My grandma whom we all called Nanny was a solid, first-generation, Italian immigrant. She came to this country with her family on a tiny ship during World War I when she was only 8 years old. During the trip she survived stormy seas, little food, and an attack by a German U-boat. After getting here, her large family worked hard to build a new life in America. They never had much money but were rich in love.
One day, when I was about 5 or 6 years old, my parents and brothers went on a trip. It was just me and Nanny in the house for the weekend. Nanny seemed so happy to be taking care of me all by herself. She made me a special breakfast that first morning. However, all I could do was complain about how the food was not how Mom always made it. Nanny quietly put down the plate and went into the living room. I followed a minute later and saw that she had tears in her eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen my strong and proud grandmother cry and I was the one who had caused it.
I walked over to Nanny, climbed on her lap, and for the first time in my short life I did something else too. I apologized without being told to and asked Nanny to forgive me. She smiled, rubbed my head, and told me I was a good boy even though I didn’t feel like one then.
That memory just like my Nanny’s love will stay in my heart forever. It is a sign of both strength and wisdom. Asking for forgiveness helps us to learn to grow, and to love.
1.Why did Nanny’s family immigrate to America?
A. Because they suffered starvation in their homeland.
B. Because they wanted to start a rich life in the new land.
C. Because they tried to get away from the terrible climate.
D. Because their country was in war and they needed peace.
2.The boy complained to Nanny that the food _______.
A. wasn’t cooked the way his mom did
B. was served a bit later than usual
C. was prepared in a special way
D. was just to his parents’ taste
3.When seeing Nanny crying in the living room, the author felt _______.
A. surprised B. ashamed
C. shocked D. annoyed
4.What does the author mainly want to tell us?
A. Forgiveness can be beneficial to people asking for it.
B. Hardships can make children more indifferent (漠不关心的).
C. Grandparents are more tolerant than their grandchildren.
D. Family ties can sometimes be misused.
Most people recognize that there are many benefits of learning a foreign language. Scientific studies have even shown that learning a new language helps to keep memories sharp and naturally improves overall brain function.
But do you know that you can speak a new language in as little as 10 days? The Pimsleur Approach to speaking new languages helps users pick up new languages quickly. Even the FBI has purchased the Pimsleur Approach.
Dr. Pimsleur, a specialist in the field of applied linguistics, devoted his life and career to acquiring languages and recognized that effective communication in any language depends on mastery of a relatively limited number of words. And, trying to learn too many words at first can actually slow the language retention (保留) process. However, once this “core (核心) vocabulary” is mastered and used constantly, it speeds up language learning. The Pimsleur Approach aims at teaching you to use the core vocabulary of the language, so you can speak the most in the least amount of time. It’s not how many words you know, but rather, which words you can use.
Each Pimsleur Approach lesson has been scientifically planned to rapidly lock language material into your brain after just one listen. Just sit back, listen and start wiring your brain to pick up a new language today.
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The programs which normally cost $19.95 are now available for just $9.95. Better yet, they are also offering a full 30-day money-back guarantee (so if you find you are not speaking as fast as you want, simply return it for a full refund).
1.The teaching method of the Pimsleur Approach is ______.
A. mastering a number of rules B. reciting many new words
C. reading and translating D. listening and speaking
2.What does the Pimsleur Approach focus on？
A. How many core vocabularies you remember.
B. How effectively you use the core vocabulary.
C. How to learn many words at first.
D. How to improve your language retention.
3.If you learn the Pimsleur Approach lessons now, you _______.
A. are to speak as fast as possible
B. can travel by ship for free
C. may get a $10 discount
D. have to hand in your fees within 30 days
1.西方哲学之父苏格拉底(Socrates)对西方的思想和科学有着深刻的影响。而亚历山大大帝(Alexander the Great) 将希腊文化从欧洲传到了非洲和亚洲，在此后的数个世纪中影响了整个世界。
2.很多人没有充分认识到吸烟对健康造成的伤害。这就是为什么我们选择公益广告--旨在就有关公共福利而教育人们.
3.他提议建一条双轨隧道。人人都钦佩他绝妙的幽默感。
4.他本该知道警察绝不会允许这类事情发生。但是Tazieff 经常冒这样的生命危险。
5.飞机撒播了近一个月的种子。法国政府让人把它包装起来，一部分一部分地搬回法国。
1.A______ great importance to this research, the professor spared no efforts to do the experiment.
2.Guests p______ when they heard a loud explosion and they fled in all directions.
3.It’s a simple recipe, only c______ of beef and vegetables.
4.The marriage c________ took place in the church.
5.Busy as he is, he still comes by and picks me up at his c_________.
6.They were _________(下定了决心) to figure out what was wrong with the machine.
