I'd spent decades telling my girls that their bodies were a means to a long and satisfactory life, not objects to be admired because of how they look. I told them that good health and the energy to enjoy life should be their ultimate goals, not fitting into society's preconceived ideas of what is beautiful.
This year I'm sixty years old. I appear much older than before. This aging body of mine is not the one I expected to have. Looking at the old, fat, wrinkled woman in the mirror, I begin to complain about it. I've actually spent a lifetime focusing on my flaws, constantly complaining about my less-than-perfect self. As I was complaining yet again, my younger daughter told me, “Mom, stop. Stop putting yourself down. This is the body you live in now. It's beautiful because it's yours.” If I'm unwilling to accept my aging self with grace and dignity, how can I possibly expect my girls to do the same when they face these same physical changes?
And then, I learned that a friend of mine, the same age as me, died. At her funeral, her three heartbroken daughters spoke of their mother's devotion, wisdom, and compassion. They never said a single word about her appearance though her body had melted away during her last months. It didn't matter. I left that funeral desperate to hold my own girls in my arms, to kiss them and tell them how much they mean to me , and to promise that I will do better, be better—for them as well as for myself.
And so, to honour the memory of my dear friend and to set a good example to my beloved girls, I promise to love my aging body, and celebrate the gift of being alive.
1. What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?| A．She forgot to listen to her own advice. | B．She was more of a talker than a doer. |
| C．She was unaware of her words’ effects. | D．She was unwilling to accept others’ advice. |
| A．Advantages. | B．Imperfections. | C．Appearances. | D．Treasures. |
| A．Action speaks louder than words. | B．Lies can never change facts. |
| C．Beauty comes from the depths of the soul. | D．Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. |
| A．Running through Life | B．Rebuilding Your Life |
| C．Remembering to Respect Others | D．Finding Beauty in Ourselves |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Even smart people can make terrible decisions. Generally, it’s not because they spent time deliberating and somehow arrived at the wrong answer.
The siren call of your inbox can be hard to resist. Yet research suggests that switching between tasks — say, doing research and checking for new email — takes up to 40 percent longer than doing one at a time. Even when you think you’re being more productive by multitasking, you’re probably not.
Staying seated all day
Office jobs doesn’t contribute to getting a lot of physical activity.
Listening to music while you work
You might feel more productive when you listen to music while doing focused work — but you’re probably not really. In 2015, neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin, who cited a growing body of research suggesting that, in almost every case, your performance on intellectual tasks (thinking, reading or writing) suffers considerably when you listen to music.
Choosing foods that seem nutritious — but aren’t really
Don’t believe the hype — know the facts about your food.
Staying up too late
Scientists have identified a common phenomenon they call “bedtime procrastination”: Failing to go to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a person from doing so. For example, you keep watching one episode after another of a not-that-interesting TV show.
| A．Constantly checking your email. |
| B．This isn’t just silly — it can be dangerous. |
| C．Keeping your phone off your desk at work. |
| D．It’s because they didn’t spend any time thinking at all. |
| E．But you don’t need to be up and about for hours at a time. |
| F．In a 2005 study, scientists make a list of foods that you think are bad for you, but aren’t really. |
| G．Business Insider’s Erin Brodwin put together a list of foods that you think are good for you, but aren’t and foods that you think are bad for you, but aren’t really. |
【推荐2】On days like this, I like to leisurely leaf through the pages of my cookbooks. There’s something about a book dedicated to the preparation of good food that brings with it a feeling of comfort and belonging.
There are three types of cookbooks I favor in these challenging times: those from the warm climates, those I’ve picked up on my travels and community cookbooks.
I look through Mediterranean cookbooks with color photos of spicy foods and market stalls where fresh-picked fruits and vegetables sit in the shade, unknown and exotic.
Another source of pleasure and comfort is the regional cookbooks I have found while traveling. Looking through the pages, I wander the streets of the towns I have passed through.
Most comforting to me in these isolating times are the community cookbooks, where friends and neighbors generously share their favorite recipes. The contributors are home cooks; the resources and ingredients are accessible to neighbors and friends, some passed down from one generation to the next.
