Bonnie's Miracle
My sister Bonnie and her husband Bob owned their own flower shop.But flowers were becoming____at more and more local stores and through the Internet.____their business was not as good as it had been three years earlier when they____it.For about a year,Bonnie and Bob discussed____they should do.They debated selling.They talked about____it into a gift shop or maybe a bookstore.But there just wasn't enough____or people around the area to ____the business.
Feeling helpless,Bonnie began____praying and asking God for answers.She____,"God,give me a sign telling us what You want us to do.Call me on the____,"she said,"and show me what to do."
Soon the phone rang.A young woman was asking how much they wanted for the____."My husband and I never take the road beside____shop,"she said,"but we were driving by yesterday and saw the 'For Sale' sign in the____."
Puzzled,Bonnie replied,"There isn't a sign in the window.My husband and I have been discussing whether or not we should sell,but haven't reached a____.""But I saw the sign!"the young lady____insisted."My husband saw it too.It was blue and white in the____picture window____the road.
It____that the sign was the reflection（反射）of a house's poster put up____to the window on the other side of the road.Anyhow,within two weeks,the young lady and her husband____the flower shop at a handsome price.
1.A. available B. free C. beautiful D. expensive
2.A. However B. Thus C. Still D. Even
3.A. enjoyed B. saw C. started D. met
4.A. how B. whether C. when D. what
5.A. destroying B. changing C. opening D. shutting
6.A. cars B. goods C. traffic D. communication
7.A. stop B. prove C. compete D. support
8.A. sincerely B. sadly C. happily D. quickly
9.A. asked B. answered C. prayed D. wrote
10.A. door B. shop C. book D. phone
11.A. business B. sign C. method D. work
12.A. their B. our C. my D. your
13.A. wall B. window C. ground D. roof
14.A. goal B. contract C. decision D. judgment
15.A. hardly B. firmly C. shyly D. bravely
16.A. large B. small C. dirty D. rough
17.A. standing B. checking C. facing D. touching
18.A. looked out B. took out C. brought out D. turned out
19.A. opposite B. next C. similar D. close
20.A. hired B. bought C. raised D. discovered
5 Ways to Get Work Done
As the day draws to a close,are you having trouble finishing your work? You don't need to end up with a sense of failure.In the hours left,the following ways can help you get things done to have a sense of achievement.
1.Trick yourself.
1..So,try this: add something to your to-do-list that takes only 30 seconds to finish.Feeling a bit inspired? Then use as short a deadline to deal with another.Or focus on something by giving yourself only five minutes,and then work as long as you can.
2.Take lots of breaks.
Find yourself checking your cellphone or reading the Internet?2..Have some breaks,and you'll be able to face your work again with delight.
3.Use rewards.
One-hundred more words on this report,and you can have a cup of coffee.One more phone call,and you can check your personal email.3..
4.4..
Most of us spend too much of our day sitting.It's bad for our health and bad for our concentration.Take a walk or do some jumping in a free meeting room—anything to get you refreshed and your brain working again.
5.Work as a team.
When you have a big project deadline coming up,you can even keep a meeting room and work in the same place.5.,but also you'll feel more connected to your co-workers while doing it.
A.Get physical exercise
B.Don't feel guilty
C.Do things energetically
D.Not only will you get more done
E.Rewards are wonderful motivators
F.Endless work makes us busy and tired every day
G.A feeling of having made progress will inspire you
What would work be like if you had no boss?Imagine you could make all your own decisions and no one told you what to do.
A Swedish software company,Crisp,decided to get rid of their CEO.First,they needed to find out what a CEO actually did.Then they shared those duties among staff and board members,which is exactly what they did.And the employees believes it's been a good change.An employee named Heinrik Kniberg says the company can now act faster,"If you want to get something done,you stand up and start driving that.Workers are also more active and satisfied."And any big decisions are made during the all-member meetings several times a year.
So,if it's working well for Crisp,could this model become more widespread? Online retailer（零售商）Zappos tried out a similar plan but had unpleasant results.Almost a fifth of its staff decided to leave,and CEO Tony Hsieh admitted that "self-management is not for everyone".Mr Houston,founder of file-sharing service Drew Dropbox,says that total freedom doesn't always feel good,because you no longer know what you're supposed to do,what is important and you're bumping up against other people."
Would you like to work somewhere with no boss?
1.Why can the software company Crisp act faster now?
A. Because workers feel more satisfied.
B. Because workers can get things done directly.
C. Because things are decided by all members.
D. Because workers share CEO's duties.
2.The passage mainly talks about .
A. whether a company can go without a boss
B. whether workers can work independently
C. whether people can accept a no-boss company
D. whether people can enjoy total freedom
3.What's the author's attitude towards the no-boss model?
A. Positive. B. Negative.
C. Objective D. Subjective.
Ever since I was a kid I had a 6 second rule.That means that if I had something I needed to do but didn't want to, I'd count till 6 and do it anyway.My personal rule was to just never ever break that rule,that at 6,I HAD to get it going.Most of the time I'd use it to get out of bed or get out of the bath.Sometimes I'd also use it to restrict my time playing "ok in 6 seconds I'll stop playing with my dolls."
