagers Can Do to Earn More Respect
As teenagers continue to grow and develop into young adults, the transition(过渡) into adulthood has begun. With so many physical and emotional changes going on, certain manners are often forgotten and other adult traits(特点) are not yet accepted as a way of life. 1. By doing the following things, you will earn more respect.
Contribute to the household(家庭)
At the very least, clean up after yourself. As a teenager, you are old enough to clean up after yourself. When you make a mess, clean it up. 2. All chores(家务) that you do help to reduce the load of the person who did them before. Now that you're old enough and capable, why shouldn't you contribute to the household? 3.
Be responsible
4. Whether they are basic things, like brushing your teeth or doing your homework, or more involved chores that contribute to the household, simply fulfill (履行) your responsibilities on time. When adults know that they can rely on you, their trust and respect for you will increase.
Solve more of your own problem without asking for help
Instead of taking the easy approach and asking for help, make an effort to solve your problems on your own first. The "easy way" is only easy for you, but it is an extra task for the person from whom you are seeking help. Seek help only after you have make an honest effort to solve your own problems. 5. When you become a good problem solver, you increase your valve to the community.
A.Everyone has certain responsibilities.
B.By being aware of these manners and traits, you can manage them sooner.
C.The people doing the chores before will greatly appreciate the help.
D.This includes, but is not limited to, your dishes and your room.
E.It will make your life more pleasant.
F.Depending on the problem, 15 minutes of effort is usually a good guideline.
G.When speaking to a group, speak loud enough.
A trip across the Pacific will guarantee you a different experience with a tipping culture you’ve never come across in China.
In the US, giving a little extra money to service workers on top of your bill is a common practice.
Though US national law requires that businesses pay workers at least $7.25 (45 yuan) per hour, employees receiving tips—often waiters and waitresses—are the exceptions. They usually only receive at least $2.13 an hour, and tips make up the difference. As The Wall Street Journal put it, “ The American system of tipping holds the promise of great rewards for waiting staff.”
So how should you tip if you are in the US?
Normally you pay tips as a percentage of the bill. Offering an extra 15 percent of the bill to the waiter or waitress in a restaurant and to the delivery man or woman is customary and expected. You can offer more for great service and less for poor service.
Yet there is an exception. For take-out food, you don’t have to provide tips, though some people say that filling an order still requires work and time that deserve a little extra—but maybe a little less.
Tips are not expected at fast food restaurants, pizza parlors, cafés or ice cream shops either, though a tip jar might be right by the cash register (收银机). Don’t feel obligated to throw some money in, but also remember that it doesn’t hurt. Those workers do not rely on tips.
Other service workers also receive tips. For taxi drivers, 15 percent is the norm (标准), more if they help with your bags. Hairdressers often receive about 15 percent of the bill. The same goes for spa therapists(理疗师) and tour guides.
Today, you can even pay tips on a credit card. When receiving a copy of the bill to sign, you are free to fill in how much you’d like to tip.
Though thinking about when to tip and how much you should tip causes a big headache for many Chinese people, it’s important to bear in mind that as long as you show respect and use your reasoning, things will be just fine.
1.What is the article mainly about?
A.How tipping culture started in the US.
B.New ways to give tips in the US.
C.How to give tips properly in the US.
D.The different attitudes that people have toward tipping.
2.Which of the following is said to be against the norm of tipping in the US?
A.Paying waiters and waitresses less than $7.25 per hour.
B.Refusing to give tips to your tour guide.
C.Tipping taxi drivers less than 15% because of poor service.
D.Ignoring the tip jar at fast food restaurants, cafés, or ice cream shops.
3.The underlined word “obligated” in Paragraph 7 probably means________.
A.being forced to do something
B.being grateful for something
C.being surprised at something
D.being embarrassed about something
4.According to the author, Chinese consumers_________________.
A.don’t necessarily have to follow the tipping rules in the US
B.should use their credit cards to give tips
C.should take it easy and give the correct tips for different occasions
D.must argue about the amount of tip they have to pay
For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.
In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is—politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg—the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority—someone who actually knows something—and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.
1.Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?
A.Both are about where to draw the line.
B.Both can continue for generations.
C.Neither has any clear winner.
D.Neither can be put to an end.
2.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents.
B.The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict.
C.The teens cause their parents of misleading them.
D.The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict.
