People always regret asking me and my wife how we got together. It’s a long story, involving other relationships and several countries, and to be honest, it’s not that interesting, so I’ll spare you the details. We were at a restaurant in Tuscany on our summer holiday last year though, when we met another English couple who had a far more interesting story than us. Lynn and Andy had actually met online before they got together, or at least they thought they had. After a few casual conversations through an online dating agency, they decided to meet for real. Lynn arrived at the restaurant first, and shortly after was approached by Andy, who thought she was someone else. It turns out they’d both arranged to meet different people, but liked the look of each other, and that was that!
And they’re not alone. It seems there are all sorts of places you might meet that special someone. Lukas met Sofie for the first time when he crashed into her car—on his bicycle. “It was raining and I was coming downhill really fast, so I couldn’t really see where I was going. Sofie opened her car door and I went straight into it, and off my bike,” explains Lukas. “I was unconscious for a few seconds, and when I came round there was this beautiful young woman asking me ‘Are you OK?’ Well, after that, she went to the hospital with me and was just really kind, really caring, and we hit it off.”
Every cloud has a silver lining, so they say, and Nick McKiddie would most likely agree. He was leaving the office late one night when he got robbed by a group of young men. He wasn’t hurt, but they stole his phone and wallet, so he called the police. Susan Harris, a young police officer at the time, attended the call. Nick explains, “I don’t know whether I was in shock because of what had happened, but I think it was love at first sight. I would never usually be so confident, but I just asked if she wanted to go for a drink sometime, and to my surprise, she said yes! “Nick and Susan got married last December.”
Animals don’t have the same social inhibitions (顾虑) as humans do, and this was certainly the case when Ri took her dog, Ben, to the local dog park. “As soon as I took his leash off, he ran straight to another dog on the other side of the park, and started getting very friendly indeed,” she laughs. “I actually had to pull him away, and that was when I met Ben, the other dog’s owner. We had a good laugh about it all, especially when we realized he had the same name as my dog. We became friends after that, and well, the rest is history.”
1. According to the passage, Lynn and Andy________.| A．first met in a restaurant in Tuscany |
| B．had originally arranged to see other people |
| C．regretted talking to each other online |
| D．preferred casual conversations to serious dating |
| A．The author and his wife | B．Nick and Susan | C．Lukas and Sofie | D．Ri and Ben |
| A．every day is a good beginning | B．every misfortune contains something good |
| C．people do not always behave as usual | D．what you value in life matters greatly |
| A．How the author and his wife met each other. |
| B．The places where people usually get together. |
| C．How great relationships may grow out of random encounters. |
| D．What people do in order to meet their ideal partner. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】When physicist Stephen Hawking died in 2018 at the age of 76, the world mourned (哀悼), after the loss, there remains the enormous legacy of the scientist and the man to consider.
Despite being a renowned expert in cosmology and black holes, there is still much to discover about Hawking. In Stephen Hawking: A memoir of friendship and physics, theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow offers a close glimpse inside the famous scientist’s life, ranging from his early days at university and diagnosis at age 21 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to his later status as an international celebrity.
After co-authoring two books with Hawking, Mlodinow isn’t short of stories, particularly from time spent working together on their book The Grand Design. Hawking lived a colourful life often filled with hardship, and the possibility of death was never far away. Far from letting this be a setback, it is what Hawking credits for his achievements. “It helped me focus,” he tells Mlodinow after dinner one night.
Even so, Mlodinow admits that initially he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Hawking, living with a condition that required round-the-clock care and eventually left him unable to speak or voluntarily move anything but his eyes, brows and mouth. However, writes Mlodinow, “overtime all that pity would disappear like one of Stephen’s black holes”, adding that “ it occurred to me that Stephen had proved himself to be an iron man in a fragile man’s facade (外表)”. That view becomes one that readers will also tend to adopt as Mlodinow looks back.
Achievement came in many forms for Hawking, who refused to be restricted in thought or deed. As Mlodinow writes: “Often we limit our chances at success by limiting the goals toward which we strive. Stephen never did that. We can get used to anything, and we can accomplish, if not anything, then at least much more than we give ourselves credit for. To grow close to Stephen was to understand this.”
1. What can we learn about Mlodinow?| A．He was one of Hawking’s friends. | B．He worked for Hawking for many years. |
| C．He wrote two books about Hawking’s life. | D．He was the strongest competitor for Hawking. |
| A．Admiring. | B．Sympathetic. | C．Envious. | D．Puzzled. |
| A．He kept pushing his limits. | B．He had extraordinary talent. |
| C．He was good at educating others. | D．He was a man with definite goals. |
| A．To praise a relationship. | B．To introduce a book. |
| C．To honor a breakthrough. | D．To promote a physics theory. |
【推荐2】Taylore is a kid who passes by to ride sometimes and help us with chores. Barely 15, she’s never short of advice, and one of her favorite pastimes is teasing me about being afraid to go too fast on a horse.
