Sometimes life puts us in places where we are supposed to be. Whether we were headed that way or not, we just need to make the best of it. Here let’s read three stories.
In 2016, Wanda Dench sent a text to her college-aged grandson inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner. But she got the number wrong and reached Jamal Hinton. When Hinton asked who had sent the message, Wanda sent a picture of herself. “You’re not my grandma,” Jamal texted back, “Can I still get a plate, though?” Wanda replied. “Of course, That’s what grandmas do — feed everyone!” And for six years, Jamal has celebrated Thanksgiving with the Dench family.
In another community, Robert’s wife asked him to drop some books off at a local elementary school after a book drive. When he carried the books to the classroom on his lunch hour, the teacher mistook him for one of the volunteer tutors. “Thank you for coming,” the teacher said, “Isabella is struggling with comprehension and is a grade level behind. Here is a book and her worksheets.” Robert thought, “I have time. I’ll just sit down and help.” Robert, an artist, drew the pictures of words and illustrated their meanings. Isabella was delighted. “I think that’s when the light went on for her,” Robert says, For a full year, Robert tutored Isabella during his lunch hours. Her reading comprehension quickly caught up and then shot past grade level. “Seeing her learn so fast made my day,” Robert says.
Twenty years ago, Gladys Hankerson in Florida dialed up her sister in Maryland for a chat. But she misdialed the area code and reached Mike Moffit in Rhode Island, Mike said Gladys was a bit shy but very sweet. Gladys loves her sister and tried to call again a few days later — and made the same mistake on the area code. Mike answered again and recognized Gladys’ voice. They had a nice chat and laughed about it. Since then their friendship has deepened — and it has carried on for 20 years.
1. What did Jamal Hinton do with Wanda’s invitation?| A．He accepted it willingly. | B．He refused it politely. |
| C．He played a joke on it. | D．He sent a gift for it. |
| A．He taught her to draw pictures. |
| B．He tutored her while eating lunch. |
| C．He explained words in an artistic way. |
| D．He used books with pictures. |
| A．She was carcless. | B．She was attractive. |
| C．She was anxious. | D．She was curious. |
| A．Head for where we should go. |
| B．Learn much from mistakes in life. |
| C．Meet whoever thinks alike. |
| D．Make the best of life’s arrangements. |
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【推荐1】"Am I beautiful now, Mama? "
My heart quickly fell to my stomach.
"What do you mean, now? "
"Now that my hair is all done, I'm beautiful, right? "
I had just put the brush down by my side when my stomach immediately somersaulted (翻滚) in guilt and fear and my mind was instantly puzzled with confusion. Why was she questioning this? Didn't she already know? I told her how beautiful she was every morning when she rose for the new day and every night as she drifted off to sleep. I wanted to yell that this world attached too many attempts to "make pretty" and commercialized the use of product after product.
I tried to control my heart and explained to her, “Baby girl, you are beautiful every day because you are kind and smart, creative and brave. You use good manners and stand up for yourself." I put my hand on her heart and pulled her in close. "But styling your hair doesn't make you beautiful. And wearing certain colors or styles can't do it either. What makes you beautiful is the person you are. Do you know where beauty really comes from? "
She thought for a minute. I gently tapped my fingers that were still resting on her heart. "From inside here. And your heart shines so brightly that it makes you incredibly beautiful. "I could feel her heart start to beat a little stronger and a smile appeared across her face.
I squeezed her tight and added, "You are so beautiful, baby girl, and I hope you never stop believing it. And I hope you never let anyone tell you differently. "
She stood up and brushed her freshly braided hair off her shoulder.
"I know, Mama. I'm beautiful because I'm ME. "
The somersaults stopped. The guilt and fear were washed away. The confusion was clarified.
"Hey Mama," she said as she started to walk away. "You are beautiful, too."
