One steamy July afternoon in central Arkansas, I was working on an important project in my home office with a dear friend and colleague. My trusty printer was churning out (快速生产) a time-sensitive report when it simply stopped. After fifteen minutes of trying to repair, I decided to buy a new printer. Upon our return, my heart froze to see my house on fire.
Despite having spent much of my life writing, I was still lost for adequate words to describe the sick, sinking feeling of seeing your home, business, and belongings going up in flames along with photographs and memories collected over a lifetime. But the panic that filled my shocked heart in that awful moment was for the nine cats that shared my home after being rescued from situations of abuse and abandonment.
Responding to an early security-system warning, the amazing firefighters arrived in record time, but the chemical-laden smoke had already caused deaths. I examined and kissed each cat goodbye, extremely grateful that they had passed gently, without injuries or burns.
Only animal lovers really understand the unbelievable impact that the loss of one beloved four-legged family member can have on your heart, mind and soul. The loss of so many dearly loved creatures sent me reeling (发蒙).
After staying with another great friend for a couple of weeks, I was relocated to a furnished apartment. One evening, about a month after moving in, I was occupied in writing a mystery novel when a falsetto “meow” sounded from outside the apartment door. Was it my mind playing tricks again? More than once I had heard, seen or felt the brush of one of my departed furry roommates. The meow grew louder and more insistent. Curious, I opened the door.
Sitting on the doorstep was a kitten (小猫) with an exotic black coat and alert amber eyes. A neighbor walking by picked him up and began petting him. When I remarked how cute her kitten was, she explained that he had been born under a bridge and looked around for food. This kitty－loving neighbor was quick to offer an extra litter box if I was interested in giving him a home. My immediate reaction was a facetious (开玩笑的) “that’s all I need!” After all, my resolution(决心)had been well reasoned and remained firm. But without hesitation she put the adorable kitten down. I thanked her and closed the door, resolved to just let him stay until a real home could be found.
That night, as I slid between the sheets of the still unfamiliar bed in the still unfamiliar apartment, the energetic little fur ball jumped onto the bed, yawned dramatically, and nestled by my side. Those who have never shared a sleep with a creature or two may not relate, but that was the first night since the fire that I actually slept. Stubbornly determined not to open myself to more animals—to more pain—I had refused to admit how desperately I missed having a warm fuzzy cuddled (依偎) close.
Needless to say, the cat community knew the precise prescription for healing far better than I. The name Starlight (Star for short) seemed perfect because that night he brought some light back into my life.
Star adores wrestling rubber bands, races up and down the stairs, darts outside anytime the door opens, suddenly appears everywhere I don’t want him to be, holds onto the broom while I’m trying to sweep, and rolls in catnip or whatever else happens to be on the floor. In hindsight (事后看来), a better name might have been “Star, Stop It!”
In the five years since the fire, we have been through a lot, Starlight and I. We returned to the house, managed to keep the business alive, brought the mystery novel to the final edits before it’s submitted in hopes of publication, and made a lot more resolutions. Star helped me through a massive, yet untraditional, healing of spirit. The memories of the kitties that passed in the fire now spark only warmth in my heart and win some smiles. Every single day, I appreciate the serendipitous (有意外收获的) nature of the Universe that sent me hope in the form of a little black furball.
So take a little advice from my furry friend: no matter how hopeless things may become or how fixed your resolution may be, open the door whenever opportunity knocks. It just might be a star to light your way.
1. What probably caused the author to open the door?| A．The idea of seeing his beloved four－legged family member again. |
| B．The impact of the loss of loved creatures on his mind and soul. |
| C．The brush of his departed furry roommates playing tricks on him. |
| D．The curiosity about the novel written in memory of his cats. |
| A．The author desired to make friends with a cat-loving neighbor. |
| B．The author made a decision not to take in any animals. |
| C．The author didn’t consider a cat-loving neighbor as a friend. |
| D．The author made a decision to adopt other animals. |
| A．he never shared a sleep with a kitten | B．he refused to admit missing a kitten |
| C．he determined to open himself to pain | D．he accepted the kitten and slept with it |
| A．The Dream for Kittens | B．Ways to Remove Sadness |
| C．The Power of Resolutions | D．Starlight to Give Hope |
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【推荐1】It was one of those moments every new parent dreads (恐惧). My baby son was screaming as if I’d just dipped him in a bucket (桶) of battery acid. It felt as if he’d been screaming like that for years, though he was only two months old. Even worse, this was happening in public— I was sitting with my howling baby in the food court of a Los Angeles mall, despairing (绝望) as other diners silently judged me while watching us over plates of food.
