Jonathan Fairoaks lives in a tree house that he designed and built! In fact, as a tree house architect (建筑师), Jonathan has built more than 380 tree houses across the United States.
Jonathan's love of tree-house living began when he was a kid. He started climbing trees when he was 10 years old, and he became an arborist in high school.she built his first tree house and lived in it while he was in college.
“It was delightful-like being on a ship because it moved with the wind,” Jonathan says. “It was the most fun I'd ever had.”
Designing special tree houses may sound difficult, but Jonathan says it's not true. “I let the trees decide the designs,” he says. “Hardwoods such as oak make the best trees for houses- -but I did once build a wonderful tree house in an apple tree.
As an arborist, Jonathan tries to never harm the trees. He attaches man- made limbs(树的主枝) to the tree to support the tree house.
“The tree grows over the man-made limbs, and they become part of the tree,” Jonathan says.
One feature of Jonathan's tree houses is the swings(秋千). “Swings are a great way to enjoy the trees.” he explains. For example, he puts up monkey swings for kids tree houses.
Jonathan also likes tree houses that have views of streams or rivers and include windows that are made of pieces of colored glass.
“Let your imagination run wild,” he says. “Walk in the woods and learn the different trees. Spend time climbing and learn how to do it safely.”
Jonathan also encourages his customers to give their tree houses names. One of his customers named his own tree house “Ups and Downs”.
1. What's life like in tree houses according to Jonathan?| A．Crazy. | B．Difficult. | C．Green. | D．Delightful. |
| A．A person who loves art. | B．A person who lives in a ship. |
| C．A person who cares for trees. | D．A person who designs houses. |
| A．first chooses a name for it | B．makes sure the tree is well protected |
| C．imagines that he is on a ship | D．tries to make it become part of the tree |
| A．Life in the Limbs | B．Ups and Downs |
| C．Imagine Wildly | D．Care for Trees |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】A story happened when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication. One day, a young man went to an interview for a job as a Morse code operator (莫尔斯电码报务员).
Answering the ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address. When he arrived, he walked into a large, busy office filled with noise, including the sound of the telegraph. An office worker asked him to wait until he was called to go into the inner office. Seven other people were already in the waiting area for the interview. The young man sat down and waited with them. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other people wondered what was going on. They were sure that the young man made a mistake and would be refused.
A few minutes later, however, the boss came out of the inner office with the young man and said to the other people, “Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the young man has got the job.”
The other people were surprised, and one of them said, “Wait a minute. I don’t understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair!”
The boss said, “I’m sorry, but all the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been sending out the following message in Mores code: ‘If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.’ None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is this.”
1. The young man got the information about the job from ________.| A．the telegraph | B．the newspaper | C．an office worker | D．a friend |
| A．Large, busy and noisy | B．Busy, noisy and crowded |
| C．Large, crowded but quiet | D．Busy, crowded but quiet |
| A．7. | B．8. | C．9. | D．10. |
| A．he was young |
| B．he knew the boss |
| C．he heard the telegraph message and understood it |
| D．he was the last one to walk into the inner office |
【推荐2】It was time for more difficult speech therapy. Delvin Washington said his name again and again, making sure to bite his lower lip to pronounce the V in his first name. The 18-year-old from Texas, US, has had to practise this every day since he woke up from a coma in late September.
Over half a year ago, Washington was preparing for the biggest day of his young life-graduating from high school. But on a cloudy day in May, he had a serious car accident.
He survived, but his life changed forever. His friends have left for college, his mom has returned to work and he recently began all-day physical rehabilitation. He is relearning almost everything, from the names of his best friends to simple physical tasks, like swallowing his saliva (唾液).
His friends and family have given him a lot of support. While Washington lay in a coma in hospital, friends and family filled his room during visits. They celebrated his 18th birthday in July while he was still unconscious.
Two days after Thanksgiving, eight friends from high school visited Washington at his home. The friends looked through photos on Facebook, showing them all to Washington. As he sat in his wheelchair, friends asked him to recognize the people in the photos, helping him recover his brain.
