One random act of kindness can make someone’s day, but a man in Florida knows a good ______ isn’t a one-time thing.
After spending three months in and out of the hospital with numerous health issues, Donald Austin had his ______ partially cut off. He was relieved to finally be able to go home after just four days recovering from the ______. When he reached his porch, though, the ______ disappeared.
Donald thought he’d be able to ______ up the steps to the front door on crutches (拐杖), but he found he was too weak to keep his ______. He had to sit in the wheelchair, but the wheelchair was too heavy for his wife, Jennifer Austin, to lift up the steps, even when his mom pitched in. Donald ended up on the ground，the family feeling totally ______.
Just then, a car caught the family’s eye. It had driven past ______ was slowly circling back. The stranger, Steven Smith,______ and asked if he could help.______, the family watched Smith lift Donald inside and lay him ______ on a couch.
But the good man knew there was ______ to do.
Smith ______ this wasn’t the only time Donald would need to climb those ______. So the next day, Smith came back and asked if he could build a ramp (坡道) in front of the house. With his dad and a couple more ______, Smith set up a ramp ______ the steps to make the house ______ to the wheelchair. The act of kindness brought the family to ______.
“This stranger has saved the day for us ______ within 24 hours. He also ______ our spirits that had become increasingly dimmed over the difficult months.” Jennifer wrote on Facebook.
1.A. deed B. manner C. deal D. performance
2.A. leg B. arm C. back D. face
3.A. injury B. depression C. operation D. shock
4.A. regret B. headache C. belief D. joy
5.A. try it B. make it C. put it D. take it
6.A. breath B. balance C. distance D. promise
7.A. at a loss B. in the dark C. for nothing D. out of mind
8.A. though B. while C. but D. when
9.A. broke up B. cut in C. pulled up D. called on
10.A. Horrified B. Embarrassed C. Refreshed D. Relieved
11.A. blindly B. painfully C. carelessly D. safely
12.A. less B. more C. something D. nothing
13.A. figured B. pointed C. commented D. suspected
14.A. roads B. ladders C. rails D. steps
15.A. passers-by B. useful equipment C. honored guests D. helping hands
16.A. around B. over C. under D. into
17.A. accessible B. avoidable C. available D. valuable
18.A. life B. justice C. tears D. normal
19.A. forever B. twice C. once in a while D. at all times
20.A. brightened B. took up C. brought up D. worsened
It’s OK to have ups and downs in your feeling, but having low self-esteem isn’t OK. Feeling like you’re not important can make you sad and can keep you from trying new things.1. Having strong self-esteem is also a very big part of growing up; as you get older and face tough decisions-especially under peer pressure—the more self-esteem you have, the better.
If you think you might have low self-esteem, try talking to an adult you trust about it.2. In addition, here are a few things that you can try to promote your self-esteem:
Remember that your body is your own, no matter what shapes, size, or color it is. If you are worried about your weight or size, you can check with your doctor to make sure that things are OK.3. You should accept and love these things because they are part of you. Remind yourself of things about your body that are cool, like, “My legs are strong and I can skate really well.”4. The critical voice inside you will soon lose its power.
Praise yourself every day. Don’t just say, “I’m so great.” Be specific about something good about yourself, like, “I was a good friend to Jill today” or “I did better on that test than I thought I would.”5. Even if you’ve got room for improvement, realizing that you’re valuable and important helps your self-esteem shine.
A. Remember that there are things about yourself you can’t change.
B. It can keep you from making friends or hurt how to do at school.
C. It is important to know you’re worth a lot.
D. By focusing on the good things and your great qualities, you learn to love and accept yourself.
E. When you hear negative comments in your head, mentally tell yourself to stop.
F. Before you go to bed every night» list three things in your day that really made you happy.
G. He or she may be able to help you come up with some good ideas for finding your self-esteem.
Is there a way to turn back the aging process in people? For centuries, people have been looking for a “fountain of youth.” The idea is that if you find a magical fountain, and drink its water, you will not age.
Researchers in New York did not find an actual fountain of youth, but they may have found a way to turn back the aging process. It appears that the answer may be called the hypothalamus, which is part of your brain. It controls important body activities, including growth, the way we process food and so on.
Researchers at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that hypothalamus neural stem cells (干细胞) also influence how fast aging takes place.
Dongsheng Cai, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was the leading researcher in a study on aging in mice. He and his team reported their findings.
“Aging speed can be controlled by a particular place in the body, which is the hypothalamus. And it can be controlled by a particular type of cells, which are hypothalamus stem cells.” He adds that when the hypothalamus starts aging, so does the body. So when hypothalamus function is in decline, particularly the loss of hypothalamus stem cells, and this protection against the aging development is lost, it eventually leads to aging.
Using this information, the researchers began trying to activate the hypothalamus in laboratory mice. They did this by injecting the animals with stem cells.
The researchers say the results show that the treatment slowed aging in the animals. “When we injected the hypothalamus stem cells to the middle-aged mice, the mice aged slowly and they can also live longer.”
But these results were just from studying mice in a laboratory. If the mice can live longer, does that mean people could have longer lives? The next step is to see if the anti-aging effects also work in human beings.
“If we can translate what we have seen in animals to humans, I think humans can function better during later ages.” Cai and his team say their studies may have other benefits. They say the findings could lead to new ways to help doctors identify and treat any number of age-related health issues.
1.Why does the author mention the “fountain of youth” in the first paragraph?