Until, that is, one woman— a complete stranger— did something and taught me a lesson about kindness that lingers to this day. She walked over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “This won’t last forever,” she said. “I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but things will get better. He’ll stop crying. You’ll get some sleep.”
It was such a small thing, a tiny kindness, really, but it made all the difference. It was 2001 and I was living in a foreign city with a newborn, without friends or family, and I was terribly lonely. This woman had seen me, if only for a moment, and taken the time to make a human connection. It was just a minute out of her day, but it has stayed with me for nearly two decades.
We all want to be better in the world and more giving to others. But we can easily get hung up on the sheer (完全的) importance of that challenge— making time to regularly volunteer or finding money to donate to a cause. Doing good doesn’t have to be an important task, though; it can be incremental (递增的). It can be as quick as a smile, a word, a phone call, an email. It can be the note you send to a friend who is feeling blue or the baby carriage you help carry down the subway stairs for a parent on their own, even though you’re late for work.
I’m reminded of a line from Brian Goldman’s bestseller, The Power of Kindness: “The opposite meaning of empathy is apathy (冷漠).” That is, the opposite of doing good isn’t doing harm; it’s doing nothing. Every tiny act of generosity— every door held open, every coffee bought for a stranger— builds a bridge to another person. It says, “I see you.” Today, when we spend most of our time looking at our phones, and not at people’s faces, that’s invaluable.
So, while I’m not particularly good at regularly volunteering or running marathons to raise money for charity, I’m committed to small gestures. I try to send a note of praise every day to someone whose work I admire. I’ve become phone friends with a lonely 87-year-old woman who contacted me about something I wrote, and who lives in a city far from her own children and grandchildren. On airplanes, I find the new parents with panicked eyes and offer to hold their babies. I remember what it felt like when the screaming baby was mine. I remember when a tiny kindness felt monumental, enough to change the world.
1. Why did the author mention her baby son’s crying in Paragraph 1?| A．To create a disappointing atmosphere. | B．To prove her opinion. |
| C．To show her helplessness. | D．To introduce the topic. |
| A．Always trying to do important deeds. | B．Being short of time. |
| C．Being lacking in money. | D．Keeping looking at their phones. |
| A．doing harm to others is better than doing nothing |
| B．people are supposed to pay more attention to others’ faces |
| C．every small gesture counts in connecting people |
| D．spending most of our time looking at our phones is invaluable |
| A．The Kind Strangers | B．The Small Mercies |
| C．The Power of Words | D．The Power of Kindness |
【推荐2】I never thought about bringing home a dog since my previous dog Calhoun died, but my 7-year-old daughter Emily had other plans. So on a hot August day, I found myself with Emily and my wife Betsy driving to the animal shelter to look at puppies
Betsy and Emily picked out a small, shy white mix, which Emily called Sophie. Emily gave us the speech every parent has heard concerning a dog: "I'll keep it in my room and take care of it and walk it every day.” But that turned out to be my job from the first day. I slept downstairs on the couch, letting Sophie sleep with me or pet her until she slept. Soon, it seemed she had always been a part of our family. I realized I had honored Calhoun's memory by giving a good home to another dog.
Two months after she came to live with us, my mother died, and I felt shattered. In the mornings, after Betsy and Emily had left for work and school, instead of getting to my writing, all I could do was stare into space. Sophie, however, wasn't interested in watching me stare into space. She would push me to take her out. Once we were at the park, she would annoy me until I played with her. She led me down forest paths I'd never explored. Some days, we'd spend two hours out exploring the hiking trails around the village. When we came home, she'd sit by my chair and put her head on my foot or rest it against my leg. I learned from her that life goes on, no matter what kind of tragedy knocks you down.
