My father loves his garden. He planted some seeds in it. But at that time, I didn’t understand why working in the dirt excited him so much.
Unfortunately, in early May, my father was seriously injured in an accident. He had to stay in bed for a while. My mother had several business trips, so she couldn’t take care of the garden. I didn’t want my father to worry, so I said that I would take care of his garden until he recovered. I assumed that the little plants would continue to grow as long as they had water, and luckily it rained fairly often, so I didn’t think much about the garden.
One Saturday morning, my father said to me, “Christine, the vegetables should be about ready to be picked. Let’s have a salad today!” I went out to the garden and was upset to see that many of the lettuce leaves and carrots had been half eaten by bugs. There were hundreds of bugs all over them!
I panicked for a moment but then I quietly went to the nearest store to buy some vegetables. When I gave the salad to him, he said, “Oh, Christine, what a beautiful salad! I can’t believe the carrots are this big already. You must be taking very good care of my garden.” I felt a little bit guilty.
Coming home, my mother saw the bag from the supermarket in the kitchen. I was embarrassed, and I admitted Dad wanted a salad but the garden was a disaster. I didn’t want to disappoint him so I went to the store. She laughed but promised to help me in the garden and weeks later I was finally able to pick some vegetables.
I carefully made a salad and took it to my father. He looked at it with a hint of a smile, “Christine, the carrots are smaller in this salad, but they taste better.”
Now, I better understand how putting a lot of effort into caring for something can help you appreciate the results more, however small they may be. Perhaps this was one of the reasons for my father’s love of gardening.
1. Why did Christine originally promise she would do the gardening?| A．She was asked by her father to do it. | B．She was interested in growing vegetables. |
| C．She knew it was important to her father. | D．She wanted to improve her gardening skills. |
| A．Insects destroyed the lettuce and carrots. | B．Animals often dug holes in the garden. |
| C．The plants were given too much water. | D．The vegetables were marked incorrectly. |
| A．Her mother helped her to buy the vegetables. |
| B．Her mother regularly helped her to make a salad. |
| C．Her father couldn’t see the progress of the vegetables in his garden. |
| D．Her father went on a business trip at that time. |
| A．Always get ready for a rainy day. | B．Don’t be disappointed by bugs. |
| C．Working alone produces results. | D．Hard work can often be rewarding. |
相似题推荐
Do the right Thing
In life, people feel most satisfied when they choose options that side with their most deeply values. Here's how to stay true to yours.
If you hope to have your life shaped according to your ideals, you have to know what those ideals are. Perhaps begin sessions by identifying the concepts that are most important from a list: honesty, structure, family and so on. Those qualities are influenced by your parents, your culture and society as a whole, but you have to take ownership of your own decisions.
Almost all of these qualities are things most of us desire to hold dear. To determine which principles are more than just desires, reflect on situations that resonate(共鸣) with yourself.
Identifying your values will guide you in the right direction, but a few strategies can help you follow through. Before you make a big decision, do something that will put you in high spirits: exercise, socialize with friends, volunteer. Researchers theorize that such activities improve our mood, which promotes dopamine levels in certain areas of the brain, improving our cognitive abilities and helping us weigh different options.
Trouble is the toughest decisions often arrive at the most inconvenient times. When you’re under force, ask a family member, a friend or in certain cases, a professional for advice. They can provide advice that’s not slightly influenced by the work deadline, or leaky roof gradually weakening your mental energy.
Of course, people make decisions that contradict their ideals all the time. There are lots of values we hold dear and they frequently come into conflict with one another. It’s not so much that people don’t know what they want: it’s that there are many things we desire, and we don’t always know how.
While a single decision can seem like a tug-of-war between competing desires, broader life choices don’t need to be a definitive either/or question. One who likes traveling worldwide might temporarily put off a grand trip to explore locations closer to home or commit to setting aside time for vacation with their family every summer, no matter what else comes up.
Surround yourself with people who, besides sharing your passion, can also prevent you from hesitating. A group can remind you, “Hey, we’re doing this because we love it. ”If you’re still struggling, even after seeking out community support, there’s no shame in revising your core values. If you’re determined to take part in a charity program but spend the evening with friends instead, it may be time to accept that friendship is more important to you than volunteerism. Better yet, find opportunities to continue the charity program with your friends.
