When going through major life changes, like changing careers, I would change the people with whom I spent the most time. We’ve all gone through periods when the people in our lives have changed—graduation, moving to a new city, getting a new job, joining a new club, etc. I don’t think I need to convince you just how much influence other people can have over your identity. If you’ve ever experienced a major switch in your people environment, then you know that you change as well.
Most people don’t make these choices consciously, though. You might consciously decide to spend more time with a certain friend, or you may ask someone out on a date to begin a new relationship. But few people choose their existing friendships deliberately.
There’s no “getting rid of people”. People are always dropping into and out of each other’s lives. Associations grow into friendships, and friendships fade into associations. You don’t get rid of anyone. The truth is that in order to make room for new people and new experiences, you may need to loosen up some of your existing connections.
What about loyalty? Shouldn’t you always be loyal to your friends? Once you have a close friend, even if his influence on you is slightly harmful, shouldn’t you stick by him?
Loyalty to a friend sometimes means having to let go. It means being loyal to his highest and best self as well. If someone is destroying his health by smoking, for example, you aren’t showing loyalty by smoking right along with him. True loyalty sometimes requires that you break damaging connections, get yourself back on solid ground, and then decide what you can really do to help your friend.
It can take a lot of courage to tell someone, “I’m sorry, but I can’t have you in my life anymore.” But even though this might seem like a selfish act at times, it’s often the best thing for the other person, too. If a relationship is holding you back in some way, understand that it’s also hurting the other person. For example, if you work for a violent boss, your acceptance of that situation is considered to be silent approval, encouraging your boss to continue to behave violently.
1.When experiencing major life changes, people may _______.
A. join a new social community
B. influence their friend around
C. choose their friendships purposely
D. have their people environment changed
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Everyone has at least one friend.
B. It is unnecessary to make new friends.
C. Friendships still exist though there are fewer connections.
D. You ought to treat your old and new friends equally.
3.What is the author’s opinion on the loyalty to friends?
A. Never betray your close friends whatever happens.
B. Correct their mistakes while you guard their goodness.
C. Stick by your friends even though they do harm to you.
D. Break up with your friends immediately if they smoke.
4.How should we behave when employed by a violent boss?
A. We should accept what we are told to do.
B. We should stay silent and be in favor of him.
C. We should bravely disobey him if he is wrong.
D. We should give our boss courage to continue.
It was a cold night in Washington, D.C., and I was heading back to the hotel when a man approached me. He asked me for some money so he could get something to eat. I’d read the sign: “Don’t give money to beggars.” So I shook my head and kept marching.
I wasn’t prepared for a reply, but he said, “I am really homeless and I am really hungry! You can come with me and watch me eat!” But I kept on marching.
The incident bothered me for the rest of the week. I had money in my pocket and it wouldn’t have killed me to hand over a dollar or two even if he had been lying. On a freezing cold night, I still assumed the worst of the fellow human being.
Flying back to Anchorage, I couldn’t help thinking of him. I tried to seek excuses for my failure to help by assuming government agencies, churches and charities were there to feed him. Besides, you’re not supposed to give money to beggars.
Somewhere over Seattle, I started to write my weekly garden column for the Anchorage Daily News. Out of the blue, I came up with an idea. Bean’s Café, a soup kitchen in Anchorage, feeds hundreds of hungry Alaskans every day. Why not try to get all my readers to plant one row in their gardens devoted to Bean’s Café?
Before long my idea took off. People would fax me or call when they took something in. Those who only grew flowers donated them. Food for the spirit. And relief for my conscience.
As more and more people started working with the “Plant a Row” concept, many companies gave free seeds to customers and displayed the logo, which also arose in national gardening publications. Row markers with the “Plant a Row” logo were distributed to gardeners to set apart their “Row for the Hungry”.
It is unexpected that millions of Americans are threatened by hunger. If every gardener in America—and we’re seventy million strong—plants one row for the hungry, we can lower the number of neighbors who don’t have enough to eat. Maybe then I will stop feeling guilty about abandoning a hungry man I could have helped.
1.Why did the author turn down the beggar’s request?
A. He was previously reminded not to do so.
B. He was eager to march back to the hotel.
C. He thought that it was beyond his duty.
D. He was short of money at that moment.
2.Which of the following is the closest to the underlined phrase “took off” (Paragraph 6)?
