Just a couple of hours ago, I was on the plane, ready to fly home from London. The flight had been delayed by a few hours so it felt good to be so close to takeoff. I had my iPod in place and a new book to read. Then, over the loudspeaker came the pilot’s voice: “The ground crew has found a metal instrument in one tire. We regret that we must cancel this flight.”
The passengers’reactions that announcement led to were interesting. One man close to me began to argue with a flight attendant. A couple in another row complained loudly. A businessman in a black suit actually kicked the seat in front of him. Yet some passengers responded differently. An elderly gentleman smiled as he helped others take their bags down from the overhead compartments (行李厢). A teenager, rather than trying to rush off the plane like most of the other passengers, stopped to help a woman with a disability. The lady sitting next to me laughed and said: “Hey, it’s not the end of the world,” before she made a call to her kids and shared her adventure with them. The wisest among us have a remarkable ability to maintain grounded when times get tough.
No life is perfect; mine certainly isn’t. We all must face challenges, both large and small. You and I have the power to choose to rise above the external circumstances. We always have the choice to be strong and kind when things fall apart.
That’s grace under pressure. My seatmate was right—things could have been so much worse. Anyway, I am safe. I have my health. I have two wonderful children. I have work I love and so much to be grateful for. Sure I now have to wait a few hours to catch the next flight home.
1.What caused the passengers’ different reactions?
A. The loudspeaker.
B. The delay of the flight.
C. The ground crew’s fault.
D. The pilot’s announcement.
2.Who turned his anger on the seat?
A. The teenager helping the disabled.
B. The old man taking bags down.
C. The man in a dark suit.
D. The man close to me.
3.What did the woman sitting next to the author do?
A. She assisted a disabled woman.
B. She made a phone call to her family.
C. She helped others carry their luggage.
D. She told moving stories to her children.
4.What can we learn from the story?
A. Our life is full of ups and downs.
B. It is natural to be scared under pressure.
C. We should help each other in times of difficulty.
D. We should be positive and calm when life is hard.
假设你是李华，正在英国学习，想参加学校的一个“中西文化交流俱乐部”，你希望成为其中的一员。请根据下列要点用英文给组织者写一封申请信：
1.个人情况：年龄，性别；
2.个人条件：英语水平，对西方文化感兴趣，善于与人交流；
3.目的：结交朋友，了解更多中西文化之间的差异。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
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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限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
There are many hurricanes occur around the world every year. Knowing what to do during a hurricane is of great important to survive.
Listening to the weather forecast so that you know when a hurricane is coming. If a hurricane warning is issued, stop doing whatever you’re busy with, which is always the most efficient way to avoid caught in a hurricane. If you were walking outside, stop and find a shelter under which can protect you from a hurricane. If you are in your car when a hurricane comes, remain in it and turn on the engine, waiting until the hurricane dies down. If you are inside your house, do remember to close the windows and doors until you are sure when the wind is not that strong enough to blow it open.
Qing Ming Jie (All Souls' Day) is a time to remember1.dead. It is a major Chinese festival which2.(fall) in early spring. It is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and to sweep the graves of their forefathers.
Qing Ming is popularly associated with Jie Zi Tui,3.lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C.Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord's life by serving a piece of4.own leg. When the lord 5.(succeed)in becoming the ruler of a small kingdom, he invited his faithful follower to join him. But Jie declined the invitation,6.(prefer) to lead a quiet life with his mother in the mountains.
Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire.7., Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to8.(die).To honor Jie, the "cold food feast day" began, when no fire could be lit.
As time passed, the Qing Ming festival replaced the "cold food" festival. To make the festival even more9.(meaning),some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family10. contributions of their ancestors, and the story of Jie Zi Tui.
One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a_______ guy with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler and he looked very _______indeed. But what made him most unusual was the fact that whenever he needed to_______ he did it by singing opera. It didn’t matter to William whether it was simply a matter of answering a brief greeting, like “good day”. He would ________“Goood dayyy to youuuuuu..... toooooo!”
No one could get a normal,________word out of him. And, as no one knew how he made his living and he lived quite simply, always wearing the same old second-hand suit — they often ________ him.
They _______his singing, calling him “crazy”. William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when, one day, a rumor(谣言) _________round the town: William had ________ a role in a very important opera in the nation’s capital, and there were posters everywhere ________ the event was a great ________. And to everyone’s surprise in Cheekyville---when William was being _______by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking ________singing. And he did it with good____________ and with a clear and pleasant voice.
From that day, William gave up singing _________. Now he did only during his stage appearances and world tours. Some people suspected ________he had changed, but others still had no idea, and continued believing him to be somewhat mad. They wouldn’t have thought so_________ they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large stone with a hand-carved message on it. It said “Practice every second, for you never know when your _______will come.”
Little did people know that rather _______he got the role in the opera because the________had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.
1.A. strange B. handsome C. funny D. sensitive
2.A. strong B. special C. common D. anxious
3.A. debate B. practice C. sing D. communicate
4.A. shout B. respond C. repeat D. tease
5.A. singing B. spoken C. written D. printed
6.A. disrespected B. loved C. appreciated D. disturbed
7.A. made fun of B. got addicted to C. took pride in D. made sense of
8.A. developed B. reflected C. spread D. expressed
9.A. refused B. ruined C. created D. got
10.A. confirming B. advertising C. approving D. assessing
11.A. benefit B. discovery C. success D. experience
12.A. opposed B. blamed C. interviewed D. welcomed
13.A. other than B. rather than C. more than D. less than
14.A. service B. remarks C. signs D. manners
15.A. at all hours B. at all points C. at certain time D. at times
16.A. how B. why C. that D. where
17.A. while B. because C. if D. since
18.A. chance B. money C. inspiration D. wisdom
19.A. carefully B. quickly C. naturally D. accidentally
20.A. director B. writer C. actress D. teacher
Common public speaking problems
The use of “I feel”, “I think” and “maybe”
In the question-and –answer session of the speaking competition, many contestants began their answers with uncertain expressions like “I feel”, “I hear”, “maybe” and “perhaps”. These words show that the person is only speaking from his or her point of view. 1.
Work on keeping your answers brief and to the point. Also work on delivering them with calmness and confidence. Instead of the empty-sounding “I guess”, using facts, together with a clear conclusion based on those facts, is far more likely to be popular with an audience.
2.
Don’t stick to the same tone. It can be boring. Try to mix it up. For example, when they spoke about their dreams, some sounded romantic. Others used humor. Very few used several different styles tighter. 3., rather than just sticking with the same one.
Irresponsible answers
4.. you’re responsible for your words. Even though you want to answer quickly, you don’t want to sound foolish. So you should think twice before you talk. Don’t be like the student who, when asked about his opinion on book piracy(盗版), started by saying he supported it.
Talking around the topic rather than directly answering it
You should focus on one point and give a clear solution. 5.. is it asking you to discuss a certain topic or to present your own point of view?
Use one or two arguments together and give a strong conclusion. Remember that judges are not judging you on whether they agree, but on your ability to say what you think clearly.
A. Try mixing more than one style.
B. Improving your communication skill.
C. Using only one speaking style
D. It’s important to involve your audience.
E. Public speaking is different from personal conversations.
F. The key is to work out what question is being asked
G. To the judges and audience, this lacks the support of facts and seems not to be reliable.
