Life is colorful. Sometimes it’s just like potato salad; when it’s shared, it became a picnic.
With three young children to bring up, my husband John and I were very _______. "Can we go on a picnic, Mom?" my six-year-old daughter, Becky _______. "Please." I had said no so many times in _______ months, and I decided the usual Saturday morning chores could _______. To her _______, I agreed.
I prepared a few sandwiches and _______ a cooler with ice and drinks and called John _______.
My eleven-year-old twin sons loaded the cooler and the picnic basket in the trunk and off we went to spend some _______ time together as a family.
About the time I got the lunch _______ out on the table, John arrived on the ________. That was one of the happiest meals we ever shared together. The meal was full of ________. We felt a closeness that had been hidden by work and school responsibilities for so many months. John and the boys ________ rocks into the lake, Becky fed the ducks and I sat quietly at the picnic table, ________ God for blessing me with such a wonderful family.
That night as our children went to bed, I kissed their cheeks. It ________ me what a wonderful life I had. As I walked out of the room it dawned on me that even the busiest ________ could become a picnic when it’s shared with the ones you ________. Even though kids have now grown up and ________ from home, I can still remember how I felt that day while sitting at the picnic table.
Maybe today would be a good time to ________ potato salad, call all of my ________ kids, feed some hungry ducks and skipped a few rocks into the lake. Since life is like potato salad, let’s make it a ________.
1.A.patient B.old C.occupied D.poor
2.A.begged B.doubted C.asked D.wondered
3.A.coming B.recent C.following D.late
4.A.last B.approach C.relax D.wait
5.A.disappointment B.sadness C.surprise D.embarrassment
6.A.supplied B.filled C.provide D.compared
7.A.at work B.off work C.on business D.at home
8.A.unhappy B.quantity C.quality D.unfortunate
9.A.cooked B.spread C.taken D.made
10.A.scene B.sight C.view D.scenery
11.A.communication B.expectation C.hope D.laughter
12.A.missed B.took C.skipped D.left
13.A.trusting B.thanking C.praising D.praying
14.A.refreshed B.questioned C.beat D.hit
15.A.lifestyle B.time C.world D.occupation
16.A.love B.enjoy C.own D.have
17.A.left alone B.left behind C.moved away D.ran away
18.A.watch B.appreciate C.plant D.cook
19.A.handsome B.young C.mature D.grown
20.A.picnic B.salad C.life D.purpose
While it is impossible to prevent stress as well as reduce its effect when it can’t be avoided. The US Department of Health and Human Services offers the following suggestions for ways to deal with stress.
•Try physical activities
When you are nervous, angry or upset, try releasing the pressure through exercise or physical activities. 1.
•Take care of yourself.
You should make every effort to eat well and get enough rest. If you easily get angry and cannot sleep well enough, or if you're not eating properly, it will be more likely that you will fall into situations of stress. 2.
•Make time for yourself.
3.Don't forget, play can be just as important as work. You need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun. Go window-shopping or work on a hobby. Allow yourself at least half an hour each day to do something you enjoy.
•4.
Stress can result from disorganization and a feeling that "there's so much to do, and not enough time. " Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and, as a result, you may not achieve anything. Instead, make a list of everything you have to do. Set out to do the most important tasks first. Then do one thing at a time.5.
A.Bear in the most important task.
B.Schedule time for both work and play.
C.Check off each task as it is completed.
D.Make a list of the things you need to do.
E.For example, you could take your job as your hobby.
F.If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping, you should consult a doctor.
G.Running, walking, or playing tennis are just some of the activities you might try.
As humanity has got richer, animal’s roles have changed. People need their services less than before. Fewer wolves and thieves meant less demand for dogs for protection; the internal combustion engine（内燃机）made horses unneeded; modern sanitation（卫生设备）kept rats in check and made cats less useful. No longer necessities, domestic animals became luxuries. Pet-keeping seems to kick in when household incomes rise above roughly $5,000. It is booming.