I learned that lesson multiple times through many different events. When any sorrow or uncertainty came my way, Sophie was always there with her bright eyes, wagging her tail and telling me it was time to get up, go out and see what life had to offer. Emily grew up with Sophie, and so did Betsy and I in our own way.
1. What did the author think about after his dog died?| A．Adopting another dog to replace it. |
| B．Looking after dogs at animal shelter. |
| C．Giving up the idea of keeping dogs. |
| D．Training his daughter to love animals. |
| A．It became adventurous. |
| B．It fitted in well with the family. |
| C．Emily slept with it by her bed. |
| D．It made friends with Calhoun. |
| A．Grown. | B．Absorbed. | C．Suspected. | D．Crashed. |
| A．Life will go on despite difficulties. |
| B．Where there's a will, there's a way. |
| C．Everyone has a chance to stand out. |
| D．One today is worth two tomorrows. |
【推荐3】Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new.
When I was a teenager I volunteered to pass out water at a local race. I was so excited to see all the different runners who passed by and quickly took a cup of water. Some ran past, some walked past and a few wheeled past.
I saw so many types of people doing it. I thought maybe I could do it too! The next year I decided to run for the race, but I had little running practice. I just wanted to finish.
On the day of the race, it was terribly hot. After running for about 5 miles, I was thinking, “I must be crazy. Why did I do this? What was I thinking?” And at one moment, I said to myself, “I am never doing this again!”
That first 10 km race was quite an experience. I jogged (慢跑), I walked, I jogged and walked. At times, I didn’t know if I could finish.
Near the end, a 70-year-old man ran past me, very fast, and I felt a little embarrassed (尴尬的) that I was more than 50 years younger than he and I couldn’t even keep up with him. But then I realized something. He was running his race and I was running mine. How often in life do we compare (比较) ourselves to others when we really shouldn’t? I decided that I would not give up on running races, and that one day I would be one of those 70-year-old men who were still running.
As I crossed the finishing line, I was proud of myself. I didn’t regret (后悔) having such an experience.
1. What did the writer do at a local race as a volunteer?| A．He helped old runners. | B．He cheered up the runners. |
| C．He passed out water to the runners. | D．He took back the cups from the runners. |
| A．He just wanted to experience. | B．He was crazy about running. |
| C．He had practiced running very hard. | D．He wanted very much to win a prize. |
① He regretted.
② He encouraged himself.
③ He felt a little embarrassed.
| A．①-②-③ | B．②-①-③ | C．①-③-② | D．②-③-① |
| A．embarrassed | B．disappointed | C．excited | D．surprised |
| A．To be No. 1. | B．Let’s compare. |
| C．A volunteering job. | D．Running your own race. |
【推荐1】According to the IUCN Red List 32, 000 species are threatened with extinction. Although we might be working hard to help some species come back from the brink (边缘), we might also be eating some threatened species without even realising it.
Searching industrial fishing records, researchers identified almost 100 endangered species being sold as seafood, and this is done legally. When sold, these fish are not required to be labelled according to species, so consumers have no way of knowing what they’re eating, let alone whether they’re endangered or not.
The team stresses that this is only the tip of the iceberg, as they only looked at a specific section of records and excluded groups of fish such as sharks, which are commonly eaten in Australia, Europe, and some Asian countries.
To solve the mess we’re creating in the ocean, the researchers have come up with some ways, one of which is to expand our idea of seafood to include jellyfish (水母). That might sound a little unusual, but it’s not the first time scientists have suggested it as a food source. And with jellyfish being one of a minority of wild animals that scientists think might be actually increasing in numbers around the world, it makes a lot of sense. With jellyfish as a food source, other endangered species may be kept in the sea.
