When I first came to Rochester from Austin, Texas — a place where fall is practically non-existent — I was excited for a real northern fall. But, I wasn’t ________ it to feel like Christmas in October.
Regardless of this ________, and the adjustment period that I’m not entirely sure I’m ________, I am thankful to be somewhere that has a ________ fall. By “real” I ________ a distinctive season, a(n) ________ in the weather and a visual changing of the world around me. The leaves ________ colors, it rains more often, the air is almost always ________ and dry, and a light breeze ________ me to walk a bit faster to get inside. Yes, it is more difficult to be ________ outside in a Rochester fall — where it isn’t just “less hot” but ________, fairly cold. But, I would argue that time spent outside in this season could be more ________ than in the summer.
Everyone ________ that fall is about change — I won’t argue against that. Things do ________ in the fall — the weather is ________ becoming worse and worse, the dying leaves become warmly colored, and ________ you know it, we’ll be back to having only eight hours of sunlight a day.
This oncoming change is why I think it is so important to ________ fall. Fall is not just about the ________ of change, but also appreciating what will soon be ________. Go ________ this fall. Enjoy the leaves not because they are turning beautiful deep shades of orange and red, but because there will soon be no leaves in those branches at all.
1.A. interested in B. exposed to C. ashamed of D. prepared for
2.A. accident B. possibility C. shock D. motivation
3.A. beyond B. against C. for D. after
4.A. rare B. real C. hard D. strange
5.A. take in B. pick up C. call back D. refer to
6.A. shift B. conclusion C. improvement D. experience
7.A. spoil B. keep C. turn D. avoid
8.A. cold B. warm C. hot D. cozy
9.A. prevents B. expects C. urges D. suspects
10.A. grateful B. creative C. considerate D. comfortable
11.A. luckily B. actually C. helpfully D. instantly
12.A. terrible B. casual C. unpleasant D. valuable
13.A. questions B. emphasizes C. recalls D. analyzes
14.A. relax B. change C. harvest D. rest
15.A. steadily B. hardly C. helpfully D. narrowly
16.A. if B. since C. as D. before
17.A. control B. describe C. appreciate D. hide
18.A. process B. disadvantages C. fear D. result
19.A. disappointing B. puzzling C. gone D. broken
20.A. inside B. forward C. backward D. outside
How to Remember What You Read
Reading is important. But the next step is making sure that you remember what you've read! 1.you may have just read the text. But the ideas, concepts and images（形象）may fly right out of your head. Here are a few tricks for remembering what you read.
● 2.
If the plot, characters, or word usage is confusing for you, you likely won't be able to remember what you read. It's a bit like reading a foreign language. If you don't understand what you're reading, how would you remember it? But there are a few things you can do... Use a dictionary; look up the difficult words.
● Are you connected?
Does a character remind you of a friend? Does the setting make you want to visit the place? Does the book inspire you, and make you want to read more? With some books, you may feel a connection right away. 3. How willing are you to make the connections happen?
● Read it; hear it; be it!
Read the lines. Then, speak them out loud. And, put some character into the words. When he was writing his novels, Charles Dickens would act out the parts of the characters. He'd make faces in the mirror, and change his voice for each character. 4.
● How often do you read?
If you read frequently, you'll likely have an easier time with remembering what you’re reading and what you've read. 5.As you make reading a regular part of your life, you'll make more connections, stay more focused and understand the text better. You’ll learn to enjoy literature- as you remember what you read!
A. Are you confused?
B. Practice makes perfect.
C. What's your motivation?
D. Memory is sometimes a tricky thing.
E. Marking helps you remember what you read.
F. But other books require a bit more work on your part.
G. You can do the same thing when you are reading the text!
Psychologists take opposing views of how external (外部的) rewards, from warm praise to cold cash, affect motivation and creativity. Behaviorists, who study the relation between actions and their consequences, argue that rewards can improve performance at work and school. Some other researchers who study various aspects of mental life, state that rewards often destroy creativity by encouraging dependence on approval and gifts from others.
The latter view has gained many supporters, especially among educators. But the careful use of small monetary rewards inspires creativity in grade-school children, according to a study in the June Journal Personality and Social Psychology.
“If they know they're working for a reward and can focus on a relatively challenging task, they show the most creativity,” says Robert Esenberger of the University of Delaware in Newark. “But it's easy to kill creativity by giving rewards for poor performance or creating too much expectation for rewards.”
Esenberger holds the view that a teacher who continually draws attention to rewards or who hands out high grades for ordinary achievement ends up with uninspired students. As an example of the latter point, he notes growing efforts to tighten grading standards and restore falling grades at major universities.
In earlier grades, the use of so-called token economics, in which students handle challenging problems and receive performance-based points towards valued rewards, shows promise in raising effort and creativity, the Delaware psychologist claims. （235 words）
1.Psychologists are divided about their attitudes toward ________.
A. the choice between moral encouragement and monetary rewards
B. the appropriate amount of external rewards
C. the study of relationship between actions and consequences
D. the effects of external rewards on students' performance
2.Which of the following can best raise students' creativity according to Robert Esenberger?
A. Assigning them tasks they have not dealt with before.
B. Assigning them tasks which require inventiveness.
C. Giving them rewards they really deserve.
D. Giving them rewards they expect.
3.The phrase “token economics” in Para 5 probably refers to ________.
