When I was a girl of five, my mother sold flowers at People’s Market in Shanghai, China. She couldn’t leave me at home on my own, so I had to go to the market with her. As I grew older, I began to help my mother and I really enjoyed it.
Things changed when I was 14. My grandma gave me a book for Christmas, which was all about making candles. I loved it so much that I spent all my free time making candles of all shapes and sizes. I made hundreds of them.
One day, my mother was ill so I had to go to the market on my own. I decided to take some candles with me and see if I could sell them. To my surprise, they were sold out in 20 minutes! The next week, my mother gave me some money to buy some wax(蜡) to make more candles. They were sold out really quickly, too.
Nine months later, we decided to stop selling flowers. My mother and I couldn’t make enough candles during the week, so some of my classmates started to help us. I paid them one pound for every candle, and we used to sell them for three or four times more expensive than that. It was interesting and my classmates worked with me in the market.
When I was 22, my uncle lent me some money and I opened my first shop on Zhonghua Road. Since then, I’ve never looked back, even in difficult times. At the first store, we only sold candles, but now we sell everything from famous furniture to paintings.
1. The writer felt ________ when helping her mother sell flowers.| A．surprised | B．enjoyable | C．difficult | D．bored |
| A．people liked the candles the writer made very much |
| B．the writer helped her mother since she was five |
| C．the writer made candles in order to sell at first |
| D．the writer paid four pounds for every candle made by her classmates |
| A．It was easy to run the first store. |
| B．It was opened with her mother’s help. |
| C．It only sold candles and flowers at first. |
| D．It was opened when she was 22. |
| A．How to set up real goals. |
| B．How the writer got her family’s support. |
| C．How to develop our interests. |
| D．How the writer succeeded in her business. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】People with bad manners are refused in the world of work. They do not get good jobs. Their business does not succeed.
Be polite to everyone you meet.
Use good manners in all of your communications. Examples: Return telephone calls and email messages within 24 hours; If you receive a rude message, do not respond with rudeness, but be polite; Do not interrupt (打断) people.
| A．Use good manners when driving. |
| B．People with good manners are accepted. |
| C．It is better to make a careful plan before you take action. |
| D．You should learn good manners from people around you. |
| E．Tell jokes or funny stories that everyone will enjoy. |
| F．Make sure people are ready to listen to you before you start talking. |
| G．You will never regret being polite, but you might regret being impolite. |
【推荐2】Since COVID-19 first appeared in 2020, Shanghai has held over 180 press conferences to inform the public of the latest situation. Have you ever watched them on TV?
If you have, then you’ve probably noticed that there is always a busy but silent man or woman on the right side of the screen. These people are sign language interpreters.Thanks to the team of seven, people with hearing loss can receive timely and accurate pandemic information.
The job is not easy. It’s a real test of one’s knowledge. During one press conference, Dr. Zhang Wenhong used a few medical terms. They were hard for ordinary people to understand. But Tang Wenyan, one of the interpreters, managed to communicate their meanings to people who cannot hear. “For cycle threshold, for example, I interpreted it as an important value,” she said. We need to make our interpretations as easy to understand as possible.
Tang has had 16 years of experience in sign language interpretation. The woman picked up sign language out of curiosity. Later, after discovering a serious shortage of sign language interpreters, she decided to build a career out of it. Tang admits that her job is tiring. However, she really wants to do her bit to make her city a better place. Behind the hard work, she says, is the wish to help people who cannot hear to overcome the difficulties they meet with in their lives.
Such efforts seem to be paying off. Tang and her colleagues have won lots of praise from the deaf community. More importantly, many people have become interested in sign language after watching their interpretations.
Perhaps one day you, too, can join the interpreters to become a “bridge” between the deaf community and the rest of society.
1. What do sign language interpreters do?| A．Give talks on TV. | B．Create hard medical terms. |
| C．Hold press conferences. | D．Communicate with the deaf. |
| A．She wished to gain reputation. |
| B．She found it was in great need. |
| C．She developed an interest in it. |
| D．She had a gift for interpretation. |
| A．Tiring but important. | B．Busy but interesting |
| C．Boring but well-paid. | D．Easy but meaningful. |
| A．A Special job. | B．A TV programme. |
| C．A worthy person. | D．A deaf community. |
【推荐3】By my mid-20s, I’d finished my master in psychology, and I was working in Dublin as a health researcher. It was mostly data and statistics work staring at a screen. I was earning more than most of my friends, living the city life, going out at weekends. I had a good pension (养老金) and annual leave but it caused a lot of anxiety and worry.I was really unhappy.