1. What was the mother's reaction to the girl's questions?| A．Shocked. | B．Excited. | C．Disappointed. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．She wasn't confident in herself. | B．She wasn't pretty and smart at all. |
| C．She was brave to face all challenges. | D．She was particular about appearance. |
| A．Everyone is beautiful. | B．Beauty comes from inside. |
| C．Love is the most important. | D．Smile is the key to happiness. |
| A．Her mother was kind and thoughtful. | B．Her mother looked as beautiful as her. |
| C．Her mother demanded too much of her. | D．Her mother was an understanding person. |
【推荐2】Four months into my second faculty job, I was shocked that I had to record the hours I’d worked. At first, I was annoyed that I had to waste my time on such a boring task. But the practice of writing down my work hours is surprisingly inspiring, sending me down a path to better work-life balance.
In my study, I always believed I could perform better with extra effort. My research never felt finished, and I had no idea how many hours I was supposed to work. That made it easy to go down rabbit holes and work more hours than necessary. When I started my first faculty position, my contract stated that I work anywhere from 36 to 48 hours per week. But my teaching and administrative workloads were so high that I regularly reached the 48-hour mark. There was a long time during my first faculty job when my children didn’t see me enough.
In my second faculty position, I expected that my work hours would again be my business. So when I was told to track them, I was surprised. But anyway I decided to keep careful track of my hours, even noting breaks.
I’m glad I did, because the data have completely changed my view of work-life balance. With my tracking, I’ve found that I generally accumulate one week of overtime every two to three months. So now, every time I reach that milestone, I take a few days or even a whole week off. I spend that time at home with my family, or use the days to take a longer vacation. The breaks have improved my happiness and job satisfaction.
The data also help ease any guilt that I may have otherwise felt if taking time off. I still have deadlines, position requirements, and the pressure to publish papers. And I still work a lot, sometimes even on weekends. But I now know how much I work-and that I deserve the time off.
1. How did the author first react to recording working time?| A．She disliked it. | B．She followed it readily. |
| C．She thought it rewarding. | D．She wanted to improve it. |
| A．It increased her confidence. | B．Its working hours were fixed. |
| C．It occupied her too much time. | D．It changed her view on teaching. |
| A．A promotion. | B．More personal time. |
| C．No extra work on weekends. | D．Greater academic success. |
| A．Rabbit holes | B．Work-life balance |
| C．Clocking your work | D．Taking time off work |
【推荐3】I played the piano in disappointment, trying to fight the tears in my eyes. After practicing for more than two hours, I still couldn’t get the rhythm(韵律) quite right on a Mozart piece which I wanted to show to my piano teacher the following day. To me, the piece had at first seemed fairly easy, and had a pretty simple melody. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t seem to play it well.
I decided to have a rest to think about if there was a good way to deal with it. In fact, I could usually learn some songs quickly and played them well---however, I didn’t want to play that kind of pieces, which might have appeared simple but was difficult. It always made me doubt myself as a pianist, although I was still confident.
After dinner, I decided to come back to the piano. Placing my fingers tentatively on the keys, I chose to play the piece slowly and carefully, focusing on hitting the correct notes instead of trying to play the piece quickly. Using this new method of practicing, I exercised a great deal of patience. Instead of focusing on how hard the rhythm was, I focused on how I could slowly see myself getting better.
I didn’t even get the rhythm right until a week later. My teacher was satisfied with me. But I learned an important lesson ---sometimes, baby steps are the best way to reach a goal. Sometimes I couldn’t improve myself until I slowed down, believed in myself, and took it one step at a time. Then what about you? If you are like me, please change yourself and you will succeed in the future.
1. Why was the writer sad?| A．Because his teacher was strict with him. |
| B．Because he couldn’t play the piece correctly. |
| C．Because he was asked to practice for more than two hours. |
| D．Because he had to show a Mozart piece to his piano teacher the next day. |
| A．A Mozart piece. |
| B．That kind of songs which is simple. |
| C．That kind of songs which seems very difficult. |
| D．That kind of songs which the writer can’t play well easily. |
| A．He couldn’t find the correct songs. |
| B．He had no confidence to practice the piano well. |
| C．He had no patience when he was practicing the piano. |
| D．He felt bored and sad when he was practicing the piano. |
| A．The writer was a pianist. |
| B．The writer wanted to play the piano well. |
| C．The writer thought the piece was difficult to practice. |
| D．The writer showed the Mozart piece to his teacher the following day. |
| A．A beautiful song. | B．Confidence is helpful. |
| C．Patience is important. | D．A good way to sing a song. |
【推荐1】I’m 52, and as surprising as it may seem. I’m a gymnast. In a sport for young girls, I have found an unlikely path to joy. When I enter the gym, no matter how much stress I might be feeling, my mind clears and I forget my life. I think of nothing but what I am doing.
