Yesterday was my 18th birthday. As Father and Mother thought it1. (be) a big occasion for me, they suggested I 2. (held) a birthday party at home to celebrate it. For several days they had been busy 3. (prepare) for this. By 4 o’clock I was pleased to see all my friends had come 4. a lot of beautiful presents.
We spent a wonderful night together, 5. (happy) talking and eating. One of6.most exciting moment was when Mother put a big birthday cake on the table and all my friends began to sing Happy Birthday. Seeing the 18 candles burning, I couldn’t keep back my 7. (tear). Without Mother and Father’s love, I would not lead such a happy life now. Mother asked me to make a wish before I blew out all the candles. After that, everyone enjoyed the sweet birthday cake and shared my happiness.
I am eighteen years old now, 8. means I’ve become an adult and have9. (many) responsibilities. I’ll do my best to return my parents’ love and live up to10.(they) expectations.
A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.
The conversation soon turned into complaints about __ in work and life. To offer his __ coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and __ with a large pot of coffee and a __ of cups---plastic, glass, metal, porcelain (陶瓷), crystal, some plain-looking, some beautiful. The professor told his students to ___themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “lf you have __, all the nice-looking expensive cups have been __, leaving behind the plain and __ ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the __ of your problems and stress.”
The professor continued, “Believe that the cup itself adds no __ to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases it even __ what we drink. What all of you __ wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went __ the best cups.”
Now __ this: life is the coffee; the jobs, money, and __ in society are the cups. __ are just tools to hold and contain life, and the different types of cups we have don’t decide, nor __ the quality of life. If we concentrate only on the cups, we will __ to enjoy the coffee in it. So don’t let the cups ___you...enjoy the coffee instead.
At these words, the graduates looked at each other in __ embarrassment.
1.A. stress B. dream C. sorrow D. truth
2.A. friends B. customers C. fellows D. guests
3.A. carried B. returned C. arrived D. reached
4.A. kind B. variety C. sort D. number
5.A. devote B. expose C. help D. addicted
6.A. searched B. witnessed C. noticed D. discovered
7.A. taken up B. brought in C. sold out D. cut down
8.A. expensive B. cheap C. beautiful D. usual
9.A. point B. answer C. source D. result
10.A. quality B. energy C. weight D. color
11.A. makes B. gives C. hides D. includes
12.A. finally B. really C. especially D. nearly
13.A. for B. with C. off D. to
14.A. forget B. discuss C. consider D. try
15.A. position B. relation C. workmates D. friends
16.A. They B. We C. You D. What
17.A. damage B. determine C. change D. increase
18.A. come B. stop C. have D. fail
19.A. drive B. force C. take D. amaze
20.A. quiet B. speechless C. amazing D. reasonable
We are not suggesting that you can reach a permanent state called “happiness” and remain there. But there are many ways to turn the path of anxiety, anger, and sadness into a state of happiness. Here are four ideas to get you started.1.
● Laugh out loud
Just expecting a happy, funny event can raise levels of pleasure-causing hormones (荷尔蒙) and lower production of stress hormones. Researchers at the University of California tested 16 men who all agreed they thought a certain videotape was funny. Half were told three days in advance they would watch it.2. When they actually watched the video, their levels of stress hormones dropped greatly, while their levels of pleasure-causing hormones rose 27 percent.
● Do one thing at a time
Edward Suarez, professor of medical psychology at Duck, found that people who do several things at the same time are more likely to have high blood pressure. 3. Instead of talking on the phone while cleaning the kitchen, sit down in a comfortable chair and turn your entire attention over to the conversation.
●4.
Although relationships help take away stress, sometimes you need time to recharge and reflect on your own. Take yourself out to lunch or to a movie, or simply spend an afternoon reading at home, or looking through books in a bookstore.
● Practice mindfulness
5. Instead of worrying about your 
check-up tomorrow while having dinner with your family, focus on the here and now — food, the company, and the conversation.
A. Spend time alone.
B. Focus on the present.
C. Take care of the soul.
D. Take that finding seriously.
E. Choose the ones that work for you.
F. They started experiencing biological changes right away.
G. Find a quiet place near your house and make it your secret place to escape.
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity; others say that competition is bad because it sets one person against another and because it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.
1.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A. Failures are necessary experiences in competition.
B. Competition can help people to set up self-respect.
C. Opinions about competition are different among people.
D. Competition is harmful to personal quality development.
2.Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A. It pushes society forward. B. It builds up a sense of duty.
