I spent last summer volunteering at a hospital．One morning，I was called to a room in which an _______ woman was staying．_______ she wanted to go to a nearby gift shop，I got a(n) _______ and helped her into it，heading for the shop．
When we got there，the shop wasn’t _______ yet．It was merely a 30-minute wait so we went over to the _______ area and I read her bits and pieces of the newspaper aloud．After 30 minutes，we went into the gift shop．Pushing her around，I could see the _______ on her face as she looked at everything．She happily chose some window decorations and then _______ chocolates．She asked me to push her _______ that direction．I helped her _______ all the different chocolate arrangements．She __________ decided on three different boxes．
As she was checking out，she asked the cashier for a __________ and asked me to write the numbers l，2，and 3 on the boxes．She __________ that the nurses were taking such good care of her, so she __________ chocolates for each of the three shifts(三班倒) of nurses．The moment I wheeled her back up to her room，she gave the __________shift of nurses their box of chocolate，who __________offered some to me before taking some themselves．There were __________ all around．
__________ her generosity and getting the opportunity to spend time with someone who got so much pleasure from life was a __________ in itself．Gratitude(感恩) has an amazing way of bringing people __________，especially in a place where health is so highly __________．
1.A. elderly B. honest C. impatient D. independent
2.A. While B. As long as C. In case D. As
3.A. wheelchair B. bus C. taxi D. ambulance
4.A. crowded B. completed C. open D. closed
5.A. checking B. dieting C. parking D. waiting
6.A. surprise B. joy C. pride D. anxiety
7.A. smelt B. tasted C. sported D. purchased
8.A. up B. to C. in D. at
9.A. put away B. give out C. hand in D. look though
10.A. eventually B. gradually C. properly D. hurriedly
11.A. change B. pen C. card D. box
12.A. admitted B. promised C. suggested D. explained
13.A. bought B. ordered C. made D. borrowed
14.A. next B. present C. previous D. night
15.A. on purpose B. by chance C. in turn D. in advance
16.A. noises B. smiles C. greetings D. jokes
17.A. Witnessing B. Taking advantage of C. Repaying D. Searching for
18.A. prize B. risk C. gift D. story
19.A. together B. upwards C. back D. down
20.A. respected B. praised C. admired D. valued
Tests can be stressful even for the best students．1. Fortunately，there are several steps you can take to make your stress much more manageable．
Get Enough Sleep
Getting 6 hours of sleep or less can put you into what’s called a sleep deficit(不足)，which makes you less sharp mentally and prevents you from performing properly on tests．2. This way，you needn’t stay up for the test and can get a good night of sleep before your big day．
Study Smarter
3.Make a list of the most important things you need to learn and hit the items at the top of the list first．This will ensure they’re mostly covered if you run out of time．Make a list of all the work you have to do，estimate how long each item will take，and compare that with the amount of hours you have available．This will tell you if you can carefully read or just skim，how many times you can afford to revise the papers.
Visualize(想象)Success
A proven way to build your confidence is to visualize yourself taking the tests and doing wonderfully．Visualization can not only help you perform better in the tests but can help you remember facts．You can create detailed situations that involve the information you’re trying to remember．4.
Stay Calm
There’re several techniques that can help you calm down quickly．5. Just close your eyes，take a deep breath，hold it for a while and then let it out slowly．Your stress will come out with your exhales(呼气)．
A，Be organized with your studies．
B．Extra time on tests can bring success to students．
C．Test anxiety has a negative impact on your performance．
D．In this process you can strengthen the facts in your memory．
E．Breathing exercises can be extremely effective in helping you relax．
F．So it's very important to get all your studying done before your exam．
G．There are options for easing stress and potentially improving test performance.