When I was 9, I went every Saturday to a gymnastic academy. The coach had gray hair and wore ballet shoes and had boundless enthusiasm. He would say, “You are going to be a gymnast.” And I believed him. I vividly remember the first time I did a roundoff back handspring by myself, the weightlessness of it. I lived for Saturday mornings. I only ever did gymnastics recreationally—I didn’t even know real gyms existed—but I always loved it.
That long dormant (蛰伏的) love came roaring back in my forties. It happened in an instant, at parents’ day for my daughter’s beginning gymnastics class. The bars were just sitting there, and I had this overwhelming urge to grab hold and swing. But I couldn’t make it through the warmup (热身运动) at the first adult class I went. I felt bad during conditioning. I was the oldest person there. But that spark of memory glowed with possibility. I went back to class again, and again. It was hard and it was humbling. But soon I was doing back handsprings like I used to.
There is nothing like the thrill of getting a new skill, that combination of speed, mechanics, timing, muscles, guts. There is an ineffable (不可言喻的) element, too, something like faith. By the time we reach middle age, most of us have had to deal with our fair share of unwelcome surprises, like illness, family crisis or the death of a beloved parent. But gymnastics has brought the most delightful surprises-I keep getting better, surpassing what I thought were limits, amazing myself by what I can do. At a time in life when many things feel like they are sliding down the slope towards old, gymnastics is a gift of fluency and competence in motion. I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m a better gymnast now than I was at 16.
1. What inspired the author to love gymnastics when she was young?| A．Her Saturday routine. | B．The coach’s enthusiasm. |
| C．Her wish to be a gymnast. | D．Pleasure from gymnastics. |
| A．Her duty as a responsible parent. |
| B．The desire to fit in with her daughter. |
| C．The strong urge to play with the bars. |
| D．Her sweet memory of doing gymnastics. |
| A．Faithful and easygoing. | B．Humble and competent. |
| C．Passionate and persistent. | D．Ambitious and considerate. |
| A．The dream of a fitness woman | B．A middle-aged person’s pursuit. |
| C．The story of a successful gymnast. | D．A sport-lover’s unusual experience. |
【推荐2】Last week, my younger brother visited me for five days. To ensure I could spend as much time with him as possible, I worked extra hard during the weekend before he arrived.
It amazed me how much I could accomplish when I had a strong motivation to be efficient.
During the week, I put in a couple of hours in the mornings to handle pressing issues and then spent the afternoons and evenings going out with him. Once again, I was surprised to realize just how much free time was available to me if I consciously chose to be more effective while working.
This made me think of Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
I realized then that I’d given myself more time than necessary for work, and as a result, I ended up spending a lot of time delaying needlessly and entertaining myself online.
I realize not everyone has flexible work schedules, but I believe we could all create more time for ourselves if we were motivated to cut out the choices that don’t match our strongest desires and intentions. Maybe it’s being absent-minded in front of the TV or searching the web.
I believe what English musician John Lennon said is true: Time that you enjoyed wasting was not wasted. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using technology if we’ve consciously chosen to do it.
However, we owe it to ourselves to get out in the world and explore different possibilities — to be playful, curious, engaged and just to be.
Perhaps it would be easier to do that if we asked ourselves: How can I be more effective? Can I minimize what I am currently doing? How can I start using the time I’ve created in a way that will excite and inspire me?