A. To explain what the “fountain of youth” is.
B. To introduce the hypothalamus.
C. To show how to find the “fountain of youth”.
D. To help people find the “fountain of youth”.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The brain. B. The aging process.
C. Hypothalamus. D. The stem cell
3.What do we know about the study done by Cai?
A. They have found a way to turn back the aging process.
B. The brain controls growth, reproduction and the way we process food.
C. The decrease of hypothalamus stem cells can lead to aging.
D. The finding has been applied to human beings.
4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. The Fountain of Youth
B. A New Discovery about Aging
C. The Ways of Slowing Down Aging
D. Hypothalamus—the Fountain of Youth
One evening last summer, when I asked my 14-year-old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response shocked me. “What’s a colander (漏勺)?” he asked.
I could only blame myself. In the family, nobody else helped me in the kitchen. But that night, as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn’t prepared Ray for.
As parents, while we focus on our sons’ confidence and character, we perhaps don’t always consider that we are also raising someone’s future roommates, boyfriends, husbands, or fathers. I wanted to know that Pd raised a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, “What’s for dinner?” So I came up with a plan: I would offer Ray a private home course. I was delighted to find that he didn’t say no. For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine.
I knew that he would rather have been playing in the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother-he tried to beg not to have sewing lessons, even though I insisted that one day, someone would find the sight of him fixing his own shirt very attractive- but it couldn’t be denied that he was learning, and more than just housekeeping. “I appreciate what you do as a mom,” he told me one day. Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more importantly, he realizes there’s nothing good about being helpless.
Now, not only can he make his own dinner, but also he can make a big meal for his family. That’s what I call a man. I’m glad that I prepared so great a present for my future daughter-in-law.
1.Why was the author shocked at her son’s response?
A. Because he was not well behaved.
B. Because he refused to help with dinner.
C. Because he didn’t know the common kitchen tools.
D. Because he was very curious about kitchen tools.
2.In the author’s opinion, some parents pay little attention to .
A. building up children’s confidence
B. telling kids what is right and wrong
C. preparing children for their future life
D. making children live a hard life
3.After learning to do housework, Ray .
A. fell in love with sewing
B. did other work in the house
C. began to be more hardworking
D. acknowledged his mother’s efforts
4.We can infer from the text that Ray .
A. made great progress in cooking
B. always thought housework interesting
C. preferred sewing to cooking
D. was unwilling to learn cooking at first
One day the employees of a large company in St Louis, Missouri returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the front door. The sign said, “Yesterday the person who has been hindering (阻碍) your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.”
At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be.
The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the gym to pay their last respects. Everyone wondered, “Who is this person that was hindering my progress? Well, at least he’s no longer here.”
One by one the employees got closer to the coffin (棺材) and when they looked inside it, they became speechless. They stood there, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their souls.
There was a mirror inside the coffin. Everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said, “There is only one person who can set limits to your growth: it is YOU.”
You are the only person who can change your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.
Your life does not change when your family changes, when your friends change, when your boss changes, and when your company changes.
Your life changes when you change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.
1.The writer’s purpose in writing the article is to tell us that .
A. the harder we work, the more successful we will become
B. our work and life are closely connected with others
C. changing our lives is down to ourselves
D. we will have a better future if people do not hinder our development
2.People were speechless when they looked inside the coffin because .
A. there was nothing but a mirror inside
B. they could see their own souls inside
C. their closest colleague lay inside
D. what was inside told a great truth
3.Who probably wrote the sign on the front door?
A. The company boss.
B. A worker who liked to make fun of others.
C. The director in charge of production.
D. A worker who wanted to teach others a lesson.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The employees were happy to hear the death of a competitor.
B. The lesson the employees learned would influence them greatly.
C. The employees’ lives depended on the attitude of their boss.
D. The employees got angry after the funeral.
Podcasts (播客)
The B. S. Report
Designed for the sports fan with a sense of humor, the B. S. Report is located by the sportswriter Bill Simmons. It’s not uncommon for him to go almost a whole show without even mentioning sports.
Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me
The show is a news program in the form of a game show. Each week a group of humorists and writers join host Peter Sagal in Chicago, where they are quizzed on the week’s most important and funny news stories. Listeners also get to call in to play different news related games for a prize.
The Moth
The Moth is a weekly podcast run by a nonprofit art organization. The show is made up of recordings of “true story told before a live audience without notes”. Each week, the group releases short 10-20 minute tales told by people from all walks of life. Past presenters have included writers, comedians, scientists and even New York City police officers.
Filmspotting
Filmspotting is a weekly podcast and is a must-listen for any movie fan. The show is focused on movie reviews, but hosts Adam Kempenaar and Matty Robinson do more than just tell their listeners which new movie is worth seeing, they also discuss and examine the film as an art form. The show doesn’t focus on current movies, either, as the hosts frequently discuss old films as part theme marathons.
1.If you are a police officer, you can take part in .
A. The B. S. Report B. Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me
C. The Moth D. The Filmspotting
2.What do The Moth and Filmspotting have in common?
A. They are weekly programs.
B. They are open to everyone.
C. Their hosts tell stories to the listeners.
D. They are nonprofit arts organizations.
3.Which of the following is true?
A. You can play games in the B. S. Report.
B. People can tell stories in the Moth.
C. Adam Kempenaar just tells their listeners old movies.
D. The Moth is available only in New York.