I came across one the other day that I bought at an auction. This cookbook had once belonged to a woman who did her cooking and baking using a woodstove. The recipes are handwritten. The unique writing of each contributor lends the pages an intimacy, as if your neighbor just handed you the recipe. Each recipe stirs up an image of the person who wrote it, and it’s like being with them in their kitchen.
The pages of this book have small notes in the margins. Jammed into the pockets at the front and back are recipes cut out of newspapers, and on the blank pages at the end, recipes taped to the page or hastily wrote down.
These recipes from the 1960s carry me back to the meals of my childhood. My mother was a full-time homemaker until my early teens. And when we opened the front door after school, we were often greeted by the smell of peanut butter or oatmeal cookies.
Still, there is something reassuring about the cream of mushroom soup, the canned tuna fish, the large amounts of butter and white sugar — comfort food — that has special appeal in these lockdown days. Maybe it’s the memory of the reliable routine of family dinner and conversation. Or maybe it’s remembering the moment we took before eating to acknowledge our good fortune in sharing the offering of a meal.
1. What do we know about the regional cookbooks?| A．They are from the warm climates. | B．They specialize in homestyle dishes. |
| C．They are connected with handwritten recipes. | D．They remind the author of where she has been. |
| A．Mystery. | B．Closeness. | C．Imagination. | D．Seriousness. |
| A．The cookbook was passed down from her mother. |
| B．Her mother contributed recipes to the cookbook. |
| C．The style of the recipes feels like her mother’s. |
| D．Her mother wanted such recipes years ago. |
| A．Missing cookbooks | B．Reviewing cookbooks |
| C．Escaping into cookbooks | D．Collecting favorite cookbooks |
【推荐3】Most times, what people accept as hope is a feeling or thought that something desired may happen. The word hope is a guarantee of happiness without doubt. Hope is the Greek word “elpis” meaning “to expect or look forward with pleasure”. Sam Jonah says “There is no medicine as great and powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.”
Sam Jonah is one of the world’s most influential thinkers of this century. At a time, mining (采矿) for Africans was hell (地狱) on earth, because they were treated very badly and there were no certain key positions in the industry for them because there was this belief then that “the blacks can not manage their affairs successfully”. Even in the face of all these challenges and discriminations (歧视), Sam Jonah hoped to head the industry someday. When he told his friends and parents about his hope, he became a laughing stock. Not giving up his hope, he worked hard toward it and at last he became CEO of AngloGold Ashanti.
Hope without doubt helps you to struggle hard until you finally achieve your aims. Hope keeps one alive and also helps us persevere (坚持) to succeed. Someone may say “I have tried and failed several times”. As a matter of fact, failure is unavoidable sometimes but that doesn’t affect your ability to succeed. The key is that you can’t give up your hope. Our history has seen many great achievers. Though they hoped they could make it, they also failed; however, they didn’t give up their hope. They worked even harder and eventually succeeded.
Today when we can celebrate so many of them for their courage, remember “faith without work is dead”, so is your dream or hope. Sam Jonah says “Hope is the companion of power, the mother of success; we could succeed with hope in our hearts one day.” So don’t let your nope down.
1. It can be inferred from Sam Jonah’s words in Para.1 that ________.| A．hope has great influence on our lives | B．expectation always leads to happiness |
| C．hope could cure most illnesses | D．expectation exists on tomorrow |
| A．Because he did many ridiculous things. |
| B．Because others could finish the tasks better. |
| C．Because he faced too many challenges. |
| D．Because others thought his hope is beyond reach. |
| A．show Sam Jonah’s ridiculous hope | B．introduce the condition of mining |
| C．prove that hope may lead to success | D．review the history of Anglo Gold Ashanti |
| A．owning great ability | B．having perfect faith |
| C．holding big courage | D．avoiding quitting easily |
| A．Hope is just a choice | B．Keep your hope alive |
| C．Failure helps success | D．How to achieve success |
【推荐1】The most important skill I picked up at school was keeping a routine. Routines allow us to develop a rhythm to our lives, but they also have their downsides.