1. How did the author feel when she finished her work in advance?| A．Guilty. | B．Amazed. | C．Stressed. | D．Exhausted. |
| A．Her working habit | B．Her workload during that time |
| C．The change in her work efficiency | D．The time spent with her younger brother |
| A．Commit to more social activities. | B．Create a tight work schedule for ourselves. |
| C．Don’t waste time on technology for any reason. | D．Focus on the most important tasks, and ignore anything unimportant. |
| A．To explain what Parkinson’s Law is. | B．To introduce how to balance work and life. |
| C．To reflect on better time management. | D．To show the importance of accompanying family members. |
【推荐3】I love running but I’ve never been great at the fast stuff. When I was in high school, I was unable to earn a spot on the track team, but our coach handed me the 1,500m, the race that nobody wanted to do; I finished last. At university, a friend tried to persuade me again and again to run the cross-country with her, but memories of being the slowest on the track troubled me.
I was happy to run on the roads at my speed. If I wanted to do a speedier workout, I just ran faster. And I continued to run and train like that for years until I started to run with Toronto Olympic Club. It wasn’t long before speed, interval (间歇) training, and broken miles all became a part of my weekly vocabulary. But I was still slower than everybody else. Speedwork scared me.
Last week, Coach sent me my first workout of this year. I had weeks to mentally prepare for this week, but I was still far from prepared. How much would I be able to push myself? I worried about what the numbers on my watch would show. How slow am I?
On Tuesday night, I parked my emotions and headed to the track. On Friday afternoon, I headed out the door for my second workout of the week, pushing myself up hills and into the wind for some quick intervals. I finished two workouts in Week 1. And I surprised myself; I wasn’t as slow as I had expected.
When you do something that scares you, something that is going to make you better, you’re growing. Take the addition of a few work- outs to my running as an example. Not only did it help me get faster, but also it forced me to come out of my comfort zone and helped me grow.
1. What caused the author’s unwillingness to run the cross-country with her friend?| A．Her busy study. | B．Her shy character. | C．Her early experiences. | D．Her poor condition. |
| A．She received harder training in running. | B．She became competitive in races. |
| C．She kept her happy running speed. | D．She took running as her career. |
| A．Confident. | B．Nervous. | C．Excited. | D．Bored. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．One is never too old to learn. |
| C．Keeping is harder than winning. | D．One needs to rise to the challenges. |
【推荐1】It was freezing winter when Dad told me that he found a delicate small bag in the snow on his way out of a doctor’s appointment. “It was filled with seeds, so I planted them in pots in the living room window that gets such great light.” Dad was excited to have a planting project in the winter. He liked tending his garden plot , which was the size of a small farm.
I now lived far away from Dad, but he reported in his daily phone calls, “These plants seem to double in size overnight. It’s only been a few weeks, and they are almost touching the ceiling.” Since Dad had green fingers, I wasn’t surprised about that. I couldn’t imagine what plant would do so well. I knew photos would not come soon because Dad had to use up the film in his camera and then developed the pictures.
During one call, Dad said, “Today at work, one of my co-workers was wearing a T-shirt with a screen-printed picture of the same leaf as my mysterious houseplants. I told him that I had those same herbs, which were growing like weeds, and I had to get rid of them.” Dad continued, “He eagerly took them off my hands, and now I can see out the window again.”
This awakened my curiosity, and I decided to do some research. In those days, that meant going to the library’s reference section. I did some reading and photocopied some articles. I mailed them to my father.
Dad called, “I just couldn’t believe what I read in the papers you sent. Those pictures are exactly what my plants looked like. No wonder my co-worker was so willing to take them.”
We both laughed till we cried when we realized my father had just raised a harvest of precious Chinese herbs used to ease pain.
| A．Because it was the doctor’s advice. |
| B．Because he had a small farm at home. |
| C．Because it satisfied his eagerness for gardening in winter. |
| D．Because the seeds would bring him rich rewards. |
| A．The type of the plant. | B．The herbs’ growing quickly. |
| C．Dad’s efforts to tend the seeds. | D．A planting project in the winter. |
| A．He had little interest in the plants. | B．He recognized the value of the plants. |
| C．He desired to learn from the author’s dad. | D．He wanted to show his knowledge about plants. |
| A．A precious Chinese herb | B．Window scenery |
| C．Helpful co-worker | D．An Innocent gardener |
【推荐2】She may have lacked a home, but now this teen has top honors.