You may learn that what you believed was a core priority actually has much more to do with living: up to what your parents, co-workers or others expect. If your values agree with who you really are, no one will have to ask you to make those choices.
Title: Do the Right Thing | |
Passage outline | Detailed information |
Problem | It’s most satisfying to make choices which |
Solutions to the problem | ▶Know your values ●Identify your values. It can help ●Many ●Consider situations resonating with yourself when |
▶Find the best time ●Do something putting you in a good ● | |
▶Balance all options ●Learn to make ●Avoid limiting choices to a definitive either/or question. | |
▶Stay the course ●Stay with people who encourage you to stay true without a slight ●It is not | |
Conclusion | ●Your values may agree with the ●If your values agree with who you really are, no one will have to ask you to make those choices. |
The baggage handler calmly apologized and smiled all the time. The customer continued to berate(痛斥) the man, even as he turned away and headed for his gate. Through it all the baggage handler smiled and remained calm.
The other customers in line witnessed the incident and admired the baggage handler’s professionalism and self-control. “I have never seen such restraint and humility,” one of the customers sighed, “How do you keep your cool when somebody is attacking you so viciously?”
“It’s easy,” the baggage handler answered. “He’s going to London, but his bags are going to Tokyo.”
I won’t recommend that we use revenge to relieve stress. But let me tell you about one of my friends who has found a way to go through most of his life unaffected by theturbulence that disturbs most people. He is one of the calmest people I’ve ever known and he describes how he keeps his cool no matter how turbulent a situation becomes. He says, “I look at it this way. A traffic jam has no power to make me angry. It just stops my car. And that’s the way I try to look at most of what happens to me.” With that philosophy, this guy goes through life with a calmness I can only envy.
My friend likes to say things like, “A rude customer has no power to make me angry; he just fusses.” And, “A mistake I made has no power to make me upset; it’s just a chance to do better.” He shows how we can truly find calmness in the midst of chaos.
1. The airport baggage handler remained calm during the customer’s berating because ______.
| A．he was good at self-control |
| B．he wanted to show his professionalism |
| C．he wanted to revenge the customer |
| D．he knew well the airport rules |
| A．Appreciative. | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．To tell us what is true calmness. |
| B．To explain a special philosophy. |
| C．To show his envy to the friend. |
| D．To advise us to have good manners. |
| A．an uneasy or a disturbing state of mind |
| B．a confusing or uncontrolled situation |
| C．a person that makes people angry |
| D．violence that hurts people |
| A．A Clever Baggage Handler |
| B．Restraint and Humility in Life |
| C．A Philosophy for Everyone |
| D．Calmness in Chaos |
【推荐3】My name is Alice. Early last year, I was troubled by an anxiety that crippled my ability to do anything. I felt like a storm cloud hung over me. For almost a year I struggled on, constantly staring at this wall that faced me. My perfectionist tendencies were the main root of this: I wanted to be perfect at whatever I did, which obviously in life is not possible, but it consumed me.
One day, I attended a presentation by wildlife conservationist Grant Brown at my high school. His presentation not only awed and inspired me, but also helped emerge an inner desire to make a difference in the world. I joined a pre-presentation dinner with him and that smaller setting allowed me to slowly build up my courage to speak one-on-one with him—an idea that had seemed completely impossible. This first contact was where my story began.
A month later, Brown invited me to attend the World Youth Wildlife Conference. Looking back, I now see that this would be the first in a series of timely opportunities that my old self would have let pass, but that this new and more confident Alice enthusiastically seized. Shortly after I received his invitation, applications to join the Youth for Nature and the Youth for Planet groups were sent around through my high school. I decided to commit to completing the applications, and soon I was a part of a growing global team of young people working to protect nature. Each of these new steps continued to grow my confidence.
I am writing this just six months since my journey began and I’ve realised that my biggest obstacle this whole time was myself. It was that voice in the back of my head telling me that one phrase that has stopped so many people from reaching their potential: I can’t. They say good things come to those who wait; I say: grab every opportunity with everything you have and be impatient. After all, nature does not require our patience, but our action.
