Do you often feel that you aren’t taking in as much of the joy around you as you could? I recently caught myself feeling this way, and based on a suggestion by John Horton, coauthor (合著者) of The Inner Game of Stress, I put myself on a 30-day life-appreciation course.

The only assignment each day was to go outside and appreciate life.

So I started by taking in the beauty around me. During the first few days, I was able to appreciate my surroundings, although it was an intellectual appreciation, not an emotional one.

After the first week, it was more uncomfortable to lie in bed and think about things than it was to get up and see them for myself.

If you often wake up feeling anxious or depressed, or if you don’t look forward to each day, then you need to try this course for yourself.

It’s an inner workout that you can do anywhere. It may not change your life, but it will adjust your attitude, and that’s pretty helpful in this crazy world.

I have always believed in ending the day on a positive note by writing a word or two in a gratitude journal and saying something sweet to my wife about the day we shared.

Now, I have a new morning habit. It hasn’t changed my routine one bit, but it has changed the way I look at the world.

Creating a new habit isn’t about perfection – it’s about getting what you want by creating a change in your behavior and thinking.

So now, while I’m making my coffee in the morning, I’m also appreciating what I have.

It’s quick, fulfilling, and a much better way to start my day than looking at my phone or computer.

And because of this, my attitude is better, as I’ve already begun my morning on a positive note rather than a problematic one.

The idea here is that if you can appreciate your life, it actually changes the way you feel about it.

Appreciation will give you more energy to live the way you would like to live.

As a means of improving our mood, it’s highly underrated (被低估的). The easy task of appreciating what we have simply makes life better.

1.How did the author feel about seeing things for himself after he started the life-appreciation course?

A. Comfortable. B. Doubtful . C. Anxious. D. Depressed.

2.What does the author think of his new morning habit?

A. It has changed his daily routine.

B. It has increased his desire for perfection.

C. It has improved his physical health.

D. It has changed his way of viewing the world.

3.Which of the following might the author disagree to?

A. Enjoying the beautiful surroundings of your neighborhood.

B. Appreciating a cup of coffee in the morning.

C. Amusing yourself with your phone to start your day.

D. Seeing things from a different angle.

4.What’s the author’s main purpose in writing this article?

A. To recommend a life-appreciation course to readers.

B. To explain why appreciation is often underrated.

C. To encourage readers to be grateful for life.

D. To advise all the readers to change their lifestyle.

    Let Kids with Cancer Be Kids Again!

We care about the needs of kids with cancer

Camp quality originated in 1983 in Sydney, Australia. The camp was created to give kids with cancer and their family a place to interact with other children and have an extraordinary summer. Activities are designed with kids in mind such as swimming, fishing, arts and crafts, and even the beloved campfires.

Companions and volunteers

The safety of campers and staff(员工)is of top priority to Camp Quality Arkansas. Each staff member is required to attend a training session. Within these sessions, each potential staff member gets to know the program and then a decision is made to decide whether he or she will fit best in the camp.

“In all of our volunteers we look for adults who can lead with their own actions and have a child-like spirit. This ability to have fun is essential to the success of the camp. While the companions work directly with the campers, we are always on the lookout for volunteers to fill the positions of RNs, certified lifeguards, photographers, and kitchen staff,” said Amber Dovel, volunteer coordinators at Camp Quality Arkansas.

A unique function of the camp is that for each kid a companion is assigned. A companion is a reminder of “hope, courage, and happiness, not only during the week of camp, but all year round,” according to the official website.

Contact us

For more information visit www.campqualityusa.org or contact Director, Chris Jennings at Chris. Jennings@camoqualityusa.org.

1.Camp Quality Arkansas runs training session for possible staff to ________.

A. teach them the skills needed to go camping

B. offer them a chance to communicate with campers

C. see whether they are suited to the camp programs

D. inform them of the safety standards during the week of campers

2.What’s unique of Camp Quality Arkansas?

A. It offers campers companion care beyond the week of camp.

B. It welcomes adult staff with a child-like spirit.

C. It designs all kinds of activities for kids with cancer.

D. Its volunteers are from all walks of life.

听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。

1.When is the high tourist season in England?

