A bunch of strangers showed up at the gym in the early morning of the last Sunday of April. A few athletes were already stretching their arms, but most of us could barely focus. As I was burning off last night’s wrong decision-a big meal, I spotted a poster about a gym’s 21-day workout challenge, and I immediately signed up. I always wanted to train for a marathon, so I considered this as my warm-up. Besides, I needed to stop being lazy and this was my chance to make a change.
It was easy to promise on paper, but three weeks of recommended exercise routines and diet restrictions wouldn’t be easy, I stuck to working out 30 minutes a day, and I didn’t disturb my normal routine. Instead, I had to be faced with the tough work of being more creative in my spare time, thus breaking some bad habits.
Overcoming weaknesses with willpower was my goal for the next part of the journey. But the difficult part about making a challenge is realizing that “wanting” and “doing” are two very different things. Just like a career, you have to physically work for it rather than just wait for it to happen. But that’s hard. Throughout the 22 days, I often told myself that the challenge was meaningless and tried to sabotage myself from exercising. However, finally I overcame that negative thought and kept working out.
At the end of the challenge, I learned something even more important: Feeling the results is better than seeing them. I had fewer headaches and more energy, and was simply happier. I even felt a little smarter as I researched which foods were better for my body, and learned how to make healthier meals. I felt a sense of accomplishment, too, because even though I wanted to give up dozens of times, I didn’t. I felt my waist got smaller and my arms got stronger, and I no longer felt guilty after having a piece of cake or a drink.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Some of the author’s bad habits. |
| B．Some ways of the author’s killing his spare time. |
| C．The importance of sticking to the normal daily routine. |
| D．The difficulty of the author’s keeping on with the workout plan. |
| A．prevent | B．hear |
| C．improve | D．distinguish |
| A．Eating healthy food is more important than exercising. |
| B．Overcoming a challenge could bring good feelings to him. |
| C．It’s more important to see what he likes than just feel it. |
| D．There was no need to feel guilty about things he disliked to do. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Smiles and tears are part of life. But do you find enough time for laughing? I’m not asking if you experience lots of good times. Of course, we should laugh during the happy times.
As the saying goes, “
You can, if you find reasons to laugh during the difficult times. Survivors know how to laugh. If you can laugh even when you’re in trouble, you will make it. Remember, laugh and the whole world laughs with you.
| A．We just laugh about it. |
| B．Cry and you cry alone! |
| C．There’s a time to cry and a time to laugh. |
| D．Erma Bombeck is known for her funny books. |
| E．But do you also laugh during the difficult times? |
| F．She tells about the experience of 15-year-old Jessica. |
| G．I still remember those happy days when we were at college. |
【推荐2】A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year's Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn't feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.
In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect New Year's Eve is full of possibility and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?
In many ways, New Year's Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition （过渡）that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It's about letting go of the familiar and diving into the unfamiliar.
Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed mom, I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.
Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the beauty of the countryside around me. The three children 1 had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.
I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing （热情洋溢的）heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness in this holiday season.
1. What causes author's unhappiness on New Year's Eve a decade ago?| A．The pressure she faced in her work. |
| B．The health problem her husband suffered. |
| C．The information received from her family. |
| D．The relationship between her and her husband. |
| A．Set challenging goals for the next year. |
| B．Manage daily routines and form a new habit. |
| C．Spend more time with family members. |
| D．Think about the past and get ready for the future. |
| A．To honor her beloved late husband. |
| B．To show how she got through a hard time. |
| C．To share her new view of New Year's Eve. |
| D．To remind us that misfortune is part of life. |
【推荐3】Three miles is short by car, but when the three miles consists of an old wooden fence on a cattle farm that requires a fresh coat of paint, it's not a short distance any more. For the final week of summer heading into my first year of college, painting this fence was a disaster for me. At first it seemed like the most boring way to spend the last week of my wonderful freedom from school, but it actually turned out to be something intriguing.
Luckily, I wasn't alone in this task; I got the help of Rob, the farm manager. When two people were stuck under the sun of August in the middle of rural Kentucky for ten hours a day, there wasn't much to do to help pass the time. Standing in front of this fence was the last thing on Earth I wanted to do. I worked with Rob all these days, spending over hours with him with nothing to do but a boring task, and all we had for amusement was conversation. In a society filled with constant entertainment, this was a huge contrast.
