I’m one of seven children. My three sisters and I grew up in a small bedroom with two sets of beds. We shared a closet, a dresser, and just about everything else. Our bedroom always had stuff hanging about.① How about the life of only children? I looked longingly at their perfect dolls and toys placed carefully on their perfect shelves in their perfect little girl bedrooms. They had bathrooms to themselves. These little girls would come home to everything just perfect.②
Looking back, I had to admit my “only children” friends had nice things. They had designer beds and beautiful bedrooms, but I always had someone to play with and talk to. Even if everyone else hated me, one of my sisters would not and that was all I needed.③
Our house was the center of activity for the whole neighborhood. We had dance shows and baseball games in the street.④ We had everything we ever needed because we had each other. I have come to realize that there are so many reasons that sisters make a difference to your life and I can give you a few here:
They get you. Your sisters have grown up with you so they know the entire back story of your situation and everything leading to it. They may not agree with you all the time but they never wonder why you do what you do or say what you say.
They have suffered with you through awful times. I know that when one of my sisters is unhappy, I am unhappy too. When some non-family member tries to hurt you, the claws of them will come out.
They have cheered you on. Sisters do get jealous at times but, even so, they are happy that you are doing well. They rejoice at your new bonus as long as you take them out for drinks and foods！
They are on the same diet as you. We are women in a world where thinness is equal to beauty. No matter how unjust this is, we are always on a diet. There is nothing like a sister calling and complaining about how she wants an ice cream and can’t ever have one again.
They are aging at the same rate as you. As we get older, we change, and however miserable this can be, it is heartening to know that someone shares your misery. They know what you are going through because they are going through it too.
The last and best thing about sisters is that they stick with us. We can have our upsets and misunderstandings but we always come back to each other.
I know many people reading this may have had upsets with their sisters. All I can say is communication fixes everything. If you miss your sister, tell her so. If you have a BFF (Best Friend Forever)that has stuck with you through thick and thin, adopt her as your sister and keep her close to you.
1.How does the author develop the first paragraph?
A. By making classification. B. By making comparison.
C. By explaining the phenomenon. D. By providing evidence.
2.The following sentence is taken from the passage. Where can it most probably be?“From a very young age, I really thought I was poor.”
A. ① B. ②
C. ③ D. ④
3.Which is NOT the reason that sisters make a difference to your life?
A. They grow old with you.
B. They can share the same diet with you.
C. They can understand your strange behavior perfectly.
D. They stand by you when other family members hurt you.
4.The underlined word “rejoice” in Paragraph 6 probably means ________.
A. feel grateful B. show great joy
C. appear surprised D. get disappointed
5.From the whole passage, we can learn that the author ________.
A. has adopted her BBF as her sister
B. has expressed great sympathy for only children
C. had a better relationship with her sisters than brothers
D. has given some advice to those who had upsets with their sisters
6.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A. Sisters Are My Fortune in Life B. Family Love Is the Lasting Topic
C. Communication Fixes Everything D. Sharing Things Gives You a Better Life
More than a quarter of parents use a device to track or monitor their kids’ online activity, finds a survey from Common Sense Media and Survey Monkey. It’s far more than the percentage of teens (15%) who think their parents are tracking or monitoring what they do online. Whether all that snooping（调查）is effective seems unclear. Only 30% of teens who responded to the survey said their parents were “extremely” aware or “very” aware of what they do online. By comparison, 52% of parents believed they were “very” aware of their kids’ web activity.
“There’s a pretty big difference between parents who say they know and what kids say parents know,” said Michael Robb, director of research for Common Sense Media. The online survey was among a national sample of 884 teens and 3,282 parents of teens.
Options for tracking kids’ online activities vary from tools for your router capable of tracking the websites users visit to apps letting you review your child’s smart phone call logs and text messages.
Devorah Heitner, author of the book Screen Wise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) In Their Digital World, suggests mentoring kids about best online practices instead of monitoring. If parents do choose to monitor, they should talk with their kids first. “You have to really ask yourself what you think you’re going to learn by monitoring your kid,” she said, “What’s your plan of action if you see something that concerns you?”
