It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth (收费站). “I’m paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me,” she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare.”
It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend’s refrigerator: “Practice random(不经意的) kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” The phrase impressed her so much that she copied it down.
Judy Foreman spotted the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. “I thought it was beautiful,” she said, explaining why she’d taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, “like a message from above.” Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, admitting(承认) that though she liked it, she didn’t know where it came from or what it really meant.
Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days.
“Here’s the idea,” Anne says. “Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly.” Her fantasies include painting the classrooms of shabby(破败的) schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, “Kindness can build on itself as much as violence can.”
The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours!
1.Why did Natalie Smith pay for the six cars behind her?
A. She knew the car drivers well. B. She wanted to show kindness.
C. She hoped to please others. D. She had seven tickets.
2.Judy Foreman copied down the phrase because she ______.
A. thought it was beautifully written B. wanted to know what it really meant
C. decided to write it on a warehouse wall D. wanted her husband to put it up in the classroom
3.Who came up with the phrase according to the passage?
A. Judy Foreman. B. Natalie Smith. C. Alice Johnson. D. Anne Herbert.
4.Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence above?
A. Kindness and violence can change the world.
B. Kindness and violence can affect one’s behavior.
C. Kindness and violence can reproduce themselves.
D. Kindness and violence can shape one’s character.
5.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. People should practice random kindness to those in need.
B. People who receive kindness are likely to offer it to others.
C. People should practice random kindness to strangers they meet.
D. People who receive kindness are likely to pay it back to the giver.
With the development of science and technology, our daily life is becoming more colorful and more convenient .
An Underwater Hotel It looks like a spaceship but it is actually a picture of an underwater hotel. A company plans to build in the sea which is about 18 metres below the surface. The whole building is underwater and you can get to it by swimming and diving. |
Google Glass Google Glass is a pair of glasses with a battery hidden inside the frame(边框). It can perform many of the same tasks as smart phones. The glass has a hidden camera and a tiny screen. It is designed to take hands-free photos or videos of anything people are doing. |
A New Kind of Shirt Hate washing clothes? You’re going to love this kind of shirt made by an American clothing company, Wool & Prince. This shirt can be worn for 100 straight days without washing! The Wool & Prince shirt never needs ironing(熨烫). |
The Digital Library Can you imagine walking into a library and finding all books have turned into computers? The first bookless public library is planned to open in San Antonio, Texas. Computers will take the place of books soon. |
1.How do you get to the Underwater Hotel?
A. By taking boats B. By taking a subway
C. By swimming and diving D. By taking a plane
2.You needn’t use ______ when you take photos or video with Google Glass.
A. a camera B. a screen C. a battery D. your hand
3.The digital Library tells us something about a library without ______.
A. books B. computers C. bookshelves D. reader
4.Which one of the following can reduce our housework in our daily life?
A. The underwater hotel B. Google Glass
C. The Wool & Prince shirt D. The digital library
5.Our daily life is improving because of __________.
A. more robots making our life convenient B. hard work of people around the world
C. more and more latest hotels and restaurants D. the development of science and technology
A girl complained to her father about her hard life. She didn’t know what she had to do and wanted to _____up. She felt tired of fighting and fighting. One problem had been finished but______came over.
Her father, a cook, took her into the_____.He poured water into three pans (锅) and boiled it. When the water was boiling, in the first pan he put some carrots, in the second he put some eggs and in the last he put some coffee. He ____for them for a few minutes without any words.
The girl waited impatiently, not knowing ____her father was doing that. About 20 minutes later, her father turned ____the stove, took out the carrots and put them in a bowl. He took out the______and put them in another bowl. After that the coffee was poured into a cup. Turning back to his daughter, he asked, “My sweet heart, what do you ____?” “Carrots, eggs and coffee,” she answered.
Her father told her to ____her eyes and let her touch the carrots. She did so and felt that the carrots were______. After that he asked her to take eggs and ____them. Then, she got the eggs, warm and hard. At last, the father asked her to smell the coffee. She asked, “What did you do this for, Father?” He ____that each one had had the same unlucky experience—the boiling water, but ____had a different result. The strong and hard carrots had become soft and weak after being in the boiling water. The eggs became hard after being cooked. The coffee was very_____and it changed the water. “Who are you?” asked her father, “When bad luck ____your door, what’s your decision? Are you carrots, eggs or coffee?”
1.A. grow B. give C. set D. pick
2.A. other B. else C. another D. many
3.A. bedroom B. office C. restaurant D. kitchen
4.A. looked B. searched C. waited D. called
5.A. that B. when C. what D. why
6.A. into B. over C. off D. out
7.A. vegetables B. fruits C. eggs D. cakes
8.A. hear B. taste C. smell D. see
9.A. close B. open C. wash D. clean
10.A. hard B. soft C. sweet D. sour
11.A. drop B. cook C. break D. drink
12.A. smiled B. explained C. laughed D. expected
13.A. each B. all C. every D. either
14.A. bitter B. colorful C. special D. common
15.A. lies in B. comes across C. meets with D. knocks at
---Could you tell me __________yesterday?
---Yes. To take back my dictionary.
A. what did you come here for B. why you came here
C. how did you come here D. when you came here
— Mum, when will we start off to the airport?
—As soon as the bedroom wall ______.
A. paints B. is painted C. will paint D. will be painted
---What great fun we had _____ in the river last Sunday!
---Well, let’s go there again next weekend
A. to swim B. swam C. swum D. swimming