My parents always made extra Christmas specials for my sisters and me. Of course the big ____ was that my sisters and I would run down the stairs to see our Christmas tree surrounded by mountains of ____. We got bikes, microscopes, cameras, and ___ else a kid might want. They were great, though I didn’t ____ appreciate all that my parents did. It was quite common for me to be trapped in ____ the endless gifts. As a result, I’m unable to remember everything I ____.
As my husband Joe and I were ready to welcome our first child ____ the world, we thought about how to give Christmas gifts in advance. Finally we ____ the decision to set the three-gift ____ for our holiday celebrations. I had ever ____ about the idea in a few magazine articles. And I really liked how it made the ____ decide the things they truly wanted. Mostly, I loved the idea of ____ our holiday. I would see my kids get the same ____ of gifts. I expected a Christmas day when we could actually ____ each other’s company, as well as the gifts and the spirit that our children were given.
___ those ideas that Joe and I came up with before they were born, such as never letting them eat junk food, or ____ TV time to only one hour a day, the three-gift rule is one thing that ____ the test of time. We’ve done it each year since Tom was born 18 years ago, ____ it’s actually done in the way that we had hoped. Joe and I are less ____ because we just need to focus on giving each child the top three things that they desire. And we find the kids do ______and enjoy the gifts.
1.A. dream B. event C. party D. game
2.A. clothes B. foods C. gifts D. books
3.A. everything B. something C. nothing D. anything
4.A. suddenly B. gradually C. really D. nearly
5.A. sending B. sharing C. sparing D. opening
6.A. received B. refused C. bought D. imagined
7.A. for B. into C. on D. of
8.A. offered B. picked C. took D. made
9.A. condition B. role C. tradition D. position
10.A. read B. sold C. argued D. hated
11.A. children B. parents C. students D. friends
12.A. questioning B. simplifying C. challenging D. satisfying
13.A. number B. name C. size D. color
14.A. enjoy B. doubt C. praise D. require
15.A. With B. Unlike C. About D. From
16.A. adding B. saving C. limiting D. spending
17.A. tries B. enters C. reaches D. stands
18.A. or B. but C. and D. yet
19.A. stressed B. excited C. surprised D. confused
20.A. recognize B. appreciate C. believe D. compare
Do arithmetic problems 15 through 25. State the different forms of the verbs on page 50 of your French workbook. Read pages 12 through 20 of the Shakespeare play, and don’t forget to fill in the missing chemical symbols on the worksheet.
Sound like a list of your homework for the next few nights—or maybe even just for tonight? 1. It’s your teachers’ way of evaluating how much you understand what’s going on in class. And it helps strengthen important concepts.
2. It’s inviting to start with the easy things to get them out of the way. However, you’ll have the most energy and focus when you begin, so it’s best to use this mental power on the subjects that are most challenging. Later, when you’re more tired, you can focus on the simpler things. If you get stuck on a problem, try to figure it out as well as you can—but don’t spend too much time on it because this can mess up your homework schedule for the rest of the night. 3. But don’t pick someone whom you’ll be up all night chatting with, or you’ll never get it done!
Most people’s attention spans(一段时间) aren’t very long, so take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people. 4.
Once your homework is done, you can check over it if you have extra time. Be sure to put it safely away in your backpack—there’s nothing worse than having a completed assignment that you can’t find the next morning or that gets ruined by a careless brother or sister. 5. Now you’re free to hang out.
A. In conclusion, no one is expected to stay long, and people have very different learning styles.
B. But if you’re really concentrating, wait until it’s a good time to stop.
C. If you need to, ask an adult for help or call or email a classmate for advice.
D. Luckily, you can do a few things to do less homework.
E. When you start your homework, deal with the hardest tasks first.
F. And no teacher still believes that “chewed by the dog” line—even when it’s true!
G. Homework is a major part of going to school.
You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago. With a few minutes to spare between meetings, you go to get a quick cup of coffee.