Last summer four of us rode down the trail behind our woods: my wife Karen, Taylore, Taylore’s friend Kendall and me. I was riding my 13-year-old, Tawny.
We were two miles from home when, for some unexplainable reason, I pushed Tawny into a gallop（飞驰）. The other horses were anxious to catch up, and just like that, the race was on.
Taylore brushed past my left leg and, seconds later, Kendall went by on my right. I realized Tawny was covering ground faster than I’d ever seen her. She strained every muscle in her body to catch up with the girls. It was like a truck winding over a mountain road without brakes (闸). Part of me felt perfectly in control, while another part screamed that I wasn’t.
In half a mile I knew we’d be crossing the highway, so I prayed that the girls would be fine. I gave up calculating how long it might take before my horse would be tried enough to want to slow down.
I was just about out of answers when I saw the girls slowing in front of me. Their horses were relaxed and comfortable, not even breathing hard. Taylore’s face glowed. She gave me a high five. “Wow, you did well, ”she said. “I knew you’d go fast when you were ready.”
No one in the group had even broken a sweat, except me. I was still nervous from the crazy pace. My heart pounded too, but not from exercise. Karen claims I was showing off for the girls that day, and maybe she’s right. But I think I had something to prove. Because despite my wrinkles (皱纹), glasses and gray hair, I was feeling young at heart. And, like a horse on a warm summer day, I’m always ready to kick up my heels.
1. How did the race between the girls and the author begin?| A．His horse’s gallop made the other horses want to catch up. |
| B．He wanted to show off his riding skills for the girls. |
| C．They wanted to know whose horse could run fastest. |
| D．They teased him about being afraid to go too fast on a horse. |
| A．the author’s horse outran the girl’s horses the whole time |
| B．the author was confident that Tawny was in control |
| C．the girls were so anxious to win that they sweated a lot |
| D．the author’s good performance took Taylore by surprise |
| A．he was feeling thrilled and young |
| B．it was really tough exercise for him |
| C．he was worried that the girls might be in danger |
| D．he felt quite embarrassed that he had lost the race |
| A．devote myself |
| B．enjoy myself |
| C．accept my challenge |
| D．take part in running competition |
【推荐3】After over a decade of faithful service my old desktop computer finally died. It simply wouldn’t start. With no computer repair places open my daughter talked me into purchasing a new laptop to replace it. What followed was two days of pure frustration. It was like going from driving an old Model T Ford to flying the Space Shuttle.
After my daughter set it up, I looked for the old e-mail program I used to use, only to find that it wasn’t on this model. When I tried to download the older version again it wouldn’t work. I also had a terrible time downloading my old word processing program again. Then there were some difficulties of transferring all of my old stories that I had saved on a jump drive. The laptop computer’s fancy new programs were an icon minefield that I had to navigate. Each time I accidentally touched one of them it changed everything on my screen and I had to work hard to figure out how to change them back. In the end I had screwed up the settings so badly that I asked my daughter to do a reset so we could start over. Finally after two days I think we have set up the new computer to do the few simple things I need it to do so I can ignore the thousand other functions that I have no use for. I only hope it will work as long and faithfully as my old desktop did.
One thing I did learn from all of this is that when it comes to computers and life I want to keep things simple, simple, simple. Life is simple. Love is simple. It is we who make things complicated. Take some time today then to turn off your electronics and turn on your heart. Be a person, not a program. Be yourself, not your “Selfie”. Fill your days with purpose, your years with happiness, and your life with love.
1. What was the author’s old computer’s problem?| A．It was slow to function. | B．It crashed completely. |
| C．It was out of date. | D．It kept restarting. |
| A．She couldn’t forget her old computer. |
| B．She regretted not repairing her old computer. |
| C．She didn’t buy a more advanced computer. |
| D．She had difficulty using the new computer. |
| A．Useful. | B．Unnecessary. |
| C．Disappointing. | D．Challenging. |
| A．To explain her requirements for computers. |
| B．To stress the importance of technology. |
| C．To show the development of electronics. |
| D．To express her attitude to life. |
【推荐1】Every Sunday morning I take a walk around a park near my home. There’s a lake in one corner of the park. Each time I walk by this lake, I see the same old woman sitting at the water’s edge with a small metal cage beside her.
This Sunday, I stopped walking and went over to her. As I got closer, I realized that there were three turtles(乌龟)，unhurt, slowly walking around the base of the metal cage. She had a fourth turtle on her knee that she was carefully cleaning it with a brush, which made me feel surprised.
“Hello,” I said. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to know what you’re doing with these turtles.”
“I’m cleaning off their shells,” she replied.
“Anything on a turtle’s shell weakens the turtle’s ability to take in heat and blocks its ability to swim. It can also impair and weaken the shell over time.”
