Back to School
I had always longed to get a degree, but raising a family had come first. Now with my last_________in middle school, I thought, why not try to________something while I still had the opportunity. When I told my husband Bob my idea, a broad smile lit up his face. “If that’s what you ________, we’ll make it work.”
When we asked the kids for advice, they had mixed______.Our daughter, already in college, thought it a great idea while John, in high school, was _______ that we might be in college at the same time. James, our youngest, wanted to know who would take him to football practice. I_______that things would be a little different, _______ if everyone contributed, it wouldn’t be difficult.
The next day we drove to the community college and after a careful research, I chose to_______in occupational therapy (康复理疗) . Days passed in excitement, enrolling in classes, shopping for__________ and attending orientation(入学指导). I felt like a kid again, but as the first day of classes drew near, I became__________ . I was simply too old. People would laugh at me. Finally, with encouragement from my family and friends, I stuck with my _______.
As I entered my classroom that first morning, I chose a seat in the back, hoping to _______attention. For the rest of that day, I did what I saw the other students do, and gradually, my self-consciousness faded. I found the classes and assignments______, and I left that day feeling I might survive. By the end of the first week, I had made a few friends.
Studying and keeping up with my duties at home was___________No sooner had I begun to study than it was time to drive the kids to their activities. Math and science were________my strong subjects, so I devoted more time to those. When the first semester_________, I had a 4.0 GPA and was placed on the Honor Roll.
By the second year, Bob and the kids were all doing their_________ , and I had learned how to comfortably________my school and home life. My hard work paid off. I was awarded a scholarship and got the bachelor’s degree.
As I drove away on the last day of school, I thought about what a difference returning to_________had made in my life. I looked much younger and I had more _________and enthusiasm for life. I even became a therapist. It’s never too late to try again.
1.A. student B. friend C. classmate D. child
2.A. achieve B. create C. remember D. improve
3.A. want B. offer C. take D. accept
4.A. choices B. impressions C. requests D. reactions
5.A. happy B. grateful C. horrified D. relieved
6.A. complained B. explained C. noticed D. declared
7.A. or B. so C. but D. for
8.A. fill B. major C. lead D. join
9.A. instruments B. clothes C. supplies D. souvenirs
10.A. anxious B. confident C. determined D. confused
11.A. opinion B. promise C. project D. decision
12.A. pay B. draw C. avoid D. receive
13.A. annoying B. interesting C. demanding D. depressing
14.A. challenging B. different C. rewarding D. simple
15.A. always B. never C. ever D. still
16.A. ended B. started C. changed D. returned
17.A. dishes B. deeds C. share D. homework
18.A. value B. save C. continue D. balance
19.A. family B. society C. hospital D. school
20.A. time B. money C. energy D. chance
Yesterday night, over a dinner with my elder brother’s family, a topic of happiness came up. My wife, Marla, a psychologist, was sharing Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of “flow” with us. Marla explained that according to the research on flow, people are happiest when they are absorbed in a task that is just challenging enough for them to experience a sense of mastery(熟练).
A few moments later my brother, Yuri, offered the following opinion: “The first and only, necessary and sufficient factor for happiness is to stop associating happiness with pleasure. The two — happiness and pleasure — have nothing to do with each other.” This morning, with my cup of coffee, I searched through a pile of books on my bedside table and—at the bottom—found a book by Bertrand Russell, I started reading but didn’t finish. In it, I found the following thought:
“The human animal, like others, is adapted to a certain amount of struggle for life, and when by means of great wealth homo sapiens can gratify all his whims (突发奇想) without effort, the mere absence of effort from his life removes an essential ingredient of happiness.”
The conversation came full circle: people are happiest when they are in a state of flow (Csikszentmihalyi’s language )…which is the effortful devotion in a moment…which has nothing to do with pleasure.
