Most people1.get a text message from a wrong number either let the person know2.just ignore it—but this wrongful text was one that the receiver felt he had to answer.
When Mark and Lindsey Lashley had their baby boy,Cason Knox,one of their3.(relative) sent a group text message to let a few4.(friend) know about the birth—but it turned out that one of the phone numbers no longer belonged to someone they knew.Dennis Williams,the new5.(own) of the phone number,responded to the6. (excite) baby news,“7.(congratulate),but I think someone got the wrong number.”
When everyone else in the group text message realized what was going on,they laughed and apologized to this kind stranger for getting him caught up in the baby birthing news,but Williams ended up8.(surprise) everyone. “What's the room number...we have gifts,”Williams’s follow-up text read—and the best pan is that he9.(actual) showed up at the hospital to welcome Cason.And they talked about turning10.embarrassing situation into a sweet one!
Mr.Bard is the manager at his family's shoe company.He really____competence in his workers.He always tells the____and hard-working employees that he is____of them.But Mr.Bard does not only show his appreciation through words.The most competent workers are also paid____.
Mr.Bard thinks when an____works harder and produces higher quality shoes,the company earns more money. ____,the employee should also earn more.But many of the less competent workers____.
“We are equal,”they protest（抗议）. “We do the same job,so we should get the____pay!”
He is a kind man,but he is also____.If he keeps hiring the less competent workers,the whole company will____, and perhaps all employees will lose their jobs.It will also be bad for his family and for the company is____.
To____the situation,Mr.Bard creates evening workshops（工作坊）to help____the employees who are not working at company____.They watch the most competent workers,who receive a special bonus for____their co-workers,and make lots of notes.They inspect the production line,ask lots of questions,and____until they are skilled and____.
Production at the company____,and the customers are happier with the high____shoes!As sales increase, Mr.Bard is able to pay his workers better.And____the company’s smart pay system,the most competent workers can be highly rewarded.
1.A. appreciates B. describes C. absorbs D. agrees
2.A. excited B. skilled C. born D. considerate
3.A. worried B. confused C. proud D. painful
4.A. worse B. less C. degree D. more
5.A. employer B. employee C. degree D. guarantee
6.A. However B. On the contrary C. In other words D. Therefore
7.A. disagreed B. disliked C. disappeared D. discouraged
8.A. high B. same C. low D. distant
9.A. silly B. likely C. wise D. simple
10.A. select B. shake C. suffer D. scold
11.A. drivers B. teachers C. cooks D. customers
12.A. improve B. put up C. postpone D. come up
13.A. forget B. sell C. train D. harm
14.A. standards B. limits C. borders D. patience
15.A. picking B. teaching C. tolerating D. weighing
16.A. warn B. sneeze C. sob D. practice
17.A. productive B. affected C. strict D. straight
18.A. goes down B. goes away C. goes against D. goes up
19.A. quantity B. ability C. quality D. equality
20.A. regardless of B. thanks to C. instead of D. in spite of
Being outspoken is a quality that,when used with skill and wisdom,can set you apart from the crowd.1.The quality of being outspoken is a positive and active skill.Here are some tips.
Gain self-knowledge（自找认识）through journaling.Knowing who you are,what you believe,and how you feel is the beginning of knowing yourself,and journaling is a great way to gain that knowledge.2.Not only can you know yourself better,journaling is an excellent tool to improve self-confidence.Self-confidence is the foundation of being outspoken.
3.In order to be outspoken,you have to believe that your voice has worth.You have to believe that your input will make any conversation better.And it probably will!It's different opinions that make conversations or debates interesting.
Overcome shyness.The fact that you're confident doesn't mean you like hearing your own voice.4. Overcoming a natural tendency towards shyness can seem horrible,but doing the opposite of your natural instinct can open up a whole new set of choices: brave choices.
Back up your opinion with facts.Some people feel uncomfortable having or expressing an opinion because they don't know much about a topic.5.
A.Be confident.
B.Open your mind and speak it out.
C.The next step is overcoming your shyness.
D.Practice journaling for 15 minutes each night before bed.
E.Being outspoken is to speak your mind—to be honest and frank.
F.Allowing the other parties to make their points fully can help you seem more reasonable.
G.You can combat this feeling and have more confidence about your opinion if you learn facts that can support your opinion.
Not every parent looks forward to the day when their child goes off to school.In fact some parents are not sending their children to school at all.Instead they are choosing to teach their children at home.This is called homeschooling.Parents,caregivers,or private tutors educate children individually at home instead of sending them off to be formally educated in public or private schools.In the U.S. only about three percent of children are homeschooled.
There are many reasons why some parents choose to homeschool.One reason is that some parents do not feel their children are safe in school because of bullying（恃强凌弱）.It is said that bullying is very common in the school. Other parents want their children's education to be based on their religion or moral beliefs.Yet other parents think the education in school is not good enough.Homeschooling is also seen as a choice for families that live in rural areas, and families that move frequently.