The trend is not a new one. Archaeologists（考古学家）have found 10,000-year-old graves in which dogs and people are buried together. Some cultures -- such as in Scandinavia, where dogs have long been both working dogs and companions -- have kept pets for thousands of years. But these days the pet-keeping urge has spread even to parts of the world which have no tradition of sinking into a comfortable chair with a furry creature.
The pet business is growing even faster than pet numbers, because people are spending more and more money on them. No longer are they food - waste - recyclers, fed with the remains that fall from their masters’ tables. Pet - food shelves are full of delicacies crafted to satisfy a range of appetites, including ice cream for dogs and foods for pets that are old, diabetic or suffer from sensitive digestion; a number of internet services offer food, tailored to the pet’s individual tastes.
In the business this is called “pet humanisation” -- the tendency of pet owners to treat their pets as part of the family. This is evident in the names given to dogs, which have evolved from Fido, Rex and Spot to -- in America -- Bella, Lucy and Max. It is evident in the growing market for pet clothing, pet grooming and pet hotels.
People still assume that pets must be working for humanity in some way, perhaps making people healthier or less anxious. But the evidence for that is weak. Rather, new research suggests that dogs have evolved those irresistible “puppy - dog eyes” precisely to affect human emotions. It has worked. The species that once enslaved others now works very hard to pay for the care of its pets. Sentimental（多愁善感的）Americans often refer to themselves not as cat-owners but as the cat’s “mommy” or “daddy”. South Koreans go one further, describing themselves as cat “butlers”. Watch an unlucky dog-walker trailing “his” hound（猎犬）, plastic bag in hand to pick up its mess, and you have to wonder: who’s in charge now?
1.Which of the following trends is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.People’s needs for animal services are decreasing.
B.Both the pet number and the pet business are growing.
C.Pets are increasingly making their owners less anxious.
D.Pet foods are more various and customized than before.
2.Which of the following is referred to as evidence of “pet humanization?”
A.The names given to pets in American families nowadays.
B.Pet’s inbuilt ability to affect emotions of their owners.
C.Human beings ever rising urge for pet-keeping.
D.Pet’s roles as both working staff and companions.
3.Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?
A.Pets should be treated as equals of their human masters.
B.Human beings are getting much benefit from their pets.
C.Pet-keeping is still restricted within certain parts of the world.
D.Some pet owners spend too much money on their pets.
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.The Changing Roles of Animals B.The Urge for Pet-keeping
C.Who Owns Whom D.Love Me, Love My Dog
William I, who conquered England some 930 years ago, had wealth, power and an army. Yet although William was very rich by the standard of his time, he had nothing like a flush toilet(抽水马桶)，or riding lawn mower(除草机). How did he get by ?
History books are filled with wealthy people who were poor compared to me. I have storm windows, Croesus did not. Entire nations trembled before Alexander the Great, but he couldn,t buy cat food. Czar Nicholas lacked an electric saw.
Given how much better off I am than so many famous dead people, you,d think I,d be content. The trouble is that, like most people, I compare my wealth with that of living persons: neighbors, school classmates, famous TV people. The greed I feel toward my friend Howard,s new kitchen is not reduced by the fact no kings ever had a refrigerator with glass doors.’
There is really no rising or falling standard of living. Over the centuries people simply find different things to feel sad about. You,d think that simply not having disease would put us in a good mood, but no, we want a hot bath too.
Of course, one way to achieve happiness would be to realize that even by today,s standards the things I own are pretty nice. My house is smaller than the houses of many investments bankers, but even so it has a lot more rooms than my wife and I can keep clean.
Besides, to people looking back at our era from a century or two in the future, these bankers, fancy counter tops and my own worn Formica will seem equally shabby. I can,t keep up with my neighbors right now. But just wait.
1.What does the underlined phrase “get by” in the first paragraph mean ?
A.Succeed as a king. B.Deal with complaints.
C.Live in s satisfactory way. D.Get some extra money.
2.How many historical figures are mentioned to compare lives in the past and present ?