Indeed, as Yuri insisted : happiness–as–pleasure is a myth; the association between happiness and pleasure is nothing but a semantic(语义的) habit; psychologically, the two—happiness and pleasure—are arguably different; and breaking up this association between pleasure and happiness might, in fact, be a powerfully first step in pursuit of happiness.
As I look back on that exchange, I recall that there was an effort, a struggle to find a common understanding about this seemingly difficult idea—a struggle that made me happy.
1.The author wrote this text mainly to ________.
A. look back on the happy night
B. advise readers to read Bertrand Russell
C. tell readers how to be happiest
D. show different opinions on family gathering
2.According to Marla, people feel happiest when they ________.
A. get what they want without effort
B. master the happiness around them
C. involve themselves in a challenging task
D. experience things that can bring pleasure
3.What writing style is used by the author to explain happiness?
A. Giving examples. B. Using quotes.
C. Making comparisons. D. Offering arguments.
4.The best title of the text may probably be ________.
A. The struggle for life B. Happiness as pleasure
C. A topic over the dinner D. The effort for happiness
A machine that takes sweat-laden (浸满汗水的) clothes and turns the sweat into drinking water is in use in Sweden. The machine makes the clothes turn round quickly, heats them to remove the sweat, and then passes the steam through a kind of special material to make purified water.
Since it has been brought into use, its creators say more than 1000 people have drunk others’ “sweat” in Gothenburg. They add the liquid is cleaner than local tap water.
The device was built for the United Nations’ child-focused charity UNICEF to promote a campaign highlighting the fact that 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water.
The machine was designed and built by the engineer Andreas Hammar, known locally for his appearances on TV tech show “Mekatronik”. He said the key part of the sweat machine was a new water purification part developed by a company named HVR.
“It uses a technique called membrane distillation (膜蒸馏),” he told the BBC. “We use a special kind of material that only lets steam through but keeps bacteria, salts, clothing fibers and other things out. They have something similar to the International Space Station, but our machine is cheaper to build. The amount of water it produces depends on how sweaty the person is, but one person’s T-shirt typically produces 10ml, about a mouthful.”
The device has been put on show at the Gothia Cup-the world’s largest international youth football tournament. Mattias Ronge, chief executive of Stockholm-based advertising agency Deportivo, said the machine had helped raise awareness for UNICEF, but in reality had its limitations.
“People haven’t produced as much sweat as we hoped – right now the weather in Gothenburg is lousy,” Mattias Ronge said. “So we’ve equipped the machine with exercise bikes and volunteers are cycling like crazy. Even so, the demand for sweat is greater than the supply. And the machine will never be produced in large numbers, since there are better solutions out there such as water purifying pills.”
1.Which of the following is the disadvantage of the sweat machine?
A. The amount of water the machine produces is rather limited.
B. It takes too long for the machine to produce water.
C. It costs a large amount of money to build the machine.
D. The water processed by the machine is not clean enough.
2.UNICEF is mentioned in the text to ________.
A. show how the sweat machine works
B. show the importance of the United Nations
C. explain why the sweat machine was invented
D. tell us who invented the sweat machine
3.What did Mattias Ronge think of the sweat machine?
A. It could only be used in summer.
B. It was not worth popularizing.
C. It did not work at all.
D. The water it produced tasted sweet.
4.The text is written mainly to tell us that ______________.
A. 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water
B. a machine which turns sweat into drinking water is invented
C. a better solution to purifying dirty water is discovered
D. the pill which turns dirty water into clean water is produced
My 17-year-old daughter went off to college and having her away from home brought back memories of watching Peter Pan when she was little. In the classic TV production, one scene in particular impressed me: when Mrs. Darling puts her children into bed. As she turns off the last of the night light, she takes one last look at the bedroom and says, “Dear night lights, protect my sleeping children.” As a mother, I know how much she loves her children.
It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it’s another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she’s gone, and I find nighttimes the hardest. I miss her most at night.
In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.
For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it’s not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn’t get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you” said one of them.
