It surprised me--every time I saw Joe, he was smiling. It didn’t______whether he had to stop at a stop light, or if he were the seventh person in______at the bank, and the service stopped just before he got there. Joe______smiled. It made me wonder why he seemed so______every day.
Having observed Joe with other people, I______something else also. Joe asked people how they were doing, and really seemed to listen to their______. If someone were hurting, he had______for him and kind words, and offered to______in any way he could.
It made me think. What if I tried to smile more? A(n)______of sorts began when I went to the grocery store. I smiled as I went up and down the aisles, and people I didn’t even______smiled back at me. Some even______! The little kid in the cart(购物车) who was giving his mother a______time saw me smile and______talking, and, you guessed it-he made a shy little attempt at a smile. The man in the handicapped(残疾的) cart______a person to reach something and I got it for him. The smile even transferred over to him, and he______me.
As I drove home, I was smiling. I______what I had just learned, and when someone passed me and gave me a(n)______, I smiled at him. He looked puzzled.
Now I know a smile is a small thing, but what if we were all to try to smile a few more times each day? I couldn’t believe how______I felt. Nothing in my life had changed,______maybe it had. What I had learned was that such a small thing could______not only my spirits, but also the spirits of those around me. So smile!
1.A. work B. happen C. matter D. last
2.A. order B. debt C. hand D. line
3.A. always B. finally C. immediately D. seldom
4.A. naughty B. happy C. active D. humorous
5.A. decided B. judged C. noticed D. considered
6.A. answers B. complaints C. excuses D. comments
7.A. guidance B. respect C. sympathy D. protection
8.A. perform B. attempt C. bother D. help
9.A. experiment B. life C. project D. program
10.A. meet B. touch C. know D. contact
11.A. glared B. greeted C. approached D. escaped
12.A. spare B. long C. hard D. great
13.A. stopped B. tried C. kept D. enjoyed
14.A. persuaded B. accepted C. supported D. needed
15.A. thanked B. changed C. encouraged D. invited
16.A. worried about B. thought about C. talked over D. looked over
17.A. gesture B. address C. call D. ticket
18.A. normal B. great C. reasonable D. professional
19.A. so B. for C. but D. till
20.A. realize B. admire C. show D. lift
English is one of the most difficult languages to master. Even if you might not yet sound like someone born and raised speaking the language, you should still congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come. Remember that practice makes perfect. So keep working at it and your skill level will certainly improve.
Create an English environment for yourself.1.The more you hear the language, the better you’ll understand how and when to use common words and phrases and how the language is pronounced.
Practise speaking English every chance you get, whether at school, at work or speaking to family and friends. When you speak in your native language, ask yourself, “How would I say that in English?”
Watch yourself speak English in the mirror.2.And practise changing anything you don’t like. If you’re uncomfortable making up things to say to yourself, just read your lessons aloud.
Use confident body language while you speak English. Even if you’re having trouble pronouncing words or remembering phrases, don’t keep your head down. Speak in a natural, conversational tone(语气); keep your back and head straight, and your chin(下巴) up. If you’re in a relaxed setting, put your hands behind your head and put your feet up.3.
Find a language friend who speaks fluent English and wants to learn your language.4.Increase your confidence by knowing you have something valuable to teach, as well as something to learn.
5.Instead of saying “I’m no good at this,” say “Every day I’m getting better.”
A. Take turns teaching each other
B. Train your body into feeling in control
C. Speak confidently about your English ability
D. Learning a language requires long hours of study and practice
E. Get comfortable with the way you look speaking the language
F. Read books, watch television shows, moves and plays in English
G. Improve your confidence by teaching those worse at English than you
The best festivals in Europe
Whether they’re in the countryside or a post-industrial landscape, Europe’s yearly festival calendar means new events, old favourites, crazy people and great charm.
OFF Festival, Poland
A small festival in Katowice in south-west Poland, OFF has, over the past 10 years, built an international audience thanks to a challenging and interesting mix of acts. This year’s selection focuses on female artists: singer-songwriters Feist and PJ Harvey headline, while Swedish pop singer Anna von Hausswolff and classical composer turned electronic producer Anna Meredith are also on the bill. Meanwhile, the experimental poetry and performance project by Moor Mother will undoubtedly be an unmissable show.
·4~6 August, ￡55, off-festival.pl
Melt, Germany
What would Melt be without its “sleepless stage”--a non-stop music marathon that runs from Saturday morning to midday on Monday? The German festival for those who love an all-hours party takes place in Ferropolis, Gra fenhainichen. This year, the festival celebrates its 20th anniversary, bringing 20,000 people together. A party train from Cologne also serves as your weekend accommodation! A worthy summer alternative to a party weekend in Berlin.
·￡140,14~16 July, melt festival.de
Primavera Sound, Portugal and Spain
A festival that has rapidly grown to attract visitors from across Europe with its electronic music, guitar-led acts and plenty of sunshine, Primavera Sound takes place in Barcelona and, since 2012, also in Porto, under the name NOS Primavera Sound. The Barcelona edition takes place across six days with an abundance of DJs on call to keep people dancing, while the smaller, three-day Porto festival has Bicep, Nicholas Jaar and Richie Hawtin, who will be doing a closing on the Friday night.
·Barcelona 31 May~4 June, ￡195; Porto 8~10 June, ￡110, primaverasound.com
1.When can people take part in OFF Festival in Poland?
A. On 5 August B. On 3 August
C. Before 3 August D. After 6 August
2.What can be learned about OFF Festival?
A. Only male artists can join in the festival
B. It’s a festival known all around the world
C. The festival is free of charge for all the people
D. Moor Mother’s poetry will be doubted by people
3.What can people do at Melt, Germany this year?
