There was a businessman who was deep in debt and could see no way out.
He sat on the park bench, head in hands,______if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is______you.” he said.
After listening to the executive, the old man said: “I believe I can help you.”
He asked the man his name, wrote out a______, and pushed it into his hand saying: “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.”
Then he turned and disappeared as______as he had come.
The businessman saw in his hand a check for $500,000,______by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
“I can______my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But______, he decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the______to work out a way to save his business, he thought.
With renewed______, he negotiated better deals. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the______with the uncashed check. At the______time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to______the check and share his success story, a______came running up and grabbed the old man.
“I’m so delighted I______him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s______escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.”
And she led the old man away______the arm.
The businessman just stood there,______.All year long he’d been buying and selling.______he had half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or______, that had turned his life around. It was his______self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.
1.A. wondering B. suspecting C. estimating D. hesitating
2.A. attacking B. disturbing C. interrupting D. amusing
3.A. number B. note C. letter D. check
4.A. calmly B. quietly C. quickly D. proudly
5.A. signed B. handed C. drawn D. deposited
6.A. lose B. remove C. face D. ignore
7.A. instead B. therefore C. rather D. meanwhile
8.A. weakness B. belief C. urge D. strength
9.A. creativity B. permission C. optimism D. curiosity
10.A. hospital B. company C. street D. park
11.A. advanced B. appointed C. announced D. delayed
12.A. hand back B. give out C. put out D. turn over
13.A. policeman B. banker C. nurse D. guard
14.A. beat B. cheated C. pushed D. caught
15.A. never B. seldom C. always D. occasionally
16.A. on B. in C. by D. at
17.A. exhausted B. astonished C. disappointed D. excited
18.A. convinced B. informed C. reminded D. warned
19.A. created B. imagined C. discovered D. donated
20.A. long-lost B. non-existent C. ever-lasting D. newly-found
Snowblind--it’s a frightening word. Thankfully, it’s a condition that is totally preventable.
Snow blindness is a painful, temporary loss of vision due to overexposure to the sun's UV rays. Essentially, snow blindness is caused by a sunburned eye.
1.Though it is commonly called snow blindness, the condition can (and often does)occur in the absence of snow.
The terms "snowblind" and "snow blindness" have become popular because snow is highly reflective of ultraviolet radiation.2.Also, skiing, mountain climbing and snowboarding usually take place at relatively high altitudes, where the sun's UV rays are stronger. Combined, these factors can double your risk of getting sunburned eyes, compared with being outdoors at lower altitudes in the summertime.
3.Television journalist Anderson Cooper experienced snow-free snow blindness first-hand a few years ago when he spent a couple hours on a boat in Portugal without sunglasses and ended up "blind for 36 hours," according to his report of the incident.
Not only can you become snowblind without snow-- it can happen without sunlight, too!4.For example, sun lamps can cause temporary "snow" blindness if proper eye protection is not used.
5.To relieve pain or discomfort from snow blindness, stay indoors and wear sunglasses. Keep your eyes well-moistened with artificial tears. For additional relief, use over-the-counter pain relievers. Be sure to use only pain relievers you know you can take without worry of an allergic reaction. You also may find that placing a cool, dampened washcloth over your closed eyelids is comforting.
A. You don't need snow to become snowblind
B. It will likely affect those traveling in snowy conditions
C. To prevent snow blindness on the slopes, wear sunglasses
D. Sometimes it occurs from man-made sources of ultraviolet radiation
E. .In fact, snow can reflect over 80 percent of the UV rays that fall upon it
F. Snow blindness is scary, but usually it's temporary, and there are ways to relieve the discomfort
G. But water and white sand also are highly reflective of the sun's UV rays, thus increasing the risk
Every morning at 6 am Alan Swallow gets out of bed, has breakfast and reads the paper. And for that he is an unsung hero.
When he reads The Southland Times in the morning, he reads it aloud and records if for people who are visually impaired(受损的).
The Blind Foundation provides its members with the Telephone Information Service(TIS) which has articles from more than 70 newspapers, radio and TV schedules, finance information, public and government notices and updates from the Blind Foundation. For 17 years Swallow has read the paper for the service. In the early days someone would head down to the local studio to record the news for the day and they had one chance to get it right. Nowadays, the news readers can work from home suing their phones.
The TIS service is available 365 days a year, and it could sometimes take him an hour to get through the local news items he had chosen. “It doesn’t take much effort, but it does take a commitment because people are relying on it.” He said.
The service had struggled for some time with volunteers because not many people knew about it. Swallow said, “It was fulfilling to know that people were benefiting from what he was doing.”
For Blind Foundation social function organiser Liz Anstice, the opportunity to give back to a foundation that had given much to her, was a nice aspect of the role. She has been involved with the foundation for five years after she became visually impaired. She said the biggest challenge was building the trust that people had in the local branch of the foundation.
Anstice reformed the social committee group and changed things so people did not get bored. The Christmas celebrations had been so well received members from the Blind Foundation in Balclutha were coming down for them. However, sometimes getting members to the events was a challenge because of a lack of volunteers available to transport them, she said. She was proud of being a finalist for the Volunteer Recognition Award.
