One of my favorite actions is doing good deeds. When other people receive my help, it makes me happy. However, some people look at you strangely when you want to do that. Once I asked a gas station operator if I could pay for the car behind me, but I got a blank stare. After a short explanation, he hesitantly agreed, but then said it was so unbelievable when I pleasantly made this double payment.
So, it’s nice when people “get it”. It seems that people do me a favor too if they receive my favor. At a barbershop recently, after getting my hair cut, I went to the counter to pay. My barber said, “That’ll be twenty dollars please.”
I found that in my wallet I had exactly forty-two dollars. “OK, tell me if you think this is crazy—I’d like to pay for someone else’s haircut as well.”
She hardly hesitated, “Yeah, you can do that.”
Wow it seemed that she was used to this. How cool! She opened her appointment book and asked, “Who do you want to pay for?”
“You pick.”
A pause. “Oh, you mean someone you don’t know?”
“Yeah, is that crazy? What do you think?”
“No, that’s great! I mean sure, why not?”
She agreed to pick an upcoming appointment of hers. I told her I was sorry I only had two dollars left for her trip, but that I would come back later with more. “No, no, this is enough,” she said with a smile, as she quickly wrote down a note. It was as if this idea was so pleasantly natural that she was being introduced to something familiar.
I don’t know who got my help at last, which isn’t important. The process is often just as satisfying, if not more that the result.
1. Why did the operator at the gas station blankly stare at the author?A.He thought the author was an idiot. | B.He wondered if the author had enough money. |
C.He couldn’t believe what the author said. | D.He didn’t hear what the author said. |
A.She showed no interest in the author. | B.She misunderstood the author at first. |
C.She always helps others like the author. | D.She always helps the author like others. |
A.Forty-two dollars. | B.Twenty-two dollars. | C.Two dollars. | D.None. |
A.rather satisfying | B.difficult to accept | C.less exciting | D.very boring |
A.Serious and stone-hearted. | B.Popular and crazy. |
C.Happy and selfish. | D.Kind and generous. |
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【推荐1】My brother Jack’s childhood was completely influenced by his extreme picky eating. From three to about 14, he only ate chicken, peanut butter, apples, cereal, and sweets. We tried everything in the book, but none succeeded.
However, in the past three years, he has gone through an amazing change. Today, he will eat close to ten times the types of foods he was willing to try before. He is even willing to try new things; he constantly asks to order something different at a restaurant. I’ve often wondered what makes a person change so much.
Through some research, several factors come out. The first major player in our food preferences is innate (先天的), and it all starts with genetics. As humans, we all are likely to enjoy a few particular tastes for evolutionary (进化的) reasons.
However, genetics aren’t the only factor that explains why we enjoy or dislike particular foods. In fact, most of our preferences are actually learned, sometimes even before we are born. In one study, mothers regularly drank carrot juice late in the stages of their pregnancy (怀孕). After birth, these babies tended to enjoy carrot-flavored milk more than other babies.
Additionally, I believe that sometimes, cultural influences affect your willingness to try food, Possibly, my brother finally got so sick of having to be the one who needed a special order at a restaurant that he forced himself to try and like those things he was afraid of. It simply takes time. People will learn to adapt and realize their true tastes. An open mind is a positive thing, and most will develop an ever-expanding plate as they age.
1. What do we know about Jack’s eating habit before he was 14?A.He always ate too much. |
B.He only ate certain foods. |
C.He had no chance to try new food. |
D.His family changed his eating habits. |
A.Surprising. | B.Scary. | C.Dangerous. | D.Funny. |
A.Our food preference can be learned. |
B.Genetics influences food preference. |
C.Eating habits can’t be changed very easily. |
D.People enjoy certain foods for evolutionary reasons. |
A.Keep a healthy lifestyle. |
B.Stick to what we like. |
C.Understand the food culture. |
D.Stay open and try something new. |
【推荐2】Life is a series of choices whose consequences we cannot always foresee. Harry Saleem, an obese man with too much money and power, faced a choice. Outside his office waited his personal doctor who has brought him significant news about the only medicine that could save his life. On the other side of the world, one of his engineers waited for his decision on an important matter of business.
His secretary urged him several times to bring the doctor in but received only an indifferent reply from the billionaire: “No, let the fool wait.” “Business comes first!” Growled Saleem who was still obsessed with making money, despite the health problems caused by his huge weight. He raised a fat finger, and one of his staff hurried to switch on a large television set whose screen flashed to life, and Saleem’s engineer appeared. The man talked by satellite directly to his master although they were thousands of miles apart: “It’s all ready to blow, Mr Saleem,” he said. “Just say the word.”