A. June and July. B. August and September. C. July and August.

2.When is the holiday period of state schools in England?

A. From early-July to mid-August

B. From mid-July to mid-August.

C. From about mid-July to the end of August.

3.Where do people prefer to stay for holidays?

A. In rented houses. B. In boarding houses. C. In hotels.

4.What may British people refuse to do?

A. Talk about their holidays.

B. Try new places to take holidays.

C. Change the times of their holidays.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.What might prevent the man from visiting the woman this weekend?

A. The rain. B. His girlfriend's work. C. Mark's work.

2.What are the man and Mark interested in?

A. Board games. B. Cooking. C. Car-repairing.

3.What are the woman and Lucy good at?

A. Cooking. B. Driving cars C. Playing games.

4.Which road did the man use to take to go to the woman’s?

A. Highway 17. B. Highway 27. C. Highway 70.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.What does the woman want to find out?

A. How people spend their holiday.

B. How long people like to go on holiday.

C. Whether people prefer to travel abroad.

2.How long is the man’s vacation each year?

A. Four week. B. Three weeks. C. Two weeks.

3.What does the man like most on holiday?

A. Traveling abroad.

B. Visiting museums.

C. Enjoying the peace of the country.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.Where does the conversation take place?

A. On a train. B. On a bus. C. On a plane.

2.Why does the man want to open the window?

A. The air is bad.

B. He wants to smoke.

C. He wants to enjoy the sight.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.At what time is the plane supposed to leave?

A. 11:00. B. 10:20. C. 10:00.

2.At which gate will the speakers board?

A. Gate 2. B. Gate 3. C. Gate 5.

What does the man think of the plays by Lady Orland?

A. Boring and terrible. B. Serious and positive. C. Inspiring and humorous.

When will the man leave for Liverpool?

A. At 12:00. B. At 14:30. C. At 17:30.

What does the woman really mean?

A. There's no problem. B. She is very busy. C. She’ll go to another place.

What’s the time now?

A. 10:30. B. 10:10. C. 9:50.

When will the woman speaker come back home?

A. Early in the evening. B. Late in the evening. C. Early in the afternoon.

    Eco City Farms is an educational nonprofit organization. It seeks to empower the community by teaching economic development, job training and a healthier way of living. The group has set up farms near automobile repair businesses and fast food stores in urban neighborhoods.

Social activist Margaret Morgan-Hubbard founded Eco City Farms. She says that lack of fresh produce is a major health problem for children and their families living in Maryland. “What’s critical is that 70 percent of the people in these towns are either overweight, have some illnesses, for example, diabetes, or have other kinds of diet-related ailments because they don’t have access to healthy food.

Eco City Farms offers several programs for agriculture, food and finding jobs with environment-friendly businesses. People can also learn how to cook healthier foods and teach others how to prepare meals. On a recent day, Philip Sidibe demonstrated his cooking skills. He prepared Aloco, a popular food in Cameroon where he grew up. He and other young people not only cook their food, they also grow it in a large garden.

Tameka Barbour-Gaskins lives in Autumn Woods. She says her whole family is eating healthier meals because of the local produce. “I like junk food. I like quick meals. Not easy to just go from eating a certain way all your life to switching over to being healthier… With the urban garden here, with my son learning, he can help me switch around my style of eating. I want a healthy family.”

Margaret says the urban garden is an agent for change and the young people are its newest supporters. “Our program is about planting seeds. It’s about planting seeds not just in the ground, but in other human beings so that the movement can grow and it’s really exciting because these young people will be working with us throughout the year to help plan the actual farm and to finally own it.”

1.What does Eco City Farms aim to do?  (No more than 20 words)

___________________

2.What does the underlined word “ailments” in Paragraph 3 mean?  (1 word)

___________________

3.According to Margaret, what’s the major danger to people’s health in Maryland? (No more than 10 words)

___________________

4.How do people benefit from the programs offered by Eco City Farms? (No more than 15 words)

___________________

5.What do you think of Eco City Farms? Please explain. (No more than 15 words)

___________________

单词拼写

1.His c_____(性格) is a combination of strength and kindness.