I wanted to get back to feeling passionate about something so I started thinking about the things I used to love. As a child, I’d always been involved in the outdoors, and I used to love hiking but all that had stopped after secondary school. I decided to volunteer with a local youth group and within a month, I’d gone camping with them. I absolutely loved it. It was like switching on a lightbulb. This was what I’d been missing.
I started taking courses in mountain skills and wilderness first aid, and by August I was working my usual job in the week, and I was a climbing club leader at weekends. I loved connecting with nature, connecting with other people.
Through all this, I learnt about the whole field of nature-based therapies (疗法). It was the perfect fit to combine my psychology background with my passion for the outdoors. I began taking courses in wild therapy, forest bathing and ecopsychology. I left my government job and in July 2020 I launched my business Nature Therapy Ireland, which is booming now.
I’d thought I’d always live in a city but last year, I moved to Tipperary to live at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by nature. If I’m feeling stressed, I can step outside in my bare feet and stand on the grass to ground myself. In Dublin, the front door felt like a barrier—I had to have my keys, my phone, my jacket before I could even go out and find a green space. My life now is leading nature connection hikes and forest bathing walks. My salary has halved for the moment but I’ve adjusted. I’ve never looked back.
1. What did the writer think of her job in Dublin?| A．Stressful. | B．Valueless. |
| C．Insecure. | D．Demanding. |
| A．She enjoyed her voluntary work. |
| B．She realized what she really loved. |
| C．Recalling the past made her happy. |
| D．A bright future was in store for her. |
| A．Her adventurous experience. |
| B．Her leadership and background. |
| C．Her connection with other people. |
| D．Her major and passion for nature. |
| A．To highlight how boring city life was. |
| B．To call on people to get back to nature. |
| C．To show her satisfaction with her change. |
| D．To indicate how successful her business was. |
【推荐1】Zoe was only four when her hero father Gary was killed in the Battle of Goose Green in the Falklands. She was too young to understand when her mother proudly showed her his Military Medal after collecting it from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Now, unfortunately, mother and daughter are at war over the sale of the Medal, which is due to go under the hammer at London auction（拍卖）house today.
Last night the heartbroken daughter made a final appeal to keep the Medal in the family. Zoe, who is estranged from her mother, is desperately trying to raise £70,000 to buy it after her mother, Jay, 60, decided to part with it to fund her battle with ill health.
Her daughter said, “My dad gave his life and the Medal should remain part of his family. Apart from the picture in the press when the Medal was given, I have never even been allowed to see it since. The relationship with my mom is complex. I have not seen her since I was 14. I did try to contact her when I heard about the sale. I asked her to delay and give the family a chance to buy it. ”
Zoe, a mother of two now, added, “My dad was my hero and a hero of the United Kingdom. This year he would have been 60. I have missed him my whole life, and am deeply saddened that my mum did not offer the family the chance to buy it first. ”
Yesterday Gary Bingley’s younger brother, Steve, 49, a former soldier, took the interview. “Small things like medals become a symbol to those that are left behind that these brave deeds are remembered, appreciated and are not in vain. The Medal was expected to be passed to Zoe. However, Zoe and her mother became distant. ” At last, he said, “Jay, we bear no hatred towards you, but find it difficult to understand why we had no chance to keep the medals within our family. ”
1. What did Zoe think of Jay’s decision?| A．Jay shouldn’t have sold the Medal for her ill health. |
| B．Jay should have let the family buy the Medal first. |
| C．Jay had no right to sell the Medal without permission. |
| D．Jay shouldn’t have asked the family for a high price. |
| A．Zoe is dependent on her mother. |
| B．Zoe looks down upon her mother. |
| C．Zoe feels distant from her mother. |
| D．Zoe understands her mother well. |
| A．Understandable. | B．Favorable. | C．Unavoidable. | D．Unacceptable. |
| A．Gary’s heroic acts. | B．Jay’s response. | C．The Medal’s worth. | D．Zoe’s choice. |
【推荐2】My dad is the kind of parent that expects my best. He would never be angry if I failed at something as long as I tried. He never changes his mind after he makes it, which sometimes makes him seem too stubborn. My dad’s strictness comes from the way he was raised. He grew up working long hours on his family farm. His dad was bad-tempered, and he would get angry enough to throw wooden boards at my dad when he did something wrong. In high school, my dad woke up at four in the morning to get his chores(家务杂事) done and walk to school so that he would make it to basketball practice by five.
