Honesty is a valuable characteristic in a world full of false promises. Today, we re exploring five qualities of honest individuals.
They’re not concerned about popularity contests. 1.Instead, they simply are who they are and other people can take it or leave it. They stand up for their beliefs. Honest people don’t go looking for fights, but they also aren’t afraid to speak their mind. 2.While this may annoy managers concerned with bureaucracy( 官僚主义), most people will respect honesty and be impressed with those willing to stand out against the group mind.
3.Honesty requires thick skin. Not all people love hearing the truth, and when you give out a fresh dose of reality, some might be likely to throw it right back in your face. Honest individuals may fall victim to the insecure defensiveness of others, requiring them to be thick-skinned.
They have close friendships. Individuals who are honest often have rich, meaningful friendships. Others know that their honest friend won’t complain about them behind their back, and will instead face any issues head on. 4.
They are trusted by peers (同龄人). Individuals will seek the aid of honest peers, knowing they can count on them for true, objective advice. However, others will just lie and tell you the story you want to hear. 5.But there are many times that the difficult truth is what individuals really need to hear. Others trust honest individuals to tell them what it really is, without covering the truth.
A.They do this to avoid any injured feelings.
B.They never try to fight managers’ decisions.
C.The number of friends they have doesn’t matter.
D.They are seldom upset or hurt by unpleasantness.
E.This level of trust allows for deeper, healthier relationships.
F.They will state their opinions even when they are against the majority.
G.Honest people don’t think about what others think of them all the time.
Our body’s response is an important part of an emotional reaction to any event. If you’ve been criticized in public and found your face heated and your heart pounding, you’ve experienced your body’s reaction to shame.
Sometimes what you’re feeling is clear and consistent with what you’re saying. You might say “welcome” as you greet a guest with a smile. But at other times, we mask our emotions from the people around us. There are many reasons to hide how you’re feeling. You don’t want to rock the boat in a strict teachers class or you don’t want to hurt a friend’s feelings. You simply want to smooth situations over.
Even when you don’t communicate your feelings in spoken words, you may still be giving information with your body. Arms across your chest when you approach that new teacher? Looking down when you speak to your friend? These gestures are all important expressions of an emotion. Try understanding what others are communicating with their bodies. Notice things like eye contact, rate of speech and posture. How does their verbal communication match their body language? How about you? Try tuning in to your own body. How do you think others see you? Is that consistent with how you feel? Is it how you want to feel?
Body language communication is a two-way street. It communicates to others what you are feeling, but it also has a powerful effect on your own emotional state. Changing your body and posture can affect how you feel. Sit up in the meeting and you might find yourself more focused. Take a deep breath and you feel less anxious.
The body and your body language is a great field to dig into, especially if hiding how you feel has become habitual for you. Over time, if you become practiced in hiding your feelings, you may begin to hide them from yourself, too. Then the consequence can be losing contact with your own emotions. That’s actually harmful to your mental health.
1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.make trouble B.study
C.apologize D.go boating
2.How does the author explain his ideas in the third paragraph?
A.By listing data. B.By giving examples.
C.By providing definitions. D.By analyzing previous results.
3.The author uses the example of taking a deep breath to show ________.
A.the significance of taking exercise
B.the necessity of hiding our feelings
C.the effects of body movements on our feelings
D.the importance of using postures in communication
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.We should practice controlling our feelings.
B.Body language is hard for us to understand.
C.We may try to record our feelings more often.
D.Hiding feelings for long does harm to our health.
Some of the recent scientific studies have found that people who receive higher education live longer than those who do not. According to a new study, reading books extends lifespan(寿命) by up to two years, and the more often you read, the better.
Back in 1975, economists concluded that longer lifespan is linked to the wealth of a person, and that wealth itself increases longevity. It seemed self-evident: everything people need to be healthy from food to medical care costs money. But soon it was realized that the data didn’t always fit that theory. Economic success didn’t always mean longer lives.In the 1980s, researchers found gaining higher education is connected with a greater increase in lifespan than gains in wealth.
One fact is of teachers and college professors: they live longer than the rest of the population. The reason is that they engage in research most of their lives for teaching or publishing, which increases their lifespan and most importantly also retards their aging process.
Let’s look at what benefits educated people. Educated people get routinely involved in social networks, they get access to information because of their ability to understand information. They can easily navigate (导航) the health care system; they have more social support.
Reading helps us understand how other people think and feel. Reading improves our emotional intelligence. This understanding can improve the quality of a person’s life as it would allow the person to act with better judgment and have more insight into the feelings and thought patterns of others. Research has shown that reading changes certain areas of the brain and causes certain other parts to be active. This effect can also be observed in adults who learn to read much later in life. Learning has no age bar. Each and every human is born with the right to be educated. So, don’t hold back your urge to learn. The goal of education is to improve intelligence as well as the lifespan.
1.What did researchers find in the 1980s?
A.Education does affect peoples lifespan.
