Draper, the owner of a secondhand bookstore, was sorting through a pile of old books when an envelop fell from one. Inside was an undated ______and a faded photo of a woman holding a little girl on her lap. The letter said if Bethany was ______it, it meant the author had died.
Tears were welling up in Draper’s eyes. These were a_______woman’s last words to her child. He had to_____ Bethany. “Whoever it is will _______this,” he thought. “You wouldn’t ______a letter like that.”
He supposed if the_______ended up in his shop then Bethany was likely from around Bishop Auckland. And he thought he_______recognized the little girl’s face. Even if she’d since left the area, there might be someone in town who would recognize the______.
He started with the local newspaper. The Northern Echo ran the story of the_______letter.
______, Bethany Gash, now 21 and a(n)______herself, was on Facebook about 10 miles away when a close friend messaged her to check out the ______. As she read her mother’s ______, words she thought had been lost forever, she said she thought she must be_____ .
Gash was only 4 when her mother ______. Five years later, her family moved to a new home and the letter, put away in the pages of a book for safe keeping, was unintentionally ______ .
She remembers unpacking and looking for the letter, and then_______searching through everything in hopes that it was there. “That’s when I realized it was _____gone by now and I’d never see it again,” she said.
Draper_______the letter in person. He also brought her a children’s book for her son. Gash was greatly moved to have the letter back, and also touched by the stranger’s kindness.
1.A. message B. email C. postcard D. letter
2.A. reading B. destroying C. forgetting D. copying
3.A. determined B. kind C. selfish D. dying
4.A. find B. introduce C. phone D. comfort
5.A. understand B. avoid C. want D. like
6.A. tear open B. cut up C. throw away D. pull out
7.A. girl B. book C. reporter D. news
8.A. hardly B. actually C. unfortunately D. accidentally
9.A. author B. teacher C. picture D. stranger
10.A. lost B. valuable C. wet D. broken
11.A. Meanwhile B. Therefore C. However D. Eventually
12.A. editor B. mother C. daughter D. assistant
13.A. ticket B. magazine C. article D. homework
14.A. vocabularies B. terms C. languages D. words
15.A. writing B. joking C. playing D. dreaming
16.A. came back B. passed away C. died out D. calmed down
17.A. donated B. burned C. dirtied D. robbed
18.A. secretly B. suddenly C. madly D. regularly
19.A. almost B. never C. still D. long
20.A. kept B. delivered C. composed D. published
Many of us are hardwired NOT to ask for help. We think it makes us appear weak. We think people will say no. we think we have to do everything ourselves.1.. We have to get over that, and there’s how:
Get over yourself
No one—and I mean NO ONE----got anywhere alone. You cannot and should not do everything yourself. You are not, in fact, always the best person for the job, or the “only” person who can do it. asking for help is sign of strength, not weakness. Asking for help clears space for you and frees your time and energy. 2..
Rebuild your thinking
Rebuild what it means to ask for help from “I am a weak, incompetent loser” to “I am strategically allocating my time to focus on what matters most.” Don’t focus on the fact that you can’t do something or don’t have the time. 3.. It’s a chance to connect, a chance to value a colleague, a chance to get something done faster or better, a chance to optimize your own time and talents.
4.
Asking for help is about tapping valuable resources to get the best outcome the most quickly with the fewest resources expended. That’s a fancy way of saying “get the right people for the job.” 5.. And the best way to do that is to know your colleagues, and proactively build relationships.
A. Know your colleagues.
B. Think about your colleagues.
C. Your energy can’t be wasted.
D. It’s a smart strategy.
E. It’s all about building the right team.
F. Instead, think about what you will gain from the ask.
G. Whatever the reason, we don’t ask for the help we need.
Growing up can sometimes seem like a roller coaster. There are ups and downs and unexpected turns. Abuse or neglect by can adult can make the ride even rougher. But being bullied(欺凌) by another child can leave especially lasting scars. That's the finding of a new study.
Bullied kids face a high risk of mental health problems as teens and as young adults. Indeed bullied kids might be worse off than those who had suffered physical abuse or neglect, the study found.
