Madison Williams was studying in her bedroom when the door burst open．It was her mother，Leigh williams，with a frightening and incredible story，“A little boy fell into a septic tank(化粪池)，and no one can reach him．”Then she made this request of her 13-year-o1d daughter，“Can you help?”
Madison and Leigh ran to a neighbor’s yard，where they found the boy’s anxious mother and other adults surrounding a septic tank opening．The opening was only slightly wider than a basketball．The boy，who was only two years o1d，had slipped in and was drowning in four feet of waste water inside the tank．
Madison quickly surveyed the situation．She was the only one who could fit through the small ho1e．Without hesitation，she got on her stomach next to the opening，placed her arms out in front of her，and told the adults，“Lower me in．”
Leigh and others held her waist and legs．“I wiggled(扭动)my arms and shoulders until I got through the opening，”Madison said．Inside，the tank was dark，and the air disgusting．Madison jammed her left wrist against a pole，injuring the muscles in her wrist and arm so severely that the hand seemed useless．Madison shot her good hand out and grasped the boy’s foot tightly．“Pull me up!”she shouted to the others above．
As they were pulled to the surface，the boy’s free foot got stuck under the inside lip of the opening．“Lower me down!”she yelled．“I had to wiggle his foot until it was free，”she told Reader’s Digest．Then，ten minutes after Madison had entered the tank，she and the boy were lifted out．
“Madison’s a hero，”Holley，one of her neighbors said “What other teenage girl is going to voluntarily go into a septic tank?”
1.Madison was asked to help the boy because________．
A. she was brave enough to help the boy
B. she knew how to survey the situation
C. she could fit through the small hole to get the boy
D. she was willing to help others in trouble
2.According to the text，we can learn that__________．
A. the boy’s mother was too scared to rescue her son
B. a boy was trapped when reaching for his basketball
C. Madison Williams was choked in the disgusting air
D. the two kids got out of danger with the aid of the adults
3.Which might be the main idea of the passage?
A. A boy fell into a septic tank．
B. A mother requested her daughter to save a boy．
C. A neighbor helped a girl out of trouble．
D. A girl rescued a little boy from a septic tank．
临近年底，很多人因为忙不完工作而被迫进入循环加班模式。请根据你对下面这幅图的理解，以"Should people get paid for their overtime work？"为题，用英语写一篇作文。
你的作文应包括以下内容：
1、简要描述这幅漫画的内容；
2、你觉得老板和员工会各自持怎样的观点；
3、阐述你对 "Should people get paid for their overtime work？"这个问题的看法。
注意：
1、可参照图片适当发挥；
2、作文词数150左右；
3、作文中不得提及有关考生个人身份的任何信息，如校名、人名等。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
单词拼写
1.He stood on the stage to give a speech， r_____ to his notes now and then．
2.There were over 500 athletes p_____ in the marathon last month．
3.A good laugh can drive away n_____ feelings like depression， nervousness， anxiety and disappointment．
4.Much to our surprise， the witness's a_____ of the traffic accident differed from the official version in several aspects．
5.Parents should take the responsibility to educate their kids how to b_____ themselves in some formal occasions．
6.I am living with my parents， but it is only _____(临时的) because next month I will go abroad．
7.In the future I'll be more _____(成熟) and be able to make my own decisions and do things by myself．
8.The boy tried his best to study hard to live up to his parents' _____(期望)．
9.You're actually already in _____(拥有) of one of your most important gifts： time．
10.A large sum of money has been _____(分配) for buying new books for the school．
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词．注意：每个空格只填1个单词．请将答案写在答题纸上相应题号的横线上．
Mastering Storytelling Fundamentals
Whether you're telling a joke， telling a fairy tale， or trying to persuade someone with a little empirical evidence， telling a story well is an important skill． While it comes naturally to some， for others this skill is a learned one． Never fear． Just get started with the steps below．
1.Engage your audience．
Interact （互动） with your audience or do something to grab their attention． Ask them a question， even if it's just rhetorical， that relates to the conclusion， twist， or context for the story you’re going to tell． Alternatively you can make a grabbing statement that catches their attention （setting your hook， the equivalent of a click﹣bait headline）． This forces their attention to focus on the idea of your story and makes them want to hear more．
2.Build the scene．
Throughout your storytelling， you want to create an immersive experience． You want to tell your audience the story in a way that makes them feel like they're there． Start by giving them context when you start your story． Continue to create the scene by using details which help them picture the action and feel the things you felt． You'll also want to carefully tailor your language: use words which create very strong， very specific emotions．
3.Build tension and release tension．
