Living a more simple life can improve how we think, feel and move around in the world. Here are ways to simplify your life while creating space for happiness.
Give up your negative thoughts. As humans, we spend a lot of our time being caught up in negative thoughts that brings nothing good into our lives. 1. They can grow rapidly and cause unhappiness and do nothing to improve our quality of life.
Reduce the amount of screen time. 2. While watching TV and endless YouTube videos or playing computer games can be a nice way to relax, too much can have a negative influence on your lives.
Cut down on social media. 3. They say they feel less confident after comparing their lives against those of their online friends. So simplify your life by cutting down on social media-not only for your own health of mind but to stop the endless checking every several minutes.
4.. In the effort to make yourselves better people and improve yourselves, you often set goals but having too many goals can prevent you from achieving them.
Eat Fewer Unhealthy Foods. 5. Cutting down on bad foods will not only help you feel much better and give you more energy.
A. Reduce the number of your goals.
B. Negative thoughts are much dangerous.
C. Many people feel their lives are worsened by it.
D. You can make your own healthy food and tasty meals.
E. Learn to choose to think and see the positives in life.
F. Make an effort to remove some unhealthy foods from your diet
G. We spend so much time either staring at a computer or the TV.
In a natural disaster: a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes. Minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death. Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen. They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained.
On September 29,1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with heavy rains and winds up to 160 km per hour. Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean. This was a very different result, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people. Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century—residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions (预防).
At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied. A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans. Emergency management officials must begin evacuations (疏散) well before a storm strikes. But evacuation costs money. The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city’s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million. After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.
The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities (复杂) related to predicting disasters. Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions.
1.What is the purpose of disaster prediction according to the passage?
A. To find out the cause of disasters.
B. To save people lives and reduce damage.
C. To prevent natural disasters happening.
D. To apply advanced technology to disaster prediction.
2.Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?
A. Puerto Rico. B. New Orleans.
C. Biloxi, Mississippi. D. Galveston, Texas.
3.The city residents of New Orleans were unsatisfied because ______.
A. their preparations were made in vain
B. the hurricane warning arrived rather late
C. the forecast hurricane did not hit the city
D. they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack
4.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The different ways of disaster prediction.
B. Technological advances in disaster prediction.
C. The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction.
D. The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction.
What is the difference between developed and developing countries? The question is quite a difficult one. But we can compare them in two important aspects: people and economy.
In developing countries there are high rates of both birth and death. Families decide to give birth to more than one child, because many developing countries do not have the systems necessary to guarantee(保证) the life of old people. Raising more children seems to be the only way to make sure that during their later years a person will be taken care of.
The situation is completely different in fully-developed countries. Those countries have low levels of birth and mortality. Low mortality rate is mainly because of the good health care, but low birth rate is due to the fact that supporting a family with more children is expensive nowadays. Another reason is that more and more women decide to work outside, so there is usually no time and place for a large group of children in their lives.
In developed countries, most industries have high levels of technological progress, while in developing countries most GDP comes from agriculture. It is mainly due to the fact that services and many branches of industry are in the stage of development. But they have the potential to develop quickly, because they have many things to improve.
Of course, the difference between developed and developing countries is not that clear, because some countries might be in the middle of great changes. When a country is in that stage, some data can define the country as a developing one, but others may show that it is a developed one.
1.Why does the writer think the question is difficult to answer?
A. Because the people and economy of cannot reflect the whole situation.
B. Because most developing countries are certain to become developed ones.
C. Because he can only compare them in two aspects—people and economy.
D. Because a developing country can be seen as developed one by some data.
2.In developing countries, there are high birth rates because people hope ________.
A. their children will have a bright future
B. generations can live under the same roof
C. they will be taken care of in their later years
D. the next generation can contribute more to society
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “mortality” in Paragraph 3?
A. Health. B. Death.
C. Employment. D. Survival.
4.What’s probably the writer’s attitude towards the future of developing countries?
A. Negative. B. Worried.
C. Optimistic. D. Doubtful.
There is a story about a man who lost his legs and left arm in an accident. After the accident, only a finger and thumb on his right hand remained.
