Santa Claus might not be real for most people. But for one kid Santa Claus is 100% real and even brings him _______ every year.
Mr.Hussain _______to be walking past a house in his local area in 2013 _______a young boy named Alfie shouted “Santa”. Not wanting to _______ the young boy, Mr. Hussain gave him some money and that started a friendship which sees Hussain _______ Alfie every year to give him gifts. He _______ now come over on their birthdays.
Alfie's _______, Tracy Ashford-Rose, told Buzz Feed News that Christmas wouldn't be the _______ without a visit from “Santa”. She said that she _______ “my little Alfie shouting out for me, ‘Look? It's Father Christmas!'”
“Hussain got three ________ away and came back to knock on my door; he said he couldn't live without giving a gift because my little boy ________ he was Father Christmas, ”Ashford-Rose continued.“This was four years ago, and we still ________ gifts to each other. He comes to see Alfie and my daughter Hayley on their birthdays and gives gifts. And he never forgets the ________.
“We now ________ him Grandad Christmas.We see him throughout the year. He ________Alfie's hand and hugs him.”
Amanda Taylor-Smith is a professional ________ and the family's former neighbour. She was at Alfie's house when Hussain dropped in last Sunday, and she ________ the heart-warming story on Facebook.
I rarely get a ________ in my eye when I take photos, but that guy just ________ it for me. I thought I had to tell that ________, ”she told Buzz Feed News.
1.A.talents B.pleasure C.hope D.gifts
2.A.proved B.claimed C.intended D.happened
3.A.while B.before C.when D.until
4.A.disappoint B.puzzle C.frighten D.terrify
5.A.look out for B.pay a visit to C.pay attention to D.get around
6.A.so B.even C.still D.just
7.A.father B.uncle C.mother D.grandpa
8.A.same B.only C.opposite D.likely
9.A.imagines B.reminds C.figures D.remembers
10.A.caves B.routes C.houses D.offices
11.A.thought B.pretended C.replied D.demanded
12.A.measure B.expect C.experience D.exchange
13.A.dates B.scene C.promise D.deal
14.A.make B.call C.take D.describe
15.A.trembles B.shakes C.shoots D.spreads
16.A.director B.coach C.photographer D.adviser
17.A.wrote B.invented C.told D.shared
18.A.tear B.pain C.light D.test
19.A.performed B.did C.arrested D.worked
20.A.lie B.truth C.story D.event
Most people will have to use pubic transportation at some point, so take the time to learn proper manners. Don't be one of those people who leave other passengers complaining.
Follow basic traffic rules. 1.This includes hallways,stairwells, and other areas where there is a constant flow of foot traffic. If you must pass someone, try to do it on the left, as you would in a car. Be considerate of anyone who is disabled or has a service animal.
Watch your belongings. Not only do you need to protect your belongings, but you also need to protect others from your bags and backpacks. Remove your backpack from your back so that when you turn around, you don't knock someone over. You should never place a bag on the seat next to you when you are on a crowded bus or train. Put it on the floor. 2.
Hold down the noise. Don’t inflict (使吃苦头) your noise on others3. Don’t have long cellphone conversations until you reach your stop. If you must listen to music,wear earbuds and keep the volume low enough so that only you can hear it.
4. Do your best to make sure others don't have to deal with smells coming from you. You can wear deodorant(除臭剂) to remove or hide unpleasant smells, but don't put on too much heavy perfume before getting on a crowded train.5.Don’t bring unsealed food and drink on public transportation. Smells travel in small spaces. You also risk spilling and causing a dangerous environment where people may slip and fall.
A.Watch over environment.
B.Learn policies about wearing fragrance.
C.You should stay to the right as much as possible.
D.This includes loud talking, electronics, and singing.
E.Always show good manners while riding public transportation.
F.If you don't want it to get dirty, place it on your lap so others can sit.
G.You will not only make some people feel uncomfortable, but they may also be allergic to it.
Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your help.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had jumped into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance (环境), I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite (咬) off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are inner powers we have: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas––even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself facing a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and crazily threw myself at that guy like a bullet (子弹) ––and stopped him cold.”
Boldness—-a willingness to get yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be gained overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee (保证) of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities — and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
1.Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?
A.He faced huge risks. B.Fear prevented him from trying.
C.He lacked mighty forces. D.Failure blocked his way to success.
2.What is the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 3?
A.Swallow more than you can digest. B.Develop more mysterious powers.
C.Act slightly above your abilities. D.Learn to make creative decisions.
3.What was especially important for Tim’s successful defense in the football game?
A.His spiritual force. B.His basic skill.
C.His real fear. D.His physical strength.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A.To advise people to develop more abilities.
B.To advise people to build up physical power.
C.To tell people the ways to guarantee success.
D.To encourage people to be courageous.
Breathing dirty air can cost someone's life span(寿命) months—even years, a new study finds.Worldwide, air pollution lowers average life spans by a year. Scientists shared their new findings in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.
Air pollution has been linked to many health problems.Most earlier studies has looked at how tiny air pollutants affected rates of illness or death. But now an environmental scientist, Joshua Apte, is going even further. He works at the University of Texas, Austin. He together with his team is looking at life expectancy, hoping to make the threat easier to understand.
PM 2.5 is what scientists call tiny particles of pollution in the air. Higher levels of PM 2. 5 can cause health problems and cut months, if not years, from the average life span. This analysis show show pollution affects life expectancy in different parts of the world.
