One night, our house burned down. As a single mother with four kids, she cried bitterly. We had to move into the Ramada Inn, where my mother worked. This was the room where putting one foot in front of the next felt impossible. After four months of not having any of our own air to breathe, we were on the edge of just giving up.
One day Mother stood up, looking crazy. “Let’s go for a ride,” we looked at one another cautiously, not sure if we had heard right. “Come on,” she urged. “It’ll be fun.” We didn’t have fun in our family. Fun was something we might have known about once, which, however, seemed foreign to us now. Still, we piled into our 1972 blue Ford Torino, a blue so faded as to appear almost white. Mother started the car, saying “I thought we’d go to look at all the houses we’ve lived in.”
Embarking on rides that night was my first. Gradually, going for a ride in my mother’s car became a regular thing. Every night we piled into the car and the world changed. We even sang “You Are My Sunshine” and a million other songs. The hope we seemed to have lost in the rest of our life was real again in the car as we sang. One night as we were singing loudly, “In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines and you shiver when the cold wind blows ...” Mother suddenly stopped the car. “This is it!” she cried.
“This” was a house, and a for-rent sign in the front yard brought me more joy than I could believe. “Really?” I asked in a low voice. My mother was excited and we all went to look. We might have a house again. That night, I realized my mother was like us. The following weekend, we moved in. The nights in the car were over. Better off, we had new jobs and activities now. One summer in the Torino had saved us. We had lost our home, but my mother had found a way to bring us together and keep us that way.
1. What did the author think of the room in the Ramada Inn?| A．It was comfortable. | B．It was tiny. | C．It was fashionable. | D．It was broken. |
| A．Excited. | B．Embarrassed. | C．Confused. | D．Bored. |
| A．Starting. | B．Desiring. | C．Designing. | D．Fixing. |
| A．Singing in the Rain | B．Taking the Easy Path |
| C．Ringing to the Rescue | D．Running Through Life |
相似题推荐
A young lady was standing on the corner with a map in her hand. She looked puzzled. Several people passed by, looked at her but did not stop. I wondered why. Maybe it was because of the way she was dressed. She wore a dirty dress and looked pale.
As I crossed the street and came closer to her I asked if she wanted help. She thanked me and smiled in relief. As it turned out, she was looking for the hospital. I felt wonderful just reaching out, and taking that extra moment to help.
Many times in these situations I end up walking a person to where he or she is going when giving directions would be too complicated. I like helping people this way due to my own experience. Many years ago, we travelled in Japan and needed directions. A kind Japanese who saw our problem came to us and helped us out. This man just took my heavy bags and guided us to where we needed to be. We could not speak any Japanese while the man could not speak any English. Although we could not communicate through words, we communicated through the heart.
Sometimes when I do a special favour for a stranger, the person will say, “I hope I can do something for you one day to return the favour.” They already have done something for me by giving me the opportunity to help them. But I hope that when they come across a situation where someone needs their help, they will be willing to reach out as well.
1. Why didn’t those passers-by give a helping hand to the young lady?(no more than 10 words)2. What was the young lady’s problem?(no more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined sentence mean?(no more than 20 words)
4. What does the writer want to tell us in the last paragraph?(no more than 15 words)
【推荐2】When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went at once to a shop where they sold toys for children. Being charmed with the sound of a whistle that I had seen by the way, in the hands of another boy, I handed over all my money for one. I then came home and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all my family. My brother and sister, and cousins, when I told of the bargain I had made, said I had given four times as much as the whistle was worth. They put me in mind of what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money, and laughed at me. Thinking about the matter gave me more shame than the whistle gave me pleasure.
This, however, was afterwards of use to me, for the impression continued on my mind, so that often when I was tempted (诱惑) to buy something I don’t need, I said to myself, “Don’t give too much for the whistle,” and I saved my money. As I grew up, came into the world and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who “gave too much for the whistle.” When I saw some man too eager for court favor (宫廷的恩宠), wasting his time at court gatherings, giving up his rest, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, for royal favor, I said to myself “This man gives too much for the whistle.” When I saw another kind of popularity, constantly taking part in political affairs, neglecting(疏忽) his own business, “He pays, indeed,” said I, “too dear for his whistle.”
If I knew a miser (守财奴) who gave up every kind of comfortable living, and the joys of friendship for the sake of gathering and keeping wealth—“Poor man.” said I, “you pay too dear for your whistle.” When I met a man of pleasure who devoted himself to having a good time, perhaps neglecting his health, “Mistaken man,” said I, “you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you are paying too dear for your whistle.” If I saw someone fond of appearance of who had fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine earrings, all above his fortune, and for which he had run into debt, and ends his career in a prison. “Alas,” said I, “he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle.”
