When people introduce themselves, I always hear them say “I'm just a housewife.” I don’t understand why their introduction is always filled with regret and self-pity．Is it, really a crime to be a housewife? Is it really embarrassing when you choose not to work outside and instead choose to work in your home？
How could you be “just a housewife” when the basic social unit of society depends on you and your service? A housewife works for the longest hour, supporting your husband, child studies, caring for elders, managing finances, paying bills, grocery shopping, cooking according to individual taste, cleaning, etc. A housewife could be anyone: daughter, wife, mother, teacher, financial advisor, fashion designer and nurse, gardener, driver, cook, and so on．Don’t think you are not being paid for it. You get the reward that no money can offer—the love and affection of your family, their trust in you, a happy home and your own satisfaction.
It is you who choose to be in this occupation, willingly or for any other reason. After a busy day, all wait to return to the comfortable home set by you. They know you will be there to absorb all their stress and tiredness and relax them. Would the life have been the same had you been working outside to earn some money？Would you along with your family have been able to buy all the content in life that you are enjoying now with that money？
Respect yourself for what you are. Introduce yourself to the world with the same dignity（尊严）. The world understands the importance of your job; it’s time to make them accept it. Introduce yourself with pride and with twinkle in your eyes “I am a housewife”．Kick that “just” out．
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假定你是李华，最近你发现有学生将共享单车停到了校园内并且上了私锁。请你就此现象，写一份倡议书发表在校英文报上，倡议同学们文明使用共享单车。
内容提示： 1. 共享单车带给人们的便利；
2. 如何正确使用共享单车。
注意: 1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：共享单车：shared bikes
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Li Hua
Stress used to be an almost unknown word, but now that we are used to 1. (talk) about it, I have found that people are beginning to get stressed about being stressed.
In recent years, stress 2. (regard) as a cause of a whole range of medical problems, 3. high blood pressure to mental illness. But like so many other things, it is only too much stress 4. does you harm. It is time you considered that if there were no stress in your life, you would achieve a little. If you are stuck at home with no stress, then your level of performance will be low. Up to a certain point, the more stress you are under, the 5. (good) your performance will be. Beyond a certain point, though, further stress will only lead to exhaustion, illness and finally a breakdown. You can tell when you are over the top and on the downward slope, by asking yourself 6. number of questions. Do you, for instance, feel that too much is being expected of 7., and yet find it impossible to say no? Do you find yourself getting impatient or 8. (annoy) with people over unimportant things?... If the answer to all those questions is yes, you had better 9. (control) your stress, as you probably are under more stress than is good for you.
To some extent you can control the amount of stress in your life. Doctors have worked out a chart showing how much stress is involved in various events. Getting married is 50, pregnancy 40, moving house 20, Christmas 12, etc. If the total stress in your life is over 150, you are twice as likely 10. (get) ill.
Now you’re a fool for helping. “I don’t want to get involved” seems to have become a national motto. One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City, California to New Orleans, Louisiana. In the middle of the desert, I passed a young man standing by the roadside. He had his ______ out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time ______ you’d be called a jerk for passing by somebody ______.
Several days later I was still ______ about the hitchhiker（搭便车的人）, about how I didn’t even lift my foot ______ the accelerator（油门）for him. “Does anyone stop any more?” I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBois’s famous line— “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Was that ______ these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey ______ the US without any money, just ______ on the good will of others. What would happen? Would he find food, shelter and support?
The idea intrigued（激起兴趣）me.
The week I_______ 37, I realized that I had never done something truly crazy. ______ I decided to really do it: travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. I would only accept ______ of rides, food and places to sleep. For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states. I was treated kindly ______ I went. I was ______ by people’s readiness to help a stranger.
In Oregon, a house painter named Mike ________ the cold weather and asked if I had a coat. I didn’t, so he gave me a big green army-style jacket. A lumber-mill worker in Michigan named Tim invited me to a _________dinner with his family in their shabby house. Then he offered me a tent. I refused, but Tim insisted, packing it into my bag himself. I found people were generally compassionate. Hearing I had no money and would take none, people bought me food or _______ with them whatever they happened to have. Those who had the _______ to give often gave the most.
I’m ________ to all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter and their gifts. My faith in ordinary folks was _______ . I was proud to live in a country where people were still willing to help. In spite of everything, you can still depend on the ________ of strangers.