C. It improves personal abilities. D. It encourages individual efforts.
3.The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means ________.
A. those who try their best to win
B. those who value competition most highly
C. those who depend on others most for success
D. those who are against competition most strongly
4.What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a desire to fail?
A. One’s success in competition needs great efforts.
B. One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.
C. One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.
D. One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.
Make A Difference Day is the largest national day of community service in the USA, which takes place on the fourth Saturday of October.
Who takes part in Make A Difference Day?
Anyone! Young and old, individuals and groups, anyone can carry out a volunteer project that helps others. It might be as ambitious as collecting truckloads of clothing for the homeless, or as personal as spending an afternoon helping an elderly neighbor or relative. USA WEEKEND covers volunteers and their projects in articles and photos.
How do I get started?
Look around your community. Are people hungry, homeless or ill? Are parks or schools dirty or neglected? No matter where you live, there’s a need nearby. And on Make A Difference Day, millions of Americans are expected to roll up their sleeves to help others. You can act alone or enlist your friends, family and co-workers. You can also call the Make A Difference Day Hot Line, 1-800-416-3824, for information. Or use the ideas on this website for inspiration.
What do I do after I’ve selected a project?
Tell others what you’re doing and enlist help. Several weeks before the day, tell us about your plans in the Make A Difference DAYtaBANK, a national listing of local projects that will be viewed by interested volunteers, other people looking for good project ideas and news media looking for good stories to tell. It will only take a few minutes to post your plans in the DAYtaBANK hosted by HandsOn Network.
Do it!
Carry out your plans to help others on Make A Difference Day. Be sure to take lots of pictures and share them on the Make A Difference Day Photo Album.
1.Where does the text probably come from?
A. A magazine. B. A website.
C. A newspaper. D. A festival brochure.
2.Make A Difference Day ________.
A. is a celebration of helpful neighbors
B. is a service provided by the community
C. is a national day of doing good in America
D. is a festival celebrated every year in the world
3.It can be inferred from the text that volunteers ________.
A. are chosen carefully by USA WEEKEND
B. need to dress up on Make A Difference Day
C. can get good project ideas from HandsOn Network
D. take pictures to send them to news media for money
4.The main purpose of the text is to ________.
A. introduce the origin of Make A Difference Day
B. direct people how to select a proper project idea
C. promote Make A Difference Day to other countries
D. encourage people to join in Make A Difference Day
No one knows how much money Dr. Lyle Tullis gave away to students. I was his colleague for nearly a decade and I never stopped being amazed at his generosity. Our college has a program of providing cross-cultural experiences for students. Lots of students take advantage of summer experience oversea. I discovered that no group left for overseas with some of its members receiving financial help from Dr. Tullis.
It wasn’t that he made a lot of money. For one thing, he taught in a church-run school. There, his salary was half of what those people earned in a tax-supported school.
Other colleagues occasionally complained about the low pay. Not Lyle Tullis. Occasionally some professors would leave our campus for a better-paid position. They told me they did so because, with better pay, they could provide for their families.
The size of Lyle Tullis’ paycheck never seemed to be the most important thing to him. I realized that one day when I was thanking him for helping a student, his eyes shone as he said to me, “I’ve got so much money that I don’t know what to do with it. So, I just give it away.”
Most people wouldn’t have thought that way. Dr. Tullis drove one of the oldest cars on campus. It was even older than almost any of the students’ cars. His home, while comfortable, was not fancy at all. But Lyle Tullis lived with the feeling that he had so much money that he needed to give it away.
He was one of the favorite on campus. Cynics(愤世嫉俗者) might say he bought fame. But they would misunderstand. Lyle wanted to devote his life, all of it, to helping others.
1.What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A. Dr. Tullis was very popular with his students.
B. The author was wondering why Dr. Tullis gave students money.
C. Dr. Tullis was generous in giving his students financial help.
D. The author had a program of providing cross-cultural experiences for students.
2.Why did Dr. Tullis give his money away?
A. He had a good fortune.
B. He wanted to buy fame.
C. He was ready to help students in need.
D. He didn’t know where to put it away.
3.We can learn from the text that .
A. Dr. Tullis was very content with his low pay
B. Dr. Tullis cared little about his family
C. the author felt confused about Dr. Tullis’ generosity
D. many people would misunderstand Dr. Tullis
4.Which of the following can best describe Dr. Tullis?
A. Honest B. Generous
C. Friendly D. Conservative