3.Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ______.
A.give orders to the other
B.know more than the other
C.gain respect from the other
D.get the other to behave properly
4.What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A.Solutions for the parent-teen problems.
B.Examples of the parent-teen war.
C.Causes for the parent-teen conflicts.
D.Future of the parent-teen relationship.
In a new move, doctors are using feature films in order to encourage their patients to talk more freely about their problems. Supporters of “film therapy (疗法)” say that discussing characters and plot lines from a proper film can help people to understand their feelings better.
One of those using the method is Bernie Wooder, a doctor from Elstree, who charges £45 for a one-hour “film therapy” session. He said, “I was treating a woman who had been badly let down in a relationship, and who was experiencing such strong feelings that it was difficult for her to speak about them. I told her that her situation reminded me of On the Waterfront, when Marlon Brando's character realizes his brother is dishonest and he feels a great sense of betrayal (背叛). My patient identified so easily with him that she started to cry. Watching and discussing the film
unlocked all the feelings she had buried. Each time she watched and cried, she felt better.”
Mr Wooder admits that film therapy does not work for everyone, but says he has used it successfully with about a third of his clients. “Through the films' characters, plots and even music, it allows people to face their problems.” He said that Falling Down, in which Michael Douglas plays the part of an unemployed man who is so frustrated (沮丧的) that he uses violence, was an example of the dangerous implications (后果) of not letting anger go. “I used this film with a patient who was very upset because he was holding on to a lot of the anger he felt towards people who had frustrated him,” said Mr Wooder. “We talked about Michael Douglas's character and the disastrous path he takes, and my patient then realized that he needed to let go of his feelings more regularly so as not to erupt (爆发) like a time bomb.”
1.What can we learn about Bernie Wooder?
A.He used to be an actor. B.He likes to review different films.
C.He is good at sharing his feelings. D.He is in support of “film therapy”.
2.Why did the patient cry when she watched On the Waterfront?
A.She missed her brother. B.She was moved by the film.
C.She realized she had been cheated. D.She thought of her sufferings.
3.After discussing Falling Down with Mr Wooder, the patient decided to _____.
A.let go of his anger B.stop his acts of violence
C.forget those who hurt him D.learn from Michael Douglas
4.What does the text mainly tell us?
A.Film stars have problems too.
B.Films can help unlock feelings.
C.Watching films can help you relax.
D.The public should pay more attention to films.
Welcome to the Civic Art Museum's Exhibit of West African Art, showing pieces from our collections.
Background
The peoples of West Africa, including the Yoruba, the Dogon, the Igbo, and the Akan, have a long art tradition. Tribes (部落) in the area have developed different styles of art and architecture that are suited to the climate and available materials and based on their traditions.
Gallery A: Photographs of Traditional West African Architecture
This section shows historical and contemporary photographs of traditional West African architecture. Of particular interest are the photographs of the Dogon village. The design of the Dogon village is based on the human figure. Certain types of buildings are placed in particular areas according to the Dogon's complex philosophical tradition. For example, the men's houses are placed in the “head” of the village, the leader's house is in the “chest,” and the women's houses are in the “hands.”
Gallery B: West African Masks
The art of mask making is well developed in West Africa. Masks are important to West African traditions and have clear social, political, and economic roles. However, most masks are worn only at particular times or on special occasions. For example, among the Dan and the Kota, certain people wear special masks to show their power when they act as judges and policemen within the community. Among the Bambara of Mali, headdresses are worn during planting and harvest celebrations.
Gallery C: West African Sculptures
West African sculptures are made from materials such as metal or wood. They are based on tribal traditions and are quite different. The Dogon are especially known for making figures of their ancestors (祖先). They believe their ancestors, called Nommo, came down from the sky at the beginning of time. Nommo figures are often shown with their hands reaching out to the sky. The collection contains several wonderful examples of Nommo sculptures.
1.What is special about Dogon houses?
A.They are shaped like human beings.
B.They are designed by the village leader.
C.They are grouped according to tradition.
D.They have many photographs inside them.
2.West African masks _____.
A.have recently developed
B.play many different roles
C.are mainly worn at harvest time
D.show the everyday life of the Dan
3.What do we know about the Dogon people?
A.They are afraid of Nommo figures.
B.They make statues of their ancestors.
C.They believe they will return to the sky.
D.They straighten their arms to show respect.