Washington’s popularity doesn’t come from nowhere. He was determined to become a police officer after college and behaved like a respectable police officer at school.
His high school principal, Eric Markinson, said Washington was always a gentleman. “He was incredibly gracious (和善的) and incredibly helpful,” he said.
His accident has damaged Washington’s brain. It has caused his left side, from his face to his feet, to all but shut down. His personality has also changed. The serious police officer behavior is gone. He laughs a lot and smiles when he sees children, his mom said.
Now Washington is working hard on all-day rehabilitation. So far, he has made tremendous (巨大的) improvement, said his therapist Lindsay Sims.
“I try to live as independently as possible,” Washington said slowly but firmly.
1. What happened to Delvin Washington last May?| A．He started to make improvements in his speech therapy. |
| B．He was seriously injured in a car accident. |
| C．He graduated from high school with good grades. |
| D．He suffered a heart attack and went into a coma. |
| A．They helped Washington make up for the lessons he had missed. |
| B．They worked together to collect money for Washington on campus. |
| C．They helped Washington realize his dream of becoming a police officer. |
| D．They regularly visited Washington and helped him with his rehabilitation. |
| A．Washington’s friendship with his friends. |
| B．Washington making great efforts to achieve his dream. |
| C．What makes Washington so popular at school. |
| D．How Washington is recovering his brain. |
As they walked up the long winding path, they saw things that chilled (使恐惧) them to the bone! They heard sounds that frightened them. Maybe they should turn back. But the little boys, being very brave, just wanted to see what was in that house, so they went on, not deterred by the things they heard or saw. As they slowly made their way up to the door, they imagined what might be inside. Maybe it would be a witch or maybe a ghost!
After knocking several times, the door slowly creaked (嘎吱作响) open. To their surprise, a monster (怪物) slowly came out to greet them. They were so scared that they couldn’t move! What could they do? Then the little boy had an idea. He said, "Trick or treat!" Then the big scary monster, much to the kids’ surprise, reached over and brought out a huge bowl of the best candies they had never seen. Wow, the kids thought, this was great! It turned out that the house was decorated for Halloween, and the big scary monster was just wearing a costume, just like the kids. Since they were the only kids, and were brave enough to go to the scary house, they could take as much candy as they wanted.
1. This passage is ______.
| A．a funny Halloween story |
| B．mainly about two brave kids |
| C．mainly about a spooky house |
| D．mainly about the custom of Halloween |
| A．Because they were prepared for what would come to the door. |
| B．Because they expected to meet other trick-or-treaters inside. |
| C．Because they were curious about what was in the house. |
| D．Because they were anxious to get more and better candy. |
| A．the monster was afraid of the phrase "trick or treat" |
| B．the two kids were also wearing costumes |
| C．not all families prepared candy for brave kids |
| D．some other children had been to the house before the two kids |
| A．warned | B．delayed |
| C．attracted | D．frightened |
【推荐1】One day, a woman bought a parrot (鹦鹉) from a pet store. However, the woman decided to send the parrot back to the store the next day. “This bird doesn’t talk,” she told the pet store owner. “Does he have a mirror?” the owner asked. “Parrots enjoy watching themselves in it.” So the woman bought one and left.
The next day, she came back, saying that the bird still didn’t say anything. “How about a ladder (梯子)? Parrots love ladders,” the owner said. The woman bought a ladder and left.
But the next day, she went back a third time. “Does your parrot have a swing (秋千)? No? Well, once he starts swinging, he’ll talk a lot happily,” the owner said. The woman then bought a swing and left.
When she walked into the store the next day, she began to cry and said sadly, “The parrot died.” The pet store owner was surprised at what she said. “What? I’m sorry. Tell me, did he say anything?” he asked. “Yes, right before he died,” the woman answered in a low voice, “he asked me weakly, ‘Don’t they sell any food at that pet store?’”
Sometimes we forget what’s really necessary in life. We sometimes have lots of things to do at once, but we forget to do with the most important things first. We have to remember to “feed the parrots” in our lives.
