I am building a tiny house. Not a dollhouse, but a livable space with bed, kitchen, storage-everything you’d need to live.
Why did I decide to build a house? I hoped it would give me skills that really matter in life, such as using tools for construction. And in building the house, I would understand how much labor goes into a home and truly appreciate what I am living in.
But this past year, life gave me a heavy hit: My father, one of my best friends and my tiny house construction partner, died in a traffic accident.
This is where my enthusiasm conics from now: the desire to finish my house for my father. Because of this decision, I now have some life experiences that some adults don’t have. I can relate not only to people who want to build a house, but also to people who have lost a parent. And to all of them, I can say that giving up is not a choice.
Still, without the help of my friends and family. I would probably stop my project. My friend Luke came to help the week after my father died; he knew I needed to get my walls up. The guidance from fellow tiny house builders and their families has been helpful. Putting windows in is no easy. And installing(安装) electricity is not something you do in your dreams. Ten hours of stabbing (戳) your fingers with metal string and getting shocked a couple times is not ideal.
Sometimes when people get a hard knock, they stay down. I didn’t. I didn’t only want to show that anyone can build their own house; I also wanted to show that when I was handed lemons. I not only made lemonade. I made a delicious lemon cake.
1.One reason why the author decided to build a house was to .
A. save some money B. learn some life skills
C. realize her father’s dream D. improve her living conditions
2.After her father’s death, the author .
A. lives on her own B. decided to give up her plan
C. still looks at life positively D. has helped many needy families
3.When doing her construction work, the author .
A. got a lot of help from other people B. decided to lower her expectations
C. had to leave things unfinished D. found it less challenging
4.The underlined part “gel a hard knock” in the last paragraph probably means .
A. get knocked down B. do a challenging task
C. experience something new D. have an unpleasant experience
Night of the Living Zoo
When: October 30th, 2016, 18:30-22:00
Where: Lower Zoo
Cost:
★ Tickets now are on sale to FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo) members only! Not a member? Join now to get tickets at the member rate. FONZ members may purchase up to six tickets at the member price. Non-member tickets go on sale September 25th.
★ General Admission: Includes live music, performance artists -including fortune tellers, fire breathers, as well as access to animal exhibits after hours, and interesting outdoor games. Also, all guests will receive free bottled water.
$ 20 FONZ members; $ 30 non-members.
★ VIP Tickets: Include access to the VIP area, animal performances and private games, etc.
$ 55 FONZ members; $ 80 non-members
Details:
★ It’s back. Prepare to witness dangerous acts and amazing sights at the Zoo’s annual Halloween event, Night of the Living Zoo. With live music, performance artists, and games, it’s a special night of fun that you won’t want to miss.
★ FONZ encourages you to take public transportation and drink responsibly.
★ Metro (地铁): The Zoo’s Connecticut Avenue entrance is between the Red Line’s Cleveland Park and Woodley Park Metro stops.
★ Uber is Night of the Living Zoo’s transportation partner this year! New to Uber? Sign up for $ 20 off your first ride (new users only).
★ Parking: Parking at the event will be $ 22.
1.Compared with non- members, FONZ members can enjoy .
A. half- price tickets B. free drinking water
C. VIP treatment D. an earlier booking
2.It you buy a general admission ticket, you can .
A. park free of charge B. appreciate live music
C. take Uber at a discount D. watch animal performances
3.What type of writing is the text?
A. An official report B. An ad for an event
C. An exhibition guide D. An introduction to a zoo
According to most people, after a long period of studying or working, we need to have a rest to refresh ourselves. However, that may not be the case. According to a recent report, you don’t need the break as much as you may think that makes you feel less tired.
Scientists have long assumed that willpower is a limited resource, which is why you feel the need to have a rest, have a snack and then get back to task when you are feeling better. They argue that the only way it restores willpower is by rest, food or entertainment.
But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is all in your head. They have found that people’s belief in willpower determines how long and how well they’ll be able to work on tough mental exercise. “If you think of willpower are something that is not really used up, you can go on and on.” said Professor Veronika Job.
The researchers designed four experiments to test students’ belief in willpower. After a tiring task, those who believed, or were led to believe that willpower is a limited resource, performed worse on standard concentration tests than those who thought of willpower as something they had more control over. They also found that leading up to the final exam week, students who believed the limited resource theory ate junk food 24 percent more often than those who believed they had more control in resisting the temptation.