Through all of the duties my dad had at home, he played three sports and went to school on top of it. School would have been easy, but my dad had dyslexia(读写困难)which made it nearly impossible for him to read. Since dyslexia wasn’t recognized back then, every teacher my dad had passed along thinking that he was just unable to learn. My dad struggled in school until one teacher took the time to sit down and teach him how to read and write.
The best part about my dad is his attitude toward daily life. Even though he likes things once right, he also knows how go to with the flow and have a good time. My dad doesn’t worry about things he can’t control. When he comes home from a terrible day at work, he always puts on a smile on his face because he knows family is a lot more important than any other things.
I know that I get my best qualities from my parents and the way they raised me. My dad has shown me that with discipline and hard work I can achieve anything, and have fun while doing it.
1. Which can we infer about the writer’s father from the first paragraph?| A．He always got angry easily. |
| B．He was not good at doing his chores. |
| C．He had a bad relationship with is father. |
| D．He liked playing basketball when in high school. |
| A．tried hard | B．hurried up |
| C．turned away | D．gave in |
| A．cheerful and relaxed | B．strict and serious |
| C．busy and tired | D．humorous and funny |
| A．He hopes his father will not be too strict with him. |
| B．He is very grateful to his father. |
| C．He has achieved much success in life. |
| D．He has a hard time at school just like his father. |
【推荐3】My fifteen-year-old son has just returned from abroad with rolls of exposed film and a hundred dollars in uncashed traveler’s checks, and is asleep at the moment. His blue duffel（粗呢）bag lies on the floor where he dropped it. Obviously, he postponed s much sleep as he could when he walked in and we hugged, his electrical system suddenly switched off, and he headed directly for the bed, where I imagine he beat his old record of sixteen hours.
It was his first trip overseas, so weeks before it, I pressed travel books on him, and a tape cassette of useful French phrases; drew up a list of people to visit; advised him on clothing and other things. At the luggage store where we went to buy him a suitcase, he headed for the duffels, saying that suitcases were more for old people. During the trip, he called home three times: from London, Paris, and a village named Ullapool. Near Ullapool, he climbed a mountain in a rainstorm that almost blew him off. In the village, a man spoke to him in Gaelic（盖尔语）, and, too polite to interrupt, my son listened to him for ten or fifteen minutes, trying to nod in the right places. The Frenchman he learned from the cassette didn't hold water in Paris. The French he talked to shrugged（耸肩）and walked on.
When my son called, I sat down at the kitchen table and leaned forward and hung on every word. His voice came through clearly, though two of the calls were like ship-to-shore communication. When I interrupted him with a “Great!” or a “Really?”, I knocked a little hole in his communication. So I just sat and listened. I have never listened to a telephone so attentively and with so much pleasure. It was wonderful to hear news from him that was so new to me. In my book, he was the first man to land on the moon, and I knew that I had no advice to give him and that what I had already given was probably not much help.
The unused checks are certainly evidence of that. Youth travels light. No suitcase, not much luggage and a slim expense account, and yet he went to the scene, and came back safely. I sit here amazed. The night when your child returns with dust on his shoes from a country you've never seen is a night you would gladly turn into a week.
1. When travelling, the author’s son_________.| A．forgot to call his mother | B．was lacking in money |
| C．had insufficient sleep | D．failed to take good pictures |
| A．Polite and careless. | B．Selfless and adventurous. |
| C．Creative and stubborn. | D．Considerate and independent. |
| A．The son no longer needs much help from his mother. |
| B．It is important to listen to your child’s story. |
| C．The author is proud of her son’s achievement. |
| D．It’s easy to interrupt the chat with your child. |
| A．The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. |
| B．It’s a win-win choice to give a child space to experience and explore. |
| C．Communication between parents and children is extremely important. |
| D．Good parents should protect their children from potential dangers. |
【推荐1】“Serena, don’t forget your promise to me that you will mow (割) Mrs. Martin’s yard this weekend, " said Dad. “Don’t let me down.”
