As I stood in the return line and watched people, I became extremely impatient. My daughter had got four Barbie dolls and two identical Cabbage Patch Kids on Christmas, so I was eager to return toys that she didn’t need. Suddenly a strong idea came to me. I eyed the lady in front of me with three small girls on her leg. The family looked poor. The children were without coats, and they had dirty faces and hair. “You are ready to get out of here, aren’t you? Give her the things you want to return,” the still voice spoke. “Give them to her? These are mine. I’m not giving her my stuff,” I argued. I swallowed the urge that threatened to escape my lips when the voice spoke again. “Give her the toys.” I was familiar with the voice. I know I couldn’t argue with that voice.
I sighed and tapped the lady on the shoulder. “Ma’am,” I cleared my throat. She looked at me with kind, tired eyes surrounded by wrinkles. “Yes?” she asked. “Would your little girls like to have these toys?” I pointed to my basket full of returns. “Would your children like to have them?” She was speechless, and I swore that tears were about to well up in her eyes. “You’d be doing me a favor. I can’t stand in this line in a moment longer.” “You have no idea,” she shook her head. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
I started loading her basket as the excited girls watched. “Merry Christmas,” I said, “God bless you.” She replied as I nodded and exited the line. I didn’t want to go the Walmart that day, but I went. I didn’t want to give the lady my kid’s toys, but I did. Sometimes doing what we don’t want to do is exactly what we’re supposed to do.
1.The author decided to return some of the gifts because ________.
A. she wanted to get some money B. her daughter needed money then
C. her daughter didn’t like them at all D. all of them weren’t in need
2.When the author saw the woman and her three girls, she ________.
A. gladly helped them B. didn’t want to help them
C. pretended not to know them D. hesitated about whether to help them
3.The lady was speechless after hearing the author’s words because ________.
A. she was too surprised to say anything B. she was too moved to say anything
C. she didn’t believe the author at first D. she was considering the author’s words
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. A Poor Lady B. Holiday Spirit
C. Giving Happiness D. Holiday Shopping
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；
只允许修改10处, 多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Amanda has been awarded the Star Student for that she did for our class. Last Saturday, Amanda went to downtown and walked from one store to another, looking for the costumes we would wear in the singing contest. While the rest of us are enjoying our leisure time in the cool and comfortably room, she spent the whole afternoon searching and selecting. Finally, she found the right cloth. Deeply moved by his efforts, we tried our best and won first prize in contest.
Amanda is always warm-hearted and care a lot about the class. Besides, she often devotes her spare time to help others. She has set a good example for us. However, she deserves the honor and we should learn from her.
That's all. Thank you for listening!
Visitors to Britain may find the best place1.enjoy local culture is in a traditional pub. But newcomers may get into trouble in these friendly pubs. Strangers may start with the difficulty of getting a drink. Most pubs have no waiters—you have to go to the bar (吧台) to buy drinks . This may sound2.(convenient), but English people are used to doing so.
Pub culture is formed3.(help) people get along with each other. Standing at the bar for service allows you to chat with others4.(wait) for drinks. The bar counter is5.(possible) the only place in Britain 6.a friendly conversation with strangers7.(consider) to be entirely proper and really quite normal behavior. 8., if you do not follow the local rules, you may fail to feel the local culture. For example, if you are in a big group, 9.is best for one or two people to go to buy the drinks. Nothing makes the regular customers and bar staff 10. (angry) than a group of strangers standing in front of the bar while they chat and wonder what to order.
I was in desperate need of a break. The “witching hour” was upon us once again, dinner was burning on the stove, and fights were _________ between my two children. The crying was never- ending and I was _________ the end of my rope. But I was holding down the fort until way after bedtime.
I _________ a friend who has four children the same ages as mine, and she was in a similar_________. Our husbands were _________ the same meeting that night. I could hear the screaming in the _________, interrupted by Jen’s shouting. She kept _________ the phone to pick up the baby because he was crying. It seemed as if we were all suffering _________. Couldn’t there be a way for us to break up the sameness? _________!
The first play date was at Jen’s house the following Wednesday at 4:00 pm. My daughter________ into the basement playroom with the other children. Jen and I sat just __________ some adult company.
