When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. He never shouted at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He believed in the principle: "No pains, no gains". He hardly watered his new trees, which greatly went against conventional (守旧的) wisdom. Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things hard for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how trees, if they were not watered, would grow deep roots in search of water. So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he'd beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some twenty five years ago. They were all tall and strong.
I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. Adversity seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb's trees in ways comfort and ease never could.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often hope that their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my idea. I know my children are going to meet with hard times. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to hope for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be torn apart.
1. With the trees planted, Doctor Gibbs often __________.| A．kept watering them every day | B．paid very little attention to them |
| C．beat them to make them grow tall | D．talked to them to get their attention |
| A．A happy moment. | B．An important position. |
| C．A difficult situation. | D．A dirty environment. |
| A．Meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future. |
| B．Have an easy, happy and comfortable life. |
| C．Have good luck, meeting no hardship at all. |
| D．Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives. |
| A．Growing Roots | B．Doctor Gibbs’ Trees |
| C．Watering Trees | D．Helping My Sons |
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【推荐1】Ever since I was a child, I’ve been frightened by the idea of disappointing people.
Of course, the explanation was simple: I’d made a mistake. But for a perfectionist, that’s a very dangerous thought, which can cause a chain of abusive self-talks. After all, that mistake was so stupid.
What hides behind my perfectionism is the illusion (幻觉) of control, the idea that if I work hard and do my best, I’ll be perfect and protected,
Despite the problems, perfectionism has allowed me to complete a lot and become who I am today. “To see perfectionism as a uniquely negative thing is actually to deny a part of yourself,” said the perfectionism coach Yasmina Hajoui.
| A．Perfectionism is a survival mechanism. |
| B．There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do things well. |
| C．The problem is that perfectionism brings more than stress. |
| D．I should have studied more, worked harder and focused better. |
| E．In perfectionism, we tend to believe that only our achievements define us. |
| F．And if something isn’t perfect, that means it’s my fault and that I’m awful. |
| G．My solution to that anxiety was to achieve perfectionism-and mostly, it worked. |
【推荐2】In October, I told the eight-year-olds in the religion class I teach in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, about my plan. “I’d like all of you to do extra jobs around the house to earn some money,” I said. “Then we’ll buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise.” I hoped they could experience a sense of their own power to effect change.
Early in Thanksgiving week, they arrived in class with their hand-earned money. And now they couldn’t wait to go shopping. At last we headed toward the checkout, pushing a cart filled with turkey and all the decorations. Then someone spotted a“necessity” that sent them racing a pot of chrysanthemums(菊花).
It was more reasonable to use any extra money to buy food. After all, I pronounced, “You can’t eat flowers”. But the children insisted and placed the purple plant into the cart.
An agency had given us the name and address of a needy grandmother who had lived alone for years. Soon we were arriving at her house. Between the laughing and those purple flowers, I wasn’t sure that any lesson about giving and receiving was getting through.
We finally pulled up in front of a small house in the woods. A woman with a tired face came to the door to welcome us. As my little group carried the boxes of food in, she oohed and aahed - much to her visitors’ pleasure. When Amy put the plant on the counter, the woman seemed surprised. She was wishing it was a bag of flour, I thought. The woman told the children about the animals that lived close by. “I share my food with the birds, ”she said.
We returned to the car. As we fastened our seat belts, we could see the kitchen window The woman inside waved goodbye, then turned and walked across the room, past the turkey, straight to the chrysanthemums. She put her face in the plant. When she raised her head, there was a smile on her lips.The children were quiet. In that one brief moment, they had seen for themselves the power they possessed to make another’s life better.
1. The author gave the students the task in order to _________.| A．help them focus on their family happiness. |
| B．let them experience their ability to help others |
| C．teach them the necessity of doing housework |
| D．get them to know how to be financially independent |
| A．Positive | B．Negative | C．Cautious | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．They could help improve others’ life. |
| B．They could make a living by working. |
| C．It was necessary to do voluntary work. |
| D．Plants and birds could help lonely people. |
| A．My Teaching Career | B．How to Help Poor People |
| C．The Importance of Giving | D．A Happy Shopping Experience |
【推荐3】One day while trying to print all the class worksheets we needed for the day, I found myself shouting at my printer in front of my son. “Why won’t this stupid thing print?” I shouted. My son came up to me quietly, saying, “Calm down, Mommy. Maybe if you don’t shout at the printer, it will work. You need to have patience.”