1.How does Alan Swallow work for The Blind Foundation?
A. By writing newspaper articles.
B. By reading news for the blind.
C. By updating local news every day.
D. By collecting telephone information.
2.How does Alan Swallow feel about his work for the TIS service?
A. Time-consuming. B. Challenging. C. Satisfying. D. Struggling.
3.What’s the problem for getting members to the events according to Liz Anstice?
A. People’s distrust. B. Costs of transport.
C. Boredom of events. D. Shortage of volunteers.
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A. Blind Foundation Recognizes Its Unsung Heroes
B. Work for Telephone Information Service
C. Great Challenges to Blind Foundation
D. Blind Foundation: Reforms Going on
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. but sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge. it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative serf-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!
1.You need to build a positive self-image when you .
A. dare to challenge yourself B. feel it hard to change yourself
C. are unconfident about yourself D. have a high opinion of yourself
2.According to the passage, our serf-images .
A. have positive effects B. are probably untrue
C. are often changeable D. have different functions
3.How should you change your serf-image according to the passage?
A. To keep a different image of others B. To make your life successful
C. To understand your own world D. To change the way you think
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to prepare for your success
B. How to face challenges in your life
C. How to build a positive self-image
D. How to develop your good qualities
A teacher from Relax Kids in Tamworth, UK, used two apples to show her students the damaging, and often unseen, consequences of bullying(欺凌). And her post about the powerful lesson has gone viral.
Rosie Dutton explained that during one of her classes she introduced the children to two red apples. What the kids didn't know was that before the lesson, Dutton had repeatedly dropped one of the apples on the floor. And yet, on the outside at least, both apples looked perfect. "I picked up the apple I'd dropped on the floor and started to tell the children how I disliked this apple, and that I thought it was disgusting, it was a horrible colour and the stem was just too short," Dutton wrote.
She then encouraged the students to do the same. Some of the children looked at her like she was “crazy”, but the students passed the apple around the circle, calling it names.
Continuing the exercise, the teacher then passed the second apple around the circle. This apple, however, was showered with comments like: “Your skin is beautiful," and "what a beautiful colour you are."
Dutton then showed the students both apples once again, highlighting that "there was no change, both apples still looked the same."
That is, until she cut them open. "The apple we'd said unkind words to was bruised and all mushy(糊状的) inside," she said.
There was, she said, an immediate "light bulb" moment for her students. "They really got it. What we saw inside that apple, the bruises, the mush and the broken bits is what is happening inside every one of us when someone mistreats us with their words or actions."
Dutton explained how important it is to teach children to stand up for one another, and to stop any form of bullying.
“Let’s create a generation of kind caring children,” the teacher wrote. “The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.”
1.What had the teacher done to the first apple before the lesson?
A. She had introduced it to the kids
B. She had damaged it purposely
C. She had made it look perfect
D. She had coloured it brightly
2.What does the underlined part “calling it names” (Para. 3) mean?
A. Saying rude things B. Making fun of it
C. Cheering for it D. Shouting at it
3.What did the teacher instruct the kids to do with the second apple?
A. Drop it B. Praise it
C. Ignore it D. Observe it
4.What’s the purpose of the teacher’s using two apples in class?
A. To draw the kids’ attention
B. To explain her personal preferences
C. To make a comparison between them
D. To help the kids understand the results of bullying
My Favourite Travel Books
The Old Patagonian Express by Paul Theroux
Choosing my favorite Paul Theroux book is like picking my favorite place in the world: It’s impossible to settle on just one. But The Old Patagonian Express, which is about a train journey Theroux made from Boston, USA to southern Argentina, is right up there at the top of my list. Theroux has a wicked sense of humor. He brings so much wisdom and experience to his travels.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
If he were alive today, Thoreau would probably frown if he heard someone refer to Walden as a travel book. But I regard it as a travel-writing masterpiece. “I went into the woods,” he writes, “because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” That’s the same spirit of discovery that defines so many great contemporary travel records.
The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
Like so many people, I fell in love with Kerouac’s novels in my late teens and early 20s. On the Road gets all the press, but I always love The Dharma Bums. Kerouac beautifully captures the romance of California trains, Berkeley, and backpacking in the Sierras. It’s hard to read this book without wanting to leave for the mountains to brainstorm bad haikus on the trail and cook canned macaroni and cheese over a crackling campfire.
Confucius Lives Next Door by T.R. Reid
This is sort of A Year in Provence in Japan, only the cross-cultural differences are much greater. Reid and his family moved to Tokyo when he became the chief for The Washington Post, enabling him to uncover truths about the country. Among the highlights are his observations about Japanese schools, including Yodobashi No. 6 Elementary School, where his daughters were greeted by the whole school staff.
1.Which book enables readers to experience great cross-cultural differences?
A. The Old Patagonian Express B. Confucius Lives Next Door
C. On the Road D. Walden
2.What will people feel after reading Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums?
A. A strong desire to follow B. A love for novels
C. A wish to learn cooking D. An excitement to write poems
3.Which writer based his book on a train journey from home to abroad?
A. T.R. Reid B. Henry David Thoreau
C. Paul Theroux D. Jack Kerouac