Of course, there are other ways to help keep endangered species off the menu. Carissa Klein, University of Queensland (UQ) conservation scientist, thinks that the labelling of seafood needs to be improved, so that people are more aware of what they are eating. Besides, it can be also important if the cooperation between fisheries and conservation policies can be better promoted. “We would never consider eating mountain gorillas or elephants, both of which are endangered,” added Klein.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Almost 100 endangered fish are sold as seafood. |
| B．Consumers don’t know the endangered fish. |
| C．Fish are not required to be labelled. |
| D．Researchers only looked at a particular part of records. |
| A．The population of jelly fish might be decreasing. |
| B．Eating jellyfish is so unusual that people shouldn’t try it. |
| C．Making jellyfish as a food source is a new idea. |
| D．Eating jelly fish may help other endangered species in the sea. |
| A．To support the suggestion for fisheries’ better partnership with protection policies. |
| B．To state the fact that people would never consider eating mountain gorillas or elephants. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of labelling the seafood that people are eating. |
| D．To inform the readers that mountain gorillas and elephants are endangered animals. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A government report. |
| C．A leaflet. | D．A magazine. |
【推荐2】Have you ever imagined being able to communicate with your pet at home and have it understand everything you say? It sounds too good to be true, but scientists have started using artificial intelligence (AI) to help communicate with animals.
Professor Karen Bakker—who is the author of a book called The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants—said that AI is already helping humans communicate with bats and honeybees and this could change what we know about nature and our non-human relationships.
Scientists have worked out how bats speak to each other to argue over food and how mother bats communicate with their young.
Professor Bakker explained how researcher Yossi Yovel had used recordings and AI to understand bats.
“Bats argue over food; they actually distinguish between genders when they communicate with one another; they have individual names, or ‘signature calls’,” she said.
“Mother bats speak to their babies in a kind of ‘motherese’.
Bats learn to ‘speak’ with signals from their mothers.
But while human mothers raise the pitch(音高) of their voices when talking to babies，mother bats lower the pitch.
She said it was a great example of how animal patterns could be revealed using sensors and microphones that would otherwise never be heard with the human ear.
AI makes this possible because a computer can be trained to listen like a bat.
With honeybees, the computer combines listening with vision of the bees’ body movements to understand what they are communicating. Researchers now know how be essay things such as “hush” or “stop”.
Researcher Tim Landgraf even created a robot honeybee that entered a hive(蜂房) and was able to communicate with other bees when it wanted them to stop doing something or fly.
1. What is the role of AI in communicating with animals?| A．Allowing humans to speak to animals. |
| B．Translating human language into animal language. |
| C．Transforming human thoughts into animal language. |
| D．Helping humans understand what animals are saying. |
| A．They use unique names given by human. |
| B．They live together like early human groups. |
| C．They share their food with each other without arguing. |
| D．They can distinguish between genders when communicating. |
| A．By using a kind of “motherese”. |
| B．By raising the pitch of their voices. |
| C．By using sensors and microphones. |
| D．By making body movements. |
| A．It can speak with other bats. |
| B．It can build a hive with bees. |
| C．It can communicate with other bees. |
| D．It can teach other bee show to fly and stop. |
【推荐3】The elephant was lying heavily on its side, fast asleep. A few dogs started barking at it. The elephant woke up in a terrible anger: it chased the dogs into the village where they ran for safety.
That didn't stop the elephant. It destroyed a dozen houses and injured several people. The villagers were scared and angry. Then someone suggested calling Parbati, the elephant princess.
Parbati Barua's father was a hunter of tigers and an elephant tamer. He taught Parbati to ride an elephant before she could even walk. He also taught her the dangerous art of the elephant round-up -- how to catch wild elephants.
Parbati hasn't always lived in the jungle. After a happy childhood hunting with her father, she was sent to boarding school in the city. But Parbati never got used to being there and many years later she went back to her old fife. "Life in the city is too dull. Catching elephants is an adventure and the excitement lasts for days after the chase," she says.
But Parbati doesn't catch elephants just for fun. "My work," she says, "is to rescue man from the elephants, and to keep the elephants safe from man." And this is exactly what Parbati has been doing for many years. Increasingly, the Indian elephant is angry: for many years, illegal hunters have attacked it and its home in the jungle has been reduced to small pieces of land. It is now fighting back. Whenever wild elephants enter a tea garden or a village, Parbati is called to guide the animals back to the jungle before they can kill.
The work of an elephant tamer also involves love and devotion. A good elephant tamer will spend hours a day singing love songs to a newly captured elephant. "Eventually they grow to love their tamers and never forget them. They are also more loyal than humans," she said, as she climbed up one of her elephants and sat on the giant, happy animal. An elephant princess indeed!