He was right. I needed patience-patience with this whole situation. I stopped myself, realizing this was not the behavior I wanted my son to see. He was also right that I needed to calm down. Just like what I told him to do, I took a few deep breaths and walked away from the collapsed printer. Later that day when we were outside, I tried to keep the sense of calm I had slightly achieved. Once I blocked out all the anxiety over the virus, school, and my work-I found the afternoon peaceful and pleasant. I played flying disc with my son, simply enjoying each other’s company while the birds sang. It was an everyday moment I’ll never take for granted again.
From then on, things got a little easier. I started to give myself, and everyone else, some favour. I stopped holding myself to my perfectionism standards with every little thing because they were truly impossible to keep to.
With that favour, I changed my focus. Getting every school worksheet done correctly is not important. Neither is cleaning the house. And, apart from getting fired, neither is my work. Spending time with my family, and staying healthy emotionally and physically, became my main concerns. We took walks. We danced our hearts out during the Disney Family Sing-Along. We got up early and walked secretly into our backyard with telescopes to bird watch. Who knows, birding may be the new hobby we’re never giving up.
1. What did the author’s son ask his mother to do?| A．Print later. | B．Stop printing. |
| C．Change another printer. | D．Stay calm. |
| A．Sensitive. | B．Stubborn. |
| C．Broken-down. | D．Unfriendly. |
| A．By giving up dreams. |
| B．By focusing on others. |
| C．By stopping pursuing perfection. |
| D．By paying little attention to work. |
| A．Watching birds. | B．Doing house cleaning. |
| C．Seeking after her career. | D．Finishing school worksheets. |
1. Why is June 6, 1990 a special day for Mommy?
| A．Her dream of being a mother came true. |
| B．She found her origin from her Chinese mother. |
| C．She wrote the letter to her daughter. |
| D．Her female line was well linked. |
| A．It is bitter and disappointing. |
| B．It is painful but understandable. |
| C．She feels sorry but sympathetic. |
| D．She feels hurt and angry. |
| A．I walked clumsily out of pains. |
| B．I was not easy to love due to jealousy. |
| C．I was impatient out of fear. |
| D．I looked different from others. |
| A．She used to experience an identity crisis. |
| B．She fought against her American identity. |
| C．She forgot the pains of her early years. |
| D．She kept her love for Asia from childhood. |
| A．To match her own birth-name. |
| B．To brighten the lives of the family. |
| C．To identify her with Chinese origin. |
| D．To justify her pride in Chinese culture. |
| A．her past was completed earlier than Shao-ming’s |
| B．Shao-ming has got motherly care and a sense of roots |
| C．her mother didn’t comfort her the way she did Shao-ming |
| D．her past was spent brokenly, first in Asia, then in the US |
【推荐2】20-year-old Colen Nulgit and his girlfriend, Shantelle Johnson, had gone out for a daytime fishing trip at Keep River National Park in Australia last week when their car became stuck in some mud (淤泥). When they were unable to free the car from the mud, they began to worry. The park’s waterways are usually full of crocodiles (鳄鱼), and the couple had already seen plenty of crocodile tracks running through the mud. Not only that, they had only brought a few bottles of water and little food for the trip.
Nulgit and Johnson tried to fall asleep in their car—but as the sun set and the nearby water levels began to rise, they feared that the high water would bring the crocodiles closer to their car. The young couple then moved towards dry land and hoped for rescue. They even used a piece of wood to write the word “HELP” into the mud along with a line pointing towards their car.
Thankfully, the couple had told Nulgit’s parents where they were going and when they expected to be home before they left. So when they failed to return the very same night, his worried mother called the police. Rescuers began searching the area by airplane the next morning. Upon hearing the sound of the plane, the couple started a fire so the rescuers would see the smoke. As the plane drew closer to the smoke, the rescuers successfully located the couple after they caught sight of the “HELP” sign pointing towards the car.
Nulgit and Johnson were very thankful for the rescue. They now plan on putting together a set of emergency survival tools for the car.