It started out simply, and we talked about the weather, sports, and how annoying it was to get the fence painted. As the week progressed, so did our topics of discussion. From family and funny childhood stories to our hobbies and dreams, we began to know more about each other. We shared personal stories with each other, little pieces of our past and ourselves. I had spent plenty of time with people whether it was about sporting events, movies, or concerts, but never had I spent so much time with one person with absolutely nothing to break the silence. It was uncomfortable at first, but things changed.
Sometimes we tried to keep ourselves busy, entertained, or from getting bored. There is a deeper connection you get with people when all you're doing is talking. For a moment, you get an inside look into their mind, heart and soul. This is what humans are good at—sharing themselves. Whether we realize it or not, this is happening all the time all around us.
1. According to Paragraph 1, what does the underlined word “intriguing” mean?| A．Expected. | B．Interesting. |
| C．Unfortunate. | D．Disappointing. |
| A．Rob was very unfriendly to him |
| B．Rob asked him to do too much work |
| C．Rob didn’t know how to entertain others |
| D．Rob didn’t like to communicate with him |
| A．It is human nature to pursue happiness. |
| B．Conversation can bring people closer together. |
| C．We should often practice our communication skills. |
| D．Working during vacation can bring people much fun. |
【推荐1】Parties, iPods, concerts, movies, TV shows, video games, traffic. All of these things of the modern world make life entertaining and enjoyable. But our 21st-century lifestyle is also loud and, if we don’t take notice, it can have an effect on our hearing.
Most teenagers don’t think about hearing loss. But if you experience any of the following symptoms , you may already be hearing damaged: you make efforts to hear normal talk, you have to turn up the TV or radio so high that others complain, you watch other people’s expressions to understand what they are saying, you ask people to repeat themselves, you misunderstand what people are saying or you hear ringing in your ears.
iPods and other MP3 players are as common as the clothes you wear, and just as fashionable. But if you turn up an iPod to more than 60 percent of its maximum volume , and listen to music for more than an hour, you are asking for trouble. And, it does not matter if the music you play is classical, rock or heavy metal.
Some researchers find that young people who break the so-called 60-percent/60-minute rule in listening to iPods are at the risk of suffering hearing loss.
Why is an iPod dangerous? With ear buds placed directly in the ear canal and high-volume music played over a long period of time, it’s like working in a loud factory all day, being a maintenance person under a jet airplane or using a jackhammer（手提钻）on a building site.
Similarly, iPod music can cause a short time or permanent hearing damage. A loud iPod can cause a ruptured（破裂的）eardrum and, over time, may cause permanent damage to the tiny hairs in the inner ear. If these tiny hairs are damaged, they cannot effectively send sounds to the auditory nerves（听觉神经）that connect to the brain. If this happens, hearing loss becomes permanent.
1. Which of the following shows that you are suffering hearing loss?| A．You are interested to listen to others’ talking. |
| B．You have to read others’ expressions to understand them. |
| C．You can only understand others over the phone. |
| D．You always think you hear the ringing of the phone. |
| A．Listen at least an hour every time. |
| B．Turn up the volume to the highest level. |
| C．Keep the sound lower than 60% of its highest volume. |
| D．Choose classical, rock or heavy metal music. |
a. The eardrum is broken.
b. The auditory nerves cannot receive sounds.
c. Tiny hairs are damaged.
d. Ear buds are placed directly in the ear canal.
e. High-volume music is played over a long time.
| A．d-a-c-b-e | B．e-c-a-b-d |
| C．b-c-a-d-e | D．d-e-a-c-b |
【推荐2】The word “pub” is short for public house. There are around 60,000 pubs in the U.K. One of the oldest pubs, Fighting Cocks in St. Albans, Herts, is located in a building that dates back to the eleventh century.
Groups of friends normally buy “rounds” of drinks.
Most pubs offer a complete range of beers, local and imported, with German, Belgian and French beers being in demand.
The legal age to purchase alcohol is 18 in the U.K.