The World Health Organization(WHO) recommends limiting PM 2.5 to 10 micrograms(微克) per cubic (立方)meter of air. Apte's group used data to try to find how this low level would help people. But meeting the WHO standard won't get rid of health damage from dirty air.That's because even below 10 micrograms per cubic meter pollution still causes huge risks.
Reducing air pollution could increase life expectancy. The scientists also compared how other threats shorten life spans across the globe. These risk factors included smoking and cancer.
These results show that in poor countries, cleaning up dirty air could greatly increase life spans. It could have as big an effect as cleaning up drinking water, or curing lung cancer. However, in wealthier countries air pollution shortens life expectancy by less than half a year. All forms of cancer, in fact, shorten the average life expectancy by more than 3.5 years.“Knowing this can really help people, or policymakers, decide where to spend their money,” says Kirk Smith.
1.What is Joshua Apte's team trying to do?
A.Let people understand air pollution better. B.Know how small air pollutants are.
C.Study the life expectancy of different people. D.Study many different healthy problems.
2.What will happen if one country limits PM 2.5 to 10 micrograms per cube meters?
A.Its people will live a healthy life. B.Its air is very clean.
C.It will get a prize from WHO. D.It still has pollution risks.
3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.Cancer is the leading killer in all kinds of diseases.
B.It's very hard to clean up dirty air in a short time.
C.The study will help different countries take different policies.
D.Reducing air pollution can increase all people's lifespans much.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.The Effect of Cancer Is Worse than Dirty Air
B.Air Pollution Is Shortening Lives Worldwide
C.Many Factors Are Affecting People's Health
D.Governments Are Trying to Make Life Span Long
For centuries, people have moved to and lived in cities. These urban centres are places to find work, friends and fun. It's no surprise that they continue to grow as more and more people flood in hoping to make the most of the chances they offer but adding to the congestion and pollution that already exist.
According to a report by the United Nations, 54 percent of the world's population lives in urban areas and it predicts that by 2050,this figure will have increased to around 70 percent. But as more and more people move from the countryside to the city to get better chances, they can end up with nowhere to live.
This is true in places such as Rio de Janeiro, where the people from the countryside can't rent or buy a home,and they end up building their own communities and houses on unoccupied land. These are called shanty towns— poor communities where the houses are built out of cheap materials—and often don't have any electricity or water supply.
These are, of course, not the future cities we want to see. Some serious urban planning is needed to make our cities of the future good, safe and modern places to live in. This involves improving the housing conditions, the chances for education and employment and so on.
Something urban planners are looking at now is the creation of“smart cities”. According to John Rossant, founder and chairman of the non-profit organisation New Cities Foundation, technology is the way forward. He thinks that it's generally accepted that “cloud computing, ubiquitous Internet, robust 5G networks etc, will change our cities”. He says technology is really “a game changer” in urbanization (城市化). It would collect large amounts of data about how a city is working and may improve how a city functions.
1.Why will a larger population be living in a city by 2050?
A.Because the government encourages the development of cities.
B.Because more people will have more children.
C.Because the countryside will disappear.
D.Because more people will move into the city to get more good opportunities
2.What can we know about shanty towns?
A.They have good quality housing built for poor people.
B.They are filled with people living under poverty.
C.They are built by the government.
D.They are developed and modern.
3.What name is given to a city that uses technology to help it function properly?
A.Traditional cities. B.Future cities.
C.Smart cities. D.Developing cities
Volunteer Opportunities for Young Adults
When you give back——to others less fortunate or in need of special help, you will definitely feel good about yourself and the world. If you have a wish to be personally connected to the charity or organization where you are giving your time and money, here are some volunteer opportunities.
★Watsi
Founded by Chase Adams after a bus ride in Costa Rica in 2011, Watsi is a digitally focused heath nonprofit for young adults. Watsi offers real-time tracking of where money donated goes, from basic medical services to surgeries.
★Pencils of Promise
Pencils of Promise was founded by Adam Braun in October 2008. It is an on-profit organization that puts all of its time and funds into education in the developing world. Pencils of Promise encourages their donors to connect with others to increase donation. All the donation will be used to build schools, provide supplies and train teachers in poor and under educated countries.
★Project Linus
Everywhere you see young men and women knitting and crocheting(钩). They are using those skills to make blankets for children in need. Founded in 1995, in Denver, Colorado, Project Linus is an non-profit organization. Its goal is to provide warmth and safety through blankets to children across the nation in need. The organization is now led by Carol Babbit with the headquarters in Normal, IL.
★Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run was set up in1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a team of 13 brave girls. Program founder Molly Barker struggled in her own life, and came to realize that a running program gave her “respect for my body and all the things it can do”. Girls on the Run is a volunteer opportunity for teaching young girls about the benefits of running.
1.Which organization has existed for about 9 years?
A.Watsi. B.Pencils of Promise.
C.Project Linus. D.Girls on the Run.
2.How does Pencils of Promise help the world?
A.It sells pencils to poor students. B.It focuses on children's health.
C.It provides social media for poor kids. D.It helps increase educational opportunities.
3.Which is right about Project Linus?
A.It was set up by Carol Babbit. B.Its goal is to teach children how to knit.
C.It supplies blankets to kids in need. D.It's an all-female organization.
4.Who set up Girls on the Run?
A.Chase Adams. B.Molly Barker.
C.Carol Babbit D.Adam Braun