1. What does the underlined word “crippled” probably mean in the first paragraph?| A．Created. | B．Defeated. | C．Enhanced. | D．Damaged. |
| A．Her inner desire for communication. | B．Her strong interest in wildlife. |
| C．Her newly-emerged will change the world. | D．Her urgent demand for courage. |
| A．She has gained courage and skills to make public presentations. |
| B．She has become confident enough to seize the opportunities. |
| C．She has topped all the team members in protecting nature. |
| D．She has become more patient to wait for the chances. |
| A．No one is perfect. | B．Courage lightens the blow of fate. |
| C．Good things come to those who wait. | D．Action is worry’s worst enemy. |
【推荐1】Boomerang children who return to live with their parents after university can be good for families, leading to closer, more supportive relationships and increased contact between the generations, a study has found.
The findings contradict research published earlier this year showing that returning adult children trigger a significant decline in their parents’ quality of life and wellbeing.
The young adults taking part in the study were “more positive than might have been expected about moving back home—the shame is reduced as so many of their peers are in the same position, and they acknowledged the benefits of their parents’ financial and emotional support. Daughters were happier than sons, often slipping back easily into teenage patterns of behaviour, the study found.
Parents on the whole were more uncertain, expressing concern about the likely duration of the arrangement and how to manage it. But they acknowledged that things were different for graduates today, who leave university with huge debts and fewer job opportunities.
The families featured in the study were middle-class and tended to view the achievement of adult independence for their children as a “family project”. Parents accepted that their children required support as university students and then as graduates returning home, as they tried to find jobs paying enough to enable them to move out and get on the housing ladder.
“However”, the study says, “day-to-day tensions about the prospects of achieving different dimensions of independence, which in a few extreme cases came close to conflict, characterised the experience of a majority of parents and a little over half the graduates”.
Areas of disagreement included chores, money and social life. While parents were keen to help, they also wanted different relationships from those they had with their own parents, and continuing to support their adult children allowed them to remain close.
1. What is the finding of the previous research?| A．Boomerang children made their parents happier. |
| B．The parents were looking forward to their children’s return. |
| C．The parents’ quality of life became worse than before. |
| D．Boomerang children never did any housework. |
| A．cause | B．defeat |
| C．arise | D．allow |
| A．They are ashamed of turning to their parents for help. |
| B．They are glad that they could come back. |
| C．They are doubtful about whether they should return. |
| D．They are proud to be independent from the family. |
| A．The children want to keep in closer touch with their parents. |
| B．The parents are willing to provide support to their children. |
| C．It is harder for the children to secure a satisfying job. |
| D．There is more house work needed to be done by the children. |
| A．Both parents and children enjoy a more harmonious relationship. |
| B．Neither parents nor children want to do the chores at home. |
| C．Not only parents but also children want to be independent. |
| D．There are occasional quarrels between parents and children. |
【推荐2】This past Columbus Day, my husband and I went fishing with some friends on their boat while our 10 and 8-year-olds were in school. We left the house all at the same time, about 7 am. My children walked to and from school every day and we knew they were OK for a couple hours by themselves any-way so we told them to go inside after school and we would be home around 4 pm
The adults decided to go fishing offshore: we live on the Gulf Coast, since it was a beautiful day in the normally still very humid (湿热的) Texas fall. At around 2 pm we started back to shore and then we ran out of gas. Even worse, we were out of cellphone service, and 911 wasn't working, and we didn't have a radio so we were stuck waiting for someone to come by we were out there until10 pm All the while, my children were at home, expecting us to return shortly after they got home. At about 7 pm, when it was getting dark, my 10-year-old girl thought something might be wrong so she walked to each house on the street until someone answered the door and asked them what they should do. This was how we were found.
Talking with that neighbor the next day, I never took such pride in my children. This neighbor explained to me how calm both my children were when explaining the situation and how impressed they were with my children seeking help, even though they didn't know these particular neighbors. I never doubled them for a minute, though next time we go fishing, we'll monitor the gas more carefully.