It is illegal to sell alcohol to someone who already appears drunk. Fourteen-year-olds may enter a pub unaccompanied by adults if they order a meal. Children may enter a pub with their parents until 9 p.m., which lets families enjoy reasonably priced pub meals together. And it also allows pubs to play their traditional roles as community centers. Customs in British pubs differ from those in American bars. In most pubs in the U.K., you must go to the bar to order drinks and food and pay for your purchases immediately.
| A．Most people might think pubs are places where people simply drink alcohol. |
| B．The person whose turn it is will buy drinks for all the members of the group. |
| C．People aged 16 and 17, with the license’s permission, may have only one glass of wine during a meal. |
| D．In the salon bar the atmosphere is quieter and there are fewer people. |
| E．Children can go into pub gardens with their parents. |
| F．Pubs are an important part of British life. |
| G．British people like drinking beers in pubs. |
【推荐3】With more than 2.5 million visitors annually, Olympic National Park is a most popular park in the US. If you’re looking for breathtaking views, these are the best places to camp inside Olympic National Park.
Campground
●Deer Park
Only tents are allowed here. 14 campsites are available on a first come, first served basis from June through mid-October.
Cost: $15/night
●Staircase
There are 49 campsites. The location is open through the whole year. Some of its facilities (设施) are only available during the summer.
Cost: $24/night
●Kalaloch
With its 170 campsites, Kalaloch is the largest and most popular campground in the whole park. It is interesting and convenient to park.
Cost: $24/night
●Dosewallips
Dosewallips features about 30 campsites, none of which can be reserved ahead of time. It is accessible throughout the year.
Cost: Free
Things to Know Before You Go
●Bring a Bear Canister (防熊罐): The park is filled with all kinds of wildlife that are more than willing to help themselves to your food. Bring a bear canister to keep your supplies safe.
●Firewood: Some campgrounds have firewood for sale, but visitors are allowed to collect kindling (引火物) in locations where that isn’t the case.
●Group Camping Sites: The park offers large-group camping sites in Kalaloch. The reservation may require a phone call to complete and has different pricing models. Visit the website for more information.
●Reservation Fees: All fees for the various campsites arepayable by credit card only. No cash is accepted. Be sure to have a card with you if you are not making a reservation online ahead of time.
1. What do Staircase and Dosewallips have in common?| A．They charge the most. | B．They welcome tents only. |
| C．They are open year-round. | D．They need a reservation. |
| A．Staircase. | B．Kalaloch. | C．Dosewallips. | D．Deer Park. |
| A．Paying in cash. | B．Bring some snacks. | C．Booking in advance. | D．Collecting firewood. |
【推荐1】A Teenage Inventor
The world could be one step closer to quick and inexpensive Ebola detection thanks to a teenager from Connecticut.
Olivia Hallisey, a junior at Greenwich High School, was awarded $50,000 in the Google Science Fair for her new method that detects Ebola, a virus that causes bleeding from different parts of the body and usually causes death. Olivia’s method is to ask patients to put their saliva (唾液) onto a testing card. The card changes color if the person is catching Ebloa. Present Ebloa tests take up to 12 hours and cost $1,000. Olivia’s method, however, can be done just in 30 minutes for about $25. Besides, the sample (样本) doesn’t have to be put in a refrigerator thanks to the silk material Olivia uses to produce the testing cards.
Olivia was inspired to deal with this global problem after watching the news that more than 10,000 people died from Ebola in West Africa. She was particularly worried about the fact that, while the acts of involvement can improve survival rates, present detection methods are costly, time-consuming and require complex tools. Olivia got help from her science research teacher. She drew out directions from past research, and figured out detection systems that have proven to work with other diseases, including Lyme disease and yellow fever.
“What affects one country affects everyone,” Olivia told CNBC. “We have to work together to find answers to the huge challenges which cause harm to the global health.” The Connecticut’s teen, who hopes to become a doctor one day, was named the Google Science Fair winner in the competition of 20 competitors from across the globe. The fair is open to young people between the ages of 13 and 18 in most countries.
Olivia hopes her success will inspire other girls interested in science and computers. “I would just encourage girls to try it in the beginning, and remind them that they don’t have to feel naturally drawn or feel like they have a special talent for maths or science,” she told CNBC, “but just really look at something they are interested in and then think how to improve something or make it more enjoyable or relate it to their interests.”
1. According to the passage, present Ebola detection methods ______.| A．must use a large amount of samples |
| B．may detect other deadly viruses as well |
| C．have proven to be ineffective in practice |
| D．require samples to be kept in refrigerators |
| A．Time-consuming. | B．Cheap. |
| C．Complex. | D．Out-of-date. |
| A．Attracted. | B．Controlled. |
| C．Admitted. | D．Exposed. |
| A．students | B．doctors |
| C．inventors | D．scientists |
【推荐2】Debra Ferrell got the standard well wishes on Facebook on her 53rd birthday, but she got some unusual messages too. One was about a family in Minnesota who had just lost their four-year-old son to cancer. His older brother was especially grief-stricken. Could Ferrell help?
