Are you facing a situation that 1. (look) impossible to fix?
In 1969, the dilution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It was unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it 2. (actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of 3. most outstanding examples of environmental cleanup.
But the river wasn’t changed in a few days 4. even a few months. It took years of work 5. (reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is 6. (clean) than ever.
Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit 7. is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don’t know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don’t you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?
While there are 8. (amaze) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the 9. (change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be 10. (patience).
Margie was the best hostess. She greeted everyone at the door, and she _____ candies and offered drinks. Margie _____ that everyone had a good time and that absolutely everything was _____ . But this was not Margie’s party. She was a _____ at the party like everyone else, and yet she acted as if she owned the _____ . She wants to be _____ and needs to be in control. I used to be like Margie, _____ to control the uncontrollable. I felt _____ the feelings and actions of the people around me. My body ached due to the weight I put on my own _____ .
One day while I was out with a friend, I realized how far my desire for _____ had gotten. As I talked to my friend, a stranger’s towel was blown away. I _____ in vain for the towel. My friend called me on it and I _____ realized the extent (程度) my sense of responsibility had gotten. Realizing I was _____ living my life, I had to make a(n) _____ .
If we turn to _____ ,we see that it does not fight for control. A stream does not try to _____ its own course; water simply flows the path of least resistance (阻力). A _____ does not create an exact flight plan; a plane trusts its inner guidance system and adapts _____ to new wind currents (气流).
Next time you try to control the uncontrollable, take a breath. ____ and wait. You will find things can be better, with less effort, and in _____ ways you could not have imagined. And you will find a love of life again.
1.A. bought B. produced C. collected D. passed
2.A. admitted B. remembered C. ensured D. recognized
3.A. perfect B. different C. convenient D. cheap
4.A. customer B. guest C. servant D. neighbor
5.A. place B. company C. team D. land
6.A. in secret B. in time C. in order D. in charge
7.A. helping B. agreeing C. trying D. learning
8.A. angry about B. responsible for C. content with D. sensitive to
9.A. shoulders B. sides C. dreams D. feet
10.A. energy B. wealth C. happiness D. control
11.A. asked B. begged C. rushed D. waited
12.A. finally B. frequently C. totally D. unfortunately
13.A. often B. nearly C. just D. seldom
14.A. change B. promise C. order D. report
15.A. money B. space C. nature D. society
16.A. carry B. offer C. invite D. direct
17.A. train B. tree C. bird D. plane
18.A. suddenly B. eventually C. possibly D. easily
19.A. Struggle B. Relax C. Return D. Decide
20.A. interesting B. amazing C. exciting D. confusing
Training for a marathon (马拉松) requires careful preparation and steady, gradual increases in the length of the runs. 1., buy the best-fitting running shoes you can find. No one can say which brand will work best for you or feel best on your feet, so you have to rely on your experience and on the feel of each pair as you shop. When you have found shoes that seem right, walk in them for a few days to double-check the fit. 2.. As always, you should stretch (伸展) at least ten minutes before each run to prevent injuries.
During the first week, do not think about distance, but run five minutes longer each day. 3., it is wise to take a day off to rest. But during the next week, set a goal of at least a mile and a half per run. 4.. After two weeks, start timing yourself. 5.. Depending on the kind of race you plan to enter, you can set up a timetable for the remaining weeks before the race.
A. After six days
B. For a good marathon runner
C. Before you begin your training
D. With each day, increase the distance by a half mile
E. If they still feel good, you can begin running in them
F. Time spent for preparation raises the quality of training
G. Now you are ready to figure out a goal of improving distance and time
Most episodes (片段) of absent-mindedness—forgetting where you left something or wondering why you just entered a room—are caused by a simple lack of attention.” says Schacter. “You’re supposed to remember something, but you haven’t encoded it deeply.”
“Encoding”, Schacter explains, “is a special way of paying attention to an event that has a major effect on remembering it later. Failure to encode properly can create annoying situations. If you put your mobile phone in a pocket, for example, and don’t pay attention to what you did because you’re involved in a conversation, you’ll probably forget that the phone is in the jacket now hanging in your wardrobe (衣柜).” “Your memory itself isn’t failing you,” says Schacter. “Rather, you didn’t give your memory system the information it needed.”