“Hey, David, how are you?” one of the senior partners at the firm asks you.
“Good, thank you, Dr. Greer,” you reply. You’ve really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm, and this seems like a great opportunity. But as you start to think of something to say, your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight.
“So Arnold”, your colleague says to your boss, in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe(畏缩), “So what’s your Super bowl prediction? I mean, you’re a Niners fan, right?”
The conversation moves on, and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee. You know how important small talk is in the U.S., and you feel jealous of people who can do it well.
There’s nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture. People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U.S. and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it ------ with peers, men, women, and even with superiors. You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world, but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work. And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk.
What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U.S. to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone(磨练) your own version of American-style small talk. Watch how others do it. You don’t have to imitate what they do; in fact, that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic(假的,不可信的). But if you can develop your own personal version, that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable and competent．
1.The author introduces the topic of the passage by________________.
A. offering a plot
B. describing an interesting scene
C. making comparisons
D. telling a small joke
2.What do we know about German people?
A. They don’t make so much small talk．
B. They hate making small talk．
C. They usually make small talk in work breaks．
D. They are good at making small talk too．
3.What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture?
A. American workers’ ability to make progress．
B. American workers’ attitude towards superiors．
C. The special meaning of small talk
D. The role small talk plays in work settings．
4.What does “backfire” underlined in the last paragraph mean?
A. have a warm atmosphere
B. have the opposite effect
C. have a good result
D. have a hard time
A recent study surveyed 5,000 British families about their experiences with volunteering and their mental health. Participants completed the same survey every two years from 1996 to 2008.
About 20 percent of the survey participants reported doing regular unpaid work Researchers found that these volunteers also scored highest on their mental health scores. The two were linked so directly that the more a person volunteered, the happier they were.
One could argue a chicken-and-egg theory: happier people are more likely to have the time, money, energy and resources to give back to others. But even when researchers adjusted for education, social class and total health, the link was there, suggesting that the mental increase came from volunteering and not the other way around.
According to Dr. Stephen G. Post, author of The Hidden Gifts of Helping, when you help others, your brain releases feel-good chemicals, which can help cells repair themselves and grow. And this translates to better health.
So volunteering can help improve both your physical and mental health—on one condition. You have to mean it. People who volunteered for "self-oriental" reasons, either because they were forced to do so for work or school or because they were trying to get away from problems in their lives, had a mortality（死亡率）risk that was similar to those who didn't volunteer at all. It was only when people were volunteering out of a true sense of sympathy that they saw any health benefits.
So whether it's arranging books at the library or walking dogs at the animal shelter, find a cause that's important to you and give it a try. Volunteering is a good way to develop a sense of connection that not only helps your community, but may also be good for you.
1.Who are healthier according to the study?
A. people who are happier.
B. people who are good at taking exams.
C. people that work as volunteers regularly.
D. people that make a large amount of money.
2.Why does the author mention the chicken-and-egg theory?
A. To introduce a world-famous theory.
B. To point out that volunteering came first.
C. To prove happy ones would like to help others.
D. To tell us that the cause and the effect are mixed.
3.What may be one of the "self-oriented" reasons?
A. You try your best to solve others' problems.
B. You are filled with pity for the foster kids.
C. You have the duty to look after the old.
D. You're always willing to help others.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. A chicken-and-egg theory.
B. Happiness has a lot to do with health.
C. A sense of connection is important to us.
D. Volunteering willingly is good for health.
One February afternoon, Jesus Delgado was on break behind T2 Tacos, where he works as a cook, when he heard a commotion(骚动). He ran to the front of the Los Angeles Taco stand and saw a man and a woman arguing. She was screaming for help and had two young boys at her side. All of a sudden, the man hit her in the mouth, seized the smaller boy, and ran down the street .