He was a brilliant, creative, and educated man. He had gained a lot of experience while traveling around the world, so he became very depressed after his accident. He was afraid that he would spend the rest of his life suffering and would no longer be able to spend his life in a meaningful way. Then, he realized that he still had partial function of his right hand and could still write even though it was very difficult. An idea occurred to him. “Why not write to other people who need encouragement?”
He wrote to the prison ministry about sending letters to the prisoners. The prison minister replied, “Writing to the prisoners is acceptable, but your letters will not be answered.”
Filled with excitement, the man knew he could write his letters. He began sending one-way messages of God’s love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words and shared his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith.
It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a reply. One day he received a letter from the prison ministry. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and checked the prison mail.
The letter said, “Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from cell(囚房) to cell until they fall to pieces!”
No matter what circumstances life may present, we all have unique experiences, abilities, and God-given talents. We can discover ways to reach others who desperately need messages of encouragement and strength.
1.In order to live in a meaningful way, what did the man begin to do?
A. Write to other people encouragement.
B. Receive the school education again.
C. Encourage the people who are depressed.
D. Help other people with lost arms and legs.
2.What do we know from the prison minister’s reply?
A. The man was not allowed to write to the prisoners.
B. The prisoners were not allowed to answer the letters.
C. The man couldn’t go to see the prisoners himself.
D. He was not sure if the prisoners liked receiving the letters.
3.What can be inferred from the officer’s short note?
A. The man would be offered free paper to write letters on.
B. Some of the prisoners were not satisfied with his letters.
C. His letters were very popular among the prisoners.
D. The prisoners eagerly wanted to write back to the man.
4.Which can be the best title of the passage?
A. Stories about a Helpful Person
B. Relationship between a Writer and Prisoners
C. Popularity of Some Special Letters
D. Special Letters of Encouragement
Amsterdam is most famous for its artistic heritage. This tradition is proudly on display in the Rijksmuseum (translates as State Museum). Once you’ve taken in all that has to offer, artists, history fens, and families shouldn’t pass up the chance to visit the Van Gogh Museum —containing around 700 paintings and drawings by Vincent and other artists, including Gauguin, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec.
Amsterdam is also home to the Anne Frank Museum, where Anne hid with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. On a lighter note, taking a canal cruise through its extensive waterways is a rewarding way to see the Dutch capital.
Art lovers get their tickets at:
♦♦ The Van Gogh Museum Rijksmuseum Museum het Rembrandthuis
Food and drink
Cheese lovers love Amsterdam. You can find an excuse to eat cheese at any time of the day here. Gouda is Holland’s favorite, developing a more intense flavor the longer it’s aged. Find a selection at the markets, try a cheeseboard at dinner time, or just order cubes with mustard for dipping to accompany a drink. When you’re hungry for non-cheese food groups, you’ll find Michel in-starred restaurants, vegetarian, and organic restaurants that accompany an array of global cuisine. For old-fashioned and modern Dutch food, try these Amsterdam restaurants: Moeders, Haesje Claes, Loctje, Greetje, and De Silveren Spiegel.
Don’t leave without tasting:
♦♦ Patat (hot chips with toppings), Stroopwafel (waffle cookie), Chocomel (chocolate milk)
Amsterdam Fast Facts
Approximate flight times:
♦♦NYC/ New York 7 hours 20 minutes, Philadelphia 8 hours, Boston 7 hours
♦♦Miami 9 hours 45 minutes, Los Angeles 10 hours 15 minutes
1.Where can visitors see Monet’s paintings?
A. Rijksmuseum. B. The Van Gogh Museum.
C. Museum het Rembrandthuis. D. The Anne Frank Museum.
2.Which is the best choice for a cheese lover?
A. Gouda. B. Patat.
C. Stroopwafel. D. Chocomel.
3.Who is this tour guide written for?
A. Germans. B. Dutch men.
C. Frenchmen. D. Americans.
假设你是李华，你的好友Peter今天上午来你家找你陪他练习汉语口语。你因临时有急事外出，让他扑了个空。请根据以上情景，给Peter 写一封信。内容包括:
1. 表示歉意:
2. 解释具体原因，并希望他能谅解;
3. 告诉他下次练习的时间、地点及话题。
注意:1. 词数100 左右;
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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