Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.
1.Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?
A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.
B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.
C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.
D. Move an object out of the way before it trips someone.
2.The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ________.
A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor
B. meet her father who was already an old man
C. join in the holiday celebration of the company
D. finish her work before the deadline approached
3.The underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.
A. avoidedB. lackedC. abandonedD. took
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Emotional Well-being
B. The Two Saddest Words
C. The Most Useful Rule
D. The Peace of Mind
Are you looking for something to do? You might like to try one of these four experiences.
Crocodile watching Do you fancy getting up close to some of the most terrifying animals on earth? Crocosaurus Cove, in Darwin (Australia) has the “Cage of Death”. It’s an enclosure that’s lowered into a pool. This gives you a 360 degree view of a crocodile as it’s being fed. The cable broke once and the cage sank to the bottom, but they’ve fixed it since then.
Edge walk
How about walking along the edge of a building several hundred meters up in the air? If that sounds like fun, head off to the CN Tower in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Built in 1976, the tower is 553.33 meters tall.
The Edge walk consists of a 20-30 minute stroll along a 1.5 meter wide platform that runs around the tower’s restaurant roof. During the walk, you’re encouraged to lean forwards as you look over Toronto’s skyline (轮廓线).
Plastic ball rolling
Do you fancy rolling down a hill in a plastic ball?
Plastic ball rolling is popular all over the world, but the place to give it a go is in Rotorua (New Zealand). Brother David and Andrew Akers came up with the idea in 1994. A typical orb (球) is about 3 meters in diameter, with an inner orb size of about 2 meters. There’s no brake or steering mechanism, but the inner layer of the plastic ball helps absorb the shock.
Volcano bungee jumping
If you’re looking for the adventure of a lifetime, how about going bungee jumping off a helicopter into the crater of a live volcano? As part of the jumping, a helicopter ride takes you to the Villarreal volcano, one of the most active in Chile. Once you’re at the drop zone, you leap off the helicopter and fall into the volcano. Finally, you enjoy the ride back to the airport flying at 130kph.
Attracted by the above? If so, please contact us. Only half price from March 22 to April 25th. For more information, please click here.
1.According to the passage, there was an accident once when people ________.
A. jumped into the Villarreal volcano
B. walked along the platform of the CN Tower
C. rolled down a hill in a plastic ball in Rotorua
D. watched crocodiles in the “Cage of Death” in Darwin
2.Which of the following was first invented in New Zealand?
A. Edge walk.B. Crocodile watching.
C. Plastic ball rolling.D. Volcano bungee jumping.
3.It can be inferred that all the four experiences are ________.
A. interesting sports
B. exciting and extreme
C. held on high places
D. fit for middle to old people
假如你是高三一班李华，看到了学校学生会近期要举办成人礼仪式(Adult Ceremony)的一则招募志愿者启事，你非常感兴趣，请根据要点给学生会李老师写一封应征邮件。要点包括：
1. 你的相关特长（组织能力，创造力等）
2. 你对成人礼仪式的认识。
注意： 1. 词数100左右。2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mr. Li,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(﹨)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Thank you for your letter. Due to the fact that I am on business in another city, I couldn’t reply your letter directly after I received it. Now I am writing to tell you that my city has done to reduce traffic jams in the last few years.
First of all, four subways and some expressways has been built in my city to ease the heavy traffic. Second, it is public transportation which makes it convenient for people to take buses. Third, the parking fee is raised in the downtown, it helps to reduce the number of cars come in and out.
Now there are more buses and few cars in my city. The traffic is flowing smooth during the rush hour. Can you tell me something about the traffic in your city? Expecting for your reply!
请根据首字母和汉语,在空白处填入适当的单词或单词的正确形式。每空一词。
1.Don’t be ___________ (暴露于) to the strong sunlight, which may damage your skin.
2.My father is a c___________ (谨慎的) driver and he always obeys the traffic rules.
3.I’m sorry and I am to b___________ (责备).
4.Our class, c___________ (组成) of 40 outstanding students, won the game eventually.
5.To his parents’ d___________ (高兴), he has made a full recovery after the accident.
6.There is a c___________ (矛盾) between what you say and what you do.
7.He couldn’t go to university for l__________ (缺乏) of money.
8.We should adopt an o___________(乐观的) attitude towards life.
9.The i____________ (瞬间) I arrived in Baotou, I fell in love with this city.
10.Thank you for keeping me i____________ (通知) of the meeting this afternoon.
11.Once you c_____________(集中注意力) on your listening in class, you’ll easily understand what the teachers mean.
12.He d______________(要求) that the injured man should be sent to the hospital at once.
13.As soon as he got home, it began to p______________(倒；灌) outside.
14.Don’t put so much p______________(压力) on the children, which is harmful to them.
15.The little hero was praised for his b____________(勇敢) in the accident.
阅读下面短文,按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求,在空格处填入适当的词(不多于3个单词)或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空,并将答案填写在答题纸标号为1―10的相应位置上。
One of my main concerns when I am helping people achieve their goals 1.(be) how they measure success. I see individuals getting 2.(frustrate) as they struggle hard for success.
The main reason is that people allow their definition of success to be determined by someone or something else. We should look at 3. own skills to determine what is successful to us. We should look inwards to determine 4. it would mean for us to be successful in our own mind.
Evaluating a successful person needs 5.(look) at his pathway to success, his action and his 6.(determine). You must set your own course of action, 7. stay on your course. You alone must determine what success means to you. Do what you do to the best of your ability and the rest will take care of itself.
Here is the 8.(true). Being a success is doing your best, not being the best. Success is not something you become, but it is something you continue being.
When we get to that point, we will experience a lot more joy and a lot less depression. And that 9.(sound) good to us!
Remember the great quote from Napoleon Hill, “If you cannot do great things, do small things in 10. great way.”