1. Why did the young couple move to dry land?| A．Because their car became stuck in some mud. |
| B．Because they wanted to fall asleep in their car that night. |
| C．Because they were afraid the crocodiles would come to their car. |
| D．Because they only brought a few bottles of water and little food. |
| A．They wrote a sign for help. | B．They went fishing for food. |
| C．They started a fire for warmth. | D．They called their parents for help. |
| A．The evening when they should have arrived home. | B．The moment their car became stuck in some mud. |
| C．The minute she received their call for help. | D．Upon hearing the sound of the plane. |
| A．At the sight of the rescuers, the couple brought into tears. |
| B．The couple successfully caught the rescuers’ attention by smoke. |
| C．The rescuers began searching the area the moment they received the call. |
| D．After being rescued, the couple bought some survival tools for car at once. |
【推荐3】The Olympic spirit is about a lot more than winning medals and setting records. Just look at the story of swimmer Eric Moussambani.
The Equatoguinean found his passion for swimming shortly after high school. Unfortunately, football is far and away the most popular sport in Moussambani’s home country. Living in such a football-crazed country, it was difficult for Moussambani to find a place to train consistently (持续地). Eventually, he found a 13-meter-sized hotel pool that he only had access to three hours a week. On days he could not use the pool, he trained in rivers.
After about eight months of swimming, he gained entry into the 2000 Summer Olympics through a program where the International Olympic Committee gave wild cards to developing nations to promote their sport further. In Sydney, Moussambani saw an Olympic-sized swimming pool for the first time, which was so big that Moussambani said he was “so scared” to compete in it.
The day of the 100m freestyle came. Moussambani made an energetic start in the first 50 meters, but in the final half of the race, he struggled to stay afloat (漂浮着), so much so that those on the sidelines considered jumping in and helping him out of the water. “It was then that I heard the crowd screaming and shouting, encouraging me to ‘Go, go, go.’ It gave me the strength to finish,” Moussambani said.
Moussambani finished the race with a time of 1：52.72, the slowest recorded time in Olympic history, but the fans did not care, cheering him as if he had broken the world record. “This is what the Olympics are all about,” a commentator said. “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning, but taking part. The essential thing in life is not defeating others, but fighting well,” he said.
Moussambani serves as the national swim team coach for Equatorial Guinea now. Gone are the days when Equatoguinean swimmers needed to train in open water. They now have two Olympic-sized swimming pools. Moussambani hopes to grow the sport in his country.
1. Why did Moussambani fail to get proper swimming training?| A．Swimming was not taken seriously in his country. |
| B．Swimming in rivers appealed to him. |
| C．He was busy with his schoolwork. |
| D．He could not afford it. |
| A．He was too scared to swim. | B．He quit at the first sign of trouble. |
| C．He finished with great difficulty. | D．He was pulled out of the water halfway. |
| A．He showed the Olympic spirit. | B．He was a talented swimmer. |
| C．He disappointed his fans. | D．He could have fought better. |
| A．Build some Olympic-sized swimming pools. | B．Promote swimming in his country. |
| C．Coach the national swim team. | D．Win an Olympic medal. |
【推荐1】Karla, a recent graduate of one high school in Los Angeles, designed an 18th century-style dress for the yearly “Stuck at Prom” competition and was named a finalist last week.
Unlike what we normally expect, the dress is surprisingly made out of duct tape(胶带)Tape is so rigid and you can’t move it like fabric. So it was really challenging to make it all come together. But the fashion-forward teenager overcame that challenge and is now competing for votes to win the grand prize: a $10, 000 scholarship.
Though it’s Karla’name officially in the competition, she said the entire process is more of a collective effort of her family, especially her parents. She and her mom spent at least 120 hours, over many days, working on the dress by trial and error, and used 14 rolls of tape.
“I really love fashion. It’s a really big passion of mine, and I’m willing to try any style.” she said. She often spends hours looking at outfit ideas or different styles, from the 70s to Gothic to Rococo, on Pinterest and TikTok-which is how she found the competition. But it wasn’t until a recent visit to the Getty Museum-the only field trip she took in high school-that she found her inspiration from the 18th century French paintings featuring lavish, ornate dresses and eventually created the possibly award-winning dress.
“It means a lot to me that I was able to make it this far with the support of my parents. As the first generation college student in our family, I wouldn’t want my parents to pay for my tuition(学费)Although there is a long way to go to get the $10, 000 prize, it would really help my parents, and we’re feeling confident and hopeful that we can win.” Karla said. She plans to study business marketing in college, ideally focusing on the fashion industry.