In short, the miseries of mankind are largely due to their putting a false value on things—to giving “too much for their whistles”.
1. What does the whistle stand for in the passage?| A．A thing that is not worth wishing for. |
| B．A warning that we needn’t neglect. |
| C．A symbol of wealth and fame. |
| D．A toy that pleased the writer. |
| A．Think twice before you leap. |
| B．Don’t buy things that you don’t need. |
| C．Never let the loss outweigh the gain. |
| D．Working hard is the only way to success. |
| A．A whistle. | B．A playboy. |
| C．A politician. | D．A businessman. |
| A．A man who pursues pleasure even at the cost of his health. |
| B．A man who worships wealth more than everything else. |
| C．A man who gets into debt to buy beautiful things. |
| D．A man who wastes his time for useless things. |
【推荐3】The word “proactivity” is fairly common in management literature, but you won't find it in the dictionary. It means that as a human being you take responsibility for your own life.
Look at the word responsibility: ability to choose your response, response-ability. Effective people are proactive because they take responsibility. Their behavior is a product of their own decisions, based on values, rather than being a product of their own conditions, based on feelings.
For instance, you are planning a picnic with your family. You're excited. You have all the preparations. You've decided where to go, and then it becomes stormy, killing your plan. Proactive people carry weather within them. They realize what their purpose really was, and they creatively have a picnic elsewhere even if it's in their own basement with some special games, and make the best of that situation. The opposite of being proactive is to be reactive. Reactive people would say, “What's the use?” “We can't do anything,” “Oh this is so upsetting after all of our preparations and arrangements.” They try to persuade the people around them and usually the picnic will be cancelled.
Being proactive is really just being true to your human nature. Your basic nature is to act, and not to be acted upon. That's true, despite widely accepted theories of determinism used to explain human nature. Determinism says that you don't really choose anything and that what you call choices are nothing more than automatic responses to outside conditions.
The language of reactive people is like: “I can't.” “Don't have time.” “I have to.” “I must.” The whole spirit of that language is the transfer of responsibility. They think things are determined by their environment, or by their conditions, or by their conditioning or their genetic makeup. Psychologically, people who believe they are determined will produce the evidence to support the belief, and they increasingly feel victimized and out of control. They're not in charge of their life at all.
On the contrary, a proactive person exercises free will, the freedom to choose the response that best applies to his values. In that way, he gains control over the circumstances, rather than being controlled by them.
1. When a picnic plan is threatened by a sudden storm, reactive people will probably .| A．have the picnic as planned | B．make the best of the picnic |
| C．complain and give up the picnic | D．find somewhere else for the picnic |
| A．the environment | B．an inner belief | C．the genetic makeup | D．a temporary feeling |
| A．manage to improve the weather | B．give in to the weather passively |
| C．stress the influence of the weather | D．find a solution to the weather problems |
| A．are in charge of themselves | B．accept things passively |
| C．are similar to proactive people | D．respond to outside conditions actively |
【推荐1】The very wealthy English Baron Fitzgerald had only one child, a son, who understandably was the apple of his eye. His wife died when the child was in his early teens. So Fitzgerald devoted himself to fathering the kid. Unluckily the son died in his late teens.
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald’s wealth greatly increased. He spent a lot on art works of the masters.
Later Fitzgerald himself became seriously ill. Before his death, he had carefully prepared his will as to how his wealth would be settled—to sell his entire collection at an auction.
Because of the large quantity and high quality of his collection, a huge crowd of possible buyers gathered for the auction. Many of them were museum directors and private collectors eager to bid. Before the auction, the art works were shown, among which was a painting of Fitzgerald’s son by an unknown artist. Because of its poor quality, it received little attention.
When it was time for the auction, the auctioneer gaveled the crowd to attention. First the lawyer read from Fitzgerald’s will that the first art work to be auctioned was the painting of his son.
The poor-quality painting didn’t receive any bidders... except one — the old servant who had served the son and loved him, and who for emotional reasons offered the only bid.
As soon as the servant bought the painting for less than one English pound, the auctioneer stopped the bidding and asked the lawyer to read again from the will. The crowd became quiet, and the lawyer read from the will, “Whoever buys the painting of my son gets all my collection.” Then the auction was over.
1. The English Baron Fitzgerald was________.| A．a museum director | B．a master of art |
| C．an art collector | D．an artist |
| A．He served Fitzgerald’s son and loved him. | B．He saw that no one bid for it. |
| C．He knew the content of the will. | D．He found it cheap for him to buy |
| A．Proud. | B．Kind. | C．Foolish. | D．Clever. |
| A．The Auction | B．The Painting of the Son |
| C．The Servant at the Auction | D．One Painting for All |
【推荐2】When I was a senior student, I couldn't understand my science teacher’s instructions (指令) which upset me a lot. So when it comes to home-schooling our daughters, my husband volunteered to teach them science. But at that time he was too busy. I had to teach them instead.