B.Health has nothing to do with wealth.
C.Economic success always belongs to professors.
D.Children from poor families can rarely gain higher education.
2.What does the underlined word “retards” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.speeds up B.slows down
C.turns back D.contributes to
3.What is the advantage of educated people according to Paragraph 4?
A.They learn more about human body and medical care.
B.They can set up their own health care system.
C.They are more connected to the society.
D.They are skilled in doing research through social networks.
4.What can we know about reading from the last paragraph?
A.It is effective against cancer.
B.It can change a person’s lifestyle completely.
C.It can help people understand humans brain better.
D.It is beneficial to peoples EQ and brain health.
I had just delivered a memorized speech, and I was about to learn how the judges decided my performance. The audience leaned forward and a period of silence fell across the room. I felt the drum rolled in my heart.
The third-place winner was announced. The name was not mine. Then the second-place winner, still not me. At last, the moment of truth came. I was about to either enjoy the warmth of victory or regret the months’ preparation. My heart felt closer to the latter.
Losing is a part of life, and I have dealt with it on more than one occasion. However, it was an indescribable feeling to drive a 200-mile round trip get up very early on a freezing Saturday morning, and yet still finish fourth out of four competitors in my group. After Lincoln lost the 1858 Illinois Senate race, he said, “I felt like the 12-year-old boy who kicked his toe. I was too big to cry and it hurt too bad to laugh.” Oh yeah, I could relate.
I had spent many hours in front of a computer and in libraries doing research for the Lincoln Bicentennial Speech Contest. After not placing in the first year of the contest, I really wanted to compete again. Lincoln had many failures, but he never allowed them to defeat his spirit or ambition, so I was not going to give upon a second contest! I reworked my speech for the following year, but again I did not place.
I couldn’t accept the fact that I failed twice in something that I had worked so hard on, until I thought about my hero. Never mind the lost prize money and praise. Through learning stories about Lincoln, I discovered that I can fail successfully.
1.How did the author feel after finishing his speech?
A.Excited B.Relaxed
C.Nervous D.Confident
2.What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 3?
A.He was disappointed with his preparations.
B.He hurt his toes on the way to the library.
C.He got up late on the day of the contest.
D.He was bottom of his group.
3.What made the author decide to enter the second contest?
A.The warmth of the victory. B.The inspiration from Lincoln.
C.His eagerness for the prize money. D.His desire to show himself on the stage.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Learn to fail successfully B.Never mind others’ judgments
C.Lincoln—my hero D.Losing—an indescribable feeling
YMCA (also called the Y for short) is now offering free summer membership for high school students. If you’re starting grade 9-12 in the fall, you can take advantage of free membership at some YMCA locations this summer with the Get Summer program.
What you get
Y membership from June 1 through August 31, including access to:
* 26 Y locations in the Twin Cities. Rochester and Hudson, WI—with just a single registration(注册)
* Gyms, where you can play basketball, volleyball and more
* Indoor and outdoor pools
* Fitness Centers featuring weights and other workout equipment
* Group Exercise classes that help you build strength, speed and flexibility
* Nutritious meals
* Leadership development, service learning opportunities, and career readiness Check out where to find and how to use all these benefits in the Member Guide.
Getting started
Before you can start using the Y, you need to attend an orientation(定向) meeting.
* Give a tour of your Y
* Review the Membership Code of Conduct
* Learn about schedules and programs available for the summer
The fine print
There are 400 free membership cards max per branch available this summer, so be sure to sign up early. If you’re currently a Y member, or have been a Y member within the last 60 days, you’re not qualified to get free Get Summer membership. Visit our online join center or your local branch to purchase youth membership.
Thank you
The Y would like to thank the Schulze Family Foundation for their generous contribution to help us provide a safe environment for young people to engage in programs that promote healthy living, and build character and leadership.
1.What can we know about the Get Summer program?
A.It is only provided in Rochester. B.It provides telephone registration.
C.It is free for everyone. D.It lasts for three months.
2.What can you get as a member of the Y?
A.Access to meet celebrities(名人). B.Opportunities to swim indoors.
C.Enjoyment from playing football. D.Personal classes to develop leadership.
3.If Charlie is a Y member now, she ________.
A.needs to buy youth membership to attend the summer program
B.may take part in the summer program for free
C.can share a youth membership with another Y member
D.can join the summer program at a discount
假定你是李华，你的加拿大笔友 Peter来信询问你每周参加体育锻炼的情况，请你根据下列表格内容，用英语给他写封回信。
时间 | 周一至周五 | 周末 |
锻炼的时间 | after school on weekdays | on Saturday/Sunday mornings |
锻炼的项目 | Run 1.5 km or play basketball | go cycling or climb the hill |
锻炼的地点 | In the playground | in the countryside |
锻炼的益处 | relax myself， be good for our health |
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头语已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
How glad I’m to hear from you!
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Yours,
Li Hua