Serena was the oldest child in the family, and one of her tasks was to mow their yard. Mrs. Martin, their elderly neighbor, was unable to take care of her yard, so Serena’s dad had volunteered Serena for this job. Since Mrs. Martin’s yard was not very big, Serena knew the job would go quickly. However, she still resented her dad’s promise.
“Why didn’t you ask me first?” Serena had complained.
“Did you ask me first when you volunteered me to be in the school festival last fall? asked Serena’s father.
“Well, no, I didn’t ask you first, but you would have done those things anyway. You’re always willing to help.”
“I try when I can, " Dad answered. “Serena, we have known Mrs. Martin for a very long time. She has often helped our family. Now we can do something for her. Besides, the feeling you get from helping someone makes you wonder who is really helping whom.”
“I don’t know, Dad,”said Serena. “the only feeling I get from mowing our yard is tired.”
“Just you wait and see,” said Dad.
After breakfast, Serena made her way to Mrs. Martin’s yard. She was good at her job and soon had Mrs. Martin’s yard looking tidy. Mrs. Martin came outside with a big glass of orange juice and offered it to her. Serena stopped her work and thankfully enjoyed the drink, while Mrs. Martin talked to her about all of the flowers in her yard. Seeing the joy in Mrs. Martin’s eyes, Serena began to understand how much the yard meant to Mrs. Martin.
After finishing her drink, Serena returned to work with a new attitude. A warm feeling began to spread through her body. Her dad was right. It was hard to tell who was helping whom!
1. What does the underlined word “resented”in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Felt happy about. | B．Felt angry about. | C．Welcomed. | D．Broke. |
| A．Honest and thankful. | B．Demanding and humorous. |
| C．Kind and considerate. | D．Brave and determined. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Tired. | C．Annoyed. | D．Pleased. |
| A．Mrs. Martin shared her love for the yard with Serena. |
| B．Mrs. Martin and Serena did the yard work together. |
| C．Serena likes the job of mowing her family’s yard. |
| D．Dad volunteered himself to take part in the school festival. |
【推荐2】Amanda hated how history seemed to be all about war. Jose didn't like memorizing names and dates. Gerald was convinced that nothing that had happened in the past was relevant to his life. Caitlyn hated tricky true-false questions.
Armed with the feedback (反馈) my students had given me, I began hatching a plan. These kids were bright. They were motivated. My honors class deserved to be taught in a way that would speak to them.
We'd study social and economic history, not just battles and generals. We'd read novels to bring home the humanity of history. Tests would cover the facts, but also require higher level thinking skills. No tricky true-false questions.
At first, I was surprised by how many of my students used poor grammar and lacked writing skills. And some seemed to hesitate when reading out loud. But we worked on those skills repeatedly while we were learning history. The school year came to an end more quickly than I could have imagined. Most had earned A and B. No one had averaged lower than C.
Before summer break. Mrs. Anderson, the headmaster, called me into her office for my end-of-year evaluation. “I want to congratulate you on a great freshman season,” she said with a smile. “Especially on how well you did with your remedial (矫正) kids.”
“Remedial kids? I don’t understand.”
Mrs. Anderson looked at me in a strange way. “Your first period class was a remedial. Surely you saw that indicated at the top of the roll (名单),” She pulled a file folder from a drawer and handed it to me. I opened it. There at the top, was the word HONORS. I showed it to Mrs. Anderson.
“Oh. dear,” she said. “What a mistake! How did you ever manage, treating slow students as though they were...”
I couldn't help but finish the sentence for her. “As though they were bright? I think we've both learned a lesson from this, one they didn't teach in any of the education courses I took, but one I'll never forget.”
