Many people travel during the holiday season but do not make sure that their houses and homes1.(protect). Crime goes up2.(rapid) during the winter and summer holiday seasons. Here are some things that you should keep in mind when you go on a holiday.
Always give3.(strange) the feeling that you are at home. Have the snow4.(clean) off your stairs or out of your driveway during the winter season. You might ask someone to park5.car in your driveway.
Tell your newspaper deliverer that you are not at home.6.(have) a pile of newspapers and other mail on your doorsteps tells people that you are not at home, so you could also have a neighbor7.a relative get your mail every day.
Fix a timer in some of your rooms8.turn lights on and9.during different time of the day. Some TVs also come with a timer that you could set to be turned on during certain time. Fix motion(运动) sensitive lights outside your house 10.(keep) thieves away when you are not at home. Safety is what really counts.
Last year, I was lucky enough to work at an office near my mother’s house._________, I stayed with her for a month. During that time, I _________ her out with the housework and contributed to the groceries.
After a week, I started to _________ the groceries were running out pretty quickly.___________, I began observing my mother’s daily routine for two weeks. To my _________, I found she would pack a paper bag full of canned goods and _________every morning at about nine. She took the food to the slums(贫民窟) and distributed it to street _________.
I asked around and _________ my mum was popular in the area. The kids looked up to her as if she were their own mother. Then it hit me ——why didn’t she want to tell me about what she’d been doing? Was she _________ that I would stop buying the groceries if I knew the truth?
When she got home, I told her about my discovery and __________ she could react, I gave her a big hug and told her she didn’t need to keep it a __________ from me. She told me that __________ of the children lived with an old lady in a makeshift home while others____________on the streets. For years, my mum had been helping out by __________ whatever food she could __________. I was so moved by how __________ she was. She used what was__________for her to help others in need. And I was so __________ of her.
I __________ to buy groceries for my mum. But now, I always add a(n)__________bag for her other children.
1.A. However B. Besides C. Therefore D. Otherwise
2.A. slowed B. helped C. sent D. pushed
3.A. ignore B. understand C. complain D. notice
4.A. Confused B. Embarrassed C. Moved D. Annoyed
5.A. delight B. relief C. surprise D. regret
6.A. work out B. head out C. clean up D. get up
7.A. children B. strangers C. passers-by D. artists
8.A. made sure B. let out C. pointed out D. found out
9.A. angry B. hopeless C. worried D. frightened
10.A. once B. before C. until D. after
11.A. secret B. surprise C. gift D. reminder
12.A. few B. all C. any D. some
13.A. lay B. ate C. slept D. played
14.A. giving B. collecting C. receiving D. selling
15.A. lend B. spare C. find D. bring
16.A. curious B. cautious C. fearless D. selfless
17.A. meant B. cooked C. borrowed D. produced
18.A. tired B. fond C. scared D. proud
19.A. refuse B. long C. continue D. agree
20.A. large B. extra C. beautiful D. empty
Do you want to put a smile on someone’s face? Maybe make their day a little bit brighter? 1. In fact, many things can be done as a part of your normal routine and cost little or nothing. Try out one or more of the following ways today to put smiles on their faces.
2. Handwritten notes that are given to encourage someone, not just for thanking someone for a gift, are rare. That makes handwritten notes even more special. Start a new practice of sitting down and writing an encouraging note on a regular basis.
Take a friend out to lunch or invite him or her to your home for a meal. 3. If you feel like being more adventurous, throw a party for several of your friends.
Deliver a meal to someone you know that is sick or having a rough time. We have all been sick and know the last thing you want to do is being out of bed. There are also times when life is tough. 4.
Ask a friend if you can take care of their kids for a day or an evening. If you have been a parent, you know the value of being able to have a few hours of “adult time” without worrying about the children. 5. Offer to do it when the parents want to relax themselves.
Besides, there is one more way that can’t be ignored. Give a real smile to everyone you meet. You will experience how easy it is to get others to smile!
A. Thank everyone that supports you.
B. Write an encouraging note to others.
C. Helping others will be rewarded with more smiles.
D. Don’t wait to be asked to baby-sit when it is required.
E. It doesn’t have to take much time or money on your part.
F. You can be a great help by providing a meal that can be enjoyed.
G. You will get to know each other even better than you do right now.
Astonishingly, 26 million Britons will be obese by 2030, placing a huge pressure on health services, according to studies published on Friday highlighting the growing global obesity problem. Based on present trends, obesity rates in Britain will rise from 26 percent to 41-48 percent in men, and from 26 percent to 35-43 percent in women over the next two decades. By 2030, as many as 11 million more British adults will be obese and 3.3 million of them will be aged over 60.