That message and the 30 or so others like it were exactly what Ferrell was looking for. To celebrate her 53rd, she wanted to commit 53 random acts of kindness by the end of her birth month, and she needed information on people who could use one.
When she got the note about the Minnesota family, she sent a wind chime (风铃) with the message “Listen to the wind and know that I am near” on it. It now hangs in the four-year-old’s bedroom, where his brother can go to listen to it whenever he wants.
This is not the first time that Ferrell decided to give gifts for her birthday. For her 47th, she founded Love with Skin On, an organization dedicated to doing good deeds near her home in Roanoke, Virginia, and beyond. Its motto is simple: Be Love, Do Stuff.
Over the years, Ferrell has reached out and touched well over 100 strangers, some found via Facebook callouts, others with help from her grandkids. In another act of giving, she shares her favorite inexpensive and creative gift ideas. Ferrell pays for everything herself. Her family often gives her some extra birthday cash with a stern warning not to spend it on anyone else, which she naturally ignores. “I got a couple of Amazon gift cards for my birthday this year and was like ‘YESSS!’” It’s Ferrell’s party, and she’ll give if she wants to.
1. What was special for Ferrell’s 53rd birthday?| A．She got messages for help from the needy. | B．She posted unusual messages on Facebook. |
| C．She received many online wishes and gifts. | D．She gained special greetings from a family. |
| A．To express her blessings. | B．To extend her sympathy. |
| C．To share her favorite motto. | D．To comfort a wounded soul. |
| A．Ferrell will give out her family’s cash. | B．Ferrell will purchase gifts for herself. |
| C．Ferrell will stick to her deeds constantly. | D．Ferrell will find strangers via Facebook. |
| A．An unusual message | B．Giving gifts on birthday |
| C．Helping people in need | D．A story of a wind chime |
【推荐3】When Rachel Ratelle saw a news video of a burned koala trying to climb a tree to safety in fire-stricken Australia, she decided to do something about it. She looked up wildlife rescue and relief agencies in Australia to find out what they needed most. Besides donations, many organizations asked for hand-sewn and knitted pouches(袋子) and wraps for koalas and other animals that were burned or had lost their homes and parents in the fires.
This idea attracted Ratelle, but there was just one problem. "I'd never sewn in my life," said Ratelle,17,a senior at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, US. "Giving money seemed like something too simple. But I wanted to directly help these animals by doing something myself so I decided to learn how to sew."
Over the next few months, Ratelle bought her own sewing machine and taught herself how to sew via videos online. Then she purchased 18 yards of fabric and sewed 25 pouches of different sizes and shipped them off to FAWNA, one of several relief organizations that have rushed to rescue koalas, kangaroos and other species suffering from bums.
A week later, she received a photo from EAWNA with a young koala in one of her larger pouches. "It made me feel like I contributed to the world and it showed how a simple act of kindness can go a long way," said Ratelle, who hopes to study biology for a future career as a nurse practitioner.
Several craft websites around the world have appealed to people to make the animal pouches. Karen Newberry and her two daughters Madison,12 and Rochelle,8,from San Diego also offered their help in such a way. For Newberry, "It was a big push that made us crafters, sewers realize there's something more we can do than just make things for ourselves,” she said.
1. What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?| A．What inspired Ratelle to learn to sew. |
| B．The poor living conditions of Australian animals. |
| C．What is needed to save koalas and other species. |
| D．Different ways to help koalas and other animals. |
| A．Calm. | B．Surprised. | C．Proud. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．It is challenging for crafters and sewers to do relief work. |
| B．Life is not easy for crafters and sewers in Australia. |
| C．People should stay united through difficult times. |
| D．Many people are involved in helping injured animals. |
| A．Helping Injured Wildlife | B．A Big Bushfire in Australia |
| C．Making Animal Pouches | D．Relief Agencies in Australia |
【推荐1】It is the ideal way for travelers to ensure they wake up with the perfect view—a portable eco-capsule that can be set up anywhere in the world. The innovative, egg-shaped pods ensure travelers can camp in the most extreme corers of the world, with all the luxuries of a hotel room.