1. Why does the author mention several students at the beginning?| A．To introduce these bright students. | B．To present the teaching problems. |
| C．To show the success of his plans. | D．To praise the wisdom of his pupils. |
| A．Her honors class hesitated to improve skills. | B．The headmaster gave her a wrong class roll. |
| C．Most of her class achieved high grades later. | D．Her students were at lower language levels. |
| A．Easygoing and kind. | B．Motivated and generous. |
| C．Patient and creative. | D．Understanding and strict. |
| A．Students should be taught according to their interest. |
| B．Traditional teaching methods might work effectively. |
| C．Students should be evaluated based on their scores. |
| D．Teachers should have confidence in their students. |
【推荐3】As a mother and a professional working full time, I spent all of my 30s saying yes. Saying yes to things I wanted to do, but a lot of the time saying yes to things I disliked. This was a people-pleasing technique that would affect people’s opinion of me: the woman who could do it all, so that I can obtain a nice fame in their mind.
Little did I know that I was also developing an autoimmune(自身免疫的) disease, which I have to believe was my body’s way of telling me to slow down. I had severely swollen joints and brain fog but I pushed through so that I could look in the mirror at the end of the day and feel “accomplished”. The only things I was accomplishing were bad health and bed habits.
And then a series of events changed everything: serious medical issues and losing my job. It took all that to help me see how intensely burnt out I was. I spent a lot of time thinking about where I had to be next instead of being present in the moment. But now, I wake up each day knowing that everything on my schedule has been purposefully agreed to.
Looking back, I had the capability to suffer the pressure to say yes. I also felt it necessary to say yes, from driving people to the airport to seeing family every Friday night. I always wanted to solve everyone’s problems and offered sound and immediate solutions. It was one big “yes” to everything.
I was everyone’s cheerleader, but forgot how to cheer for myself along the way. But saying no is being my own cheerleader. And it’s not saying no to caring for family and friends. Instead, it’s a minor change in mindset, taking a pause before automatically agreeing. I take a breath, do a quick count of my energy and ability before jumping in.
1. Why did the author say yes to things she disliked?| A．To please her boss. | B．To prove her profession. |
| C．To push herself to the limit. | D．To earn herself a good reputation. |
| A．She got rid of bad habits. | B．She thought little of them. |
| C．She slowed down her life pace. | D．She paid more attention to her health. |
| A．Purposeful. | B．Stubborn. | C．Reflective. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．Find a cheerleader. | B．Evaluate her situation. |
| C．Breathe in some fresh air. | D．Seek help from her friends. |
【推荐1】Tabichi’s father,uncle,and cousins have all worked as teachers. He could see that his relatives were making a real difference to people’s lives and wanted to do the same. So for the past 12 years, Tabichi has worked as a math and science teacher in the hope that his lessons will give students a chance to improve their situations.
However,working at a remote village school in Kenya hasn’t been easy. The unique challenges and obstacles have forced Tabichi to find unique solutions for his students. The school only has one computer and unreliable Internet access. The school also has no library or laboratory. To make matters worse,there are not enough books for all the students and the school is desperately in need of more teachers. Most of the students are not able to concentrate, because they haven’t had enough meals at home.
One of the other major challenges that Tabichi faces is keeping kids in school as long as possible. So Tabichi spends most of his time outside of the classroom working on ways to keep kids in school. When the 36-year-old gets the feeling that a student is at risk of dropping out, he works to persuade families to put more value in education. To help those in poverty afford food,uniforms,and books, Tabichi also gives away 80 percent of his salary. Despite all the obstacles he faces, Tabichi is credited for improving the school and keeping much of the village’s youth in school. He has also managed to set up science clubs and addressed food insecurity issues.
Thanks to his tireless work,his students have excelled. In recent years,students have won national and international science competitions. In March of 2019, Tabichi was voted the best teacher in the world and won the prize of $1 million.
1. What inspired Tabichi to be a teacher?| A．The high salary of teachers. |
| B．His father’s demand on him. |
| C．Contributions a teacher can make. |
| D．His relatives’ encouragement. |
| A．The difficulties Tabichi’s school faced. |
| B．The life of a remote village in Kenya. |
| C．Tabichi’s unique teaching ways for his students. |
| D．Most of the students’ distraction on their learning. |
| A．Giving students the best lessons. |
| B．Helping students get rid of poverty. |
| C．Persuading students not to drop out. |
| D．Getting students away from any risk. |
| A．Pitiful. | B．Lucky. |
| C．Punctual. | D． Selfless. |
【推荐2】Next time you watch videos in high resolution, pause for thought. Your decision may be having an unnecessary impact on the environment.