Of course， the entire arc of a story should be building tension and releasing tension， until the climactic point in the story and the falling action of the conclusion． But what you need to remember is that a release of tension should come between the tension points． Without this release of tension， a story can feel rushed or too list﹣like． Real life includes moments between the things that happen to us． Stories should too． This release can be a description of the scene， and quick filling in of semi﹣relevant details， or a joke if the story is meant to be a bit funny．
4.Focus on what's important．
When telling a story， it is important to include details， to create that sense of immersion． However， you don't want the story to take on a "rambling" feel． This is why it's very important to focus on what's important． Cut the details that aren't important for the story， leave the ones that make the story．
5.Keep the flow logical．
This is where knowing your story and practicing become important． You know that person that tells a story and they get partway in and then they're like， "Oh， I forgot to mention…"？ Yeah， don't be that guy． Don't stop to back up． This breaks the listener's experience of the story． Tell the story in a way that is logical and flows smoothly．
6.Make it feel conclusive．
It's awkward when an audience isn't sure if you're done or not so make the conclusion of your story feel conclusive． There are a number of ways to do this， for example：
Ask a question and give an answer． "How crazy is that？ I know I'm sure not going to try that again．"
Mastering Storytelling Fundamentals
Introduction | The skill of telling a story _______ a lot to many people， whether in telling a joke， a fairy tale or persuading someone with a little empirical evidence． Some people are _______ with storytelling skill， while others should acquire it by learning． |
_______ to improving your storytelling skill | Engage your audience． You can _______ with your audience or do something to attract them when you start your storytelling． As an alternative， you keep them interested in your story by making a grabbing statement that attracts their _______. |
Build the scene． Building the scene means that you create a scene where your audience can picture the action and feel the things you felt． Remember to carefully tailor your language． | |
Build tension and release tension． In order not to make your story feel rushed or too list﹣like， you'd better let the release of tension come between the tension points because real life includes moments between the things _______ to us． | |
Focus on what's important． Omit the unnecessary _______ and leave the important ones to help you create a sense of immersion． | |
Keep the flow logical． _______ stopping to back up， which breaks the listener's experience of the story． Instead， tell the story in a logical and smooth way． | |
Make it feel conclusive． You feel _______ when an audience doesn't realize that your story come to an ________ so you'd better make a conclusion． |
There has long been a notion (观念) that money buys happiness. However, although “we really, really tried that for a couple of generations, it didn’t work,” said Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life.
Thanks to a travel-inspired revelation (启发), Jay has been happily living a simpler life for 12 years. “I always packed as lightly as possible, and found it exciting to get by with just a small carry-on bag,” she told CNN. “I thought if it feels this great to travel lightly, how amazing would it be to live this way? I wanted to have that same feeling of freedom in my everyday life.”
Jay decided to get rid of all her excess (额外的) possessions and live with just the essentials (必需品). “I wanted to spend my time and energy on experiences, rather than things.”
Jay is a follower of a movement called “minimalism (极简主义)”. Growing numbers of people have been attracted to this lifestyle all over the world. They share the same feeling of disappointment with modern life and a desire to live more simply. Minimalists are typically progressive and concerned about the environment, Leah Watkins, a lead researcher at Otago University in New Zealand, told Stuff magazine in March.
But many simply experienced unhappiness caused by owning too many possessions. Depression with the materialism of our world isn’t new. English romantic poet William Wordsworth summed up how dispiriting (令人 消沉的) this was back in 1802, at the beginning of the industrial age, when he wrote: “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers”. His preference was to go back to nature. Closer to our own times, the hippies (嬉皮士) of the 1960s also sought to ‘‘drop out” of modern life.
And for many minimalists, their key is to unload. Without objects, they “believe people are forced more and more into the present moment and that’s where life happens,” wrote Stuff.
But does simplicity ever feel like a sacrifice (牺牲)?
“It’s eliminating the excess—unused items, unnecessary purchases—from your life. Well, I may have fewer possessions, but I have more space … Minimalism is making room for what matters most,” said Jay.