As I grew older,I'd use it as a motivation to get it going with my homework,get off messenger,etc.It really worked well,the same rule applied;whatever happens,don't cheat the "rule of 6." Most of the time,I wouldn't even have to count till 6 because I knew it would just mean I d have to do it,so I'd just do it anyway.As an adult,I've pretty much conditioned myself to do things by the rule of 6.I've pretty much mastered most usual things in my life but the rule of 6 never fails me when I start something new.Exercising,running,getting cooking,starting reading,it just works for me.
At the time,when I was 6,6 was my favorite number.So just go ahead and pick a number from 1-10 (although Id suggest 3-10) and try it.The important thing is not just to let yourself down.Like any other trick,it only works if you allow it to.
1.As a kid,the author, .
A. played with his dolls all the time
B. hated to get out of bed very early
C. formed a good habit by the rule of 6
D. always needed to do something unwillingly
2.The main idea of the second paragraph is .
A. The rule was not useful as he grew older
B. Cheating the rule means that he can't do anything well
C. The rule works well for him all the time
D. The rule never fails him when he starts something new
3.Which one in the following sentence is WRONG?
A. The author would use the rule to get out of bed.
B. As the author grew older,he gave up the rule.
C. 6 was the author's favourite number.
D. The 6 second rule is useful and helpful to the author.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. A 6 Second Rule
B. The Most Useful Habit
C. My Favorite Number
D. A Meaningful Story
The winner of the Art Fund Museum of the Year will be announced on 5 July.Art Fund director Stephen Deuchar said,"All the finalists have had a remarkable year,reaching—in a range of ways—new heights in their efforts to serve and inspire their visitors."The￡100,000 award is being competed for by the following museums:
The Lapworth Museum of Geology
This museum,operated by the University of Birmingham,re-opened last June after a￡2.7m redevelopment that was designed to restore it to its 1920s grandeur（宏伟）and create three new galleries.
It holds 250,000 specimens,ranging from dinosaur skeletons to volcanic rocks.
The National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art
Officially opened by the Queen in November,this complex is home to the National Horseracing Museum,the Fred Packard Museum and Galleries of British Sporting Art,and a yard for the Retraining of Race horses charity.
It is also home to two of the Queen's former race horses and a virtual Clare Balding.
Sir John Soane's Museum
Housed in the former home of 19th Century architect Sir John Soane,this gallery and museum has completed a￡7m restoration intended to open up "lost" areas and return it to how it looked when he died and left it to the nation in 1837.
That includes creating 33 percent more space and putting 10 percent more objects on display.
Tate Modern
Eighteen years after it opened on London's South Bank,Tate Modern had a record 5.8 million visitors in 2017. That was partly down to the opening of a 10-storey extension,the Switch House,and exhibitions of photographs owned by Sir Elton John and art work by Georgia O'Keeffe.
1.According to Stephen Deuchar,all the finalists .
A. have the same exhibitions
B. have offered good exhibitions
C. will win￡100,000
D. will share the￡100,000 award
2.Which museum should you go to if you want to see dinosaur skeletons?
A. The Lapworth Museum of Geology.
B. Tate Modern.
C. Sir John Soane's Museum
D. The National Heritage Centre.
3.Where can we find the Fred Packard Museum?
A. In the Lapworth Museum of Geology.
B. In Tate Modern.
C. In Sir John Soane's Museum
D. In the National Heritage Centre.
4.When was Tate Modern opened?
A. In 1920. B. In 1837.
C. In 1999. D. In 2016
Those who are in love really know each other's thoughts and can see into one another's ice cream bowl.This truth became so clear to me the other day.
At about 11:00 a.m.,my husband Gary called from work to see what was up at home."Oh nothing,"I said,"just having a little early lunch."Then he said,"So how's the coffee ice cream I bought?"I could almost "hear" him smiling.
"What?"I was stunned.How in the world did he know I was eating ice cream?I never eat the ice cream, especially in the morning.Besides,he knows that I had been trying to diet again.However,I could hardly hide the laughter in my voice as I calmly asked,"Why would you think I'm eating coffee ice cream?"
Gary said,"Uh...first,you said 'Just having a little early lunch' in a guilty,high voice.Second,your tongue must be rather cold because your words were a bit slow."What he said made me laugh out loud."The other thing is,I noticed you left some coffee ice cream untouched last night.That was like me hiding some cigarettes in the corner to enjoy later."
We laughed long and hard together before he asked me gently,"What happened?Er...something must have happened to make you eat ice cream before lunch."
Suddenly,I felt a rush of love for the man on the other end of the line.He knew me well-cared enough to find out what was bothering me,and trusted me enough to help me laugh at myself.
1.When the man called home,his wife was .
A. eating the coffee ice cream B. cooking her early lunch
C. waiting for his phone call D. looking for his cigarettes
2.The underlined word "stunned" in the third paragraph can be replaced by .
A. disappointed B. upset
C. shocked D. excited
3.Why did the couple laugh together?
A. Because they were enjoying tasty food.
B. Because they realized their behavior funny.
C. Because they were used to doing so.
D. Because they often made fun of each other.
4.What can we know from the passage?
A. The couple lived far from each other.
B. The couple had no children and friends.
C. The couple liked eating ice cream.
D. The couple loved each other deeply.