A. Run a marathon with other people
B. Take part in an all-hours party in Katowice
C. Enjoy music together with about 20,000 people
D. Take weekend accommodation in their own houses
4.What do the festival in the text have in common?
A. They all take place in Germany
B. Their participants are all females
C. They all take place in August
D. They are all concerned with music
Traveling is a very good activity. When you are fed up with your work and are allowed to take a holiday, you can go to the beautiful spots to enjoy the beauty of nature and the special character of other cities. You can breathe fresh air, visit some places of interest, meet different people and make friends with them. Then you will feel fully relaxed and you will have the energy to undertake the new tasks waiting for you.
But sometimes, traveling is not an enjoyable thing. For example, when the bus or car you take has a bad accident, you may be trapped in it and waste your time. What’s more, the weather can be changeable. If you are climbing a mountain, it may rain suddenly. You may be caught in the rain and may catch a cold. The worst thing is that you may have your money stolen and you may have an injury. All these are terrible things that can happen to a tourist.
Therefore, before going on a trip, you must prepare yourself carefully. Firstly, you must have clear information about the weather. Secondly, you should choose a good companion so that you can help each other. Thirdly, you must be careful everywhere and try to avoid accidents. If you do these, you can enjoy your travels better and reduce unnecessary trouble.
1.In the passage, the author suggests that you should for a holiday.
A. go to the country B. go to different cities
C. go nowhere D. both A and B
2.In the first paragraph, the underlined phrase “are fed up with” means .
A. finish doing B. can't do
C. are tired of D. are interested in
3.What is not mentioned in the passage?
A. You may meet with unexpected troubles on a trip
B. You may get your money stolen
C. You will have to spend a lot of money on a bus or in a car
D. It's necessary for you to know about the weather before you travel
4.In order to have a good holiday, you should .
A. be careful enough B. have a holiday with a good friend
C. take an umbrella with you D. be well prepared for your trip
It was five years since I had become a mother, and I felt like I had slowly been losing more and more of myself. I looked in the mirror one morning and saw a tired, crazy woman, and I just wanted to cry. And just like that my new journey into becoming a “do less” mom began. I remember the first time I tried it. I had rushed to get my kids from school after work, arriving home completely shattered(散架了).
I made myself a lovely cup of hot tea and headed to the sofa, I lay down and closed my eyes. At this point, all three of my kids stopped speaking and just stared. My eldest broke the silence and asked, “what are you doing mommy?” I replied: “I’m resting.” It took the kids a few more minutes to realize I wasn’t going anywhere and they did eventually leave me alone. They even figured out that they should probably take their coats off. I did not cook dinner that night--we ordered in. I did not put on a wash; instead, I told the kids they had better not get their clothes dirty during dinner because they are wearing them again tomorrow. We skipped the bath and watched a movie all on the sofa.
To my amazement--no one died. The house did not fall apart. The kids were happy and fed but most importantly, when I looked into the mirror that night, I could see that woman I remember. The fun, silly woman who truly thinks she is still 25 years old, who loves ice cream and traveling and music and drinking wine. And I went to bed a bit happier that night knowing that although the road is still long, I am finally on the right track.
1.One morning the author wanted to cry because .
A. the children left her alone
B. she was shocked by her changes
C. the children didn’t behave well
D. she was too angry to control herself
2.What changes did the author make at last?
A. She asked the children to take off their coats
B. She made dinner together with the children
C. She put off washing the clothes of the children
D. She went to get the children from school after work
3.How did the author’s children respond when they saw the author’s changes?
A. They felt strange and unreal
B. They were curious but doubtful
C. They felt excited and became interested
D. They were puzzled but accepted willingly
Dogs are wonderful companions all their own, but they can also help change your life so that you’re more accepting of new friendships. A new study studied how dogs’ brains responded to the human voice and found that “the human brain responds to dog emotions the same way it responds to human emotions” and that the dog’s brain does the same.
Dogs are pack animals, so in terms of pet ownership, your dog will prefer to stay with you rather than somewhere alone. Think about how this concept applies to friendship. People today are getting more and more used to spending time on social networking, email, and text. While all methods of communication are good, there is nothing like seeing your friends and hearing their voice. With good friends, sometimes a look explains everything, and you can only get this when you’re together hanging out in person.
Let’s face it, dogs never hide their feeling. They let you know what they enjoy doing most, whether it is chasing a ball, going for a walk, or getting a treat. For people, it’s harder to be open with your emotions. But in order to truly find a friend, you’ll need to let go of your fears and put trust into your friends. The reality is that you’ll never make everyone you meet happy one-hundred percent of the time, so if your friends and family think you’re great, put aside the need to be liked by everyone.
Dogs wait for you to come home and are so happy to see you again that they practically do a happy dance when you walk through the door. Friends, on the other hand, are sometimes so busy that even hearing from a friend becomes an unwelcome interruption. Rather than avoid calls or emails, make a point to talk to friends on a regular basis.
1.According to the text, dogs .
A. will become human’s only friends
B. can help people make their friends
C. are good at finding friendly humans
D. have similar brains to humans’
2.What are pack animals?
A. Animals that like to stay with others
B. Animals often owned by humans as pets
C. Animals preferring to do everything alone
D. Animals that people like to stay together with
3.To keep a friendship, the author advises that one should .
A. rely totally on social networking
B. try to hide his true feeling from others
C. attempt to make himself liked by everyone else
D. communicate with friends face to face more ofter
4.Why dogs often do a dance when the owners come back?
A. They need something to eat
B. They owners bring something nice
C. They are happy to see the owners back
D. They are afraid the owners will leave again