2.The town was f____(建立) by English settlers in 1790.

3.She is always c____(抱怨) about working over time.

4.A jazz band provided the e_____(娱乐), while people ate and drank under the stars.

5.Mark has two kids from a p____(以前的) marriage.

6.Olivia’s house was s____ by lightning during the storm last night.

7.He is a good student except that he is o_____(偶尔) careless.

8.The bank is just o_____(在对面) the church. You won’t miss it.

9.During the Spring Festival, all the supermarkets are c____with people busy buying things for holiday.

10.S____on the northeast coast, Barcelona is the second largest city of Spain.

    In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand (木架)with a small notepad(记事本)and a hole for a pencil.

I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can’t be the same pencil. The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.

“I’m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years.” I say to her, walking back into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Can’t you afford a pen?”

My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly well. I’ve always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in those days.”

Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”

This story—which happened before I was born—reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible(看不到的) exhibits at every meal.

1.Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?

A. To leave messages. B. To list her everyday tasks.

C. To note down maths problems. D. To write down a flash of inspiration.

2.What is the author’s original opinion about the wooden stand?

A. It has great value for the family. B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.

C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood. D. It should be passed on to the next generation.

3.The author feels embarrassed for ________.

A. blaming her mother wrongly

B. giving her mother a lot of trouble

C. not making good use of time as her mother did

D. not making any breakthrough in her field

4.In the author’s mind, her mother is ________.

A. strange in behavior B. keen on her research

C. fond of collecting old things D. careless about her appearance

One side effect of globalization and the related phenomenon of greatly increased mobility is that the traditional definition of “foreigner” has passed its sell-by date.

Is a European who has lived in China longer than in his home country, becoming fluent in the language and culture in the process, still a foreigner in China, or has he become more of a foreigner in his own home town? What about a Beijinger who did her schooling in Canada and then lived and worked in mainstream society there for another 20 years while raising a family, who has no intention of returning to China? Does she think and act like a foreigner? What do we mean by this label(标签)?

When I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, the faces you would see during a walk through a local shopping mall back in the 1960s and 1970s included almost none of Asian descent. Today the same malls are full of Asian faces, and a glance at the ranks of top scoring students in local schools reveals lots of Asian surnames.

To some extent, this is no great surprise in the American context, because America is a land of immigrants, and a cultural melting pot. Apart from the native American Indians, Americans are (or were), in some way, all foreigners anyway. Absorbing a large number of immigrants is an established pattern in American history.

In most places, the traditional foreigners were people who didn’t speak or read the local languages well, were unfamiliar with local customs and lifestyles, often engaged in relatively third-class work, and certainly not the type of people you would want your sons or daughters to marry. But, nowadays, a foreigner down the street may have better SAT scores than you did, or higher degree from a better university. He might also be your son’s or daughter’s next employer.

The traditional role models are getting mixed up, and it looks like this is just the beginning of a new chapter. Today, the whole thing has totally changed. It’s not about where people are from or what color their skins are. It’s about who they are, what values and skills they bring, and how they think.

1.By mentioning a European and a Beijinger, the author tends to tell us ____.

A. it’s no longer proper to define foreigners according to their birthplaces

B. the label of foreigners can never be removed

C. most foreigners can do well in learning languages

D. it’s impossible for a foreigner to get recognition abroad

2.What can be inferred from the 3rd paragraph?

A. In 1960s and 1970s, Asians didn’t shop in Chicago.

B. Today, more and more Asian travelers like to shop in Chicago.

C. There are more Asian immigrants today than in the 1960s and 1970s in Chicago.

D. Most Asian students do well academically in the schools in Chicago.

3.The underlined part in paragraph 1 has the closest meaning to____.

A. the term “foreigner” should be redefined

B. the term “foreigner” should no longer be used

C. there are no more foreigners in the world today

D. the term “foreigner” is not proper to define people

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Globalization and mobility caused more and more immigrants.