Mr. Job said, “The theory that willpower is a limited resource is interesting. Belief in willpower as a non-limited resource makes people stronger in their ability to work through challenges.”
The findings can help people who are battling against temptation. Willpower isn’t driven by a biologically-based process as much as we used to think. The belief in it is what influences your behaviors.
假如你是李华，你代表学校给外教John写一封信，请他对你校正在创建的英语口语教室提点建议。内容包括：
1.口语教室的重要性；
2.主要功能（上口语课，举办各类活动）；
3.征求建议。
注意：
1.词数80左右，开头已为你写好；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear John,
I’m Li Hua, one of your students from Grade Three.
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Looking forward to your reply!
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
China used to be called the “Kingdom of Bicycles” in the 1980s and the 1990s, but since then, cars 1. (take) over the country. Because of traffic jams, 2. can be difficult to travel across major Chinese cities. Even 3. (go) a few kilometers can take up to an hour. Now, new apps that help people use bikes are being used more and more across cities.
Cheng Li started using bike share services about six 4. (month) ago. He said now he was using a car less and the metro (地铁)5.. “After I get off the metro, I usually have to walk another kilometer or two, so I’ll grab a bike share and go. It is convenient.”
For many, the best part about cycling is how easy it is to do. 6., many of its bike share stations were not placed in convenient places. Now, it is easy to find a bike, and to register with 7. smart phone.
Meanwhile, there is now a lot of competition among bike share providers because of their popularity. Some providers are trying to flood the streets 8. bikes to be more visible. Sometimes there are so many bikes 9. they completely block the sidewalks.
This has become a problem for city governments. It is not uncommon for bike users to leave bikes in the middle of the street or on the sidewalk. This blocks cars and people in already 10. (crowd) cities.
A woman interviewed by the media said, “Bike sharing is really convenient, but we need taking care of the problem of illegally parked bikes.”
In 1975, when I was fifteen, my grandmother suffered a terrible disease and died. ______ my memories of her are still vivid. I ______ her telling me stories, kissing me ______ and whispering just before I fell asleep: “Good night, darling.”
She ______ tell me many stories. I felt the sadness and ______ when she told about her only son being ______ missing in an action after D-day (诺曼底登陆). I felt the ______ a wife felt as throat cancer robbed her beloved husband of speech and ______ of life. Grandma never cried when telling these stories. She told them straight out, quietly and afterward, she always ______ a long, deep sigh and said, “Oh, kid, it’s a great life if you don’t weaken.”
A few years ago, my life took a stressful turn and ______ enough, I found my grandma and her stories frequently ______ my mind. I realized then ______ she had not left me any keepsake (纪念品), she had left me the greatest ______ —her strength, her perseverance, and her courage to face life head-on. She gave me the ______ I lacked. Grandma could ______ the difficulties of her life, and I knew I could, too.
Often at ______ now, I tell my daughter stories. We laugh and sigh, and occasionally a tear falls. Then just ______ my child’s eyelids begin to drop and her breathing becomes ______, I lean over and ______ my lips against her cheek. And I hear a ______ in the darkness whispering with me, “Good night, darling.”
1.A. Or B. Then C. But D. So
2.A. remember B. appreciate C. enjoy D. admire
3.A. carefully B. gently C. hardly D. kindly
4.A. would B. could C. should D. might
5.A. loneliness B. silliness C. tiredness D. helplessness
6.A. declared B. suspected C. reminded D. informed
7.A. anger B. apology C. sorrow D. shame
8.A. reasonably B. eventually C. considerably D. painfully
9.A. set out B. set down C. let down D. let out
10.A. peacefully B. hopefully C. comfortably D. curiously
11.A. occurring B. reading C. occupying D. understanding
12.A. although B. since C. that D. unless
13.A. item B. gift C. story D. time
14.A. force B. will C. energy D. freedom
15.A. look through B. go through C. sec through D. gel through
16.A. mealtime B. suppertime C. bedtime D. lunchtime
17.A. as B. while C. before D. until
18.A. hard B. rough C. tough D. soft
19.A. turn B. pull C. press D. lift
20.A. sound B. voice C. figure D. man