His engineer was standing above Pakan Valley in South America which had been a rain forest just a few months ago, but then Saleem’s men came, cutting down all the valuable trees and forcing the villagers to move out. Across the bottom of the valley, a dam had been built which would provide power for the planned factories which would bring Saleem vast profits. Therefore, he saw no reason to delay and ordered the engineer to press the button. The camera panned away into the distance, and then a cloud of dust rose up, followed shortly by a dull explosion. A roaring river changed its course, and water flooded into the doomed Pakan Valley.
”Good, that’s that. Turn it off. Now get that doctor in here,” he commanded. The doctor came in with a worried look and started to examine his wealthy patient. “You’re doing very well, Mr Saleem,” he said finally. “The new medicine is saving your life but the only difficulty is getting more of it.” “Can you get more? Money is no problem,” Saleem said. “Tell me what you need, and we’ll get it.”
”The main ingredient of this medicine came from a newly discovered plant—a small, green orchid,” the doctor explained. “We’ll need many of them to make enough medicine. They are very rare. There’s only one place in the world where they grow.”
“Where?” demanded the businessman, impatiently.
The doctor smiled. “Well, lucky the orchids come from some land which you own, sir, so there won’t be any difficulty finding them. They’re from a place in South America known as Pakan Valley.”
1. Why did Saleem postpone the appointment with the doctor?A.He was busy planning the building of a dam. |
B.He was about to interview an important engineer. |
C.He was about to attend an important online meeting. |
D.He didn’t care about the advice of his secretary. |
A.Life is composed of unforeseeable consequences. |
B.Saleem is an obese billionaire who cares a lot about money. |
C.Saleem’s engineer was waiting for a final word about a project. |
D.The construction of the dam took the local biodiversity and ecology into consideration. |
A.fatal | B.declined | C.lucky | D.destined |
A.Staying as calm as he used to be. |
B.Getting angry by the doctor’s word. |
C.Growing impatient by the doctor’s persuasion. |
D.Getting shocked by the medical advice and what he had just done. |
【推荐3】Luke has always been my closest and constant companion these past five years. In fact, he is very friendly to me especially when I take care of other furry friends in our shelter.
There have been a lot of forest fires during the summer season. Not far from our shelter, a forest caught fire during this hot summer. Luke rushed towards the forest where flames send out a terrible heat. There’s no longer any hope at the moment to wait for Luke to come back to the shelter. In fact, I was waiting for the firemen to announce me his death in the forest. Suddenly, a fireman burst into my office and informed me that my dog Luke succeeded in saving four cats which were trapped by the flames. Luke seized the kittens, one by one moving them to a safe place. I immediately accompanied the fireman to the forest to pick up the rescued kittens, but Luke was not there. Then we heard the sound of a dog came from the forest barking furiously. The firemen followed the tracks of the dog until they found him barking loudly by the side of an injured fireman who was lying on the ground.
That day, I was very proud of Luke for his two heroic actions. I paid a visit to the fireman accompanied with my adorable Luke. What a memorable scene when the fireman hugged Luke tightly to his chest! “One thousand thanks, Luke, for saving my life,” the fireman said.
This true story of love and compassion shows us that pets are loving, caring and compassionate. We should love and protect them. Don’t belittle them. Little animals can make enormous things for humans.
1. At the very beginning the author thought ________.A.Luke ran away from the shelter for ever. |
B.Luke was afraid of big fire |
C.Luke was killed by the big fire. |
D.Luke was able to save all the people |
A.Luke rescued four cats and a fireman from the fire |
B.Luke warned people of the coming fire |
C.Luke took care of other furry animals in the shelter |
D.Luke has always been my closest and constant companion |
A.Make things small | B.Look down upon |
C.Show respect for | D.Make enemy with |
A.To stress the role of pets in people life. |
B.To persuade people to keep pets. |
C.To call attention to the danger big fire. |
D.To share a story of love and compassion of pets with us. |
【推荐1】When someone is homeless or trying to recover from a natural disaster, they are in need of a lot of the basic life necessities that many of us take for granted (认为……是理所当然的). While people are often encouraged to donate canned goods, not everyone is thinking about things like shoes.
Of course, you can’t go looking for a new job or a home, if you have no shoes to walk in. One woman in Hays, Kansas took this into consideration, and found a way to help hundreds of people.