Lack of interest can also lead to absent-mindedness. “A man who can recite sports statistics from 30 years ago,” says Zelinski, “may not remember to drop a letter in the mailbox.” Women have slightly better memories than men, possibly because they pay more attention to their environment. And memory depends on just that.
“Reminders can help prevent absent-mindedness,” says Schacter. “But be sure the reminder is clear and available,” he says. If you want to remember to take medicine with lunch, put it on the kitchen table— don’t leave it in the medicine chest and write yourself a note that you keep in a pocket.
Another common episode of absent-mindedness: walking into a room and wondering why you’re there. Most likely, you were thinking about something else. “Everyone does this from time to time,” says Zelinski. The best thing to do is to return to where you were before entering the room, and you’ll likely remember.
1.Why does the writer think that encoding is important?
A. It helps us understand our memory system better.
B. It enables us to remember something from our memory.
C. It expands our memory ability greatly.
D. It slows down the process of losing our memory.
2.Why can a note in the pocket hardly serve as a reminder?
A. Because it will easily get lost.
B. Because it’s not clear enough for you to read.
C. Because it’s out of your sight.
D. Because it might get mixed up with other things.
3.What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A. If we pay more attention to one thing, we might forget another.
B. Memory depends to a certain extent on the environment.
C. Doing something again helps improve our memory.
D. If we keep forgetting things, we’d better return to where we were.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The process of gradual memory loss.
B. The causes of absent-mindedness.
C. The influence of the environment on memory.
D. A way of encoding and remembering.
A safari park is a park in which wild animals are kept. They are mainly located in east or central Africa. They often occupy a very wild area, with mountains and rivers. To visit the park and look at the animals, people have to drive around — in a car for a few of hours because the park is huge.
In south Africa there is a safari park, which contains all sorts of wild animals like lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, zebras, wild pigs, deer and giraffes.
There is a wild road leading through the park, but nobody is permitted to walk on the road. Anyone traveling in the park has to go in a car because wild animals may fiercely attack people. From the car he may see almost every type of African wildlife. Some of these are getting scarce (稀有的) because people kill them for various reasons. For example rhinoceroses are killed for their horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines for colds and headaches. Perhaps they will be seen only in museums and books one day.
Travelers may purchase food for the animals. They can feed them when they tour the park. Of course, they should not feed them in a close distance because the wild animals may attack people. In addition, they should only give proper food to the animals.
A traveler may carry a gun with him in his journey. The gun is given to him by the government. However, it is not used for hunting. In fact, a seal is fixed to it. The traveler may fire at a wild beast to defend himself in case he is attacked. However, he has to prove the government that he has been attacked and that he has not fired at a harmless animal.
1.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. The gun is given to a traveler by the government.
B. The gun can be used to hunt.
C. The gun is given to a traveler to defend himself.
D. A traveler may fire at a wild beast.
2.Which is the thing people have to do while traveling in the park?
A. Carry a gun with him.
B. Drive around in a car.
C. Look at the animals.
D. Purchase food for the animals.
3.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Some information about traveling in a safari park in South Africa.
B. A brief introduction to wild animals in a safari park.
C. A brief introduction to a safari park.
D. Some information about traveling in South Africa.
The National Gallery
Description:
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modem ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance.
Layout:
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th-to 15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titian and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velaazquez, Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18th-to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours:
The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm (Fridays 10am to 9pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There:
Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8-minute walk).
1.In which wing can you see religious paintings?
A. In the East Wing. B. In the main West Wing.
C. In the Sainsbury Wing. D. In the North Wing.
2.If you enter the gallery by a ground floor, you will easily see the works of .
A. Van Eyck B. Cranach
C. Van Dyck. D. Constable.
3.According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. The National Gallery is the biggest British national art museum.
B. There are four exhibition areas in The National Gallery
C. The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm
D. The Gallery is completely free
4.Where does the text probably come from?
A. An artist magazine. B. A tourist map.
C. A news report. D. A museum guide.
