A Welcome Gift
Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them ______ side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud ______ filled the room and made them feel very happy.
The next morning, ______, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a ______ under their door during the night. One of their neighbors had written to complain about the sound of the piano. Dario’s mother asked the building superintendent (管理员) if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all ______ people and he couldn’t imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their ____ and apologize for their playing.
“Maybe we could go and ______ everyone in person.” his mother said.
“What if we invited them to come here for a ______ instead?” Dario asked.
They both loved the ______. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts ______ their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers (彩带) and party lights.
Finally, the day of the party ______. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to ______. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert, ______ Dario’s mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.
“I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I ____ that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don’t think I disliked the playing.”
Dario’s mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we ______ you an apology.” she said. “I didn’t ______ how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.
“You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not such ______ music.”
“These songs are beautiful music.” Dario’s mother said. “We will be ______ to play them in the evening.”
“And we won’t play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to ______ the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother’s face. It gave him a feeling of ______ and made him feel that they were home at last.
1.A. sat B. stood C. lay D. walked
2.A. voice B. ring C. music D. cry
3.A. therefore B. however C. otherwise D. instead
4.A. note B. poster C. bill D. report
5.A. proud B. rich C. lucky D. nice
6.A. neighbors B. friends C. relatives D. audience
7.A. blame B. instruct C. question D. visit
8.A. party B. concert C. show D. play
9.A. experience B. idea C. performance D. action
10.A. to B. with C. for D. from
11.A. continued B. arrived C. passed D. finished
12.A. order B. sell C. share D. advertise
13.A. treated B. presented C. helped D. served
14.A. promised B. admitted C. agreed D. worried
15.A. give B. send C. offer D. owe
16.A. realize B. remember C. understand D. accept
17.A. sweet B. strange C. funny D. loud
18.A. brave B. sorry C. happy D. afraid
19.A. changing B. practicing C. recording D. writing
20.A. equality B. freedom C. warmth D. sympathy
Master Your Deadlines
The struggle begins in high school, sometimes earlier. Deadlines, and lots of them, start to pile up. At college, the pressure sometimes leads to last-minute rush and unsatisfactory work. At work, failing to meet deadlines can easily get you fired. 1. Here are a few best practices.
·Assign deadlines to what matters.
If the task isn’t of high importance, don’t set a specific deadline. In this way, you are able to keep it on your radar for a while without feeling pressured. 2. This will provide just enough pressure to ensure you get it done.
·3.
Set a personal deadline for yourself a day or two before the actual deadline 4. If you’re working with a group of people, add in even more time to account for potential follow-ups and the need for approvals.
·Keep communicating.
5. This means letting others know when something is taking longer than expected，when a delivery didn’t come in，when a client is not providing the necessary information，etc. Although it may feel embarrassing to admit that something is not on schedule，being honest is much better for relieving your stress.
A. Plan for flexible hours.
B. Finish your project as early as possible.
C. But if an activity is urgent, set a deadline immediately.
D. In this way, you’ll never have to stay up late and feel stressed.
E. But handled properly, deadlines can actually improve productivity.
F. Whenever you feel challenged to finish work on time, communicate.
G. So if anything takes longer than expected, you can still wrap it up and submit it on time.
Do you really know who you are? This is not a trick question but rather an honest understanding into the inner workings of each one of us. We usually share with our friends a piece of who we are, the piece that we want them to like or connect with. However, there is a secret, a hidden piece that doesn’t want to be noticed by others.
Our personal inner beliefs play a vital role in the way we think, act and live. They set us up to accept a belief and then it is the belief that separates our personal story. There are numerous people who have taken on the pain and suffering of their parents. Some have devoted their lives to living with lack; that is lack of love because they saw what they thought was love while in the crib (婴儿床) and it frightened them. Subconsciously (潜意识地) they made great efforts in their lives to avoid a similar experience.
Each one of us carries around with us our inner beliefs. If one of your beliefs is one that causes you to hold back from getting the perfect job or blocking love to come to you, that belief is a negative belief and one that needs to be dealt with if you are seeking a life of joy, contentment and personal success, whether it is emotional, spiritual, financial or physical.
