I regularly train at a local boxing gym and I’m lucky enough to meet an amazing man, Adrian Charter. Adrian comes to the gym to train, just like me. The difference is, I’m 31 years old, and Adrian is 72!
I watched Adrian as he was training, early on a Sunday morning, and he was hitting the punching bag harder and quicker than most men in their twenties would. Adrian was a former boxer whose last professional fight was in 1972. Even though he has stopped competing as a boxer, his discipline(纪律) still makes him stick to a training rule.
It simply amazed me as to how a 72-year-old man could train so hard. Believe me, boxing is one of the most difficult sports on the earth, needing much patience,skill, and effort.
What surprised me even more was that a few days earlier he did some running. He ran 9 kilometers. He does this on a regular basis. For me, I can run 5 kilometers at most.
When I questioned him about how he kept such discipline, he calmly replied, “It is all in my mind.”
I thought about it for a moment. If discipline can push a 72-year-old man to train so hard and enjoy it, could I imagine how discipline could serve every single human being on the earth? Right at this point, as you read this story, please pause and ask yourself, “What is my level of discipline?”
Adrian’s example told me that the power of discipline will get us to the finishing line!The bigger the challenge is, the more our discipline can serve us and the sweeter the taste of success will be!
1. The author noticed Adrian Charter mostly because Adrian Charter _______ .| A．was a famous former boxer |
| B．was the oldest in the boxing gym |
| C．acted faster even than young people |
| D．didn’t want to compete any longer |
| A．It has high requirements. |
| B．It has strict training rules. |
| C．It has a limit to people’s age. |
| D．It makes people become quick and strong. |
| A．Rome was not built in a day |
| B．no pains, no gains |
| C．failure is the mother of success |
| D．early birds can catch worms |
| A．Grasp every chance to keep fit |
| B．An unforgotten experience |
| C．The power of discipline |
| D．An amazing boxer |
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【推荐1】Joe Horan, a physical education teacher, has started the program Building Men to create a positive vision of manhood not just for himself, but also for the boys he teaches. Looking back, Mr. Horan says his program developed from a low point in his life. In 2004 as he went through a hard time, he felt society’s definition of manhood was leading him down the wrong path. His life, he says, lacked substance and depth. “A desire became planted in my heart, that is, to find healing from the unhealthy messages I believed about manhood,” he says. Then, his sister recommended a book, Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx, which digs into the discovery of what being a man is all about. Joe took all the clues and started to put life lessons into his class.
Despite limited resources and funding, Building Men began at one middle school in the district in 2006. It grew on a shoestring budget, expanding school by school, year by year. Today, 33 teachers, like Mr. Colabufo, work across 18 schools. Mr Colabufo has known Mr. Horan for several years, noting many people are aware of the program’s success. “Joe’s a legend in this district,’’ Mr Colabufo says.
The program appeals to boys at first because of a basketball component, but its secret is how it dives into off-the-court issues through discussions on character. Building Men helps participants gain insight, work to restore self-worth, and learn to calm emotions. SIR is a central component of lessons, standing for significance, integrity, and relationships.
At a recent breakfast fundraiser, Shateek Nelson, a senior at Nottingham High School, shared his experience, having participated in Building Men since middle school. He said he learned to see the bigger picture, rather than living in the moment. He also came to realize his actions affect others, and now he factors that into his decisions.
1. What motivated Joe Horan to start the program Building Men?| A．An instructional book. | B．His personal experience. |
| C．His sister’s suggestion. | D．The society’s expectation. |
| A．Flexible. | B．Proper. | C．Tight. | D．Balanced. |
| A．One should dream big and then start small. |
| B．One should live each day as if it were the last day. |
| C．It is good to gain real-life experience at middle school. |
| D．It is essential to think more of others in decision-making. |
| A．SIR: Core Component of Physical Education |
| B．Healthy Life: Involving Substance and Depth |
| C．Building Men: Teaching Boys About Manhood |
| D．Manhood: Teenagers’ Power of Handling Issues |
【推荐2】Last summer, I had to stay in the room during the period of my recovery from cancer after the operation. It was unexpected that life highlighted everything that I might tend to take for granted in the normal course.