1. The woman bought ______ for the parrot from the pet shop owner.①a cage ②a mirror ③a ladder ④a swing ⑤some food
| A．①②⑤ | B．②③④ | C．①②③ | D．②③ |
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
| A．the woman gave him nothing to eat | B．he couldn’t enjoy himself in the mirror |
| C．he couldn’t fly in the sky like others | D．the woman was angry and killed him |
| A．喂养鹦鹉 | B．放飞鹦鹉 | C．做最重要的事情 | D．让鹦鹉唱歌 |
【推荐2】Two-time cancer survivor Tracy Pepper has developed an unlikely friendship — with a beautiful butterfly, which she called Fluffy.
Ms. Pepper found Fluffy in her garden struggling for life soon after birth. After feeding it on honey from a sunflower, Fluffy recovered but didn’t regain the use of its wings and has remained with Ms. Pepper ever since.
She has been recording the experience on social media. In one post, she wrote, “I’m the crazy butterfly lady! I just spent 3 hours playing with him, exercising him by walking him up and down my fingers and arms, feeding him and even giving him the feeling of flying! He sat on my hand and beat his wings as I moved my hand up and down pretending he was flying!”
Ms. Pepper said it was sympathy and empathy that drove her. After battling against cancer twice and keeping herself busy with aid work in Africa, she fell into a “depression” last year.
“When I found him helpless and unable to fly, I knew just how he felt. I went through burn-out last year. I wanted to give up… I felt really lonely.”
So she decided to help the insect, to which she has become attached. Ms. Pepper even advertised tickets of internationally-famous Cirque du Soleil’s act she had for sale because she thought staying at home to care for Fluffy was more important.
Unfortunately, Fluffy wouldn’t be around for long — the lifespan of a butterfly ranges from two to six weeks.
But she seemed to care little about it. She wrote on Facebook, “He has a wonderful life and when his time comes, he will die flat and happy and very very loved.”
1. What was the butterfly like when Ms. Pepper first saw it?| A．It was dying. |
| B．It was too old to fly. |
| C．It was struggling against an enemy. |
| D．It was feeding itself on honey from a sunflower. |
| A．Because she lost interest in the act. |
| B．Because she had to stay home to look after the butterfly. |
| C．Because she was busy with aid work in Africa. |
| D．Because she suffered from cancer twice and was too weak. |
| A．Determined and hard working | B．kind-hearted and sympathetic |
| C．Indifferent and selfish | D．Selfless and determined |
| A．Because she was interested and curious. |
| B．Because she loved small animals. |
| C．Because she showed sympathy and understanding for it. |
| D．Because she desired to get close to nature. |
【推荐3】Mr White came out of the airport. He asked every taxi-driver’s name. Then he took the third taxi. It cost $5 from the airport to the hotel,“ How much does it cost for the whole day? ”he asked.
“$100,” said the taxi-driver. This was very expensive but Mr White agreed.
The taxi-driver took Mr White everywhere. He showed the driver $100 and said, “what about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? It’s another $100 tomorrow.”
“Ok,” said Mr White, “If that’s the price, see you tomorrow!” The driver was very pleased.
The next day they traveled to several places. And in the second evening they went to the hotel again. Mr. White and above all, $100 a day is good money. So he asked Mr White, “Where do you come from?”
“I come from New York.” Mr White answered.
“New York!” said the driver, “I have a sister in New York. Her name is Susannan. Do you know her?”
“Of course I know her. She gave me $200 for you.”
1. Mr White got to another place _______.| A．by train | B．by air | C．in plane | D．by ship |
| A．expensive | B．cheap | C．nice | D．fair |
| A．his sister brought so much money to him | B．his sister knew Mr White |
| C．he got $100 a day | D．he became a guide of Mr White |
| A．Mr White didn’t know the taxi-driver’s sister | B．the driver knew Mr White was his sister’s friend |
| C．Mr White was given back $ 200 | D．Mr White knew the taxi-driver’s sister |
【推荐1】Your reference to the old series I Am Joe's Body in your letter explaining how the new design came about prompted me to share this. In the70s, I was a heavy smoker. I knew it wasn't healthy but could not change my habits. Then I read “I Am Joes Lung”. The next morning, I walked out my front door and coughed up blood. Talk about a wake-up call. On New Year's Eve, I had less than half a pack of cigarettes left, so I decided to finish that and then quit cold turkey. Your magazine saved my life. All these years later, I am saying thank you.