A. We eventually took off at 11o’clock and landed in Seattle safely.
B. To take off pounds, you have to cut down the number of calories.
C. On hearing the news, he took off at once and headed back to the hotel.
D. His business has really taken off owing to his advanced management.
3.What did the author do after the beggar’s incident?
A. He felt guilty but couldn’t help him.
B. He started a project to help the hungry.
C. He ran a blue kitchen to supply the hungry with soup.
D. He still supposed it was unwise to give the hungry with soup.
4.What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A. Plant a Row for the Hungry
B. Lend a Hand to Beggars
C. Never Hesitate to Help Others
D. Plan a Gardening Project
The 1920s was a decade of wealth, decadence(堕落) and social changes. They were known as the Roaring Twenties, and the best place to experience this exciting time was New York City. But what was it really like?
Prohibition
In 1919, a new law in the US known as Prohibition made it illegal to buy and sell alcohol. But Prohibition didn’t stop people drinking; it just drove the sale of strong alcoholic drink underground. Bootleggers(走私贩) waited off the coast of New York after dark and brought illegal alcohol into the city.
Jazz
Jazz was the music of New York in the 1920s. In fact, the decade is called Jazz Age. The best place to listen to this new form of music was the Cotton Club in Harlem. All the great jazz musicians played at the Cotton Club, including Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington. Also, in 1942 George Gershwin composed the jazz—influenced Rhapsody in Blue. The piece has been called “a musical portrait of New York” and was used by Woody Allen in his film Manhattan.
Art Deco
Art Deco was the most popular style of the 1920s, with bright colors and geometric designs; it can be seen in the art, architecture and inside designs of the period. New York is full of Art Deco buildings, but the most famous ones are the Chrysler Building (built between 1928 and 1930) and the Empire State Building (built between 1930 and 1931).
The Great Depression
On 29th October, 1929, the Roaring Twenties came to a dramatic end. On that day (known as “Black Tuesday”), the US stock market crashed, causing the Great Depression. The economic downturn lasted ten years and affected most of the Western world. Unemployment in America reached 25% and the country didn’t recover until after World War II.
1.We know from the passage that in 1919 people ________ alcohol in the US.
A. began to buy and sellB. stopped producing
C. completely stopped tradingD. secretly bought and sold
2.The 1920s is called _________.
A. Country Music TimeB. Jazz Age
C. Folk Music AgeD. Pop Age
3.We infer from the passage that the US _________ in the year 1930.
A. was in a bad economic state
B. was in good economic condition
C. developed at a rapid speed
D. had many dramatic plays
假定你是李华，某一国际大型运动会将在你居住的城市举办，现在正在招募志愿者，你希望成为其中一员。请按要求用英文给组委会写一封申请信。内容应包括：
1．个人情况：年龄、性别、学历；
2．个人条件：英语好、爱好体育、善于交往、乐于助人、熟悉本地情况；
3．承诺：提供最佳服务。
短文改错
Some students don’t like talking about their parents often as if their parents love them very much. Are you get on well with your parents? You and your parents will be very happily if you can be friends. Here are some way to have a good talk with them. Find a good time to talk, like when you’re having dinner, going out for walk and watching TV. Tell them something you’re interested in, and ask them about their lives when they are young. They love to talk about our past! Meet them face to face and listen to them carefully. Be honesty, and your parents will trust you more.
语法填空
Recently I failed an exam. However, after I came out of my teacher's office, I told myself, “Smile! It's not so serious.”
I smiled a big smile and it _1.__(work) a little, really.
Everyone gets _2._ (frustrate) sometimes. I used to be always influenced by pressure and I was often in low spirits. But one day I came __3.__ a sentence in the Bible, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself, let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.” It suddenly struck me，“__4.__(worry) about a problem doesn't help. Why not just _5.__(give) a big smile and face up to the trouble？”
Now every time I want to cry, I remind myself that__6. (laugh) is better than tears and anger. I __7.__(convince) that there's something magical about a smile. A smile helps me recover confidence and gives me the courage to move on.
Remember, whenever you're faced with a setback, whenever you've been treated_8.__(fair), all 9. matters is determination and you can feel happy again. Smile at life, _10.__ it will shine on you.