On the first morning, my children presented me a coffee pot. I liked to begin the day with a cup of coffee and was eager to try the pot.
When I made coffee, it spilled out over the whole table. Fortunately, nobody was there to see my embarrassed look! I kept trying, but each morning would see me wiping up the coffee. Then I realized that if I poured very slowly there would be no spilling.
This was at first a very painful experience. My normal practice was to rush through breakfast so that I could get on with my day. But at that moment I learned not only to pour slowly but to enjoy the experience: the smell, the taste, and the stillness of a new day.
It helped me to reflect upon whether there were other areas of my life 1 was rushing through. Most of life, it seemed. Strangely, those we consider loved ones may go of radar(雷达)when we would expect them to enquire about our well-being. However, others we seldom keep in touch with came into our lives suddenly, full of concern, well-meaning advice and love.
After the recovery period, I started to leave extra time to do even the most ordinary tasks. When shop owners would apologize for keeping me waiting, I would say, "Not a problem, I'm not in a hurry." Even hanging out washing became pleasurable when a couple of extra minutes of standing still, and listening to the birds singing in the trees around me became part of my routine.
Besides, one of my favorite experiences living in the inner city for many years was sitting on the front doorstep of our home spending time with strangers. We sat on the steps, each of us with a cup of coffee in our hands, listening to each other's stories. It was one of the warmest things about living in a busy city.
1. What was the author's life like before the time of recovery from the illness?| A．Awkward. | B．Relaxing. |
| C．Hurried. | D．Thrilling. |
| A．By pilling coffee over the table. | B．By buying a new pot. |
| C．By chatting with the strangers. | D．By pouring coffee slowly. |
| A．She had more time for reflecting on her past. |
| B．She found joy in ordinary daily activities. |
| C．She became impatient with any shop owner. |
| D．She liked listening to mysteries in busy cities. |
| A．To tell people how to make coffee tasty. |
| B．To advocate enjoying slow-paced life. |
| C．To show the gift from her children. |
| D．To recommend making friends with others. |
【推荐3】When we moved into our home in Maui, Hawaii, 16 years ago, one good thing about this house was the huge avocado tree (牛油果树) growing in the backyard.
This tree gave the most delicious avocados I have ever tasted. I lived on these avocados when musing my first child. Fresh avocado was the very first food for my kids. This tree was so huge that it cast a massive shadow over our backyard. It was truly our magical tree.
Until one day, someone from the Health Department came to tell us that our avocado tree was too large and needed trimming. In New York you get in trouble if you don’t clear the snow off your sidewalk. Here, it’s when your trees are too high. So along came the trimmer, leaving just the trunk and a few branches. I was sad. The kids were all sad. Some friends who knew it would say, “It’s going to grow back. Your next avocados will be crazy!” Yeah, whatever. The tree is gone, so stop doing that. It just didn’t work.
But a few days later, I noticed some unusual butterflies flying around the yard. And then, the, sun came in the kitchen, creating this pleasant warmth once blocked by the huge tree. After about a month, I started to notice some tiny green shoots coming out of the cut branches, which eventually turned into full-on bright green leaves.
I started to feel like all was going to be fine, kind of like life. Little do we know what seems really difficult is actually life’s way of making us stronger. It’s life’s way of bringing in the butterflies, the sunshine, and the delightful flowers. We all know that saying, “It will be OK in the end. If it’s pot, it’s not the end.”
1. What is mainly conveyed in paragraph 2 about the avocado tree?| A．Her kids’ love for it. | B．Its fruit’s good taste. |
| C．Its benefits for her family. | D．Her expectation of it. |
| A．To cheer her up. | B．To tease her |
| C．To show their regret. | D．Tu express their excitement. |
| A．It had no branches. | B．It blocked the sunshine. |
| C．It bore more avocados. | D．It was full of life again |
| A．You harvest what you sow. |
| B．Success won’t come unless you go to it. |
| C．Luck and Misfortune comes in turn. |
| D．The important thing in life is to have a dream. |
【推荐1】Skiing offers many benefits. It’s a sport people can enjoy with friends and family. Skiers can get access to breathtaking mountain scenery.