—Norm Mast Middlebury, Indiana
I enjoyed your article on Mr. Yassin Terou and his family and business. Because my Facebook Feed seems to regularly have postings about crimes and fear caused by immigrants, I shared the article there. I hope that it gets passed on for people to focus on a positive contribution that immigrants are giving our country.
—Connie Nuber Surprise, Arizona
I have been enjoying Reader's Digest since I was eight years old. I now share articles with my eight-year-old grandson, and he also enjoys them, especially the jokes. Make all the changes you want because it seems each change makes the Digest better.
—Beverly Mita Pine Island, New York
Personally, I do not like the new format. It isn't as easy to see where one section ends and a new section begins. Why fix something that wasn't broken?
—Paul Okoniewski Bruce Township, Michigan
The Funniest Jokes Since the Internet. Your collection of "Mistakes That Take the Cake" reminded me of my husband's 50th birthday cake, which read:
Happy Birthday,
Bill &Papa!
And Under That
We Love You!
—Diane e. Meeks Vidalia, Georgia
1. Comments from above do not cover articles from______ section.| A．Food | B．Health |
| C．Jokes | D．Inspiring stories |
| A．Norm Mast. | B．Beverly Mita. |
| C．Paul Okoniewski. | D．Diane e. Meeks. |
| A．columnists | B．readers |
| C．critics | D．editors |
【推荐2】I recently came in contact with celebrity magazines. My family isn’t one to give money for pictures of skinny, drunk celebrities with paragraphs about their relationships and shopping cart times. Thus, I was excited to finally get a chance to read about other people’s attractive yet troubled lives.
Right away I noticed how each magazine seemed to be a copy of the other. They had headlines and pictures that were almost the same. Still, the pictures of perfectly constructed faces with cute designers outfits going on with their daily lives made me read on.
Wait, celebrities taking their dogs for walk? Spending an afternoon at a park? All of these things seemed so ordinary—things my own family and I do together often. I suddenly realized how unextraordinary the people in these magazines were. They are simply normal people who happen to have a cool job and much money. For some reason, pictures of them doing things like buying milk at the store appeal to millions of readers. Then, when these regular people mess up, their mistakes is painted onto hundreds of newspapers and internet sites.
What if every time we made a mistake, it was made public? Have you ever failed a test? Imagine seeing pictures of you on the front of a newspaper with headlines like, “Regular Schooling Isn’t Enough”. You’d be embarrassed. Now, I’m not necessarily taking the celebrity’s side. I’m more realizing the fact that these people we were crazy about are just ordinary human beings with many photographs following them around. Role models? I’d think not. Personally, I’d rather look up to people in any community who have accomplished a lot instead of an ordinary person walking his dog in Berverly Hills.
1. What do we know about the author’s family?| A．They admire celebrities very much. |
| B．They often buy celebrity magazines. |
| C．They are not interested in celebrities. |
| D．They are curious about the life of celebrities. |
| A．They live happy life. |
| B．They seldom do usual things. |
| C．They deserve people’s admiration. |
| D．They are just ordinary people like us. |
| A．Celebrities who live ordinary live. |
| B．Common people who do great things. |
| C．Extraordinary people who accomplish a lot. |
| D．People who make great contributions to communities. |
| A．To describe the actual life of celebrities. |
| B．To ask us to be realistic about other’s mistakes. |
| C．To show people’s different attitudes towards celebrities. |
| D．To advise us to have a right attitude towards celebrities. |
【推荐3】Researchers continue to show the power behind our sense of smell. Recent studies have found, among other things, that the smell of foods like pizza can cause uncontrollable anger in drivers on roads.
The review explains that smell is unique in its effects on the brain. According to Conrad King, the researcher who carried out the review, "more than any other senses, the sense of smell goes through the logical part of the brain and acts on the systems concerned with feelings. This is why the smell of baking bread can destroy the best intentions of a dieter."