And “the real questions”, according to Duane Elgin, US social scientist, are “what do you care about?” and “What do you value?”
He told CNN: “It’s important for people to realize minimalism isn’t simply the amount of stuff we consume. It’s about our families, our work, our connection with the larger world, our spiritual dimension. It’s about how we touch the whole world. It’s a way of life.”
1.What was the author’s main purpose in writing the text?
A. To explore the trend of minimalism.
B. To give tips on how to lead a happy life.
C. To argue whether money buys happiness.
D. To recommend one of Francine Jay’s books.
2.What inspired Francine Jay to live a simple life?
A. A book she came across.
B. Her desire to keep up with modern life.
C. The pleasure she enjoyed from traveling lightly.
D. A follower of minimalism she met on a trip.
3.According to Leah Watkins, a typical minimalist tends to .
a. be fed up with materialism
b. like saving and visiting nature often
c. be angry about his or her current life
d. be environmentally friendly and live with fewer things
A. a, b B. a, d
C. a, b, c D. b, c, d
4.The underlined word “eliminating” in Paragraph 8 probably means .
A. removing B. distinguishing
C. accepting D. improving
5.Which of the following would Duane Elgin probably agree with?
A. Minimalism is a healthy lifestyle that is in conflict with modem life.
B. Minimalism limits people’s freedom to enjoy their lives to the fullest.
C. Minimalism enables people to reflect on what truly counts in their lives.
D. Minimalism means people have to sacrifice some pleasure to live simply.
Chance at new start
Mike Miles hadn't had a stable job in years． He bounced around from agency to agency， never sure when his last day would be． Sometimes， he lost a job with less than a day's notice． This was not due to a poor work ethic （职业道德）﹣from arriving early to staying late， Miles says he did everything he could to leave good impressions on employers in Lancaster， Pennsylvania， in the US． But because Miles had a criminal record， he was always cut loose when it came time to let staff go．
"It was like walking on eggshells． You just never knew when you'd be gone，" he said．
After his release from prison in 2007， Miles struggled to find stability （稳定）﹣both mentally and financially． During this time， he lived in his mother's house and she helped him raise his daughter． When his mom passed away two years later， Miles says he became more determined than ever to create a healthy environment for his family．
"I'm all she has， and she's all I have，" he said． "I had to build a whole new relationship with my daughter， while building a whole new life for myself．"
It wasn't until October 2015， nearly a decade after he got out of prison， that a cousin told Miles about a food company that hires people who have difficulty finding jobs．
Hoping this would clear up what felt like a thick cloud of uncertainty over his future， Miles submitted an application． He got an interview and soon after that， began his new job． His work involves everything from food production to maintenance （保存）， not to mention it pays a livable wage of $15 an hour． He says it's the best job he's ever had．
Miles' story is rare in Lancaster， where the poverty rate is around 30 percent﹣about double the national average． This figure annoyed Charlie Crystle， the co﹣founder and CEO of the company that gave Miles his job．
Crystle says he wants to inspire other companies and entrepreneurs （企业家） to rethink their current practices and ignite （引发） conversations about minimum wage and employment opportunities for everyone， including ex﹣offenders （前罪犯）．
Beyond providing employment and livable wages， the company also helps employees deal with the many challenges of reentry into society． This means anything from helping them find housing and health benefits to changing their schedules so they can make court dates．
Miles is now saving for a house．"It doesn't have to be a big house，" he said． "I just want to be stable．"
1.Why did Miles change his occupation frequently？
A. He liked to try new things．
B. He could not find a job he likes all the time．
C. He was an unstable person who didn't have persistence．
D. He was never asked to stay at jobs long as he had been in jail．
2.What encouraged Miles to find a stable job？
A. He wanted to move into a better house．
B. He faced heavy social pressure from other people．
C. He wanted to make living conditions better for his family．
D. He couldn't stand living with his mother at such an old age．
3.From the article，we can learn that Crystal ________．
A. criticizes other companies for their low wages
B. longs to be famous and gain more respect
C. encourage other companies to think their current practices again
D. pushes other companies to help ex﹣offenders with reentry into society
4.What can we infer from the last three paragraphs？
A. Miles is content with his current situation．
B. Miles is going to buy a big house in the future．
C. The local government will help everyone find jobs．
D. The minimum wage level will surely increase in Lancaster．