In an effort to discourage people from using plastics，scientists have been hard at work inventing alternative packaging products．From water bottles made from seaweed to cutlery(餐具) made from rice and wheat，a number of inventions are set to change the way we eat while we are on the go，or having a relaxing picnic in the park．
The idea of using seaweed to make eco-friendly(环保的) water bottles has been around for a few years．Recently，Ari Jonsson took his invention—a water bottle made from red seaweed—to show off at a festival. The bottles will only hold their shape as long as they are filled．As soon as these bottles are empty they will begin to break down，though they would be perfectly safe to eat．Ari Jonsson’s bottles are a step closer to a widely used alternative to the current plastic ones．
The eatable water container is not the only product to add to our image of the future．Narayana Pessapaty has also created eatable spoons．After the success of his spoons, Mr Pessapaty is ready to expand and introduce forks and chopsticks to his menu．His aim is to largely reduce the amount of plastic waste，which is a huge problem for waste sites all over the world．It is a product that may take up to 500 years to break down，and recycling companies worldwide are struggling to deal with it．
Aside from the obvious benefits to the environment，this new packaging is also cheap to produce and therefore cheap to buy．Even better is the fact that similar eatable cutlery can be made at home，possibly a science project for children or just fun with friends．Why not get experimenting and create your own recipes?
1.Why do scientists invent alternative packaging products?
A. To make people’s life more convenient．
B. To reduce the amount of plastic waste．
C. To charge the way we picnic outside．
D. To show off their inventive talents．
2.What makes Ari Jonsson’s water bottles eco-friendly?
A. They can be made at home．
B. They are cheap to produce and buy．
C. They will hold their shape when they are filled．
D. They will break down themselves when empty．
3.What do Ari and Narayana’s inventions have in common?
A. They are convenient to carry． B. They are safe to eat．
C. They can be used for a short time． D. They are heavier than plastics．
4.What can be inferred from this passage?
A. Home-made eatable cutlery is likely to be popular．
B. Eatable cutlery’will completely replace plastics in the near future．
C. No recycling companies can breakdown plastic waste．
D. It’s unsafe for individuals to invent eatable cutlery at home．
Grandparents who help out occasionally with childcare in their community tend to live longer than seniors who do not care for other people，according to a study from Berlin，Germany.
“Having no contact with grandchildren at all can negatively impact grandparents’ health. This link could be deeply rooted in our evolutionary past when help with childcare was important for the survival of the human species，”said Sonja Hilbrand，one of the researchers.
The findings are drawn from data on more than 500 people over age 70．Overall，after accounting for grandparents’age and general state of health，the risk of dying over a 20-year period was one-third lower for grandparents who cared for their grandchildren，compared with grandparents who provided no childcare．
Caregiving was associated with a longer life even when the care receiver wasn’t a relative. Half of a 11 childless seniors who provided support to friends or neighbors lived for seven years after the study began，while non-helpers lived for four years on average.
“Caregiving may give caregivers a purpose of life because they may feel useful for others and society．Caregiving may be thought also as an activity that keeps caregivers physically and mentally active，” said Professor Bruno Arpino．
Arpino noted，however，that caregiving is not the only activity that can improve health and that too many caring responsibilities can take away from other beneficial activities like working，being in social clubs，or volunteering．“Children should take into account their parents’ needs，willingness，and desires and agree with them on the timing and amount of childcare，” he suggested．
“It is very important that every individual decides for him／herself，what proper amounts of help’ means，”Hilbrand said，adding，“As long as you do not feel stressed about the intensity(强度) of help you provide you may be doing something good for others as well as for yourself．”
1.What is the caregiving study based on?
A. Human evolutionary history． B. Demand modern society．
C. Social contact between relatives． D. Data on many elderly people．
2.In Arpino’s opinion，childcare________．
A. is sure to keep old people away from illnesses
B. allows old people to live a more meaningful life
C. creates more job opportunities for old people
D. makes social activities inaccessible to old people
3.What does the underlined part “take into account” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A. Limit． B. Ignore． C. Favor． D. Consider．
4.What does the last paragraph tell us?