B. The standards of defining “foreigner” have thoroughly changed.

C. America is a cultural melting pot.

D. Immigration is a global social phenomenon.

    School days are supposed to be the best days of your life and part of that experience usually involves some unforgettable physical activities. I asked some people to give me their memories of what happened to them on the sports field and beyond, and this is what they told me.

Cup winners

When I was about ten, the football team from our year unexplainably made it to the cup final of the local schools’ league. I say unexplainably because I only remember us losing nearly every match we played. Anyway, in the final I set up the winning goal, a brilliant cross to my mate David who headed the ball in just before the final whistle. I still have a photograph of the team holding the cup.

Forest hike

I remember having to lead a group of eight boys on a school expedition for the best part of two days when I was a teenager. Even though we got lost at one point, I managed to keep them all together and get them from one end of a large forest to the other and back by sheer(纯粹的) force of will. I was chosen to be the leader, I think, because I was the only one who knew how to read a map!

When we arrived back at the campsite, we found out that all the other groups had cheated and hitched(搭便车) most of the way instead… I felt a bit stupid, but also rather proud of myself at the same time for having done it properly.

Learning to swim, learning to drown

I learned to swim comparatively late, I suppose. I was maybe nine years old but my brother had a painful experience which nearly put him off for life. We lived in the USA for a while and had access to a university pool where the coaches had trained the American Olympic team. In those days, though, their idea of teaching kids how to swim was to tie a can to their ankles with a bit of string, throw them in the deep end and shout “Swim!”. I am surprised my brother survived at all. He could only have been about six at the time.

1.The passage mainly talks about ________.

A. tips on taking part in outdoor activities

B. how people consider physical activities

C. why people love outdoor activities

D. people’s experiences of physical activities

2.What did the first person do in the school’s cup final?

A. He scored the winning goal.

B. He provided the pass for the final goal.

C. He blew the whistle at eh end of the game.

D. He lost every game in the season.

3.The underlined word “expedition” in the third paragraph has the same meaning to “________”.

A. match B. deal C. trip D. research

4.It can be learned that when the third person was young, ________.

A. he learned swimming from the same coach as his elder brother

B. the swimming coach’s teaching method was rather inconsiderate

C. his family lived near a university pool for about ten years

D. the American Olympic team had no swimming pool of its own

    Italian Language Immersion Class in Chicago, Illinois

Language stars:

FunImmersion Italian class at Language Stars in Illinois provides fun, full language immersion programs (全语言沉浸式教学) for children aged (1-10). Also: Spanish, French, German and Mandarin Chinese. Throughout their 3-hour class every day, the children take part in full-immersion activities, create art projects, sing and enjoy themselves all in Italian!

Quality teachers:

Teachers are the single greatest driver of the quality of our programs! Language Stars carefully selects our native-speaking Italian teachers, who have received extensive (广泛的) training before starting their teaching careers.

Teaching Style:

Language Stars makes learning a language fun, through a mix of games, songs, puppet shows, arts & crafts, cooking projects, treasure hunts, movement and drama, all in the foreign language. Our unique FunImmersion method is the best way for children to enjoy learning a foreign language.

The Benefits of Learning a Language at a Young Age:

It is uniquely suitable for young children to learn a second language. Exposing your child to a second language allows a child to optimize (使最优化) his or her learning potential, helping to shape the brain at its most flexible stage. Learning a second language at a young age is as easy as learning a first language.

Language Immersion Programs for Kids (Aged 1-10):

Language Stars offers play-based, full immersion programs in small groups of 4-8 children in Italian, Spanish, French, German and Mandarin Chinese in three exciting formats:

- Parents & kids (Aged 1-3)

- Kids Only Classes (Aged 3-5, 5-8, 8-10)

- Summer Immersion Camp

Free Trial Class:

During a free class we encourage your child to participate as if he / she is enrolled.