1. For Parbati, catching elephants is mainly to .| A．get long lasting excitement | B．keep both man and elephants safe |
| C．send them back to the jungle | D．make the angry elephants tame |
| A．she spent her time hunting with her father |
| B．she learned how to sing love songs |
| C．she had already been called an elephant princess |
| D．she was taught how to hunt tigers |
| A．they are caught and sent for heavy work |
| B．illegal hunters capture them and kill them |
| C．they are attacked and their land gets limited |
| D．dogs often bark at them and chase them |
| A．people easily fall victim to elephants' attacks |
| B．the man-elephant relationship is getting worse |
| C．elephant tamers are in short supply |
| D．dogs are as powerful as elephants |
| A．found | B．caught |
| C．attacked | D．chased |
【推荐1】Westsider Rare & Used Books bookstore is a big name on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. It’s the type of old shop where you can wander narrow walkways for hours while looking through towering shelves stuffed with books ranging from cheap, used copies to rare collections. The store has even been used as a setting in several films.
In January, a neighborhood resident Bobby Panza, saw the Westsider was having a going-out-of-business sale. He also read a story on a local blog in which store owner Dorian Thornley made an “off the cuff (即兴的)” remark that the store could stay open if it could raise $50,000 — “don’t see that happening, though,” Thornley mentioned at the time.
Panza, who had never formally met Thornley but had shopped at the store for a decade, started a GoFundMe campaign. In just four days, 850 people donated from $5 to thousands of dollars each and raised $54,000.
With the money, Thornley updated (更新) the store’s selection of used and rare books and reorganized the interior (内部) of the bookstore. Thornley also intended to buy advertising for his store, but the publicity from the GoFundMe campaign has helped raise awareness and helped boost (提高) Westsider’s sales by nearly 25%. Thornley has saved some of the money to ensure Westsider won’t fall behind on its rent again.
Thornley found out about the crowdfunding effort the day after it started when a customer asked whether Thornley was serious about keeping the store open for good if $50,000 could be raised. When he told her he was serious, the customer — a local writer named Sally Klingenstein Martell — donated $10,000 to get the effort off the ground. Thornley calls Martell’s significant donation “the motivator for everyone else donating”.
Whether the money will be enough to permanently save the business remains to be seen. But now that Westsider has avoided the worst, Thornley is trying to make that happen.
1. What do we know about Westsider Rare & Used Books?| A．It has sponsored several old shops. |
| B．It is hardly known by local residents. |
| C．It is decorated to look like a cinema. |
| D．It sells both cheap books and rare collections. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Ashamed. | C．Confident. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．A regular customer successfully organized the donation campaign. |
| B．Panza has been friends with the store owner for ten years. |
| C．Thornley wanted to transfer the possession of the bookstore at first. |
| D．The donation can make Westsider survive permanently. |
| A．He paid for his daily expenses. |
| B．He bought advertising for his store. |
| C．He rented a new place to sell books. |
| D．He improved customers’ shopping experience. |
| A．It was extraordinarily generous. |
| B．It was done before the crowdfunding effort. |
| C．It excited other people’s donations. |
| D．It raised Thornley’s hope to open a branch store. |
【推荐2】Everyone gathered around and Paddy read out loud, slowly, his tone growing sadder and sadder. The little headline said: BOXER RECEIVES LIFE SENTENCE.
Frank Cleary, aged 26, professional boxer, was today found guilty of the murder of Albert Cumming, aged 32, laborer, last July. The jury (陪审团) reached its decision after only ten minutes, recommending the most severe punishment the court could give out. It was, said the judge, a simple case. Cumming and Cleary had quarreled violently at the Harbour Hotel on July 23rd and police saw Cleary kicking at the head of the unconscious Cumming. When arrested, Cleary was drunk but clear-thinking…
Cleary was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour. Asked if he had anything to say, Cleary answered, “Just don’t tell my mother.”
“It happened over three years ago,” Paddy said helplessly. No one answered him or moved, for no one knew what to do. “Just don’t tell my mother,” said Fee numbly. “And no one did! Oh. God! My poor, poor Frank!”