There are many different ways to homeschool,and homeschooling allows parents to design lessons based on their children's needs.Families can purchase textbooks to use or create their own materials.Some parents follow a philosophy called unschooling,which allows a child to determine when and how they want to learn based on their natural ability.Some worry that homeschooling means students won't have opportunities to communicate with others.
To solve this problem,some families have created activities,where a group of homeschooled students will learn and play together and participate in activities that would normally happen in school like field trips.
Besides,being homeschooled doesn't mean a student cannot go to college.Most colleges accept homeschooled students.And the homeschooled students can get the same degrees,too.
1.How many American students go to public or private schools?
A. About 3%. B. About 97%.
C. About 50%. D. About 70%.
2.Which is the reason that some parents choose homeschooling?
A. School bullying exists in some schools.
B. Some parents cannot afford the education fees in school.
C. Some children want their education to be based on their religion.
D. Some parents think the school is too far away.
3.What will the parents do to help their children communicate?
A. The parents can buy some textbooks.
B. The parents will allow children to choose what to learn.
C. The parents will organize the children to play together.
D. The parents will teach the children by themselves.
4.What can we conclude from the last paragraph?
A. Homeschooled students cannot get enough chances to go to college.
B. American colleges are fond of the homeschooled students.
C. Homeschooled students find it easy to go to some American colleges.
D. Homeschooled students have the same rights as students who are formally educated in schools.
Meet big brother Blue and his sisters Meadow and Little Willow,a family of three blind cats that just got adopted by the family Catherine Magno.
Their story starts just before the Christmas of 2014 when the kittens（小猫）were found in an abandoned house in Dubai.By then they had already lost their sight due to a cat flu that was left untreated by their previous（先前的） owner.After that they came to an animal home.At some point,brother Blue almost got adopted by the previous owner's neighbor,but the poor confused cat couldn’t bear living without his sisters and cried all night while searching for them.Soon they were all united in the animal home until the important night of 19 February 2015,when Catherine took them under her wing.
"I had zero experience having adopted my first ever rescue kitten just a couple of months ago,"Catherine said. "But their story touched my heart so much that I couldn't bear the thought of them being put in a cage for a very long time or even worse."
Catherine was worried about the special needs of her new pet friends:“My worry was that it's going to not only be challenging but also require a lot of adjustments on my part,”but apparently it wasn't that much different.“The only adjustment early on was keeping everything where it was but they are soon adaptive（适应的）.”And as she wonderfully put it:“Blind pets see through their hearts."
1.What caused the three cats to be blind according to the passage?
A. Because of a certain kind of disease.
B. Because of a serious car accident.
C. Because of some bad persons hurting them.
D. The passage didn't mention it.
2.What does the underlined word " them" mean in Paragraph 2?
A. The owner and his neighbor.
B. Meadow and Little Willow.
C. Catherine Magno and her family.
D. All the other blind pets in the animal home.
3.What kind of person is Catherine?
A. Hard-working. B. Selfish.
C. Kind. D. Rude.
A woman's home is her castle.She cleans,cooks,decorates,repairs,works,plays and relaxes within the walls of her home.Sometimes women choose to stay at home to raise their children instead of working outside of the home. So you think she must be bored.I was one of those women.
After finally getting pregnant,and giving birth,I found my home to be the best place.During the nine months I carried my daughter,my body had been broken and back.Being able to relax was just what my weak body needed. Besides,nursing was a rest because I was unhurried and very comfortable.Staying at home certainly cured my broken body.
Watching other families grow one child after the next was a horrible dream,when I didn’t think I would ever be able to have my own child.But after having Alyssa,my own cute little baby girl,I was able to let my heart recover from the wounds.I watched and I valued every small change of her body and personality.Nothing was more exciting than time spent with my child.I loved to stay at home.
Mentally I remained challenged with new opportunities every day.I learned to be perfect and organized. Everything worked like a clock.By 9:00 in the morning,the house was clean—beds made,bathrooms cleaned,house cleaned,and windows cleaned.I enjoyed finishing them quickly so that I could devote most of the day to my daughter. Between nursing,short breaks and staring at her,I thought of ways to improve my home and myself.Even with all the housework,every day was filled with so much fun!
1.Why did the author say home is the best place in Paragraph 2?
A. She could carry her baby for nine months.
B. She could know her baby better.
C. She could have a good rest to cure her weak body.
D. She could make friends with others.
2.Why did the author enjoy staying at home?
A. Because she had a beloved husband.
B. Because she could heal the wounds physically and mentally.
C. Because her daughter had some kind of rare disease.
D. Because she liked to do so much housework with her little daughter.
3.What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
A. She liked doing work connected with clocks.
B. She was busy but happy when staying at home.
C. She wanted someone to help her with the housework.
D. She preferred to take care of her baby while doing the housework.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. My experience as a mother.
B. How can I deal with my body and my housework?
C. How can a stay-at-home mother be bored?
D. Stay at home.