Smell, which dictates the unbelievable complexity of food tastes, has always been the least understood of our senses. Our noses are able to detect up to 10,000 distinct smells. Our ability to smell and taste this extremely large range of smells is controlled by something like 1,000 genes (基因), which make up an amazing 3% of the human genome. Researchers Richard Axel and Linda Buck were together awarded a Nobel Prize in 2004 for their ground-breaking research on the nature of this extraordinary sense. These two scientists were the first to describe the family of 1,000 olfactory (嗅觉) genes and to explain how our olfactory system works.
According to one study in the research review, smelling fresh pizza or even the packaging of fast foods can be enough to make drivers feel impatient with other road users. They are then more likely to speed and experience uncontrollable anger on roads. The most reasonable explanation is that these can all make drivers feel hungry, and therefore desperate to satisfy their appetites.
In contrast, the smells of peppermint and cinnamon were shown to improve concentration levels as well as reduce drivers’ impatience. Similarly, the smells of lemon and coffee appeared to promote clear thinking and mental focus.
However, the way genes regulate smell differs from person to person. A study by researchers in Israel has identified at least 50 olfactory genes which are switched on in some people and not in others. They believe this may explain why some of us love some smells and tastes while others hate them. The Israel researchers say their study shows that nearly every human being shows a different pattern of active and inactive smell-detecting receptors.
1. What did Richard Axel and Linda Buck find out?| A．The category of food smells. |
| B．The logical part of human brain. |
| C．The nature of human olfactory system. |
| D．The relationship between food and feelings. |
| A．Bread. | B．Fruits. |
| C．Coffee. | D．Fast food. |
| A．Some people can recognize up to 50 smells. |
| B．Every person has a different pattern of genes. |
| C．Different people are sensitive to different smells. |
| D．There are still some olfactory genes to be found out. |
| A．Logic and behaviour. |
| B．Smell and its influence. |
| C．Sense ability and food tastes. |
| D．Olfactory genes and its system. |
【推荐1】The Tibet autonomous region has placed nearly half its land area under the strictest ecological supervision (监督).It was announced at an annual meeting of the regional People's Congress, which kicked off on Wednesday.
The ecological protection area, which covers more than 539,000 square kilometers, makes up 45 percent of the region's area, and 22 ecological reserves have been built and are operational.
According to the government work report, the rate of days with good air quality in Tibet's cities has reached 99.4 percent, and all the region's drinking water sources have met applicable standards.
The report also said that the number of Tibetan antelope (羚)in the region has risen to more than 200,000, wildlife species to 1,072 and black-necked cranes to more than 8,000. Five rare new species have been discovered in recent years. The region has spent 12.2 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) on ecological protection projects in recent years. Five cities and three counties have been named as national-level ecologically civilized model cities and counties, and more rural residents have benefited financially by undertaking part-time ecological protection work.
More advanced monitoring facilities have been in place in the reserve, with more ecological protection inspectors employed to undertake protection work. The professional ecological inspectors are provided with basic tools such as motorcycles, telescopes and paging receivers, and they provide feedback regularly. Professional inspectors also receive one week of training every year from professors at Tibet University.
Kunsang Darje, a railway maintenance worker in Nagchu, said that apart from maintaining the railway and highway, he also collects trash along the section with his colleagues. “The place I work is in a no-man's land, and I think it's very important to protect the animals there without affecting them with human activities, and we are also bound to take responsibility there," he said.
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．The ecological situation in Tibet has been totally improved. |
| B．Almost half Tibetan land has been ecologically supervised. |
| C．Many more operational ecological reserves have been built. |
| D．More Tibetan protection inspectors have been employed. |
| A．Larger protection areas. | B．Numerous rare new species. |
| C．More days with quality air. | D．Global capital investments. |
| A．protection inspectors can employ other people |
| B．protection inspectors are supplied with cars |
| C．Tibet's rural residents can get annual training |
| D．Tibet's rural residents can earn extra money |
| A．He asks his colleagues not to litter everywhere. |
| B．He attaches importance to raise animals there. |
| C．He keeps railway and highway in good condition. |
| D．He has a sense of duty to protect animals there. |
【推荐2】My husband and I recently went to Disney World with our children and grandchildren. We had a wonderful time and made lots of sweet memories together, but unexpectedly, I learned something as we made our way through the parks.