Paddy wiped the tears from his face and said, “Fee, dear, pack your things. We’ll go to see him.”
She half-rose before sinking back. Her eyes in her small white face stared as if dead. “I can’t go.” she said without a hint of pain, yet making everyone feel that the pain was there. “It would kill him to see me. I know him so well — his pride, his ambition. Let him bear the shame alone, it’s what he wants. We’ve got to help him keep his secret. What good will it do him to see us?”
Paddy was still weeping, but not for Frank; for the life which had gone from Fee’s face, for the dying in her eyes. Frank had always brought bitterness and misfortune, always stood between Fee and himself. He was the cause of her withdrawal from his heart and the hearts of his children. Every time it looked as if there might be happenings for Fee, Frank took it away. But Paddy’s love for her was as deep and impossibile to wipe out as hers was for Frank.
So he said, “Well, Fee, we won’t go. But we must make sure he is taken care of. How about if I write to Father Jones and ask him to look out for Frank?”
The eyes didn’t liven, but a faint pink stole into her cheeks. “Yes. Paddy, do that. Only make sure he knows not to tell Frank we found out. Perhaps it would ease Frank to think for certain that we don’t know.”
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．Frank was found guilty of murder because he was a professional boxer. |
| B．The family didn’t find out what happened to Frank until three years later |
| C．The jury and the judge disagreed on whether Frank had committed murder. |
| D．Frank didn’t want his family to find out what happened because Paddy disliked him. |
| A．Frank did kill someone and deserved the punihment |
| B．Frank should have told Fee what had happened |
| C．what had happened to Frank was killing Fee |
| D．Frank had always been a man of bad moral character |
| A．Fee was so heart-broken that she could hardly stand up |
| B．Fee didn’t want to upset Paddy by visiting Frank |
| C．Fee couldn’t leave her family to go to see Frank |
| D．Fee struggled between wanting to See Frank and respecting his wish |
| A．Son and brother. | B．Son and husband. |
| C．Brothcr and lover. | D．Lover and husband. |
【推荐3】Envelope Budget
From McDonald’s to Sonic, fast food had a bad effect on my waistline and my budget. It was nothing to run to a drive-through to pick up a cold drink or a quick bite to eat. It was so easy to use my card for a small purchase. For me, I got a lot of satisfaction from fast food.
One day I sat down and calculated that I was spending a surprising $40 a week on fast food. This was a lot of iced coffee and hamburgers! Instead of reducing my guilty pleasures, I decided to give myself a strong budget to reduce my consumption. Every Monday I placed an envelope with$20 in my purse. That was my fast food budget for the entire week. If there was anything left over at the end of the week, it was mine to save or spend. If I spent all of the money during the week, there were no more fast food stops that week.
The budget made me more mindful of my purchases. Instead of purchasing a large drink from Sonic, I would purchase a small. It was still satisfying but not nearly as pricey. Instead of eating a whole meal, I would pick the part that I actually wanted. Many days, the thought of hanging onto the money for a special purpose meant more to me than the instant satisfaction of fast food. I never really felt unhappy because it was a conscious choice to spend or save with each purchase.
Envelope budget kept me honest. I had a clear idea how much money was spent each week on fast food purchases. I started to bring my lunches more often to save more money for the week. It was a fun challenge to see how much I could save every week.
Changing the way I spent on fast food not only helped my budget, but improved my weight. In the first month I was able to get rid of 5 pounds by simply changing the way I approached spending on fast food. Now I am more likely to bring my lunch than to buy it. I am not upset, but empowered to make positive choices to improve my life.
1. According to Paragraph 1, the author ______.| A．had no time to cook for herself | B．was fond of fast food very much |
| C．lived with a small amount of money | D．got some benefits from using her card |
| A．envelope budget is good for health | B．the budget means a pressure on life |
| C．it is unusual to make some changes | D．it is hard to enjoy a healthy lifestyle |
| A．Why the author became addicted to fast food. | B．Why the author took envelope budget seriously. |
| C．How fast food controlled the author’s behavior. | D．How envelope budget changed the author’s life. |