Looking like something in a sci-fi movie, the pods are equipped with solar panels, and a retractable(可收缩的) wind turbine(涡轮机), which guarantee solar and wind energy as its power. In this way, the tiny home can let you live comfortably wherever you travel. It even has its own shower and toilet, sleeping area for two, and a small kitchen. It may look like camping, but at least with the eco-capsule you can look forward to a hot shower and running water on your travels.
The 3306 1b pods can be transported on your travels in a sea-container or can be towed on a trailer(拖车), meaning the possibilities are endless.
Bratislava-based Nice Architects are behind the extraordinary sleepers and said they initially designed them for people who stay in the nature for a long time. However, it quickly became apparent that they could be opened up to the wider public and ever used in urban areas to combat high rent, and placed on roofs for studio space, or living quarters. The eco-capsule can serve as a cottage, a pop-up hotel or even as a charging station for electric cars.
The capsules could even be quickly imported for housing for emergency teams who have been quickly deployed to help with natural disasters that have destroyed nearby infrastructure. Described by the website as a “Swiss-army knife”, the self-contained unit can sustain long periods time without external resources.
The 86 sqft pods are able to sleep two people for up for a year and for those worried about a cold night’s sleep, the capsule has a thick layer of efficient heat isolation and energy restoration which significantly reduce heat losses.
The pod is designed to withstand harsh weather conditions due to its innovative design and materials used. No wonder the Nice Architects are so confident about its prospect and the producers are receiving heavy orders.
1. Who may be the eco-capsule initially designed for?| A．Campers. | B．Office ladies. |
| C．Field biologists. | D．Homeless people. |
| A．Because it is in the shape of an army knife. |
| B．Because it is tiny but of good quality. |
| C．Because it packs everything you need. |
| D．Because it is so useful that it is very expensive. |
| A．Negative. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Worried. | D．Doubtful. |
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen．We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us．We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically．
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically．On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods．Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale（秤）instead．All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels．
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects．Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results．Diet products make people believe that
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause．Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients．Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products．Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous．
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them．Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals．Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological and physical harm that comes from using them．
1. From Paragraph 1, we learn that ________．
| A．diet products fail to bring out people’s potential |
| B．people have difficulty in choosing diet products |
| C．diet products are misleading people |
| D．people are fed up with diet products |
| A．try out a variety of diet foods |
| B．hesitate before they enjoy diet foods |
| C．pay attention to their own eating habits |
| D．watch their weight rather than their diet |
| A．losing weight is effortless |
| B．it costs a lot to lose weight |
| C．diet products bring no pain |
| D．diet products are free from calories |
| A．are over-consumed |
| B．lack basic nutrients |
| C．are short of chemicals |
| D．provide too much energy |
【推荐3】When you’re sitting in class or behind your desk waiting for the clock to strike a time when you can go home, it is natural that your mind should wander (走神) a bit. It is common for your mind to wander to a vacation and even travel around the world. What if there is a way that you can travel around the world without having to pay any money?
A person that managed to make it around the world without spending much was Shantanu Starick. How did he trade off his service? Starick realized that as a photographer he had a service that people would usually be willing to pay money for, but he would instead offer his photography service to anyone who could provide him with food, shelter (住处) and transportation. Starick has been traveling for a surprising 30 months and has visited countries ranging from the United States to Ecuador.
In English-speaking countries, trading off services and communicating aren’t difficult for Starick. However, in farther areas where there isn’t an English- speaking person in sight it can be quite difficult. More than anything, the locals appreciate (欣赏) the effort behind trying to speak their language, even if you don’t exactly sound like a native speaker.
You can do it too!
Honestly, with a bit of confidence, drive and a skill you can trade, you’ll be able to do exactly the same as Starick.
Start thinking about what you can do to get around the world without paying money. With our social networks and the connectivity our world has, you can easily connect with and market yourself to people across the world without any effort.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To describe students in class. |
| C．To give an example for the text. |
| D．To show people’s state of mind. |
| A．Join. | B．Exchange. |
| C．Stop. | D．Improve. |
| A．The skills. |
| B．The confidence to succeed. |
| C．The bravery to travel. |
| D．The effort to speak the local language. |
| A．His job is only traveling around the world. |
| B．He is too poor to afford the travels. |
| C．He has a skill to travel without paying much money. |
| D．He doesn’t hear of other languages except English. |