1. How did the children go to school?| A．By bus. | B．By car. | C．By boat. | D．On foot. |
| A．They used up their gas. | B．They lost their cell phones. |
| C．They found a radio on shore. | D．They fell into the water. |
| A．Worried. | B．Proud. | C．Doubtful. | D．Confident |
【推荐3】Zadie Smith has a way with words, even when she's using them to implement (执行)rules in her home. She revealed why she imposed a 15- minute mirror time limit on her daughter Kate.
"I saw that she had just started spending a lot of time looking in mirrors," she said. "It was angering me. I decided to decide .on a principle: that if it takes longer than 15 minutes, don't do it." The rule came into effect when Smith noticed the disparities (不一致)between the amount of me it took her son and daughter to get out of the house in the morning.
"I explained it to her in these terms: you are wasting time, your brother is not going to waste any time doing this," she said. Every day of his life he will put a shirt on, he's out the door and doesn't care if you waste an hour and a half doing your makeup."
Smith went on to say that her daughter saw the limit as a practical time-saving method, so Smith didn't have to give her "a big lecture on female beauty." But she mentioned trends such as contouring (外形修整) as being a waste of time. "She sees me and how I get dressed and how g it takes."
Smith, who herself typically appears in minimal makeup, has explored the relationship women between with themselves in her work, as well, In her book On Beauty, she writes about the struggle protecting daughters from the unavoidable self-esteem struggles associated with being a woman. The beauty of women comes from their confidence and belief of dream rather than their appearance.
Considering that Smith's daughter is only 7 years old, their interaction fully proves how early in life women begin to feel pressure to look n certain way. Having said that, the 15-minute mirror me limit is something we all could carry out in our own lives, whether we're 7 or 70.
1. What caused Smith to make a special principle?| A．Kate's disagreement with brother. |
| B．Her children's fight for using mirrors. |
| C．Kate's failing to finish her homework. |
| D．Kate's looking in mirrors for n long time. |
| A．It helps her save much time. |
| B．It helps her get on well with her brother. |
| C．It teaches her how to look more beautiful. |
| D．It makes her understand girls shouldn't wear makeup. |
| A．Make up only on special occasions. |
| B．Build themselves up with the inner qualities. |
| C．Attend lecturer on female beauty on time. |
| D．Pay more attention on daily makeup and clothing. |
| A．He thinks it's only fit for school-aged girls. |
| B．He thinks it's merely fit for young girls under 7. |
| C．He thinks it's fit for women of different ages. |
| D．He thinks it's fit for middle-aged and old-aged women. |
【推荐1】David is a retired teacher. In October 2020, when the House of Commons voted against extending free school meals into the holidays, David started strategising with the school headteacher: “I said: ‘What are we going to do about this?’” At the last minute, the local council stepped in to fund free holiday meals but a seed had been planted, leaving David pondering (沉思) the wider issue of local food poverty. “It was evident there was a need for food support within the area,” says David.
David contacted a group of local residents who had expressed an interest, plus two friends who had worked with the UK food bank charity the Trussell Trust—inviting them to join him on a Zoom call to discuss food poverty during the Covid crisis and beyond. “We decided, everybody together, that we could do something,” David says.
The group recruited (招募) volunteers and the project took shape. They chose the name “The Sharehouse”, rather than “food bank”, to reflect the fact that the project would meet not only the need for local food support, but also the pressing desire many expressed to do something meaningful at a time of crisis. “It’s like an exchange, rather than a bank,” says David.
The nonprofit opened just six weeks after that first call in December 2020. “We had seven people,” says David, but by the following week, they had 40 clients, and it built steadily. Now they support 100-plus families three times a week, and have gone from having 12 volunteers to about 40. It has also worked with local services to offer support on everything from addiction to debt and benefits advice.
Welcoming a client for the first time is often one of the hardest moments. “Having to sit with somebody new and let it unfold—it’s very raw.” The Sharehouse has regulars, but other people fall off the radar, leaving David to wonder what has happened. “I wonder where they are now; what they’re doing. It can be emotional.”
The Sharehouse serves as a reminder of how effective collective action and community can be. For anyone wanting to volunteer, David’s advice is: “Be led by what inspires you, don’t be frightened and don’t overthink it.”