Don’t let your blocked or frozen emotions guide the way you want to lead your life. Now it is your time to finally become victorious over those past situations that have upset you during your entire life and become the winner you were born to be.
1.What is the author’s purpose with a question at the beginning?
A. To explain who we are really.
B. To introduce the main topic.
C. To show the author’s opinion.
D. To persuade people to share inner beliefs.
2.We can infer that the author believes inner beliefs ________.
A. shape us B. block love to come
C. shouldn’t be hidden D. make us sad and painful
3.What does the underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refer to?
A. The love to come.
B. The negative belief.
C. The past painful experience.
D. The life of joy, contentment and personal success.
4.Which of the following is the suggestion of the author?
A. Sharing our inner beliefs with others.
B. Ignoring blocked or frozen emotions.
C. Dealing with our negative inner beliefs wisely.
D. Having a deep understanding of our inner beliefs.
A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found a clear link between the color of a taxi and its accident rate. An analysis of 36 months of detailed taxi, driver and accident data from two fleets of yellow and blue taxis in Singapore suggested that yellow taxis have fewer accidents than blue taxis. The higher visibility (能见度） of yellow makes it less difficult for drivers to avoid getting into accidents with yellow taxis, leading to a lower accident rate.
The study was led by Prof Ho. To test whether there was a relationship between the color of a taxi and the number of accidents the taxi had, the research team analysed data collected by the largest taxi company in Singapore. The researchers found that yellow taxis have about 6. 1 fewer accidents per 1,000 taxis per month.
They also studied the economic effect of changing the color of the entire fleet of taxis to yellow. The Singapore taxi company involved in the study owns about 16,700 taxis in a ratio (比例) of one yellow to three blue taxis. If a commercial decision is made to switch from blue to yellow taxis, 76. 6 fewer accidents will occur per month or 917 fewer accidents per year.
Assuming an average repair cost of $1,000 per car and a downtime of six days, the color of all taxis to yellow could produce an annual saving of $2 million.
“We are eager to continue to validate (证实) the findings of our study by looking at the use of yellow in other types of public transport, such as school buses. For example, we hope to compare the accident rates of yellow school buses against those of other colors to find out if yellow is indeed a safer color for school buses. Besides, we’ re also interested to look at private-hire vehicles and do a comparison of the accident rates of vehicles that are of different colors explained Prof Ho.
1.Why do yellow taxis result in fewer accidents?
A. Because yellow signals a warning of danger.
B. Because yellow can be seen more easily.
C. Because drivers tend to he more careful in yellow taxis.
D. Because people act more quickly in yellow surroundings.
2.What’ s Prof Ho’s study based on?
A. Physical risks taxi passengers experience.
B. The economic effect of changing taxi color.
C. Personal reports from taxi drivers worldwide.
D. Data from Singapore's largest taxi company.
3.What do Prof Ho’s words in the last paragraph suggest?
A. School buses should be painted yellow.
B. Their findings are worth popularizing.
C. Their study will be furthered.
D. Yellow should be widely used in public transport,
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Safer to ride in yellow taxis B. Caution: yellow taxis ahead
C. Why are yellow Taxis preferred? D. How can colors help prevent accidents?
There were many famous poets from different periods of time in Chinese history, and thousands of their poems are still read and appreciated today.
To arouse people’s interest in those classic Chinese poems and promote cultural heritage, China Central Television (CCTV) produced a TV show—Chinese Poetry Competition. The finale (终场) of the hit show’s second season was shown on Feb.7 this year.
Wu Yishu，16，who studies at the High School Affiliated to Fudan University in Shanghai, came out on top. In an earlier episode (一集), Wu wowed the audience when performing in a section entitled “Feihualing”. The game’s theme was “yue”, meaning “moon” or “month” in Chinese. She recited the lines from the Classic of Poetry, the earliest collection of poems in China: “In July, the crickets (蟋蟀) are in the field. In August, they are in the yard. In September, they are at the door. In October, they enter and crawl under our beds.”