I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cell phone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think that messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.
1.The writer was deeply impressed by the scene in Peter Pan because ________.
A. she watched the scene with her daughter
B. the scene was very exciting and interesting
C. the scene taught her and her daughter a good lesson
D. the scene showed a mother’s deep love for her children
2.After her daughter went to college, the writer ________.
A. realized she hadn’t done enough for her daughter
B. often cried as she missed her daughter so much
C. failed to have a good sleep every night
D. didn’t get used to the change for a long time
3.What is the underlined word “melancholy” in Paragraph 3 similar in meaning to?
A. Happiness. B. Sadness.
C. Excitement. D. Anger.
4.According to the last paragraph, why did the writer keep her cell phone close to her in bed?
A. To say good night to her daughter.
B. To wait for her daughter’s calls.
C. To wait for her daughter’s messages.
D. To call her daughter any time.
Orlando, the “Theme Park Capital of the world,” has enough to keep your family entertained for weeks. Four Best gives you a description of what each of these parks has to offer.
Aquatica Orlando
Aquatica Orlando brings the best of an aquarium(水族馆), zoo, water park and amusement park together into one experience. With 38 slides, 84,000 acres of white sand beach, you can easily spend the entire day enjoying the Florida sun with your family. Don’t miss the Dolphin Plunge, a clear tube water slide that takes you through the dolphin habitat.
LEGOLAND Florida
LEGOLAND Florida, the largest LEGOLAND park in the world, features 50 rides, shows and attractions spread out over the Lego-strewn 150-acres. If you're traveling with younger kids, LEGOLAND makes a great choice since it's designed for kids between the ages of 3 and 12. Besides, Buddy is our walk-around character mascot(吉祥物)of the park. He's tall, yellow, friendly, and loves taking pictures with LEGOLAND Florida guests.
Discovery Cove
With guest access restricted to 1,300 per day, Discovery Cove feels more like a resort than a theme park. Without crowds to worry about, you'll get to enjoy up-close animal meetings with dolphins, sting rays, tropical fish and exotic birds. It's all-inclusive too, so you won't have to worry about food, towels or equipment.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
At the Animal Kingdom, Disney changes the concept of a zoological park to something completely new. Here you can take a ride through the wilds of Africa, complete with real animals, raft down the Amazon or ride a runaway train through Mount Everest. The park is home to about 1,500 animals representing 250 species.
1.Which theme park will parents probably choose for their five-year-old child?
A. Aquatica Orlando. B. Discovery Cove.
C. LEGOLAND Florida. D. Disney's Animal Kingdom.
2.What can people do in Disney's Animal Kingdom?
A. Watch real animals.
B. Take pictures with Buddy.
C. Watch tropical fish face to face.
D. Enjoy the Florida sun with their family.
3.What can we know about the four theme parks?
A. Disney's Animal Kingdom is based on traditional concept of zoo.
B. You must take towels of your own at Discovery
C. Aquatica Orlando has various entertainment facilities.
D. LEGOLAND Florida covers an area of 84,000 acres.
1.If a poisonous insect has b______ you, it often causes the surrounding areas of your skin to become painful and itchy.
2.Great a______ must be paid to developing education, especially in the poor areas.
3.To b______ a programme means to send it out by radio waves, so that it can be heard on the radio or seen on TV.
4.I’m afraid I have to turn down your i______ to dinner, for I will be attending an important meeting then.
5.Having been r______ not to drive after drinking, some drivers are still trying their luck, which is really dangerous.
6.All the competitors could breathe a sigh of relief at the ending of the ______ (激烈的) competition.
7.The orchestra will be at the Festival Hall tonight, p______ (表演) a selection of works by Russian composers.
8.People often show mercy to those who are worth f______ (原谅).
9.The changes to the book were all made with the author’s p______ (允许).
10.Many college students choose to do part-time jobs so as to gain financial i______ (独立) from their family.