It can be easy to get so accustomed to your routine that you don’t realize you’re no longer conscious of your time. This can stop progress, which means you start living your life on autopilot. It’s important that you include time in your routine for self-reflection. Doing the same thing week after week can be dull. If you make time to try new things and explore new interests, you can adjust your routine to better fit your lifestyle as things change.
When I first came to college, I was told countless times that it’s important you develop a routine so you can focus on things important to you. But it’s easy to forget the bigger picture. I got so used to the same old things that I would often forget about all of the other fun and exciting opportunities college had to offer.
It wasn’t until my junior year that I really started setting time aside to explore things that were interesting to me. This was partly because COVID-19 and lockdown made my college life a lot more boring. It was this experience that made me realize I was stuck in a rut, a feeling I’m sure many came to terms with. I decided I was going to make a change. I needed to find a balance between keeping a structured schedule and finding time to be creative and try new things.
I started writing and doing research to apply the things I learned in class. I started learning new instruments, visiting new places around town and exploring new ways to get involved in the local community. All of these different experiences allowed me to look at the things I was doing from a new perspective. It made me reassess what I’m doing with my life and pursue new goals, which have added tremendous value to my life.
Routines are important, yes, but don’t forget: it’s not the routine that determines your life. It’s only you who can decide how you spend your time, so don’t forget to throw something new in there from time to time. Above all else, don’t live your life on autopilot.
1. What can happen if we “live our lives on autopilot” according to the author?| A．We make rapid progress. |
| B．We get bored by our dull lives. |
| C．We forget to practice self-reflection. |
| D．We become more sensitive to changes. |
| A．It was vital to develop a routine. |
| B．A structured schedule helped beat boredom. |
| C．He should focus on important things. |
| D．He should lead a more balanced life. |
| A．He changed his career path. |
| B．He changed his major in college. |
| C．He paid more attention to his books. |
| D．He enriched his social life. |
| A．We should balance our school work and interests. |
| B．It’s important to explore possibilities outside our routines. |
| C．Our routines define our goals and who we are. |
| D．Colleges offer us numerous opportunities to try new things. |
【推荐2】If you want your life to stand for peace and kindness, it’s helpful to do kind, peaceful things. One of my favorite ways to do this is by developing my own helping actions. These little acts of kindness are opportunities to be of service and reminders of how good it feels to be kind and helpful.
We live in a rural area of the San Francisco Bay Area. Most of what we see is beauty of nature. One of the exceptions to the beauty is the litter that some people throw out of their windows as they are driving on the rural roads. One of the few shortcomings to live in the mountainous area is that public services, such as litter collection, are less available than those are closer to the city.
A helping action that I practice regularly with my two children is picking up litter in our surrounding area. We’ve become so used to doing this that my daughters will often say to me in exciting voices, “There’s some litter, Daddy, stop the car!” And if we have time, we will often pull over and pick it up. It may seem strange, but we actually enjoy it. We pick up litter in parks, on sidewalks, practically anywhere. Once I even saw a complete stranger picking up litter close to where we live. He smiled at me and said, “I saw you doing it, and it seemed like a good idea.”
Picking up litter is only one of endless supplies of possible helping actions. You might like holding a door open for people, visiting lonely elderly people in nursing homes, or removing snow off someone else’s driveway. Think of something that seems effortless yet helpful .It’s fun, personally rewarding, and sets a good example. Everyone wins.
1. What does the author think of developing helping actions?| A．It helps us to be winners. | B．It is very difficult. |
| C．It requires lots of effort. | D．It makes us feel good about ourselves. |
| A．It’s in the center of San Francisco. | B．People can see beautiful sceneries here. |
| C．It’s very easy to find litter collection. | D．Few people drive on the rural roads. |
| A．By sharing his own experience. | B．By listing reasons for giving help. |
| C．By explaining different methods to be helpful. | D．By making a comparison with others. |
| A．Parents are the best teachers to their children. | B．Everyone should set good examples to others. |
| C．Small kind acts make the world a better place. | D．Protecting the environment will benefit all of us. |
【推荐3】It's not easy to grow up. Actually, it's far from easy. Growing up can be a real “pain” for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren't allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel trapped, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don't understand why we can't stay young forever. When we look back on all the hardships in life with a positive attitude, we realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains！
As a young girl my parents forced my sisters and me to do so many things that I never liked.