One morning, I noticed the sky was a beautiful blue, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers. I decided the lessons would be taught outside.
I got the girls ready. We headed up into the forest, setting ourselves by a pond. My elder daughter Saoirse began catching frogs, while my younger daughter Ula looked at me, waiting to be instructed. I handed her a drawing board and the colored pencils. “We wait and see if something comes along. In the meantime, just draw what's around you.” I told her.
Just then a bird flew across the water, and settled in front of a fallen tree. I quickly told Ula, worried that she’d not seen the creature. But she had, and she began drawing it.
An hour later, she finished her picture and I found she drew the bird on her paper amazingly well. But there was one other interesting fact about this drawing: she also drew me, sitting beside her.
Staring at this child’s drawing of us watching a bird, I realized how I’d lived for 40 years, gathered 10 years of higher education, and never understood the basis of science before this moment. It is a sense of wonder: it isn’t about correctly reciting words from textbooks. It is first about stepping outside and admiring the world around us.
From that day on, it was I not my husband that acted as the science teacher.
1. What was the author’s attitude toward science when she was in school?| A．She didn’t care about it. | B．She was eager to learn it. |
| C．She worked hard at it. | D．She found it difficult. |
| A．Teacher’s instruction. | B．Higher education. |
| C．Getting knowledge from textbooks. | D．Appreciating the world around. |
| A．Wise and shy. | B．Patient and careful. |
| C．Friendly and outgoing. | D．Selfless and hard-working. |
| A．An Amazing Painting | B．A Trip to the Forest |
| C．A Lesson on Science | D．A Sense of Correctness |
【推荐3】During the outbreak of Corona-virus, people have got creative with ways to get everyday tasks done. Maria Botero, a resident and business owner in Medellín, Colombia is one of those out-of-the-box thinkers who has a new system in place to go about addressing her day to day workload. Owner of a local mini-market called E1 Porvenir, Botero has sought the help of her dog, Eros, to complete deliveries to some of their regular customers.
Eros, an eight-year-old chocolate Labrador, has been with the Botero family for several years now. Before she met Eros, Maria was uncertain to get a dog. However, her son’s repeated demands finally persuaded her to make up her mind. They welcomed Eros into their lives, and he’s been part of the family ever since.
When they opened their mini-market four years ago, the Boteros would bring Eros along for their daily deliveries. Thanks to a big brain and lots of treats, Eros gradually learned the names of some of their regular customers. When told someone’s name that he’s familiar with, he’s able to make his way to the person’s home alone. When the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病) got bad in Colombia and the government began restricting citizens’ ability to go out and buy groceries freely, Maria knew it was time to put Eros’ skills to good use.
Climbing the hilly neighborhood of Tulipanes with the handle of a basket held tightly in his mouth, Eros completes deliveries on a daily basis. Once he arrives at his destination, the customers know that tipping in the form of treats and lots of pats is a must. He’s such a good boy, after all! Inside the basket, Maria leaves a receipt for the goods delivered. Customers can pay via a simple online transfer.
1. Why did Maria accept Eros?| A．She wanted to satisfy her son. | B．She was a pet lover. |
| C．She tried to turn to him for help. | D．She needed his company. |
| A．He welcomes familiar customers. | B．He delivers goods to regular customers. |
| C．He collects receipts from the new customers. | D．He entertains customers with newly-learned skills. |
| A．He was once a pet of a customer’s. | B．He usually went to people’s homes for treats alone. |
| C．He carried shopping baskets for Maria before. | D．He used to follow Maria around the neighborhood. |
| A．They leave tips in Eros’ basket. |
| B．They introduce their pets to Eros. |
| C．They show their love and satisfaction to Eros. |
| D．They express willingness to pay for Eros’ service. |
【推荐1】One Second Every Day
I’ve been in advertising for eight years and used to work a lot of late nights and weekends for numerous projects.
The first project ends up being something I call “One Second Every Day”. Basically I record one second of every day for the rest of my life, combining these moments into one single continuous video until I can’t record them anymore.
I don’t use any filters (滤镜), just trying to catch the moment as much as possible as it is. I started a rule of the first person view. Early on, I thought I should have a couple of videos where people would see me, but I realized that wasn’t the way to go.