7.How do you deal with _________(坚持不懈的) salesmen who won’t take no for an answer?
8.Fancy ________(讨价还价) with them about it? They might reduce the price.
9.________(简化) the story to make it easier to understand.
10.More than one teacher ________(呼吁) to the society to pay special attention to students’ mental health which is becoming increasingly bad these days.
The most wonderful time of the year (the Christmas season) is also the most stressful for lots of people struggling to fit in increased end-of-the-year workloads, holiday parties, shopping, guest hosting, travel, and seeing friends and relatives who you’d otherwise avoid. Luckily, the same coping mechanisms that can help relieve stress and find better balance during the year also work for this holiday.
Here are four tips to finding work—life balance during this season.
1. Know and avoid your stressors(压力源).
If cooking for a large group, baking cookies, or Christmas shopping are your key stressors, don’t do them. Lots of grocery stores will help cater your next holiday meal. Bakeries exist for a reason, and gift cards are much appreciated by all. Stop trying to live up to someone else’s expectations of the holidays and stay merry by outsourcing the pain points.
2. Get flexible at work.
If you normally travel an hour each way at work, see if your boss will let you work from home in this special season to save time, get more done, and reduce your stress. Or ask if you can start work from home in the mornings and come to the office later in the day to avoid peak hours. Leave early and finish your day from the comfort of home, too.
3. Make your own list and check it twice.
Make a to-do list for yourself, for both work and life, then divide it up into categories like “must do,” “want to do,” and “feel obligated to do.” If you can remove any or all of your required list, the rest of your to-dos will start to look a lot easier.
Once you have your lists in order, it’s time to start crossing things off. In between your must-dos tasks, include a want-to-do task to break things up and re-energize yourself. Yes, this holiday is a time to give back to others and be selfless, but there’s still a bit of “self” in selflessness, isn’t there?
4. If you start to feel a cold coming on, come to a full and complete stop.
The best way to stop a cold from exploding into a weeks-long sickness is to stop it at the start. Unless a task or activity is an absolute necessity, cancel your plans, put away your to-do lists, and settle in for a long winter’s nap. A day of rest and enough sleep is the only thing you NEED right now. Feel bad about declining holiday invitations from your friends and family? You’re doing them a favor. Once people hear that you’re sick, they’ll be glad you stayed away — they don’t want to come down with a cold during the holiday any more than you do!
It is certain that you can feel less stressed in this hectic season when you stop expecting so much from yourself, because nobody puts so much expectation on you as you do to yourself. Trying to satisfy clients, co-workers, friends and family can be draining and can finally negatively impact you in many ways. When you simplify things up front, you relieve the stress off of yourself and everyone else in the process. Stop focusing on what you feel like you’re obligated to do, and start focusing on what you want and need to do, the load will get lighter and you will feel a lot merrier under the Christmas tree.
1. | Four Ways to Find Work-life Balance during the Christmas Season |
Introduction | ◆The Christmas 2. is often a time when work and social activities collide with each other. ◆Luckily, 3. relief mechanisms can be found to cope with the problem. |
Four Tips | ◆Your stressors like cooking, baking and shopping can be 4. because there is enough outsourcing for you to turn to and it is OK if you fail to live up to people’s 5.. ◆You can talk to your boss for a 6. schedule. ◆You can make a list of what really 7. and let go of the obligatory list. ◆Your friends and family don’t want to come 8. with a cold at all, so feel free to cancel all your plans when 9.. |
Conclusion | ◆Start 10. on what you want to do and you can enjoy the season better. |
John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose.
His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner’s name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.
During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like.
When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting -- 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. “You’ll recognize me,” she wrote, “by the red rose I’ll be wearing on my lapel.” So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he’d never seen.
I’ll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, attractive smile curved her lips. “Going my way, sailor?” she murmured.
Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own.
And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her.
This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. “I'm Lieutenant（中尉）John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?”
The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. “I don't know what this is about, son,” she answered, “but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”
It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. “Tell me whom you love,” Houssaye wrote, “And I will tell you who you are.”
1.How did John Blanchard get to know Miss Hollis Maynell?
A. They lived in the same city.
B. They were both interested in literature.
C. John came across Hollis in a Florida library.
D. John knew Hollis's name from a library book.
2.Hollis refused to send Blanchard a photo because _____.
A. she thought true love is beyond appearance
B. she wasn't confident about her appearance
C. she was only a middle-aged woman
D. she had never taken any photo before they knew
3.When Blanchard went over to greet the woman, he was _____.
A. disappointed but well-behaved B. satisfied and confident[
C. annoyed and bad-mannered D. shocked but inspired
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Don't Judge a Book by its Cover B. The Symbol of Rose
C. Love is blind D. A Test of Love