A. Grandparents can do anything in their own interests．
B. Grandparents should share more social responsibilities．
C. Proper amounts of childcare do good to grandparents．
D. Caregiving guarantees every grandparent a longer life.
Yacouba Sawadogo is an African farmer who has been travelling across the deserts for the last 30 years，using ancient farming techniques to fight the threatening deserts.
His story dates back to the 1980s when Africa suffered one of the worst droughts in its history．During that period，rainfall reduced by as much as 80％，killing almost all the plants．Most local people moved away to different places，but Yacouba stayed back．Instead of giving in to the violence of nature，he decided to take control and change the face of the land completely．
Unable to read and write，and with no access to modern techniques and tools，he started to employ an old African farming practice called “Zai”．The practice involves planting seeds in small holes filled with eco-friendly manure(肥料)．The holes fill up with and keep the water that falls during the rainy season．This provides moisture(水分) and nutrients for the growing plants during the dry periods．Also，the manure attracts ants，which help break up the soil further and increase its ability to take in water．
Within two decades of starting his revolutionary work，a forested area of about fifty acres came up on the land of the African desert．Yacouba featured in a documentary titled “The Man Who Stopped the Desert” through which he became known to the rest of the world．To the great joy and relief of Yacouba，what the documentary focused on was put into the re-establishment of local forests and a training program for the farmers who wanted to 1earn Yacouba’s technique．Today，“Zai” is being widely practiced in the region．
1.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. A training program for African farmers．
B. A documentary about an influential African farmer．
C. The serious situation of environment destruction in Africa．
D. An African farmer fighting deserts with old farming methods．
2.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Yacouba advertised his farming practice through the media．
B. Yacouba’s efforts have made a great difference．
C. Rebuilding forests is no tough job at a11．
D. Deserts no longer threaten Africa．
3.Which word can best describe Yacouba?
A. Determined． B. Knowledgeable． C. Curious． D. Creative．
After a long winter，spring is the ideal time for sightseeing and exploring London’s green spaces．
Explore London’s parks and gardens
Springtime is one of the perfect times of year to explore London’s parks and gardens，when the city’s Royal Parks will be blooming with flowers．Go and admire the rainbow of azaleas(杜鹃花) at Richmond Park or hire a deckchair in St James’s Park with a view of Buckingham Palace.
Enjoy the entertainment at a Spring Festival
There are a good many festivals and events held in London throughout spring．Make the most of the cultural exhibitions at the British Library Spring Festival, the Sundance Film Festival or the London Literature Festival；head to Shakespeare’s Globe，which hosts open-air Shakespeare performances from late April until early October．
Get active
Warmer weather means there’s no excuse for staying indoors，so go for a walking or cycling tour of London．Alternatively，walk the Thames Walkway，which follows the river all the way from central London into the countryside；make the most of London’s “Boris Bikes”，which are available for hire all around the city and are free of charge for the first half hour．If you’re really looking for a challenge，sign up for the famous London Marathon，held annually in April．
Take to the waters
Whether cruising(航行) along the Thames River，hiring a rowing boat in Hyde Park or riding a canal boat around Little Venice，there are lots of fun ways to get on the water in London．Held every year since 1829，the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race allows teams from England’s most famous universities to compete against each other，and draws huge crowds of watching people．
1.If you are interested in British culture，you are advised to ________．
A. visit Richmond Park B. row a boat in Hyde Park
C. attend the London Festivals D. walk the Thames Walkway
2.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. You can see Buckingham Palace from St James’s Park．
B. London’s Boris Bikes are free to use for a whole day．
C. Outdoor Shakespeare performances are held only in spring．
D. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race has a history of over 200 years．
3.According to the writer，which of the following activities challenges you most?
A. Watching Boat Race． B. Joining in London Marathon．
C. Cruising along the Thames River． D. Cycling around London．
4.The writer wrote the text in order to ________.
A. introduce tourist attractions in London
B. stress the importance of exploring London
C. suggest ways to enjoy spring in London
D. show the beauty of spring in London