The project has many possibilities. I encourage you all to record just a small piece of your life every day, so you can never forget that day and treasure every moment.
| A．It instantly inspired me. |
| B．The purpose is to remember what I’ve done. |
| C．I’m always energetic when doing things I love. |
| D．People might have different interpretations of it. |
| E．It’s difficult, sometimes, to pick that one second. |
| F．But I never had time for one I wanted to work on on my own. |
| G．The essence of my project should be recording the thing as I actually see it. |
【推荐2】A British woman, Dr. Mantri, growing up in India started to notice his son, Dhruv, was struggling with simple arithmetic when he was in fifth-grade. After noticing this, she started employing an abacus (算盘) to help her son visually comprehend mathematics.
“I would ask him something like 35 minus 13 and he couldn’t do it.” said Dhruv’s mom Dr. Mantri. “I decided to change the way he looked at numbers,” she said. “An abacus is a tried and tested method, and the Egyptians used them for building the pyramid.” In just six days he started to show progress with the abacus and would go on to become a whizz kid with numbers, with even his classmates’ parents reaching out for help.
She never thought she would teach her son using an abacus, which she used as a child in India and it was always helpful. Within six days she started to notice a difference and see results. So dramatic was the turnaround, that school staff asked him to perform with the abacus at an assembly, where some parents even came to ask for advice on using it for their kids.
IT specialist Dr. Mantri said the humble abacus can be used for calculations into the trillions and kids enjoy learning on it because it’s like a game. “It becomes a playing tool for younger children, for it feels like a game. I think the success comes because children can touch and feel an abacus and visualize them.” She added.
By the age of 12, Dhruv was giving online cyber security seminars and is now pursuing a career in data science and analytics. Dhruv has now landed an apprenticeship (实习) at an international firm. During the four-year apprenticeship, he will spend one day a week studying Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Glasgow Caledonian University. “He is so confident now and I am so proud,” she said, with Dhruv adding “I don’t think my teachers would have guessed that I would be following a career in data science at that time.”
1. Why did Dhruv have difficulty in learning mathematics?| A．He was faced with language barrier. | B．He didn’t find a proper way. |
| C．He suffered from eyesight problems. | D．He lacked academic support from the family. |
| A．Careful. | B．Diligent. | C．Outstanding. | D．Struggling. |
| A．They find it appealing. | B．They can calculate faster. |
| C．They enjoy playing games. | D．They are eager for success. |
| A．Dhruv was addicted to the internet at 12. |
| B．Dhruv is teaching data science and analytics now. |
| C．Dhruv is a full-time student at Glasgow Caledonian University. |
| D．Dhruv’s career choice was beyond his teachers’ expectation. |
【推荐3】At age 14, Kristin Beale suffered injuries in an accident. She was riding one Jet Ski on a lake when a schoolmate ran over her, leaving her with a serious spinal cord (脊髓) injury.
Before the accident, Beale was an active student at Henrico’s Deep Run High School, involved in competition cheerleading and hockey. Afterward, she had to relearn how to perform daily tasks. “When I was in hospital, doctors told my parents I would be a vegetable, and that I wouldn’t be able to breathe or swallow. I wanted to disprove everything they had on their list,” she says.
Beale began writing about her experiences while working on her recovery in California. By the time she finished, she had written 32 stories. She narrowed them down and eventually gathered them into her first nonfiction book, “Greater Things”, about how people react to her and how she has overcome her injuries and stays positive. “I never thought it would become a book, but that’s how it all started,” Beale says.
Her second book, “Date Me”, is a collection of comics coming from three dozen unsuccessful dates. “I would turn those dates into comic strips,” Beale says. Instead of typical banter, she says, each meeting was a “disability-centered date. It felt like interviewing about my disability. I would open up on the dates.” Trying to find humor in something that is not really funny. Beale drew comics about her dates’ reactions to her wheelchair-bound status. She didn’t start dating to get material for a book. Beale notes, “I love to meet people, go out and do things. It turned into,’ How can I turn a waste of time and hurt feelings into something good?’”
Now working as a literary scout for her publisher, Morgan James Publishing in Hampton, Beale continues to write. Another nonfiction book, “A Million Suns”, details her journey “from the darkness of disability into the sunlight of circumstance” and how she has found happiness.
1. What might be on the doctors’ “list” for Beale?| A．Daily tasks for treatment. | B．Consequences of Beale’s injury. |
| C．Diets during recovery. | D．Instructions on using drugs. |
| A．To publish a book of her own. | B．To cheer herself up in the hospital. |
| C．To record her experiences after injury. | D．To encourage the patients with disabilities. |
| A．She didn’t take it seriously. | B．She was careful and sensitive. |
| C．She talked with a sense of humor. | D．She was honest and open-minded. |
| A．Beale’s skills in successful dates. | B．Beale’s theory on true happiness. |
| C．Beale’s dream of a brighter future. | D．Beale’s struggle with spinal cord injury. |