1.A. hand B. finger C. foot D. thumb
2.A. that B. where C. which D. when
3.A. in danger B. in need C. in trouble D. in favor
4.A. worrying B. considering C. thinking D. bringing
5.A. off B. on C. away D. from
6.A. interesting B. necessary C. possible D. important
7.A. across B. through C. in D. over
8.A. basing B. relying C. insisting D. relating
9.A. seemed B. got C. turned D. became
10.A. But B. So C. And D. However
11.A. jobs B. supplies C. helps D. offers
12.A. nowhere B. everywhere C. anywhere D. somewhere
13.A. frightened B. annoyed C. disappointed D. amazed
14.A. noted B. saw C. felt D. sensed
15.A. delicious B. rich C. simple D. interesting
16.A. supplied B. offered C. shared D. provided
17.A. fewest B. most C. least D. best
18.A. careful B. grateful C. hopeful D. helpful
19.A. created B. reminded C. renewed D. returned
20.A. kindness B. happiness C. fairness D. brightness
In six months, I will be 50 but I already know what I’ll regret. This is the answer. “if anything had been different, I wouldn’t be who I am today.” Being like what I am today is so great that I’d never want to change it. But…1.
KIDS. I wish I had spent more time with my kids. 2. But I worked really hard and, I admit, I probably avoided them when they were really young and difficult to wake up and get ready for school when they were younger.
MONEY. I wish for 15 years or so I wasn’t so focused on money.
CREATIVITY. I began my career in my 20s doing things that were really creative that I loved. I was trying to write a novel. I was trying to do a TV show. I was always around people I loved so much. And I spent time with them because I loved them and not because I wanted anything else. I wish I had stuck with that. Now, in my 40s, I’m trying to catch up. 3.
HUMILITY. When I first made some money, I became a bit too proud. I started investing in all of these horrible companies and having horrible friends. 4. If I were humble and just went back to what I loved, I bet I’d be happier.
DISAGREEMENT. 5. I still have a hard time with that. I wish when someone does something that I don’t like or agree with I would say “no” a bit more often. I’ve gotten into a lot of bad situations because I didn’t say “no”. Here are two cases where I should have said “no” more often: when someone treats me badly and when I don’t want to do something but I feel bad about hurting someone.
Anyway, if I had a time machine, would I go back in time? I’m not sure. It’s OK to feel regretful some times.
One early morning, I went into the living room to find my mother reading a thick book called Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again. My interest was aroused only by the fact that the word “Poems” appeared in big, hot pink letters.
“Is it good?” I asked her.
“Yeah,” she answered. “There’s one I really like and you’ll like it, too.” I leaned forward.
“‘Patty Poem,’” she read the title. Who is Patty? I wondered. The poem began:
She never puts her toys away,
Just leaves them scattered①where they lay,…
The poem was just three short sections. The final one came quickly:
When she grows and gathers poise②,
I’ll miss her harum-scarum③noise,
And look in vain④for scattered toys.
And I’ll be sad.
A terrible sorrow washed over me. Whoever Patty was, she was a mean girl. Then, the shock.
“It’s you, honey,” My mother said sadly.
To my mother, the poem revealed a parent’s affection when her child grows up and leaves. To me, the “she” in the poem was horror. It was my mama who would be sad. It was so terrible I burst out crying.
“What’s wrong?” my mother asked.
“Oh Mama,” I cried. “I don’t want to grow up ever!”
She smiled. “Honey, it’s okay. You’re not growing up anytime soon. And when you do, I’ll still love you, okay?”
“Okay,” I was still weeping. My panic has gone. But I could not help thinking about that silly poem. After what seemed like a safe amount of time, I read the poem again and was confused. It all fit so well together, like a puzzle. The language was simple, so simple I could plainly understand its meaning, yet it was still beautiful. I was now fascinated by the idea of poetry, words that had the power to make or break a person’s world.
I have since fallen in love with other poems, but “Patty Poem” remains my poem. After all, “Patty Poem” gave me my love for poetry not because it was the poem that lifted my spirits, but because it was the one that hurt me the most.
1.Why was the writer attracted by the book Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again?
A. It was a thick enough book. B. Her mother was reading it with interest.
C. Something on its cover caught her eye. D. It has a meaningful title.
2.After her mother read the poem to her, the writer felt ______ at first.
A. sad B. excited C. horrified D. confused
3.The writer’s mother liked to read “Patty Poem” probably because______.
A. it reflected her own childhood B. it was written in simple language
C. it was composed by a famous poet D. it gave her a hint of what would happen
4.It can be concluded from the passage that “Patty Poem” leads the writer to _______.
A. discover the power of poetry B. recognize her love for puzzles
C. find her eagerness to grow up D. experience great homesickness
