Some families choose to take expensive vacations, such as to the Grand Canyon. However, my favorite family vacation was different. Nine years ago, my parents created a grand plan to build the home of their dreams in a neighborhood Honeymoon Hill. As the dream was launched smoothly, our family of five squeezed tightly into the vehicle to go there.
The old home was gradually turned into the construction management office for the new one. As the new home began to take shape, it siphoned our attention and our primary home became the place where we merely slept. The three of us children worked and became soon-to-be-skilled laborers. I quickly learned that personalities were readily displayed when we painted a wall. Some stuck to their claims, stopping others entering their area. Others systematically painted their wall, working from top to bottom in an organized fashion. And one drew smiley faces and signed his name there.
Of course, the journey didn’t come without a few lessons learned. I came to understand that paint would never be removed from a rag, however many times I washed it. We learned other important lessons when my dad attempted to shingle(盖) a roof in the air: safety is indeed important, and sometimes money is well spent in the hiring of a professional.
A Mother’s Day dinner served on a temporary table could actually taste far better at the end of a long day’s work than the everyday meals we remembered back at the old home. Most importantly, I learned my family can forgive each other’s barks in close quarters. This project began to matter much to each of us in our own way.
When we finally completed the construction after 28 months, the resort we now call home went beyond all the other tours, and our family grew closer because of it.
1. What made the author’s family vacation different from others’?| A．His feeling of it. |
| B．The length of it. |
| C．The way of spending it. |
| D．The money spent on it. |
| A．Ignored. | B．Changed. |
| C．Distracted. | D．Attracted. |
| A．The understanding of each family. |
| B．The dinner his mother cooked. |
| C．The work done by all the children. |
| D．The process of building the houses. |
| A．A Perfect New House |
| B．A Special Family Vacation |
| C．The New House Untied Us Again |
| D．Families Worked Hard to Build a House |
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【推荐1】The Oklahoma teen’s eyes were covered by two blindfolds (眼罩) for the big surprise: being reunited with her father, James, after 12-year separation.
“I had actually discussed with her the night before at a restaurant and talked over the details of where we would go and how we would pull it off,” said Amanda, Rory Beth’s mother.
A video shows Amanda led her blindfolded daughter out of their car and guided her across the parking lot of Broken Arrow Lanes in Broken Arrow.
Little did she know, her father was on the sidewalk holding a birthday cake that read, “Happy Birthday Rory Beth, Love Dad.” When the teen slowly pulled down her blindfolds, she was dumbfounded. Both the father and daughter stood silently looking at each other until James finally walked over and hugged her. James only broke their embrace to look at his daughter and hold her face. “There were definitely lots of tears from myself, her brothers, and even a few bystanders,” said Amanda.
James was a truck driver who spent a lot of time on the road, and Amanda split with him when Rory Beth was a baby. “It was hard to figure out how to make it work,” Amanda said. Amanda felt Rory Beth was now old enough to understand and to ask any questions she may have, so the reunion happened.
The birthday surprise was on June 4, and the father and daughter had seen each other again since, even celebrating Father’s Day together. Amanda said her daughter and James were both delighted to be reunited “She’s already calling him ‘daddy’ and tells him that she loves him,” Amanda said. “They’re both very committed.”
1. What caused Rory Beth to be separated from her father for 12 years?| A．Her parents’ divorce. |
| B．Her father’s working as a taxi driver. |
| C．The misunderstanding between them. |
| D．Her preference for living with her mother. |
| A．Her father was eager to see her. |
| B．She had many questions to ask her father. |
| C．She was old enough to recognize her father. |
| D．Her mother thought it was time for her to see her father. |
| A．Tired. | B．Scared. |
| C．Shocked. | D．Confused. |
| A．The video about the reunion was shot by James himself. |
| B．Rory Beth’s brothers accompanied her to see her father. |
| C．Rory Beth called James “daddy” on her 12th birthday. |
| D．Amanda had a conversation with Rory Beth on June 3. |
【推荐2】“Eating together” is a statement that doctors use regularly when they talk with families about maintaining normal weight. Children who eat regular family meals tend to have lower rates of obesity (肥胖症). A new study takes a look at why.
A team led by Jerica Berg asked the families of 120 children to record eight days of meals. Berge’s team sorted the interactions (互动) occurring at the table into two broad groups — those relating to the emotional atmosphere at the meal, such as how much the family members seemed to be enjoying the time together, and how many uncomfortable silences occurred — and those involving food specially, such as how many unpleasant feelings emerged from discussions about food, and how much the parents controlled what and how much children ate.
Children who were overweight had family meals that included more negative emotional interactions compared to children who weren’t overweight. Their meals tended to have a warmer, more communicative atmosphere. For example, these children were encouraged to eat foods to get stronger or run faster, while heavier children experienced more negative pressures including threats and being made to feel guilty about those who can’t afford to eat three meals a day. If parents talk constantly throughout the meal about food, and lectured the children about homework or attempted to control what the children ate, the youngsters were also more likely to be heavy. Also, the researchers found heavier children tended to have shorter meals.
In the meantime, the current data suggests that simply sitting down at the same table at the same time isn’t enough to influence obesity. And it’s up to family doctors to help families understand how to take full advantage of having a meal together.