Watching videos on a smartphone in high resolution produces eight times as much carbon as viewing in standard definition, according to a report from the Royal Society. It adds that the difference in resolution is unlikely to be noticed on small screens anyway and suggests that the users should make a sensible choice in some circumstances.
“Avoiding streaming in unnecessarily high resolution will help reduce emissions,” the report says. “Platforms and regulators should consider limiting streaming resolution.” It recommends that, as part of a move “responsible streaming”, video should be turned off for many YouTube users who are only listening to the content. A previous study found that such a move could save between 1 per cent and 5 per cent of YouTube’s total emissions.
The authors do not calculate how much a person’s carbon footprint would be reduced by watching videos in lower resolution. However, they admitted that digital technology also plays a significant role in reducing emissions, such as by enabling people to communicate virtually rather than travel to meet face to face. “Digital technology lets us do things differently and it has huge potential to help reducing emissions—if used responsibly,” said Adrian Friday, professor from the University of Lancaster, who is a member of the working group for the report.
Using laptops, tablets, smart TVs and other devices for longer before upgrading will also reduce emissions, the report says. “Protecting and repairing phones is good practice to help keep them longer. Getting a phone or other device second-hand, or passing it on, and sharing equipment are other good ways.”
1. What’s the disadvantage of the high-resolution device according to this passage?| A．It can’t be upgraded in time. | B．It requires a larger screen. |
| C．It may not benefit the environment. | D．It functions rather slowly. |
| A．Replacing old laptops frequently. | B．Travelling to meet face to face. |
| C．Sharing equipment with others. | D．Streaming in high resolution. |
| A．communicating virtually is totally impractical. |
| B．YouTube is a popular platform around the word. |
| C．digital technology has more disadvantages than advantages. |
| D．digital technology should be used reasonably. |
| A．Art & Culture | B．Science & Tech | C．Entertainment | D．Economy |
【推荐3】Aging happens to all of us, and is generally thought as a natural part of life. It would seem silly to call such a thing a “disease”.
On the other hand, scientists are increasingly learning that aging and biological age are two different things, and that the former is a key risk factor for conditions such as heart disease, cancer and many more. In that light, aging itself might be seen as something treatable, the way you would treat high blood pressure or a vitamin deficiency.
Biophysicist Alex Zhavoronkov believes that aging should be considered a disease. He said that describing aging as a disease creates encouragement to develop treatments.
“It unties the hands of the pharmaceutical(制药的) industry so that they can begin treating the disease and not just the side effects,” he said.
“Right now, people think of aging as natural and something you can't control.” he said. “In academic circles, people take aging research as just an interest area where they can try to develop interferences. The medical community also takes aging for granted, and can do nothing about it except keep people within a certain health range. ”
But if aging were recognized as a disease, he said, “It would attract funding and change the way we do health care. What matters is understanding that aging is curable.”
“It was always known that the body accumulates damage” he added. “The only way to cure aging is to find ways to repair that damage. I think of it as preventive medicine for age-related conditions. ”
Leonard Hayflick, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, said the idea that aging can be cured implies the human lifespan can be increased, which some researchers suggest is possible. Hayflick is not among them.
“There're many people who recover from cancer, stroke, or heart disease. But they continue to age, because aging is separate from their disease,” Hayflick said. “Even if those causes of death were removed, life expectancy would still not go much beyond 92 years.”
1. What do people generally believe about aging?| A．It should cause no alarm whatever the circumstances. |
| B．It should be regarded as a kind of disease. |
| C．They just cannot do anything about it. |
| D．They can delay it with advances in science. |
| A．It might be prevented and treated. |
| B．It can be as risky as heart disease. |
| C．It results from a vitamin deficiency. |
| D．It is an irreversible(不可逆转的) biological process. |
| A．They now have a strong interest in research on aging. |
| B．They differ from the academic circles in their view on aging. |
| C．They have ways to prevent people's aging process. |
| D．They can contribute to people's health only to a limited extent. |
| A．Aging is hardly separate from disease. |
| B．The human lifespan cannot be lengthened. |
| C．Few people live up to the age of 92. |
| D．Heart disease is the major cause of aging. |