Our four grandchildren were excited about the attraction where children can drive the cars. Since our party was uneven (不均匀的) in numbers and two people fit in each car, I sat out that one and headed down to get pictures of everyone as they drove past on the track.
As I waited for my gang to drive by, I noticed a car with a father and his son who looked to be about 7. They rolled down the hill at the beginning, and then the car stopped. The young driver looked panicked, “I can’t do it.” His father quietly said, “Yes, you can.”
“No. I can’t!” “Yes, you can, son.”
The little guy was almost in tears, “I CAN’T!” With deep patience, the father said, “Son, you can do this. I’m going to help you.” Then he talked him through pushing the gas pedal (油门踏板) and driving the car. Mere moments later with the father helping his son, the two went smoothly on their way down the track.
The scene brought tears to my eyes. That sweet whispered to my soul, “Yes, you can”. Then every time things got hard or when I had failures along the way, I would think “You can”.
Time and time again, the words patiently encouraged me on the journey. That’s where the true strength comes in. I am aware that I can not do things under my own power, but the words “Yes, you can” come beside me and provide wisdom and strength. There’s no way I can fail. Are you struggling with something today? Have the “I can’t” moments taken over? You can trust the words “Yes, you can”.
1. What did the author think of her family’s trip to Disney World?| A．Surprising. | B．Disappointing. |
| C．Satisfying. | D．Boring. |
| A．Excited. | B．Frightened. |
| C．Encouraged. | D．Moved. |
| A．He encouraged the boy. | B．He let the boy drive all by himself. |
| C．He took the place of the boy and drove. | D．He was unwilling to help the boy. |
| A．The author enjoyed traveling very much. |
| B．The author was unwilling to help lazy children. |
| C．“You can” has helped the author a lot. |
| D．The author hasn’t failed in anything. |
【推荐3】Mekhi Johnson sat with his mother at a restaurant. It was time for Ivy League (常青藤联盟) schools to release their admissions decisions.
Johnson quickly started checking his position at each of the eight elite (精英) schools that he’d applied to. He started with Yale—he was in. Next, Columbia and Cornell. Those schools accepted him too. Then, he checked Harvard’s decision. “As soon as I saw I got into Harvard, my mom started screaming. She started yelling, ‘My son just got into Harvard,’ and everyone in the restaurant started clapping.” said the 17-year-old Baltimore student. “I didn’t have words then, and I don’t have words now,” he said. “It’s just amazing.”
Eleven years ago, Johnson heard a story on the radio about a student who was admitted into all the Ivy League institutions. His mother, Tawana Johnson, said her son turned to her and said, “I want to do that.” “Even young, he set the goal and was pretty serious,” she said. “He kept this idea in front of him all those years.”
Johnson is the first Gilman student to achieve this, Johnson has attended Gilman since first grade, and has a 98. I average. He edits the school’s yearbook and literary magazine, plays in the jazz band and works on musical theater productions. He also volunteers with a group that serves elementary school students from low-income families.
Johnson hopes to study at a law school. He wants to use the special experiences he’s had to fight racism (种族歧视). “Going to law school seems like a good way to do that,” he said.
1. How did Johnson react to his admission into all eight Ivy League schools?| A．He found it just unbelievable. |
| B．He considered it nothing special. |
| C．He thanked his mom for her support. |
| D．He was very excited and started screaming. |
| A．Quick-minded. | B．Strong-willed. |
| C．Quiet. | D．Experienced. |
| A．He has a wide range of interests. |
| B．He started the jazz band. |
| C．He did volunteer jobs to help middle school students. |
| D．He is the first student to be admitted into all eight Ivy League schools. |
| A．he wants to help people in poverty |
| B．it’s been his dream since early childhood |
| C．he has gained some experience in law practice |
| D．he wants to deal with racial problems by using the law |