1. What were sorted into two groups by Berge’s team?| A．Foods served at three meals. |
| B．Features of family meals influencing weight. |
| C．Conversations happening during dinner. |
| D．Feelings coming out of discussions about food. |
| A．They talked with the children about homework. |
| B．They lectured the children about treasuring food. |
| C．They asked the children to finish meals quickly. |
| D．They told the children to eat to get healthy. |
| A．Cooking delicious meals. |
| B．Dieting in a healthy manner. |
| C．Making good use of dining together. |
| D．Creating shared conversation topics. |
| A．How dining with parents affects obesity in kids |
| B．How obesity spreads across family members |
| C．Why more children are becoming overweight |
| D．Why parents should eat together with children |
【推荐3】Developing healthy eating habits starts from childhood, therefore it is important for parents to teach and provide children with a healthy diet. DPHSS administrator of the Bureau of Nutrition Services, Charlie Morris told KUAM News, “A healthy diet for a child consists of a lot of fruits and vegetables in the diet limiting the amount of simple sugars in the diet and high fat food and highly processed food.”
This means staying away as much as possible from food such as chips, cookies, candies and sugary drinks, as all children need to have meals which involve a well-balanced diet. Community nutritionist Thelma Romoso said, “The fruit, the vegetable, the grain, the protein, and also the milk, the diary product, so for the fruits it’s easy for a mother to go into the two plus three concept of fruits and vegetables or five a day.”
This concept means that there are at least two servings of fruits a day, three servings of vegetables a day which can be served for lunch and dinner. As for protein parents can make a variety of dishes from chicken, beef, fish or even dried beans to pledge the child gets three servings a day.
Morris said that the child’s hunger level controls how much is eaten and the parent controls what and when the meal is offered, saying, “Mom needs to ensure that the food offered is good food for the child to eat and throughout the day depending on how active they are, snacks are not a bad thing, so the mom should offer good kinds of snacks.”
When it comes to preparing your child’s lunch and snacks for school, make sure to keep in mind that the food you provide should not only be a source of energy but also be nutritionally beneficial such as fresh fruits, and whole grain bread. But parents must be sure to remember that a good nutritional diet must be balanced with physical activity, namely it is important that children get outside and run around and play and get activity in addition to eating a good diet.
1. What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?| A．Choose healthy food and snacks for your child. |
| B．Fruits and vegetables are good for your child. |
| C．Take steps to provide a good lunch for your child. |
| D．Make various and delicious dishes for your child. |
| A．mothers should prepare delicious food by themselves |
| B．sugars and high fat exist in few kinds of food |
| C．highly processed food should be reduced in daily life |
| D．active children prefer more and more snacks |
| A．Fruits |
| B．Snacks |
| C．Milk |
| D．Chicken |
| A．fresh fruits are often ignored by children |
| B．a good nutritional diet may cost too much |
| C．choosing healthy food is linked with income |
| D．parents play a very important role in children’s healthy diet |
【推荐1】Summer is the perfect time to relax. As you plan for your trip, here are some tips on how to protect yourself.
Fight against the mosquitoes in the hot spots.
There are many mosquito-borne illnesses in tropical regions, which are traditionally vacation hot spots. Therefore, mosquito repellent（驱蚊剂）that contains DEET should be an essential item in your travel bag.
In lesser-developed countries there is less equipment for clean water and public health. If you can't avoid unhealthful water, make sure you bring along a tea or coffee—making pot that will boil water for you. You’d better buy a case or two of water and check that all bottle caps are sealed to assure the bottled water isn't just a refilled bottle of dirty tap water.
Always protect your feet.
It's best to wear slippers in the shower, but if you must be barefoot, put a towel down on the floor.
Be sure to eat safe fruits.
Enjoy the smell of roadside stands, not the food.
Unless the food is piping hot when served, it’s best to stay away from roadside stands, no matter how good the smell of the food might be. If you are concerned about whether a restaurant is clean, order the food to go.
| A．Don't trust the local water |
| B．Any fruit served fresh may be polluted |
| C．Look out for any water not served in a bottle |
| D．The boxes may be cleaner than the plate or fork on the table |
| E．You should know how to keep yourself away from dirty fruits |
| F．They are necessary to avoid coming back with a major illness from your trip |
| G．Parasites（寄生虫）can enter the skin of your feet and travel to different parts of the body |
Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks on high mountains? This astonishment is caused probably by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their relaxation.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of a different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore (忽略), but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier (滑雪者) is probably past his best by the age of thirty, and most international tennis champions are in their early twenties. But it is not unusual for man of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they probably climb with more skill and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.
1. The main difference between a sport and a game lies in ______.| A．activity | B．uniform | C．rules | D．skills |
| A．mountaineers depend on each other while climbing |
| B．teams compete against each other |
| C．it is an Olympic event |
| D．there are five climbers on each team |
| A．each other | B．nature |
| C．other teams | D．international standards |
| A．How to Climb High Mountains | B．Mountain Climbers |
| C．Challenging Sports Activities | D．Mountaineering |
【推荐3】Many people who don’t normally visit museums may consider them boring and often wonder what the appeal is. Actually, people visit museums for a variety of reasons.
Open up your eyes. Visiting museums allows you to place yourself in the shoes of artists. Each work serves as a doorway into the artists’ soul and lets you explore what they felt, rather than merely observed.
Gain inspiration. Do you ever feel like you need a breath of inspiration to refresh your soul? It’s not a coincidence (巧合) that there’s a “muse” in museums! A museum is a wonderful place to get inspired and let creative juices begin to flow again.
Offer “food” for conversation. This is because museums can help fuel your discussions with other people. Whether it’s a new exhibit or a fascinating show, museums offer a variety of subjects to talk about.
| A．Change your attitude towards life. |
| B．Meet those sharing similar interests. |
| C．Every piece of art tells a unique story. |
| D．Some are personal and some are social. |
| E．It has a positive effect on the whole society. |
| F．These topics aren’t just limited to traditional artworks. |
| G．Observing artists’ works results in the creation of new ideas. |