Tuition Fee:

$ 600

Address:

2105 N. Southport, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1.What do you know about the Language Stars?

A. Its teachers come from different countries throughout the world.

B. Children can spend 3 hours every week learning Italian.

C. It aims to teach children English through playing.

D. It provides language immersion programs for children.

2.It can be learned from the passage that ________.

A. learning a second language at a young age helps a kid to increase his or her learning ability

B. parents can attend all the classes together with their children

C. Language Immersion Programs are intended for children over 10

D. children can speak their native language when they are doing their activities

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. Contact information. B. Accommodation.

C. Tuition. D. Courses and activities.

    Are you going to school for something your parents pushed on you? Are you doing things just because others expect you to? I found many ____in my Life Coaching lessons. The biggest one some students are having is that they are living a life someone else has ____for them.

Why on earth would someone live a life that someone else wants for him? Usually, the main ___is his parents. When we’re growing up we must do what our parents want us to do. We really don’t have our own ____. The problem is that most parents are overly ____that they know what’s best for their children. Many parents ____their children to make certain educational ____. Some parents won’t ____their children’s college, unless the children learn ____what the parents decide.

Parents aren’t the only ones ____their ideas on my students. I have some students who are doing jobs they really ____, but their friends or relatives would not support them if they apply for a _____job they’d like better.

Are you allowing others to decide what life you are living now? If so, it is a ____.

Even if you are about to ____for college and you find that the only way your parents will pay school fees for you is that you choose Business, but you want to ____Art… And at this moment I don’t ___that you choose the major you have no ____. Follow your heart.

Remember, ____choose your major or job that you don’t like just because of others’ ideas. If you choose what you like, you will be a(n) ____ person and will positively influence others. Live the life you want from now on____you will get happiness.

1.A. students B. problems C. examples D. results

2.A. designed B. trained C. introduced D. expressed

3.A. rule B. reason C. news D. information

4.A. excuses B. complaints C. wishes D. choices

5.A. excited B. worried C. confident D. careful

6.A. expect B. allow C. agree D. teach

7.A. challenges B. practices C. experiences D. achievements

8.A. turn to B. learn about C. pay for D. drop in

9.A. regularly B. nearly C. gradually D. exactly

10.A. offering B. placing C. depending D. trying

11.A. hate B. enjoy C. appreciate D. accept

12.A. familiar B. similar C. different D. terrible

13.A. mistake B. chance C. decision D. character

14.A. send B. look C. head D. wait

15.A. refuse B. learn C. change D. copy

16.A. remember B. trouble C. mind D. suggest

17.A. interest B. explanation C. advantage D. preparation

18.A. sometimes B. never C. often D. still

19.A. beautiful B. clever C. happy D. honest

20.A. but B. and C. or D. although

It was only after he had read the papers ________ Mr. Gross realized the task was extremely difficult to complete.

A. that B. when C. which D. what

There were many causes for his failure, but ________, it was because his carelessness and little preparation.

A. as a result B. on the other hand

C. in a nutshell D. on the contrary

We Chinese eat with chopsticks ______ most westerners eat with knives and forks.

A. for   B. as   C. while  D. when

At first, Alice didn’t study well in our class, but she ________ topping in our class with great efforts.

A. picked up B. gave up C. ended up D. went up

By the end of last month, some latest teaching equipment ________ to some high schools in Tibet.

A. has been sent B. was sent

C. had been sent D. would be sent

The volcano erupted and the lava poured down the mountain, ________ several villages.

A. buried B. to bury C. burying D. being buried

Tom took a taxi to the airport, only _____ his plane high up in the sky.

A. finding    B. to find    C. being found    D. to have found

Let’s get started ________ we ended yesterday so that we won’t miss anything.

A. where B. what C. whether D. which

She was supposed ______ at home at the moment, but her mother found her in the park.

A. to be reading B. read  C. reading  D. to have read

Kathy ________ a lot of Chinese when she was working in Beijing during the summer vacation.

A. took up B. picked up C. brought up D. turned up

The construction work is progressing properly. ________, the bridge across the river will be open to traffic in ten months.

A. Thankfully B. Fortunately C. Gradually D. Hopefully