“I really admire her knowledge of poems,” said Huang Zijin, 16, a Senior 2 student from Ningbo High School in Zhejiang province, “The first time I saw her wearing traditional Han clothing on TV, I was very impressed by her classical looks. She fulfills all my fantasies for classic Chinese women’s talents. What’s more, she always appears so calm throughout the show, which is very unusual for her age.”
As the old saying goes, “One who is filled with knowledge always behaves with elegance.” “Learning poems isn’t about winning or losing. The power of poetry lies in shaping one’s view of life and developing one’s inner world,” said Li Bo, an expert guest at the Chinese Poetry Competition’s second season.
When it comes to teaching people about poetry, Li Dingguang, the show’s academic advisor, suggested that teachers should explain more about the beauty of the poetry from both the aesthetic (审美的) and emotional sides, and guide the students to lose themselves in the poems’ rhythmic (有节奏的) and rhyming lines.
“Although the amount of ancient Chinese poetry in the textbooks of primary and secondary schools has increased, many students still learn them for exams,” Li Dingguang told China.org.cn. “Therefore, it’s important to help students truly appreciate the artistry and fun of poetry. ”
1.What’s one of the purposes of the TV show Chinese Poetry Competition?
A. To entertain people by enjoying Chinese poems.
B. To see who can recite the most classic Chinese poems.
C. To fulfill people’s fantasies for Chinese women’s talents.
D. To make more people interested in classic Chinese poetry.
2.From Paragraphs 3 and 4, what can we infer about Wu Yishu?
A. She is a talented and elegant Chinese teenager.
B. She has learned a large amount of poetry from textbooks.
C. She is always calm in the show like other competitors of her age.
D. She amazed the audience with the lines from the Classic of Poetry in the finale.
3.According to Li Bo, why do people learn poetry?
A. To get good marks in examinations.
B. To help build up their inner world.
C. To win the Chinese Poetry Competition.
D. To appreciate the beauty of rhythm and rhyme.
Toys for Kids
From wooden blocks to electronic games, the best toys for kids make their young users think and dream while building useful skills. Of course, they’re also tons of fun!
●Educational Toys
Many of the best toys for kids combine learning and fun. The GeoSafari Talking Globe provides interactive geography games in a fun electronic format. It was named to Dr.Toy’s Best Classic Toys List in 2016. Professor Noggin’s History of the United States is a fun and informative card game that made FamilyFun. com’s Toy of the Year list.
●Pretend Play
Kids love to pretend, and the best toys for kids can spark their imaginations and lead to hours of fun. The Real Projects Workshop was a grand prize winner in the 2016 FamilyFun.com Toy of the Year awards. With this pretend workshop kids can play with realistic tools while building projects out of foam “wood”. Dora’s Talking Kitchen won “Girl Toy of the Year” in the 2016 Toy Industry Association Toy of the Year Awards.
●Stuffed（填充的）Animals
Every kid needs a cuddly (可抱的) friend. Kids may ask for stuffed animals based on popular television and movie characters, but teddy bears, stuffed dogs, and other plush figures that haven’t appeared on-screen will have long-lasting appeal. For a unique twist on stuffed animals, the Lil’ Luvables Fluffy Factory lets kids stuff their own teddy bears. It was a Toy of the Year grand prize winner at FamilyFun.com.
●Games
Games promote cooperation while encouraging everything from memory skills to exercise. Hullabaloo, from the makers of Cranium, won “Best Game” honors in the 2016 Toy Industry Association Toy of the Year Awards. The game gets kids moving and laughing as they follow instructions from the game’s audio console.
1.How can kids benefit from the educational toys?
A. They can improve their personalities.
B. They can enjoy geography games.
C. They can be active in doing homework.
D. They can gain knowledge while playing.
2.How many kinds of toys won the grand prize in FamilyFun.com Toy of the Year awards?
A. Only one. B. Two.
C. Three. D. Four.
3.Which toys can develop kids’ team spirit?
A. Educational. B. Pretend play.
C. Stuffed animals. D. Games.
4.How can kids play with the toys made by the Lil’ Luvables Fluffy Factory?
A. They can stuff the toys by themselves.
B. They can play board games with the toys.
C. They can treat the toys as bears.
D. They can interact with the toys.