A.3. B.4.
C.5 D.6
3.According to the passage, the author. intends to .
A.tell us to be content with life
B.warn us to live in a simple way
C.teach us to learn lessons from life
D.encourage us to struggle for wealth
4.What,s the author,s attitude towards life ?
A.Doubtful. B.Optimistic.
C.Uncaring. D.Cautious.
My school appeared on the news last week because we had made an important change in our local area. Our class had planted a large garden in what was once only a vacant lot. It was a lot of work but it was all worth it. I got blisters(水泡) from digging, and we all got insect bites, too.
I learned a lot about gardening and collaboration(合作), and then I learned about the media. Our teacher telephoned the TV station and informed them of what we had accomplished. She spoke with the producer. The producer checked with the directors, but they said there were plenty of stories similar to ours. They wanted to know what was special about our particular garden, since many schools plant them.
The teacher explained that, after going on the Internet to learn about the prairie(大草原), we had made a prairie garden. We had gone to a prairie and gotten seeds from the plants, and then we planted them. We did not water the garden, but we did weed it. We decided to let nature water it with rain, since that was how prairies grew in the past. We sent a picture of the garden to the news station. In the picture, the grass was so high that it stood taller than the fourth grade students.
As a result, the producer sent a reporter to our school. He interviewed the headmaster and asked him many questions about the garden. After that, they interviewed us, and we explained to them what we had learned through this project.
That night, we watched the news, and there we were. The news reporter told our story. It was only two minutes long, but it was us. We were famous. All that work, all those blisters, it was worth it. We knew that when we saw the garden every day, but now we knew that the whole city thought so, too.
1.What seemed to be the TV directors’ initial reaction to the garden?
A.They were excited. B.They were surprised.
C.They were worried. D.They were uninterested.
2.What is special about the garden?
A.Weeds were allowed to spread naturally.
B.The grass grew faster than common grass.
C.The seeds came from the plants of a prairie.
D.Underground water was used for the plants.
3.What does the underlined word “that” refer to in the last paragraph?
A.We got blisters on our hands. B.Our hard work was worthwhile.
C.The garden would be famous. D.The project would be finished.
4.How did the author feel about the project?
A.Annoyed. B.Curious. C.Proud. D.Regretful.
Inspiring young minds！
TOKNOW Magazine is a big hit in the world of children’s publishing, bringing a unique combination of challenging ideas and good fun to young fans every month.
What is so special about TOKNOW magazine?
Well, it has no ads or promotions inside instead it is jam-packed with serious ideas. TOKNOW makes complex ideas attractive and accessible to children, who can become involved in advanced concepts and even philosophy-and they will soon discover that TOKNOW feels more like a club than just a magazine.
What's inside?
Every month the magazine introduces a fresh new topic with articles, experiments and creative things to make the magazine also explores philosophy and well-being to make sure young readers have a balanced take on life.
Sounds too good to be true?
Take a look online—evidence shows that thousands of teachers and parents know a good thing when they see it and recommend TOKNOW to their friends.
Happy Birthday All Year！
What could be more fun than a gift that keeps coming through the letterbox every month? The first magazine with your gift message will arrive in time for the special day.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Annual Subscription(订阅)
Europe ￡55 Rest of world ￡65
Annual Subscription with Gift Pack
Includes a Mammoth Map, a passport Puzzle Booklet, and Subscription
Europe ￡60 Rest of World ￡70
Refund Policy-the subscription can be canceled within 28 days and you can get your money back.
1.Why is TOKNOW a special magazine?
A.It entertains young parents. B.It combines fun with complex concepts
C.It publishes popular science fictions D.It provides serious advertisements
2.What does TOKNOW offer its readers?
A.Articles on new topics B.Online courses
C.Lectures on a balanced life D.Reports on scientific discoveries
3.How much should you pay if you make a 12-mounth subscription to TOKNOW with gift pack from China?
A.￡55 B.￡60 C.￡65 D.￡70