A 17-year-old student who spent much of high school living around homeless shelters — and sometimes sleeping in her car — today graduated and spoke on behalf of her class at Charles Drew High School in Clayton County, Ga. , just outside of Atlanta.
Chelsea Fearce held a 4.466 GPA and scored 1900 on her SATs despite having to use her cellphone to study after the shelter lights were turned off at night.
“I know I have been made stronger. I was homeless. My family slept on cushions on the floor and we were lucky if we got more than one full meal a day. Getting a shower, food and clean clothes was an everyday struggle,” Fearce said in a speech she gave at her graduation ceremony. Fearce overcame her day-to-day struggles by focusing on a better day. “I just told myself to keep working, because the future will not be like this anymore,” she told WSBTV.
Fearce, one of five children, grow up in a family that sometimes had an apartment to live in, but at other times had to live in homeless shelters or even out of their car, if they had one. “You’re worried about your home life and then worried at school．Worry about being a little hungry sometimes and go hungry sometimes. You just have to deal with it. You eat what you can, when you can.”
To our surprise, Fearce overcame the difficulties and even tested high enough to be admitted into college half way through her high school career. She starts college next year at Spelman College as a junior where she is planning to study biology, pre-med (医学预科) . “Don’t give up. Do what you have to do right now so that you can have the future that you want,” Fearce said.
1. How did Fearce go on with her study without access to lights?| A．By the car light． |
| B．By her cellphone． |
| C．By lights out of shelters． |
| D．By moonlight． |
| A．have graduated earlier from high school than normal |
| B．be a 17-year-old student from a poor family |
| C．have a home without sleeping in her car or shelters |
| D．have raised enough money to go to college |
| A．Knowledge can change your fate． |
| B．Don’t give up, and tomorrow will be better． |
| C．Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well． |
| D．He that will not work shall not eat． |
【推荐3】J. K. Rowling frequently shows there is magic every day. Her Harry Potter series has helped people through times of stress and depression and she is always there to deliver wise words of encouragement.
She is one celebrity who is very active on Twitter. So when a single dad named Matt Burke sent her a message thanking her for the series, she noticed. Her series had helped strengthen his relationship with his 9yearold daughter Bailey.
He included a link to his article titled Being a Broke Parent. He explained how he hadn’t found a level of financial stability that allowed him to pay bills on time and take his daughter on more activities and events. The family also doesn’t have the Internet or TV, which means there’s no “digital babysitter” and he has to rely on his own creative ways to bond with his daughter. Since he received the series, the main thing that has occupied them these days is reading books together.
Burke admits that he thought he was “too cool” for the books when they first came out and he was in his twenties, but he’s loving reading them now. “We switch off chapter by chapter reading them out loud，“Burke explains.” This not only allows her to get more used to reading aloud in front of someone, but it gets me directly involved in something she loves, and it gives me the chance to be very dramatic when I read my chapters and bring myself into the characters in the book, which has proven to be a ton of fun.”
After hearing Burke’s story, Rowling said how honored she was when Harry Potter was a part of his family’s life and offered Burke more books. Besides, people are also offering to send Burke more books as gifts. For Burke, this experience, far more than gifts, will be what he treasures.
1. Why did Burke thank J. K. Rowling according to the text?| A．She guided him how to write a good story. |
| B．She encouraged him when he was in trouble. |
| C．Her books helped him through times of confusion. |
| D．Her books helped him improve his bond with his daughter. |
| A．He has found it interesting to read the series. | B．He was too old to understand the series better. |
| C．He has chosen a better way of reading the series. | D．He hopes to play a role in the drama in the future. |
| A．Useless. | B．Normal. | C．Valuable. | D．Boring. |
| A．J. K. Rowling chooses to help improve kids’ health. |
| B．J. K. Rowling gives a magical gift to a single father. |
| C．J. K. Rowling has a deep influence on others’ growth. |
| D．Burke comes to know J. K. Rowling through her series. |