Payless stores were going out of business, and shoes were selling for as little as $1 per pair, so a woman named Addy Tritt bought out all the remaining shoes at the Hays Payless store—more than 200 pairs—and donated them to flood victims (灾民) in Nebrsska.
Those shoes were then included in a flood relief shipment taken to farmers in Nebraska by Fort Hays State University. Tritt, who recently graduated from FHSU’s human resources program, wanted to “pay it forward”.
“I have been so lucky,” she said. “There have been so many great people in my life who have inspired me. I see so many terrible things in the news. So many people have helped me when I was down. They influenced me so much that I want to help if I can.”
Tritt has a history of charitable (慈善发) acts. She has donated more than 60 bags of school supplies to Hays students, and organized a baby clothes drive and two supply drives for the animal shelter.
“I really feel I have been directed and guided to help people,” she said. “If you can do something for someone else, you need to find a way even if it is a pair of shoes.”
1. How did Tritt help flood victims?A.By sending some food to them. |
B.By helping them find new jobs. |
C.By selling shoes to raise money for them. |
D.By buying shoes for them. |
A.Pay ahead of time. | B.Save some money. |
C.Pass the love. | D.Put forward the plan. |
A.The low price of shoes. | B.Other people’s influence. |
C.Ideas from her school. | D.The sad situation of victims. |
A.Caring. | B.Independent. |
C.Clever. | D.Brave. |
【推荐2】A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said, “I am blind, please help me.” There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it over, and wrote some words on it. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat was filled up. More and more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man came to see how things were. The boy heard his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”
The man had written, “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course, both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. The second sign told people that they were able to enjoy the beauty of the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind. We’re not only lucky to see the beautiful world but also can help others. So, enjoy what you have owned today!
1. A blind boy sat on the steps of a building in order to________.A.get money from others | B.make the writer help him |
C.wait for some people | D.hold up a sign |
A.The boy was taken away by the police | B.Nobody gave the blind boy money any more |
C.The blind boy could see the beautiful day | D.More people dropped money into the boy’s hat |
A.It’s helpless of us to help people in need | B.We should treasure what we have |
C.Give more money to the blind | D.It’s a good way to make money by holding a sign |
A.took away the blind boy’s money |
B.gave the boy a new hat |
C.brought the boy a sign |
D.gave the boy some money and wrote some words on the sign |
【推荐3】Youth Art For Healing is a non-profit organization founded by Jan Papirmeister in 2012. As the Executive Director, she makes great efforts to work with schools, hospitals and other healthcare organizations to bring works of art created by the youth into healthcare environments. She wants to provide a sense of comfort, inspiration and healing for patients, their loved ones and healthcare professionals during very challenging times.
Papirmeister is one of our favorite world changers. As a child, she donated her artworks to a volunteer group caring for dying people and a camp for children with cancer. She felt pity for them so she hoped her works could bring a little help. When she grew up, she became a school nurse and showed students how to create drawings to decorate the walls of the health office. Then, as a hospital nurse, she made the time to sit with patients and create art with them. In her job as a nurse, she realized works of art could really help patients feel better.
Her organization Youth Art For Healing is based in Bethesda, MD. It provides opportunities for students to learn about the nature of healing art, the power of art to heal, how to follow guidelines for healing art, the role of the art in healthcare, and the value of building and strengthening community connections and spirit. As students share their talent with those in need, students come to the realization that they can make a difference.
Papirmeister was awarded a Society for the Arts in Healthcare grant(拨款)to bring artworks to patients, their families and staff of the oncology unit(肿瘤科). She also received two SCORE Awards for her efforts to comfort patients and their families. This woman is a shining example of an artist and healer who uses the healing power of art to bring huge benefits to children, patients, their loved ones, healthcare providers, and the community at large.
1. Why did Jan Papirmeister most probably start the organization?A.To make a fortune out of it. |
B.To encourage kids to develop artistic taste. |
C.To offer people mental support through art. |
D.To help improve doctors' medical skills. |
A.She often changed her dreams. |
B.She was generous and cared about others. |
C.Her artworks were highly appreciated by experts. |
D.She was greatly influenced by a school nurse. |
A.They can receive free treatment. |
B.They can become successful artists. |
C.They can access health knowledge easily. |
D.They can be helpful in improving others’ lives. |
A.Papirmeister's effort has been well recognized. |
B.Papirmeister praises students for their progress. |
C.Papirmeister asks people from all walks of life to support her. |
D.Papirmeister makes a breakthrough in the medical community. |