A ski instructor teaches people how to ski, helps experienced skiers improve their skill, and may provide ski coaching for people who intend to compete in skiing. Many ski instructors work as employees for companies that run ski resorts (旅游胜地).
When teaching beginners to ski, a ski instructor focuses on skiing safety, proper form, and basic skiing skills. For advanced skiers, advanced skiing skills should be taught.
Professional ski instructors lead fascinating and exciting lives. If working and skiing at a ski resort most of the day appeals to you, then becoming a ski instructor must be your dream job!
| A．Advanced courses can be attractive. |
| B．Such skills can be harder to learn. |
| C．Besides, skiing will build skiers up. |
| D．Ski instructors can also be self-employed. |
| E．Such skiers don’t need instructors any more. |
| F．However, not everyone is cut out to be a ski instructor. |
| G．What are the requirements for working as a ski instructor? |
Health experts used to say you needed to exercise for at least ten minutes at a time to gain any benefits.
Lifting your voice in a choir (合唱团) has cognitive (认知的) benefits, according to a Finnish study published in Plos One. The study found that elderly singers had better verbal fluency compared to non-singers. This makes sense, since it’s a hobby that requires attention, information processing, linguistic output, learning and memory.
Parkinson’s patients should hit the links.| A．Choir singing boosts the brain. |
| B．Developing hobbies improves memory. |
| C．Short bursts of exercise will benefit the health in the short term. |
| D．However, evidence has shown that anything is better than nothing. |
| E．The patients playing golf saw their balance and walking ability improve. |
| F．Exercise is one of the most powerful treatments for people with Parkinson’s disease. |
| G．Examples include a few push-ups, 60 seconds on an bike, or a jog up a flight of stairs. |
【推荐3】You probably know that exercise is good for you. Studies show that it can prevent many major health conditions,including cognitive decline,diabetes, certain cancers and more.
＂Our lives are completely full. We may have children,aging parents, jobs, partners,and community,"says Barbara Hannah Grufferman, author of The Best of Everything After 50.
If you don't have a regular exercise plan,don't worry! There are simple things you can do to get more exercise, no gym membership or hours of commitment required.
Walk-and make it count
Even if you're not in shape, you can likely walk. And that's good news, because many studies illustrate that it's one of the best things we can do for our bodies. Grufferman suggests getting a pedometer(计步器），whether it's a simple mechanical one, or a FitBit or Jawbone.
Reduce sitting
You've probably heard,"sitting is the new smoking."Well,this means that loads of research has shown that sitting for extended periods of time can have serious health consequences that range from obesity to diabetes and more.
Run if you can
It might seem out of reach, but if you can add some light running into your daily walk, you'll be better for it. Running can make you happier, strengthen your joints, improve heart health,and improve your memory!
Make it a habit
To truly make exercise-even the basics-a part of your life you'll need to make it a habit. ＂The good news is that it's never too late to start," says Grufferman.
| A．Track your steps because it's very motivating. |
| B．But finding time to get more exercise can be challenging. |
| C．Make sure you are more active and have a more enjoyable life. |
| D．Experts suggest using a standing desk at least some of the time. |
| E．Like brushing your teeth, you have to build exercise into your life. |
| F．Some experts suggest altermating jogging and walking to get started. |
| G．Get the recommended amount of exercise for your age to get the most benefit. |
【推荐1】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2】The hens look up at me from their nesting boxes. They seem slightly annoyed but unsurprised. A child runs up, pushes one of the chickens aside, and snatches two eggs. Around me, a half-dozen more children and adults collect eggs while a half-dozen others hand-feed dried mealworms to birds flocking around our ankles. I reach for an egg from an empty nest. There is something perfect about the way it fits warmly in the palm of my hand before I transfer it into a pretty wire basket provided to me by my hosts.