Other findings from the survey: Snapchat is the app that causes the most anxiety for parents. The survey found 29% said the messaging apps make them most nervous, followed by Facebook at 16%.Teens don't like Facebook as much as Snapchat or Instagram. More than three-quarters of teens said they use both messaging apps, but only 49% said they use Facebook, while 42% said they use Twitter.
Robb said Common Sense Media plans to partner with Survey Monkey on future online polls because the pace of technology is so rapid. “These surveys will be a quicker way to take the pulse of parents and teens.”
1.Which of the following is true according to the survey?
A. Snapchat is the biggest worry for both parents and kids
B. Some parents choose to use apps to track their kids’ online activity.
C. Twitter will cooperate with Facebook on future online polls.
D. Kids are aware that over 25% of parents use a device to track their online activity.
2.By mentioning “There’s a pretty big difference between parents who say they know and what kids say parents know” in Paragraph 2,the author intends to ________.
A. inform that the snooping seems to be ineffective
B. warn that the kids are being monitored by their parents
C. predict that more and more parents will monitor their kids’ online activities
D. indicate that the number of parents tracking teens online is beyond the kids’ imagination
3.Which of the following opinions will Devorah Heitner most probably agree with?
A. Parents had better not monitor their kids’ online activities.
B. Parents should communicate with their kids while monitoring their online activities.
C. Parents need to ask their kids permission before guiding them about online activities.
D. Parents must often reflect on their purpose of monitoring their kids’ online activities.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. It is too young for kids to go online.
B. Teens don’t like Facebook at all.
C. Michael Robb is confident of the future online polls.
D. Common Sense Media plans to partner with Survey Monkey in the future.
Do you have trouble trying to create the next big idea? Sometimes the answer isn’t to just force an idea out of your mind. Instead, you might want to try sitting back, relaxing and letting your mind wander. Yes, you heard that correctly. If you are in need of a new idea, try daydreaming.
Researchers from the university of California, Santa Barbara, found an association between daydreaming and creative problem-solving. Their study includes having participants first do an “unusual-use task”. They had to try to come up with as many different ways to use an object as they could.
Then, the participants chose to do one of the following four things before doing the “unusual-use task” again: complete a difficult task; complete an easy task; take a 12-minute break; or skip the 12-minute break and move right on to the task exercise again.
Surprisingly, the group that performed best was the one that completed the easy task. Many participants reported that they were daydreaming while performing the easy task. So the researchers believed that this daydreaming might have helped unlock their creativity.
But how could daydreaming help the brain come up with creative ways? The answer is something known as “unconscious thought”. Even when you are not actively working to solve a problem, it is still in the back of your mind. Your brain is still thinking about the problem, but in a much more subtle (不易察觉的) way.
When you daydream, your mind is allowed to think in ways it normally would not. Because it is free of control, it can create completely new and out-of-the-box ideas.
Great ideas never come easily, but that does not mean you always have to work hard to get them. Feel free to do what you want and let your mind wander.
1.The “unusual-use task” in Paragraph 2 means that participants ______.
A. complete an easy task B. complete a very difficult task
C. take a 12-minute break D. think of various ways to use an object
2.What does the underlined phrase “unconscious thought” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. Your brain wander in a subtle way within your control.
B. Your brain knows clearly what you’re thinking and doing.
C. Your brain is thinking about a problem outside of your awareness.
D. Your brain refuses to receive any information from the outside world.
3.The passage mainly wants to tell us that ______.
A. brainstorming is important to creative ideas
B. daydreaming is a way to improve creativity
C. problem-solving skills are important in our lives
D. the more we exercise brains, the more ideas we’ll get
Teach ANYWHERE in China. 60+ cities, 300+ schools, 14 ESL certifications, upfront paid flights, and more.
Teach anywhere in China with English First, the world leading privately-owned education company. EF has been in China for over 20 years, and we take pride in setting the standard for teacher care, teacher training and teacher development. Our experienced international team will ensure that your move abroad is a smooth and successful one. Enthusiasm for travel and education is a must. This is a great opportunity to meet people from around the world and gain international teaching experience. APPLY TODAY.