1. What do we know about Karla?| A．She learned about the competition by chance. |
| B．Her parents can’t afford her tuition for college. |
| C．She entered a competition and won the grand prize. |
| D．She designed an 18th century-style dress independently |
| A．The rigid duct tape. | B．The “Stuck at Prom” competition. |
| C．The French paintings in the Getty Museum. | D．The different styles on Pinterest and TikTok. |
| A．Generous and thankful. | B．Ambitious and well-rounded. |
| C．Creative and thoughtful. | D．Determined and humorous. |
| A．A girl’s supportive family. | B．A dress made out of duct tape. |
| C．An eye-catching fashion competition. | D．A teen’s effort to win a scholarship. |
【推荐2】It was a cold, winter evening. Even with clear skies and the sun shining down, the temperature didn't get above 10 degrees all day long. I listened to the heater work and put on my sweater. I had finished all my work and now just wanted to read in my nice, warm bed. I pushed the pillow away from my head, turned the radio to the music from the 70’s channel and opened up my book. I smiled, lay back, and got ready to take it easy. I should have known that better.
“SWEETIE, NO!” my son shouted from the living room. Suddenly in flew a four-legged item of brown hairs. She jumped on my bed, scratched（抓）behind my pillow and stuck her head on my shoulder. “Sweetie, what have you done?” I asked. She didn’t answer and just looked at me guiltily（内疚地）with her ears down, and her lower teeth sticking out.
I laughed when I saw her this way and petted her head to let her know I forgave her. I kept petting her while her body relaxed and her guilty face slowly turned into a happy one. Then she licked（舔）my face and bit my ear slightly with her under-bite. I laughed again and said, “Sweetie, I love you but you are a bad-tempered dog.”
I sometimes wonder what my life would be like without dogs in it. My house sure would be cleaner, the furniture wouldn’t be bitten, the floors wouldn’t be scratched, and dog hairs wouldn’t be all over my clothes. But I would also have a lot less laughter, a lot less love, and a lot less joy in my life. I think I would take a dog’s love and a dirty house any day of the week.
1. What did the author intend to do on that evening?| A．Sleep early. | B．Watch TV. |
| C．Make the bed. | D．Get relaxed. |
| A．She bit the author's son. | B．She has beautiful white hairs. |
| C．She troubled the author unexpectedly. | D．She wanted to sleep with the author. |
| A．Driving her away. | B．Giving her a treat. |
| C．Trying to comfort her. | D．Teaching her to be polite. |
| A．Her appreciation for her pet. | B．Regrets about raising dogs. |
| C．Troubles her dog made. | D．Worries about her dirty house. |
【推荐3】Mrs Mullen had just got a new heart. She’d waited a year for it, she told me— not that she was complaining. In fact, Mrs Mullen never complain about anything. She just got on with it. Although she was getting over a serious operation, she didn’t even like to bother the nurses for a painkiller. She put me, and most of my patients in the hospital, to shame.
My generation are a generation of complainers. We think the world owes us something. But if the world owes anyone anything, it owes people like Mrs Mullen. She left school at 14, even though she’d won a place at grammar school. She worked in a factory until she retired. She never had a day off sick in her life and never had a holiday --not even when she gave birth to her three children. That’s nearly 50 years of hard work. I’ve never worked as hard as Mrs Mullen, and I’ll almost certainly never have to.
Mrs Mullen recovered well and soon left hospital. It never occurred to me that I’d see her again, so I couldn’t believe my eyes when a few weeks later I went to buy a sandwich from the hospital Friends’ shop.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “You’re supposed to be resting.”
“Oh I am,” she replied. “It’s only a few hours a week. I saw the ad for volunteers while I was staying here. It’s my way of saying thank you for all that this hospital has done for me.”
Thank you? Mrs Mullen is the sort of person who gives back more than she takes. I asked for a cheese and tomato sandwich. She handed me egg instead — it was all they had got. I hate egg, but I decided to eat it anyway and not to complain.
1. Mrs Mullen made the author feel ashamed because ______.| A．he liked bothering others |
| B．He often made complaints |
| C．He wasn’t as brave as her |
| D．He didn’t give her painkiller |
| A．was hardworking |
| B．was in debt for years |
| C．once taught at school |
| D．received a good education |
| A．felt very surprised |
| B．Treated her to a sandwich |
| C．Helped her get a job there |
| D．Asked her to rest immediately |