The egg harvest is a brief, carefully designed agritourism experience offering an experience of the labor rather than just having a bite of food. Snatching a few eggs and uprooting a few vegetables on the farm tour don’t constitute a full day’s work, but it is also a useful reminder that food doesn’t just magically appear on restaurant plates and grocery store shelves. Of course, visitors can take those eggs home or bring them to the on-farm restaurant, Clay, where a chef will use them to prepare breakfast.
A few centuries of industrialization, urbanization, and globalization have collected people into cities, but the attraction of the countryside has always remained. In the new urban-centered world, enterprising farmers have found plenty of opportunities to sell their rural lifestyle along with their crops. Italy promoted the modern model for combining agriculture and tourism in the wake of World War II, when the national government encouraged rural populations to continue producing food rather than move to urban areas in search of more profitable jobs.
Agritourism acts as an umbrella term for a wide variety of activities that take place on farms, including farmstays, where guests sleep on-site. For varying investments of time, energy, and money, anyone can engage in our farming system, giving consumers a peek behind the farm-to-table world.
1. Why does the author describe children and adults collecting eggs in the beginning?| A．To introduce agritourism. |
| B．To describe the use of eggs. |
| C．To show the innocence of the children. |
| D．To emphasize the happiness of the children and adults. |
| A．Engaging in planting vegetables in person. |
| B．Doing some simple but meaningful farm-work. |
| C．Enjoying some self-made egg products on the farm. |
| D．Clarifying the farm-to-table concept through practice. |
| A．The appeal of rural life gradually fade away due to industrialization. |
| B．The desire to search for more well-paid jobs accelerated the speed of agritourism. |
| C．Italian government’s calls contributed a lot to the trend of moving from villages to cities. |
| D．Promising farmers were dedicated to promoting their lifestyle along with agricultural products. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Dismissive. | C．Supportive. | D．Sympathetic. |
【推荐3】The minds of Shanghai residents are filled with household trash: are they "wet", "dry", "hazardous" (有害的) or "recyclable"?
Residents of the city, one of the world's biggest with about 23 million people, must arrange their trash according to those types under a strict sorting rule starting on July 1.
Huang Rong, an official of the Shanghai government, said on Friday more than 70% of residential districts should obey the new trash sorting rules by next year.
Though Shanghai has done a lot of things to deal with the problem, residents on social media are still confused about how to sort items like batteries, human hair, meat on a bone, or fruit seeds and skins. The government has set up an app to handle inquiries.
Shanghai aims to eventually burn or recycle all waste. By next year, dry waste burning and wet waste treatment rates are expected to reach 27, 800 tons a day, around 80% of the city's total garbage.
China is building hundreds of "waste to energy" plants that use garbage to produce power. It is also establishing a "waste-free city" plan and constructing high-tech "comprehensive using bases" across the country.
Huang said the new sorting measures were just the beginning, and would not instantly solve Shanghai's gradually garbage challenges.
"We need to step up the propaganda ( 宣 传 ) , and we need to step up the construction of infrastructure (基础设施) and make sure that the separation of trash meets our requirements," he said.
1. Why are the minds of Shanghai residents filled with household trash?| A．Because they have a strong awareness of environmental protection. |
| B．Because they must obey a strict sorting rule started on July 1. |
| C．Because Shanghai is one of the advanced city in the world. |
| D．Because there are 23 million people who produce too much trash. |
| A．How to sort different items. | B．How to make full use of the items. |
| C．How to use the APP. | D．How to handle inquiries. |
| A．burn or recycle all the waste |
| B．use garbage to produce electricity |
| C．establish a waste-free city |
| D．construct high-tech bases |
| A．Increasing the propaganda. |
| B．Speeding up the construction of infrastructure. |
| C．Making sure that the separation of trash meets our requirements. |
| D．All of the above. |