Dieter Wolke works at the University of Warwick in England. Until recently, most studies of child victims focused not on bullying but on maltreatment, this psychologist says. Maltreatment includes physical or emotional abuse, neglect or other behaviors that can harm a child.
Wolke's team wanted to better understand how bullying's long-term effects compare to those due to maltreatment. They focused on 4,026children in the United Kingdom and 1,420 more in the United States. Information about bullying and maltreatment was collected for American children to age 13.They collected the same information for British youth up to age 16. The researchers also gathered data on each individual's mental health as a young adult.
Among the Americans, 36 percent of bullied kids had mental problems later. Those problems included anxiety, which is a state of excessive worry. They also included depression. That is a feeling of hopelessness that can last a long time. Among kids who had been maltreated by adults, 17 percent later suffered mental health problems. That was less than half the rate seen in people who had been bullied as school kids.
In the U. K. group, the difference was less spectacular. Roughly 25 percent of the bullied kids reported mental health problems later, compared with about 17 percent who had been maltreated.
But however you look at it, the finding are disturbing, Wolke says. They show that bullied children have similar or worse mental health problems later in life. And that’s why he says schools, health services and other agencies must work together to end bullying.
1.According to the passage, which of the statements is TRUE?
A. Kids treated cruelly recover soon after they grow up
B. All bullied kids have mental health problems.
C. Most kids with maltreatment experience tend to become violent adults
D. Most studies didn’t pay much attention to bullying until recently
2.How does the author support the theme of the text?
A. By providing research results B. By stating arguments
C. By explaining statistical data D. By giving examples
3.The underlined word “spectacular” in paragraph 6 could be best replaced by _______.
A. slight B. dramatic
C. specific D. similar
4.According to the text, what does Wolke suggest doing?
A. Taking good care of children B. Joining hands to stop bullying
C. Keeping psychologically healthy D. Comparing different types of abuse
Our family loves the snow and cheers at the first good storm of the season. While others may think of Florida, we dream of a cabin vacation in New York’s Allegany State Park.
One particular trip, I recall, was jus a bit more memorable than the rest. What we now refer to as the snow pants incident began accidentally enough. My husband, Bernie, and our 2-year-old daughter, Faith, were building a snow fort while I sledded down a nearby slope.
On the way back up from one trip, I saw a small stone tumbling down the track I had just made. I was puzzled, since all the other rocks were buried under several feet of snow, as I stood and wondered about the stone---it jumped! This was no stone. This was a mouse.
Now, I love nature, but that doesn’t include mice. I loudly protested the invader, and Bernie, coming to my rescue, assured me that this was not a mouse but a mole, as if that mattered. A mouse or a mole I still didn’t like it.
Bernie and I stood for a few minutes watching the creature disappear from the path into the furry white and come back out again. But soon it disappeared and I headed up the hill again.
Shortly after I left, my husband screamed out, saying that the mole had gone up the leg of his snow pants. You have to understand Bernie can be quite a joker, and I smelled a rat. Not wanting to be a sucker and fall for another one of his jokes, I laughed it off. When he started running for the cabin, though, I stopped laughing and decided maybe this was for real.
“Don’t you dare take that thing into the house!” I yelled. But like a flash, Bernie was already dashing through the cabin’s front door, with his snow pants, the mole and all. If it were me, I’d have been down to my long underwear right there in the snow without a second thought.
A few minutes later Bernie appeared. We relished the rest of our winter vacation, drinking lots of hot chocolate, sitting beside the fireplace and admiring nature---from a safe distance.
1.Why did the author’s husband come to her rescue?
A. Because the “mouse” frightened her
B. Because she hardly controlled the sled
C. Because the snow fort she built was damaged
D. Because she stepped on the stone and fell down
2.When her husband said that the mole had gone up the leg of his snow pants, the author was ________.
A. curious B. puzzled
C. excited D. doubtful
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. They enjoyed the rest of their holiday
B. They were fond of hot chocolate
C. Her husband had freedom at last
D. Nature can be dangerous at times
4.What could be the best title of the text?