We ordered a pizza and salad, and all of the children actually ate their dinner. My kids aren’t big salad fans, but if other kids are eating it, __________ it’s cool. The entire large pizza was eaten up rapidly. Jen and I did the __________ together. When we were done, we invited them back and they all danced to a music DVD __________ it was time to go. My kids went __________ to bed when we got home. I felt rejuvenated(恢复活力的). The e-mail from Jen the next morning __________ her similar feelings. We were on to something and it had to __________.
The following Wednesday play date was at my house, and it was __________ the same. The kids had a great time __________. Watching kids play together without fighting is a truly great thing. Wednesday night gives me a chance to sit and really __________ my children as little people.
1.A. breaking up B. breaking out C. fading away D. dying down
2.A. on B. in C. at D. by
3.A. met B. called C. invited D. visited
4.A. situation B. condition C. consideration D. stage
5.A. attending B. holding C. participate D. join
6.A. environment B. atmosphere C. consequence D. background
7.A. throwing B. holding C. dropping D. talking
8.A. differently B. regularly C. equally D. slightly
9.A. Surprisingly B. Absolutely C. Perhaps D. Maybe
10.A. hid B. fell C. disappeared D. dragged
11.A. appreciating B. expecting C. imaging D. enjoying
12.A. apparently B. surprisingly C. similarly D. oppositely
13.A. cleaning B. washing C. cooking D. dancing
14.A. when B. unless C. until D. after
15.A. slowly B. actively C. unwillingly D. right
16.A. announced B. explained C. confirmed D. brought
17.A. improve B. start C. stop D. continue
18.A. usually B. exactly C. generally D. accurately
19.
A. making themselves up B. wearing themselves out
C. setting themselves apart D. giving themselves away
20.A. understand B. notice C. observe D. realize
Every one complains. Even if you argue that you are the happiest person in the world, you still complain sometimes. Sometimes you complain: without even realizing ill, but rarely is it ever helpful.1.Here are some tips to stop complaint and give up the negative thoughts:
2.
When you find yourself thinking or saying a negative comment about something or someone, stop and force yourself to say something positive instead. Seek the help of a cheerful friend to change you when you complain and help you to see the positive in the situation.
Make a list of things we are grateful for.
We often complain about the things we don't have without noticing those things we already have. Be grateful for what we have in our life because we are lucky simply for being ourselves. 3.
Learn to adapt to the changes.
There are many things we can't change.4.Always find the positive side of each situation, regardless of however difficult the situation is, with parents' and friends' support, we can survive any life changes.
Allow yourself to express your feelings every once in a while.
Constantly ignored negative thoughts could add up if you are really going through a hard time, don't be afraid to share your feelings with close friends or family members or see a therapist.
Find what makes you happy.
5. Maybe it is time to make the hard decision to move on to another job or career. Uncover what your biggest complaints are about and see if you can change the situation to make you happy. Stop complaining, focus on the positive, and be kind always!
A. Change the way you think
B. Make positive people friends
C. The best and only thing we can do is to accept them
D. Are you constantly complaining about your present job?
E. Sometimes this list can be easy, full of hobbies you enjoy
F. So how can you manage to force yourselves to end complaining?
G. Set down things we are thankful for and we'll see that we don't have any reason to complain.
You are enrolled in a full – time school called “life”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time. What we and our ancestors have overlooked, however, is that there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual.
Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else’s. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.
As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don’t have to face, while other spends years struggling with challenges that you don’t need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you will be presented with all the lessons that you specifically need to learn; whether you choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.
The challenge here, therefore, is to align (与……保持一致) yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be faced with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others’. But, remember, don’t compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth.
Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equality – the assumption that all things are equal and justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult life path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out of the complaining phase of “it’s not fair”. Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feelings of bitterness and anger.
1.According to the passage, how can the meaning of your life be realized?
A. Having the same opinions as others.
B. Taking the distinct path from others.
C. Learning the lessons presented to you.
D. Doing the different things from others.
2.What can we conclude from the passage ?
A. everyone has his own track to follow
B. the same things usually happen to the peers
C. a painful divorce must lie in financial problems
D. a wealthy man must have a wonderful marriage
3.In your lifetime, the lessons you are faced with_________.
A. are beyond your power B. keep you from growth
C. limit your development D. help you with your success
4.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. All things are equal and justice will always prevail.(流行)
B. You should learn to appreciate your specific uniqueness.
C. One has to fix his mind on unfairness of circumstances.
D. You have to complain “it’s not fair” whenever possible.