They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music, just because it was what they wanted me to do. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched my life in so many ways. I realize that my parents and teachers were always pushing me along, not because they wanted me to suffer but because they wanted me to succeed in life. They've always wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.
Every moment of our lives we are either living or dying, so live life to its fullest！We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just small pains in life. They might seem so huge at the time but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no fear and live life like that.
The future is ours！A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone！If we realize that these pains are just small bumps (凸块) on our road to success we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains！
1. According to Paragraph 1, we learn that when we are young ________.| A．life is full of joy | B．life is easy for us |
| C．we know we can stay young forever | D．we sometimes can't do things we like |
| A．take music lessons | B．turn gains into pains |
| C．look back on hardships | D．live a successful life by suffering a lot |
| A．Growing pains are necessary for us to grow up. |
| B．We all have to experience growing pains. |
| C．A little hard work and sweat are harmful to us. |
| D．Life without fear is a better choice for us. |
| A．angry | B．bored | C．unfriendly | D．thankful |
【推荐1】I was checking out at the supermarket counter on Wednesday night, ready to pay for my bananas, when all of a sudden, fear came upon me. My wallet was gone. And I could only have left it one place: the G9 bus, from which I had gotten off minutes earlier and which was now speeding to some stops. The moment of realizing it was gone was followed by mental math. How much time and money would it cost to replace the credit cards, the driver's license, the expensive lipstick ($ 55!).
Two hours after I was back at my house, I heard a knock on the door. My husband answered while I sat in the dining room on the phone with a credit card company. "Does Jennifer live here?" I heard someone say. In her hand was my wallet, without a penny missing. She left before I could offer my gratitude to her.
After I posted the story, I heard from her boyfriend, who identified the good citizen as Erin Ball, a 26-year-old girl working for a trade organization.
Once I figured out her, I called to thank her. She said she spotted my wallet and thought that it's more dangerous to go to a stranger's house than leaving the wallet with the driver, but she still decided to take the chance. "If I were in that situation, I would want someone to try to find me," she said. Ball doesn't find her actions particularly excellent. She added, "It's not hard to do small things for people."
After Ball found my wallet, she decided to post a picture of my driver's license online before going to my house, trying to see if anyone knew me. No sooner had she left my doorstep than I got emails from two neighbors who recognized my face, both offering to help me find my missing property.
Ball found my house on a bitterly cold night, for which I was extremely grateful. Looking back, I'm not surprised someone had wanted to help a stranger. A warm current of honesty and harmony is running through this town.
1. What do we know about the author according to paragraph 1?| A．She missed the G9 bus. |
| B．She paid for her bananas. |
| C．She replaced the credit cards. |
| D．She found she had left her wallet on the bus. |
| A．The G9 driver. |
| B．The girl's boyfriend. |
| C．The author's neighbors. |
| D．The author's husband. |
| A．Ball called the author. |
| B．Ball went to the author's house. |
| C．Ball gave the wallet to the bus driver. |
| D．Ball posted a photo of the author's driving license. |
| A．Humorous and kind. |
| B．Generous and demanding. |
| C．Honest and warm-hearted. |
| D．Caring and outgoing. |
【推荐2】Quick,what’s seven times seven plus ten?If you can tell Ahem “Medy” Alwan, a cashier at Lucky Candy bodega in the Bronx,you could get all the snacks your heart desires. For the past couple weeks,the 20-year-old has been quizzing customers on basic math equations. When a customer gets one right,they get five(well,more like ten) seconds to grab whatever they want in the deli.