She went on, “I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out. It’s my own strange way of making a difference. ”
“Well then, don’t you think your time could be better spent? It’s a waste of time. And 99% of these turtles don’t have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells. So, how exactly are your efforts here truly making a difference?”
The woman smiled, then looked down at the turtle on her knee, wiped off the last piece of algae(海藻) from its shell, and said, “Sweetie, if this little guy could talk, he’d tell you I just made all the difference in the world. ”
1. What was the writer surprised at according to Paragraph 2?| A．Four turtles in the cage. |
| B．The beautiful scenery in the park. |
| C．A small metal cage put beside the water. |
| D．A woman cleaning off the turtles’ shells. |
| A．Hurt. | B．Clean. | C．Protect. | D．Paint. |
| A．The woman had so much free time. |
| B．The woman didn’t protect the environment. |
| C．He thought the woman’s efforts meaningless. |
| D．He thought the turtles didn’t need to be cleaned. |
| A．A Strange Woman | B．The Power of Kindness |
| C．The Meaning of Cleaning | D．Turtles in the Metal Cage |
【推荐2】On a July afternoon in 1937, 15-year-old Betty Brown was playing with her father’s shortwave radio and searching for her favorite songs when she casually turned the dial on the radio and heard something that made her stop. It was a voice that sounded familiar. Back in those days, news clips (新闻摘要) were played at movie theaters. Brown recognized the voice from one of the news films she had seen.
“I heard Amelia Earhart in a panicked voice, a heartbreaking voice,” Brown recalled in a 2007 interview. “She was saying, ‘This is Amelia Earhart Putnam, please help me. Please hear me.’”
Brown quickly began writing down what she heard --- parts of desperate conversations between the woman she believed was Earhart and an unknown man. Later, she decided that the man must have been Earhart’s navigator (领航员), Fred Noonan. As the signal faded in and out, Brown never left the radio. She scribbled (潦草地写) away as Earhart and Noonan struggled for control of the radio. Earhart tried to prevent Noonan from leaving the plane after they had apparently crash-landed. All the while, Earhart repeated strings of numbers and mentioned rising water. After about three hours, Earhart and Noonan were seemingly forced to abandon the plane as it was filled with water, and the distress calls (遇险呼救) stopped.
Brown and her father both tried to give her notes to the United States Coast Guard, but they were told the situation was under control. The search for Earhart was abandoned after a great effort was made. But Brown kept her notebook. In 2000, people from an organization researching Earhart’s disappearance asked to see it. The researchers were convinced that Brown’s notes were reliable. If the researchers are right, the notes are a priceless, yet sorrowful, record of the sad ending of an American hero.
1. Betty Brown stayed by the radio for so long because she________.| A．was waiting for her music to come back on |
| B．enjoyed recording people’s conversations |
| C．wanted to gather more information about Earhart’s situation |
| D．wanted to take notes for a book about Earhart |
| A．did not want to look for Earhart |
| B．did not believe Brown heard Earhart |
| C．wanted Brown to help them find Earhart |
| D．already knew where Earhart was |
| A．Determined. | B．Forgetful. | C．Independent. | D．Careless. |
【推荐3】One day when I was five, my mother scolded me for not finishing my rice and I got angry. I wanted to play outside and not be made to finish eating my old rice. In my angry movement to open the screen door with my foot, I had kicked back about a 12-inch part of the lower left hand corner of the new screen door. But I had no remorse, for I was happy to be playing in the backyard with my toys.
Today, I know if my child had done what I did, I would have scolded my child, and told him about how expensive this new screen door was, and I would have delivered a spanking for such behavior. My parents never said a word. They left the corner of the screen door be, creating an opening, a breach (裂缝) in the defense against unwanted insects.
For years, every time I saw that corner of the screen, it would constantly remind me of my mistake. For years I knew that everyone in my family would see that hole and remember who did it. For years, every time I saw a fly buzzing in the kitchen, I would wonder if it came in through the hole that I had created with my angry foot. I would wonder if my family members were thinking the same thing, silently blaming me every time a flying insect entered our home, making life more terrible for us all.
My parents taught me a valuable lesson, one that a spanking or stern (严厉的) words perhaps could not deliver. Their silent punishment for my behavior delivered a hundred stern messages to me. Above all, it has helped me become a more patient person and not burst out so easily.
1. The underlined word “remorse” in Paragraph 1 most probably means________.| A．injury | B．sense | C．regret | D．notice |
| A．scolded him for his bad behavior | B．gave him a spanking |
| C．told him how expensive it was | D．left the door unrepaired |
| A．He felt it destroyed the happy atmosphere at his home. |
| B．He found that his family members no longer liked him. |
| C．He felt ashamed of his uncontrolled anger at that time. |
| D．He felt he had to work hard to make up for the damage. |
| A．Silent punishment can be more powerful. |
| B．The best way to become a more patient person. |
| C．Adults should ignore their children’s bad behavior. |
| D．Parents are the best teachers of their children. |