“1 followed my judgement and chased him.” Jesus, 35, told the Argonaut newspaper. The older boy ran in the other direction to get help. A group of teenagers who had witnessed the attack assisted the woman, Lauren Kornacki, and called 911. She told them that she was the boys’ babysitter.
Within a few blocks, Jesus caught up to the man, Andron Gazarov, 33. They fought, and Jesus wrestled (抢夺) the young boy from Gazarov’s arms. Then Gazarov threw himself onto the sidewalk. “He was yelling at me that the kid didn’t belong to me. I was telling him the kid didn’t belong to him,” Jesus told the Argonaut.
Minutes later, Los Angeles police officers arrived and arrested Gazarov, who was charged with kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, and attack. He faces up to 12 years in prison, if convicted (定罪). The kids, Brendan O’Brien, 6, and Grady O’ Brien, 4, were unharmed.
The next night, the boys’ father, Tom O’Brien, went to the Taco stand to thank Jesus for his actions. He also started an online fund to help Jesus pay the medical expenses for his special-needs daughter. By May, more than $27,000 had been raised.
1.Why were the man and the woman arguing at the Los Angeles Taco stand?
A. The woman’s scream annoyed the man.
B. The man was trying to take away a boy from the woman.
C. The man’s break was disturbed by the woman with two children.
D. The woman was hit by the man in the mouth.
2.What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A. Gazarov has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
B. Not both kids were harmed, but frightened.
C. The boys’ parents went to thank Jesus for his brave actions.
D. Many people offered support to Jesus Delgado’s daughter in need.
3.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. The Cook, Who Ran after and Caught a Kidnapper
B. Los Angeles, a City with Warm-hearted Citizens
C. Cooperation, the Key to Solving Tough Problems
D. T2 Tacos, a Dangerous Place for Kids
4.The following have helped to save the younger boy EXECPT _______.
A. Jesus Delgado
B. Lauren Kornacki
C. Tom O’brien
D. Brendan O’brien
Philadelphia offers a ton of attractions that are suitable for people of every age and here are some family—friendly attractions．
Spruce Street Harbor Park
Spruce Street Harbor Park, one of the best urban beaches in America, is an outdoor heaven on the Delaware River waterfront. Visitors can relax in a hammock, play on the playgrounds, and play games like table tennis and giant chess. Don’t miss out on the park at night, when colorful LED lights hanging from treetops make the entire area bright.
Blue Cross River Rink
Offering ice skating in the winter and roller skating in the summer, Blue Cross River Rink creates a fun, outdoor experience for the whole family. Visitors can play on the nine-hole mini-golf course during the summer, and enjoy eats and drinks from the on-site(现场的)bar and restaurant all year round．
Sesame Place
Big Bird, Elmo and the other stars of Sesame Street come out and play at Sesame Place, the only theme park in the nation starring the popular TV show’s most lovable characters. A water park, interactive activities, parades, fireworks and shows add to the fun．
Once Upon a Nation Storytelling Benches
On summer days, uniformed and professional storytellers at 13 storytelling benches throughout Philadelphia’s Historic District entertain visitors with true, free, three-to-five minute tales about the colonial(殖民的)era as part of Once Upon a Nation. Children can pick up a Story Flag at any storytelling bench, and then collect a star from every storyteller on their journeys. Flags with all the stars can get free rides on the Parx Liberty Carousel at Franklin Square．
1.Who would most probably go to Spruce Street Harbor Park?
A. People who are fond of colorful lights．
B. People who want to have a relaxing day．
C. People who have a preference for skating．
D. People who are interested in water activities．
2.Which place would fans of Big Bird be interested in?
A. Sesame Place．
B. Blue Cross RiverRink．
C. The Parx Liberty Carousel．
D. Spruce Street Harbor Park．
3.What can we know about Philadelphia Storytelling Benches?
A. It can be visited all year round．
B. It is available at a small charge．
C. It is educational for children．
D. It is aimed at serving the public．