For Ahmed“Medy”Alwan,23,joy is as essential as breakfast—and customers at his family’s corner store sometimes struggle for both. So he came up with a clever way to brighten his customers’ days.“I’ve always helped out people in the neighborhood,”he says.“They’ve known me since I was a little kid. I know half of them by name. And, you know, sometimes they need credit.”
Lucky Candy is located on a busy street in the Bronx,which is what’s known as a food desert, where affordable,healthy food is scarce. Many residents rely on neighborhood shops like Lucky Candy for their daily needs.
Enter the bodega challenge on the social media. Whenever a resident gets an answer right, one of two things usually happens. Some kids dart for the candy, and who could blame them? Others grab things like rice, oranges, and potatoes, clearly thinking of the family at home.
“They’re doing something good,”Berto, a student who stopped in after school, told Inside Edition.“Because here,we see a lot of people who don’t even have anything.”
Alwan covers the sprees with his paycheck. But his boss,as known as his father,Saleh Aobad, doesn’t mind chipping in too. A Yemeni immigrant, Aobad knows that in one of the toughest, most competitive places inthe U.S.,a bit of help goes a long way.
“This changed our relationship with the community big-time,” says Alwan.“They’re showing so much love,and they’re lining up at the store for a chance to play.”
1. What inspired Ahmed“Medy”Alwan to come up with the bodega challenge?| A．His love for math. | B．His kindness and generosity. |
| C．His passion for healthy food. | D．His interest in food deserts. |
| A．For their daily math challenges. | B．For family groceries. |
| C．For organizing community events. | D．For providing credit services. |
| A．Adults from the neighborhood. | B．Students who perform well in mathematics. |
| C．Customers needing food for families. | D．Candy enthusiasts. |
| A．It has created competition among community members. |
| B．It has strained his relationship with his father. |
| C．It has increased affection and support from the community. |
| D．It has led to financial difficulties for the store, |
【推荐3】When Simon Cane was in the second grade, he began learning about all the ways humans have an impact on the environment and really took those classroom lessons to heart in a way that set him apart from his schoolmates at his elementary school, P. S. 81, in the Bronx. “He told me we drove too much and made too much pollution,” his dad, Jonathan Cane, told Runner’s World. So Simon convinced his parents to start hanging their clothes to dry, taking the stairs instead of elevators, and other “green” measures.
“For much of kindergarten and first grade I rode my bike to Simon’s school with him on the back,” Jonathan said. As Simon got bigger, though, it wasn’t practical for him to ride on the back — because there was no place to put away Simon’s bike. So, most of the time they drove the 1.5 miles to school.
But in 2019, when Simon was going into third grade, the 8-year-old boy came up with a new way to help the planet: running the 1.5miles to P. S. 81. And Jonathan promised his son he’d join him for as long as he wanted.
“We did a test run one day in August, and decided to give it a go. To be honest, I thought he’d blink (眨眼) after it got really cold or rainy, but he never did,” Jonathan said.
He recalled one day when the weather was particularly bad. “It’s raining out there today,” he told Simon. And Simon said, “Well then we’re going to get wet!” He took pride in toughing it out, and it became a fun family routine.
Since the start, Simon has run with his dad and their black dog, Lola, and has even inspired his mom, Nicole Sin Quee, to join in. They soon became known as “the family that runs to school”.
1. What can we infer about Simon when he was in the second grade from the first paragraph?| A．He was unwilling to take the stairs. |
| B．He often helped his family wash clothes. |
| C．He cared about taking care of the environment. |
| D．He was more intelligent than most of his schoolmates. |
| A．His father carried him on the bike. | B．His father drove him there. |
| C．He went to school by running. | D．He took the school bus there. |
| A．He was so hesitant. | B．He was quite impatient. |
| C．He was very stubborn. | D．He was rather determined. |
| A．They leave their black dog at home when they run. |
| B．Simon’s mother was persuaded to run by her husband. |
| C．Simon’s mother participates in the run influenced by him. |
| D．They run to Simon’s school only in order to build their bodies. |