The resulting cost burden on health services could be as much as ￡2 billion per year, according to the research published in The Lancet medical journal.
In the U.S. the prediction is even worse, with 50-51 percent of American men and 45-52 percent of American women expected to be obese by 2030, adding as many as 65 million to the country’s population of obese adults.
The study, led by Claire Wang of Columbia University in New York and Klim McPherson of Oxford University, says that medical costs will surge, given obesity’s links with diabetes, cancer, heart disease and strokes.
“The combined medical costs associated with treatment for these preventable diseases are estimated to increase by $48-66 billion per year in the U.S. and by ￡1.9-2 billion per year in the U.K. by 2030,” it says.
McPherson said politicians are shying away from settling the problem for fear of being criticized. “I think they do ‘get’ it but they don’t know what to do with it, and they don’t think it’s their responsibility,” he said.
Today, around 1.5 billion adults are overweight and a further 0.5 billion obese, with 170 million children classified as overweight or obese. Dealing with obesity takes up between two and six percent of health care costs in many countries.
In the study, the researchers traced the problem to the 1970s and 80s, and related it to a rise in food consumption and a more sedentary(案头的) lifestyle.
1.What can be learned from Paragraph 1?
A. 26 million Britons are suffering from obesity nowadays.
B. Obesity rates in British women and men are the same nowadays.
C. By 2030, about eleven million adults will be obese in Britain.
D. Most obese people will be aged over 60 by 2030.
2.The underlined word “surge” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”.
A. increase quickly B. appear suddenly
C. refuse bravely D. develop independently
3.In McPherson’s opinion, politicians ________.
A. are most likely to be obese
B. have nothing to do with the obesity problem
C. should make more efforts to solve the obesity problem
D. have more detailed information about the obesity
4.In which part of a newspaper are we most likely to read the passage?
A. Health. B. Science. C. Education. D. Politics.
The behavior of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Center(UKERC). The UK promised to reduce its carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable(可持续的) building design on its own, though extremely important, is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behavior of the people using the building has to change too.
The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency, which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.
“Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything,” explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher, “consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design.” In other words, old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.
Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information, it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback(反馈) facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors, could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behavior directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters.
Social science research has added a further dimension(方面), suggesting that individuals’ behavior in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted—whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat(恒温器), for example.
Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused program to teach people about buildings and their own behavior in them.
1.As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of ________.
A. zero-carbon homes B. the behavior of building users
C. sustainable building design D. the reduction of carbon emissions
2.The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to “________”.
A. the ways B. their homes C. developments D. existing efforts
3.What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about?
A. The importance of changing building users’ habits.
B. The necessity of making a careful building design.
C. The variety of consumption patterns of building users.
D. The role of technology in improving energy efficiency.
Probably the hardest part of setting goals is the first step of actually deciding to take action! The first barrier that most people face is the incorrect assumption(假设) that goals are only for business people. The reality is that everyone sets goals mentally throughout the day. There are always occasions where something has to be done at a particular time or in a particular place. Simple examples could be getting up at a certain time in order to be at work, or to meet with a friend for an activity.
The beauty of having goals is the uniqueness of each one to the goal setter. Whether it is personal, financial, or business, they are all specific to that person and their situation.
The most important part is to write them down. Having goals written down gives you power while helping you to focus on this area.
Aim for something that will stretch you while remaining achievable. If you achieve your goal too easily, it is not high enough to make any significant change in your life. On the other hand, if you consistently miss the goals, consider setting them a little lower as you will only get discouraged and probably give up. The aim is to keep you growing and moving into a more satisfactory position.
As you reach the levels that you have set for yourself, always include a small reward at each point. This might only be a small thing in the early days like a meal out or a weekend vacation.
Remember that these changes will not happen overnight and there will be a period of time when nothing seems to be happening. This is why the goals need to be detailed and as specific as possible with a result and benefit.
Allow some time on a daily basis to educate yourself on how to make the necessary adjustments in your life. This could include listening to a CD, or reading a book, etc.
A simple method to start with could be one goal in the main areas of life to be achieved in one month, six months, twelve months or five years. Break that down further into a daily, weekly and monthly system. Stay focused and stick to achieving all that you desire.
1.The main examples in Paragraph 1 tell us that ________.
A. goals are set mostly for important things
B. most people know when it is time to set goals
C. people can set goals to get things done all the time
D. it is necessary to get goals once in a while
2.The charm of having goals is that each goal is ________.
A. important B. achievable C. special D. meaningful
3.A good goal is one that is ________.
A. easy enough for you to feel nice B. high enough yet achievable
C. always in a satisfactory position D. changed again and again