1. Why did David found the Sharehouse?| A．Some of his neighbours are going hungry |
| B．The authorities denied local food poverty |
| C．He wanted to compete with the food bank charity |
| D．Local residents are unwilling to fund free holiday meals. |
| A．It has made a huge profit. |
| B．It has expanded its ambitions. |
| C．It presses local people to donate. |
| D．It exchanges food with the food bank. |
| A．Complain. | B．Struggle. | C．Disappear. | D．Proceed. |
| A．Follow your heart. | B．Think before you act. |
| C．Provide for a rainy day. | D．Do as the Romans do. |
【推荐2】The day I heard that Rainbow Bookstore was closing after 50 years of business, I was heartbroken. The bookstore, which was a landmark in the neighbourhood, was a place where anyone could drop in and read books.
When I hurried to the store, I saw that the books were already packed into boxes. I had a long chat with Casey, the store’s elderly owner. Sighing deeply, he told me how it was becoming difficult to run his bookstore. Most young people preferred reading e-books on tablets and more customers were attracted by low price of online stores. I tried to think of some words to comfort him, but I knew Rainbow Bookstore couldn't stay in business much longer.
A few months later, I was back in the neighbourhood during my spring break and was surprised to see that the bookstore was still there and opened for business. Its old brick walls hadn't been decorated, but inside it was like a different world.
I was told that the community had decided to work together on a program to save Rainbow Bookstore. The program was led by Jennifer Oakley, a saleswoman who had grown up in the neighbourhood and who had now taken over the bookstore from Casey. Under Jennifer's leadership, the bookstore was being turned into a place for literature-loving members of the community to get together. It had a cafe selling food and there were now more community events such as book readings, poetry recitings and even jazz concerts and movie nights, where people could gather to share an experience that couldn't be downloaded online.
I also met old Casey, who was looking up at readers' comments that kept popping up on the screen. "I remember readers' comments used to appear on a big board here.” I pointed at the comer. Casey smiled, "Well, as you can see, business knowledge combined with creativity has brought my old bookstore into the 21st century! I'm so pleased to see that everything I wanted to offer to the community is still here."
（以下前4题是A种题型，后4题是B种题型）
1. Why did Rainbow Bookstore face closedown?
| A．Because it had a long history. |
| B．Because people no longer loved reading. |
| C．Because it was affected by e-books and online stores. |
| D．Because there were fewer residents in the neighbourhood. |
| A．New books. |
| B．Lower price. |
| C．Inside decorations. |
| D．Creative management. |
| A．Flashing up. | B．Looking up. |
| C．Putting down. | D．Handing in. |
| A．Jennifer' s books couldn't be downloaded online. |
| B．Casey couldn't accept the new style of the bookstore. |
| C．Many bookstores will have success in the 21st century. |
| D．The new bookstore creates a literary bond between readers. |
6. What made it difficult to run the bookstore?
7. What activities can people enjoy in the new bookstore?
8. What did Casey think made the bookstore come to life?
【推荐3】In the fall of 1985, I was holding a dream to Howard University, so that one day I could sit on a Supreme Court bench somewhere and make some just sentence.
Twenty-one years later, I am still a dreamer and be with quite a different experience to go through.
My grandma developed cancer, so I made the choice to leave the college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream. In 1999, we adopted (收养）our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3.In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how busy I became, raising four boys under the age of 8 .Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. As a result, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each term.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree and finally become a judge!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you're looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you're in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won't arrive in your life on one day. It's a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.
1. When the author went to Howard University, what was her dream?| A．To be a writer. | B．To be a teacher. |
| C．To be a judge. | D．To be a doctor. |
| A．She wanted to study by herself. |
| B．She fell in love and got married. |
| C．She suffered from a serious illness. |
| D．She decided to look after her grandma. |
| A．The author was busy yet happy with her family life. |
| B．The author just felt guilty for her sons. |
| C．The author wanted to remain a full-time housewife. |
| D．The author was too confused to make a correct choice. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Little by little, one goes far. |
| C．Every coin has two sides. |
| D．Well begun, half done. |