A. ways to develop economics B. systems of rewarding students
C. approaches to solving complex problems D. methods of improving performance
4.What is the author’s attitude towards the topic?
A. Opposed. B. Supportive. C. Objective. D. Doubtful.
German artist HA Schult is an unusual artist who uses trash (废旧物) to make sculptures. “We are living in the time of garbage,” says Schult. “I created a thousand sculptures of garbage. They are a mirror of ourselve.” Here, Schult was talking about his 1,000 trash sculptures in the form of humans.
He first exhibited them in 1996 in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
“They are social sculptures,” he explains. “They are not only sculptures for the eyes. They are sculptures to spread the idea that we live in a time of garbage.” So far, Schult’s social sculptures have been on show in Paris, in Moscow’s Red Square, on the Great Wall of China, and in the desert next to the Giza Pyramids near Cairo.
HA Schult’s work is unforgettable. Although his work has had a big influence on the art world, Schult remains modest about his creations, “Artists have to learn every time. We are not important. All that counts is the time in which we are living.”
Trash art has been around for years. But it seems that only the popular artists are regarded as true artists when working with trash. Why can’t common people be considered artists when they use the same things and change them into some form of personal art? Maybe it’s because we all have our own preset ideas of what art is and isn’t, or who artists are or should be.
You can be an artist like Schult if you try. Look at used metal cans. What might be done with them? Imagine them in any number of new uses, or imagine them simply as an art form. What about boxes or clothing? Boxes can usually serve as new storage containers and houses for pets. And clothing? Imagine taking old clothes and turning them into hats or hanging organizers.(312 words)
1.What do we know about Schult’s sculptures?
A. They served as garbage containers. B. They reflected environmental issues.
C. They were first shown in Paris, France. D. They were to raise economic awareness.
2.HA Schult’s artistic works also get the message across that an artist must ________.
A. be socially responsible B. be as modest as possible
C. make garbage recyclable D. take diverse artistic forms
3.According to the last two paragraphs, the author probably agrees that ________.
A. it takes talent to be a trash artist B. preset ideas are important to artists
C. trash art can’t be seen as a real art form D. average people can also make trash artists
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A. Could You Be a Trash Artist? B. What Are Social Sculptures?
C. Do You Know About Trash Art? D. How Can We Deal with Used Cans?
“Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy - they re given after all. Choices can be hard."
-Jeff Bezos.
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for a year. I told my life MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't, and I wasn't sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I'd always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I admired very much. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said. “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job." That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but eventually, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision not to try at all.
After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choices.
1.What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?
A. His dream of being an inventor. B. The support of his wife.
C. The greatly increasing usage of the Internet. D. Millions of exciting titles.
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?
A. The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him.
B. He would be very excited if he tried it out.
C. He would be always having a doubt if he didn't try.
D. The decision not to the online bookstore would terrify him.
3.We can know from the passage that .
A. the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author
B. the author wanted someone else to try the idea
C. the author might not regret if he failed the idea
D. the author might go back to his boss if he failed
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Cleverness and Kindness B. The Starting of Amazon
C. Following My Passion D. We Are What We Choose
BRAD GARRETT'S COMEDY CLUB
Category: Comedy
Best known for his role on the Emmy award-winning sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Brad Garrett returns to his Vegas roots with his comedy club at the MGM Grand. It is a good place to check out when you need a break from work.
Prices from: $56.40 and up
Age restriction: Must be 21 years of age or older
Show Length: 115 minutes
MAC KING COMEDY MAGIC SHOW
Category: Comedy, Magic
Mac King Comedy Magic Show is different every afternoon, with lots of audience participation. He is willing to make fun of himself instead of his guests in order to make everyone feel welcome and entertained. The afternoon is kid-friendly from start to finish. Still, whether you're eight or 80, you won’t be able to figure out King's secrets.
Prices from: $40.90 and up
Age restriction: No age restriction
Show Length: 90 minutes
THE MENTALIST, GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE
Category: Comedy, Magic
Using his skills as a “mentalist”, Gerry McCambridge shocks the crowds as he uses his abilities to predict just what audience members will do next. Anyone who has seen the show has walked away in disbelief, amazed by his unusual power.
Prices from: $34.99 and up
Age restriction: Under 13 will not be admitted into the theater
Show Length: 75 minutes
ROCK OF AGES
Category: Plays & Musicals
The cheerful Rock of Ages brings audiences back to the times of big hair and even bigger bands with 28 popular rock songs from the 80s including “Every Rose Has Its Thom,” “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” “Here I Go Again,” and more.
Rock of Ages has been nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical. It also received a Drama League nomination for Distinguished Production for a Musical.
Prices from: $74.00 and up
Age restriction: Must be 15 years of age or older
Show Length: 125 minutes
1.Who is most likely to be able to read audiences’ minds?
A. Raymond. B. Mac King.
C. Brad Garrett. D. Gerry McCambridge.
2.Which of the following is good for a kid of 10 years old to go to?
A. Gerry McCambridge’s show. B. Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club.
C. Mac King's comedy magic show. D. Performances of Rock Of Ages.
3.If someone is interested in musicals, his best choice must be .
A. ROCK OF AGES
B. BRAD GARRETT'S COMEDY CLUB
C. MAC KING COMEDY MAGIC SHOW
D. THE MENTALIST, GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE
