Happiness begins from appreciation
If you are feeling that life just cannot be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive. When stressed, depressed, upset or otherwise in a negative state of mind because you are aware that misfortune keeps occurring, it is important to shift those negative thoughts to something positive. 1.
It is often very hard to think positive when so many things are negative, but be sure that someone, somewhere is worse off than you. 2. If you start with one small, positive thing and appreciate it during the course of your day, you will begin to move into a more positive situation and people will start showing up in your life. With appreciation, you will find that over time, you will change your outlook and choose to be happy, regardless of the events around you. 3.
● Begin and end each day with a “Thank you for this wonderful, glorious day!”
● When you see the rise of gas prices, say “I am so glad to have a vehicle in which to get around.”
● When your boss is too hard on you, say “I am grateful for my job as I know that many don’t have one.”
● If you are having health problems, be grateful for what does work: “I really do appreciate it that my eyes see, my ears hear, my mouth tastes, my legs walk, my arms lift and my mind thinks and everything else works.”
● Write down what you’re grateful for each day. In moments when you’re feeling really down, read loud what you wrote previously. 4. If you practice this regularly, you will find your list getting longer and longer.
The key is to move yourself into a positive thought and keep it there long enough to make it a moment of appreciation. 5.
A. This will certainly help uplift your spirits.
B. If not, you will only attract more misfortune.
C. It is of great importance to learn to be grateful.
D. The more you appreciate, the happier you’ll be.
E. If you have made some achievements in your career.
F. Here are a few common examples for you to practice.
G. You can choose to think differently by beginning with the smallest of steps.
Research finds out why some people are constantly under attack from the bloodsucking insects while others walk free.
For those unfortunate enough to feature highly on the mosquito hit list, summer nights can be synonymous with mosquito bites. Yet others hardly ever get bitten. So how do the bloodthirsty insects select their victims?
The insects’ tastes may seem arbitrary. However, research shows that when mosquitoes make their choices between potential victims, it all comes down to scent (气味).
“Mosquitoes are attracted by carbon dioxide and heat, which everyone gives off. But mosquitoes are also attracted by certain scents,” says Karl-Martin Vagn Jensen, the head of research at the Department of Agricultural Science at Arhus University.
According to Jensen, it has not yet been confirmed exactly what the scents in question are. But research does indicate that some scents are more attractive to mosquitoes than others.
“All the lab employees rubbed petri dishes (培养皿) against their stomachs. In that way, their scents were put on the dishes, which were then put in a container full of mosquitoes,” he says. “The mosquitoes repeatedly landed on some of the petri dishes, but didn’t go anywhere near the others.”
Perhaps taking inspiration from popular fiction, there are also those who consider garlic as an excellent repellent (驱虫剂) against the winged bloodsuckers. According to the researcher, this strategy may not be entirely fruitless. “As far as I know, there is no scientific proof that eating garlic works. But there may be something to the theory that it’s possible to mask scent with garlic,” he says. The only reliable method of protection against mosquitoes is to use repellents that are sold over the counter. It contains some smells that can confuse the mosquitoes. When the mosquito comes closer, it uses smell, heat and carbon dioxide to decide whether to bite. But if it is confused by a repellent, it will never get that far.
1.Which of the following can best replace the phrase underlined in Paragraph 2?
A. Be equal to. B. Be accessible to. C. Be harmful to. D. Be beneficial to.
2.What can we infer about the scents attracting mosquitoes?
A. Mosquitoes can be attracted by various scents.
B. Some kinds of scents appeal to mosquitoes in particular.
C. The lab employees use petri dishes to deposit their scents.
D. Mosquitoes are arbitrary when it comes to different scents.
3.What is the main idea of the last Paragraph?
A. A new strategy is used in researching repellents.
B. Garlic is considered to be an excellent repellent.
C. Using repellents is an effective way against mosquitoes.
D. The inspiration against mosquitoes is from popular fiction.
4.Where is the text most probably taken from?
A. Science fiction. B. A biography. C. A medical report. D. A research paper.
American college students are becoming more adventuresome as they study abroad, showing less interests in English-speaking destinations such as Great Britain and Australia and more in such countries as China, India, Argentina and Brazil.
Britain remained the most popular study destination in 2005, according to annual figures from the Institute of International Education, followed by Italy, Spain and France. But the number of American students studying in Britain and Australia descended a little, even as the number of American students abroad rose by 8%. The growth came in non-English speaking European countries and in Asia. China is now the eighth most popular destination for American students, attracting nearly 6,400 in 2005, up 35% from the number of the year before. Argentina and India saw increases of more than 50%.
Allan Goodman, president of the Institute of International Education, said that a range of factors contributed to the trend, from growing awareness of globalization after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, to programs such as former President Bush’s National Security Language Initiative, which trains soldiers, intelligence officers and diplomats in foreign languages. “What Americans are doing is waking up and discovering there’s a world out there,” he said.
Other figures showed the flow of students in the opposite direction, from foreign countries into American universities. The institute found that international enrollment (入学) in American higher education remained steady at about 565,000. The figures are of keen interest to universities, which depend on foreign students for teaching and research help, and to policy-makers, who consider it important, as future foreign leaders may be familiar with the United States. The year of 2005 saw big increases in students from South Korea, Mexico and Taiwan of China. India sends the most students and China is No.2. Other countries that show large percentage increases in the number of students sent to the US include Nepal and Vietnam, while Japan, Turkey and Malaysia saw declines. About 58% of international students in the US come from Asia.
1.What does the underlined word “descended” in Paragraph 2 means?
A. Changed. B. Declined. C. Multiplied. D. Increased.
2.Why do more American students study in Asia?
A. They expect to get more teaching and research help.
B. They lose confidence in English-speaking countries.
C. They are afraid that terrorist attacks will happen again.
D. They prefer to explore a different world from their own.
3.Where were most foreign students in America from in 2005?
A. China. B. India. C. Argentina. D. Britain.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. There were 6,400 American students studying in China in 2005.
B. Chinese students to America will overpass Indians in the future.
C. International enrollment in American higher education changed a lot.
D. Asian students account for a large part of foreign students in America.
They had a dozen children, six boys and six girls, in seventeen years. One reason Dad had so many children was that he was confident anything he and Mother teamed upon was sure to be a success.
Our house at Montclair, New Jersey, was a sort of school for scientific management and the removal of wasted motions — or “motion study,” as Dad and Mother named it.
Dad took moving pictures of us children washing dishes, so that he could determine how we could reduce our motions and thus hurry through the task. Each child who wanted extra pocket money put forward an offer saying what he would do the job for. The lowest bidder got the contract(合约).
Dad put process and work charts in the bathrooms. Every child old enough to write — and Dad expected his children to start writing at a young age — was required to sign their names on the charts in the morning after he had brushed his teeth, taken a bath, combed his hair, and made his bed. At night, each child had to weigh himself, mark the figure on a graph, and sign the process charts again after he had done his homework, washed his hands and face, and brushed his teeth. Mother wanted to have a place on the charts for saying prayers, but Dad said as far as he was concerned prayers were voluntary.
It was strict management, all right. Yes, at home or on the job, Dad was always the efficiency expert. He buttoned his vest from the bottom up, instead of from the top down, because the bottom-to-top process took him only three seconds, while the top-to-bottom took seven. He even used two shaving brushes to make his face smooth enough, because he found that by so doing he could cut seventeen seconds off his shaving time. For a while he tried shaving with two razors, but he finally gave that up.
“I can save forty-four seconds,” he complained, “but I wasted two minutes this morning putting this bandage on my throat.” It wasn’t the injured throat that really bothered him. It was the two minutes.
1.Why was the author’s house considered a sort of school?
A. It had a team of twelve children there.
B. The children were taught how to work well in it.
C. The parents could teach their children better at home.
D. The parents could have the children’s daily activities recorded.
2.What is the purpose of signing the charts?
A. To help to do things efficiently. B. To manage the big family effectively.
C. To look after the children better. D. To remind the children to obey the rules.
3.What did the father complain about one morning?
A. He should have given up shaving. B. His bleeding throat bothered him.
C. He couldn’t shave with two razors. D. He failed to cut short his shaving time.
4.We can we infer from the text?
A. The kids had to bid for everything they wanted.
B. The author took pride in his father’s management.
C. The couple were always troubled by their children.
D. The father’s work was to teach the children at home.
When it comes to gifts, it’s not easy to shop for someone when you’re not sure what they’re into. Thankfully, Crate and Barrel’s sister store — the modern, fancy version — CB2 has a gift collection that is just as beautiful as it is practical. They’re known for their modern designs. We’ve edited a list of some of our favorite gift ideas from CB2 so you'll know just what to get.
Galactic Jewelry Box ($21)
This jewelry box is not only a place to store your jewels, but it looks like one itself. “Designed by UK-based Seascape Curiosities, the jewelry box brings deep space to your room. Open storage space lined with light grey cotton velvet holds most-precious possessions,” CB2 states. The best part? It’s under $25.
Flamingo Catchall ($29.95)
Designed by the British fashion designer Matthew Williamson, this flamingo catchall is a pop of color in every room and offers a secure place to store some of your favorite rings, earrings, or little items. Not only is it an awesome addition to just about any home, it’s also a great conversation starter at dinner parties.
Heritage Navy Leather Activity Ball ($49)
It’s a great gift for the man in your life who loves sports. Crafted with design and function in mind, handmade activity ball (think of it as a smaller basketball) stands up to years of play and even gets better looking with age. It’s a super addition to any bookshelf.
Black Nickel Cocktail Shaker ($24.95)
This cocktail shaker starts off with a smoky black finish and fades into grey. It’s fashionable, functional, and — above all — easy to clean.
1.Which of the following gifts would you like to choose if your brother loves football?
A. Galactic Jewelry Box. B. Flamingo Catchall.
C. Heritage Navy Leather Activity Ball. D. Black Nickel Cocktail Shaker.
2.What can we learn about the four gifts?
A. Galactic Jewelry Box is easy to clean.
B. Flamingo Catchall can inspire people to start a topic.
C. Made by hand, Leather Activity Ball is fragile.
D. Black Nickel Cocktail Shaker is the cheapest.
3.What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To advertise gifts from CB2. B. To explain the functions of gifts.
C. To sell products created by CB2. D. To strike a deal on fashion design.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where did the shark attacks occur recently
A. In North Carolina. B. In California. C. In Florida.
2.Who is Graham Schwartz?
A. A writer for a magazine.
B. A researcher from a museum.
C. A shark expert from a university.
3.What can people do to avoid being attacked?
A. Only swim where the water is warm.
B. Make their presence known in the water.
C. Avoid wearing certain types of bathing suits.
4.What did the Department of Parks and Recreation do?
A. They closed down the beaches.
B. They conducted a study on shark attacks.
C. They forced boats and fishermen to stop all activities.