A. A Memorable Experience with a Joker
B. The Painful Incident in Allegany State Park
C. Family’s Funny Vacation in the Snow
D. My Strong Love for Nature
Most people love to lose themselves in a great book, maybe a classic novel, a modern storybook or a great work of history. But many people also live busy lives, and for them finding time do sit quietly and read is different, if not impossible. Fortunately, with the coming of the Internet an high-tech tools like the iPod, more and more people are making literature a part of their lives again.
A very special website now makes it possible for people to listen to books that they simply would not have time to read. The site is called Audible Inc., and it’s the best place to download audio books. Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of these books have been recorded. They include nearly every classic, as well as most newly-published ones. Most of these are read by voice actors who really bring the text to life.
Audible Inc. lets you easily and quickly download a book and load it onto your iPod or other MP3 players, or onto CDs so that you can listen in your car. The site is like Amazon.com, but for audio books. It includes thousands of recommendations and customer reviews that are extremely helpful. The site lets you listen to a free piece of each book so you can tell ahead what the narrator(讲述者)sounds like. No wonder that most people who listen to an audio book for the first time are immediately attracted.
This is the perfect opportunity to find out what so many people know about audio books. But be careful---you may become attracted to audio books for life.
1.Who might be most interested in Audible Inc.?
A. People who have iPods B. People who travel a lot
C. Teenagers who love writing D. Boo lovers with little free time
2.What does Audible Inc. offer people?
A. Free books B. Books to listen to
C. Books about history D. Traditional paper books
3.A free piece of each book is given on Audible Inc. in order to ________.
A. let people experience the narrating style ahead
B. introduce different styles of modern books
C. provide a chance to learn to narrate stories
D. meet the customers’ requirements
4.In the last paragraph, the author __________.
A. shows the benefits of audio books
B. advises people to chose audio books
C. stresses the great attraction of audio books
D. warns people against addiction to reading
High school and college are periods of ever-expanding responsibility for students. You can get help from some practical apps. Check out these apps to get a head-start on being on top of your life!
Sleep Cycle alarm clock (free; iOS, Android)
Getting enough sleep is essential to getting a good education, but waking up rested isn’t just about how much you sleep; it’s about where you are in your sleep cycle when you wake up. Sleep Cycle uses your phone’s microphone and/or accelerometer to analyze your sleeping patterns and wake you up at the best time, when you’re in your lightest sleep state(within a window that you set, so that you’re not late). myHomework Student Planner(free; iOS, Android, Windows)
The myHomework Student Planner is available on wide variety of platforms so that you can stay organized wherever you are. You can keep track of your class schedule and homework, get reminders for upcoming tests, and sync it across all of your platforms. There’s also a premium version for $4.99 that takes away the ads, gives you more themes, lets you add file attachments, and integrates access to external calendars.
Circle of 6(free; iOS, Android)
Circle of 6 is an innovative safety app that connects you to six of your most trusted friends (your “circle”) and helps you keep track of each other. If you’re feeling scared about a situation you’re in you can send a per-programmed text to your circle with just two taps, and it will include your exact location. This could also be used by younger students to discreetly let their parents know that they’re in an uncomfortable situation and want to be picked up.
Goodbudget(free; iOS, Android)
Goodbudget can divide your money into virtual “envelopes” for things like Groceries, Transportation, Entertainment, Gas, and whatever else you need to budget for. The free version includes 10 regular envelopes plus syncing across two devices. Or you can move to a premium subscription(溢价认购)($5/month, $45/year)for more envelopes, five devices, and a five-year transaction history.
1.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. All of the four apps can be used free of charge
B. Sleep Cycle alarm clock can make you sleep as much as possible
C. myHomework Student Planner can be used on computers and cellphones
D. Goodbudget can help you use your money wisely
2.The app Goodbudge with a premium subscription for six months costs __________.
A. $5 B. $22.5
C. $30 D. $45
3.Which might be the most useful for a primary school student who walks to the school alone every day?
A. Sleep Cycle alarm clock(free; iOS, Android)
B. myHomework Student Planner(free; iOS, Android, Windows)
C. Circle of 6(free; iOS, Android)
D. Goodbudget(free; iOS, Android)