TEACHING OVERSEAS WITH EF ENGLISH FIRST
As an EF English First teacher you will:
●Teach adults, children or online at one of our 300+ schools
●Receive a competitive salary and a great employment package
●Teach abroad for as long as you’d like it to – teaching contracts start at one year, with option to renew for a longer term
●Join a supportive teaching community of over 2, 000 teachers across China
PACKAGE UP TO 16,400 RMB PER MONTH INCLUDES:
●Competitive local salary (dependent on experience)
●Performance bonus after 6 months up to 1,950 RMB per month for teachers who work at our Kids & amp; Teens schools
●667 RMB monthly flight allowance plus upfront flights for many locations
●10,000 RMB salary advance available
●Health insurance
●10 paid annual leave days plus 11 national holidays
JOB REQUIREMENTS
●A Bachelor’s Degree
●ATEFL Certification (EF TEFL sponsorship available)
●Passport holder from UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand
●Ability to live abroad for at least one year
Apply online: http://cips.io/bf59bb
1.What can we know about English First from the passage?
A. It has set teaching standard for English teachers in China.
B. It will offer a salary of more than 16,400 RMB per month.
C. It has had branches in every city of China for over 20 years.
D. It performances well among privately-owned education company.
2.If you work in English First, you should ________.
A. teach abroad at least 2 years B. work in more than 300 schools
C. have interest in education and travel D. hold passports of several countries
October 31st, 2017 was not just another Halloween for me. While heading back from my break, a vehicle twisted suddenly and ________ my brand new car before I could brake hard. The blow sent my car ________ into the busy crossroads. The same car bumped into me three more times and then I lost ________.
Doctors took my parents into a room and ________ them of the worst news nobody would ever want to hear. X-Rays and scans showed my neck was ________ by a thread, three centimeters to be exact. I had to be taken into surgery immediately, which lasted twelve hours. I woke up from the ________, not being able to breathe ________ my own or speak. Doctors ________ I was not going to move anything from my neck down. I really had a hard time accepting that and wanted to give up. ________, my family stood strong by my side.
After three months in the ICU, I spent another three months at a neuro（神经）________ hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where I saw a glimpse of ________ and was inspired by other patients. At first, I didn’t see much ________ in the process of recovery. My head felt like a bowling ball and I couldn’t ________ it up. Any idea of walking or even standing was possible only when the devil（魔鬼）was ________, but we sure did try. Before long, I could ________ move a toe. The little things we ________ for granted so often mater the most. Small victories are huge and important leaps. I was determined to ________ again. Giving up was no longer a(n)________. I’m now making ________ achievements in a gym, swimming and even yoga. All of this is proving doctors wrong and turning the ________ from the impossible to the possible.
1.A. struck B. damaged C. overtook D. approached
2.A. sliding B. splitting C. spinning D. springing
3.A. direction B. heart C. control D. consciousness
4.A. informed B. reminded C. warned D. persuaded
5.A. reuniting B. hanging C. choking D. pulling
6.A. sleep B. dream C. operation D. pain
7.A. of B. on C. in D. out
8.A. concluded B. urged C. recommended D. approved
9.A. And B. Therefore C. However D. Though
10.A. emergency B. recovery C. treatment D. reform
11.A. dawn B. reward C. comfort D. hope
12.A. increase B. sign C. progress D. sense
13.A. pick B. hold C. make D. look
14.A. blind B. dizzy C. foolish D. merciful
15.A. swiftly B. stably C. eventually D. deliberately
16.A. make B. take C. value D. lose
17.A. walk B. jump C. speak D. practice
18.A. preference B. necessity C. opportunity D. alternative
19.A. academic B. athletic C. medical D. scientific
20.A. chance B. direction C. page D. recovery
The England pound was then worth ______ it is worth today; so you can see how rich he was then.
A. than many times B. many times than
C. many times what D. as many times as
