After a salon(美发厅) turns away a physically challenged woman, a stranger makes a truly beautiful gesture. “Beauty isn’t about having a pretty face. It’s about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and a pretty soul, Oh, and pretty nails!” That may well be Angela Peters’s motto.
Last July, Peters, 36, rolled her wheelchair into a nail salon at the Walmart shopping center in Burton, Michigan, with the idea of painting her fingers. But Peters was turned away. The salon told her that they were afraid it would be too difficult to properly paint her nails given that her hands shook, What was meant to be a clay of happiness for Peters was now a disappointment.
Ebony Harris, 40, saw everything and approached Peters. Harris offered to do her nails. They shopped for nail polish. They settled on a bright blue — a statement color that would catch every eye. They then made their way into a neighboring Subway, found a table for two, and set up shop. Harris gently took Peters’s hand into hers and carefully began painting her nails.
Watching it all with awe and admiration was Subway employee Tasia Smith. What struck her most was the ease and gentleness displayed by Harris as she painted Peters’s nails, all the while chatting as if they were old friends.
Peters, who runs a poetry website, heavenlypoems. com, harbors(心怀) no bitterness toward the nail salon that turned her away. (The salon says they refused to offer Peters service because they were too busy.) “When people do us wrong we must forgive,” Peters wrote on her website. “I just want to educate people that people with different challenges, like being in a wheelchair, can have our own business and get our nails done like anyone else.”
1. Why did Peters go to the Walmart shopping centre?| A．To go shopping. | B．To eat at a Subway. |
| C．To meet her friend Harris. | D．To have her nails painted. |
| A．That she was disabled. | B．That she was turned away. |
| C．That the salon was busy. | D．That she had no nail polish. |
| A．Mean. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Caring. | D．Stubborn. |
| A．It’s better to use websites to educate people. |
| B．The salon has its reasonable reason to refuse her. |
| C．Those who did something wrong should not be forgiven. |
| D．People with different challenges should be treated equally. |
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【推荐1】I wanted to stop at a sporting goods store “Going Out of Business” sale we passed in the mall. “There’s nothing we need”, my husband’s usual ill-tempered male comment. “It’s all overpriced junk. If they had anything good they wouldn’t be going out of business.”
“But, it’s sporting goods. Could be some good deals for the grandkids. And, you like boats and fishing stuff. I’ve put up with that photo of your ‘dream-canoe’ stuck on the bathroom mirror for years now. Maybe you’d enjoy just looking around?”
“Are you crazy?” His eyes got funny and he said something like. “This loser store wouldn’t carry something like that. And I’m sure not going near those sucker(傻瓜) crowds.”
I squared my chin and marched into the crowded store. Aisles(过道) and aisles of sporting equipment, boy toys were strung with huge blaring signs. CLOSING OUT SALE─Up to 80% OFF. NO REFUNDS.
Up and down the aisles I walked and explored, humming to myself and enjoying the excitement of a sale. All of a sudden, there, at the back of the store, in gleaming silver, full of lifejackets, paddles and fishing stuff, sat the exact canoe of my husband’s picture. I gasped and blinked three times. Yup. It was still there. The Supremo Numero-Uno blah, blah. My heart beat wildly. I made my way through the crowds, scrambled over junk in the aisles and nearly fell into the canoe looking for the price tag. There it was ─a little tattered (破旧的), with the manufacturer’s suggested retail price at $6,750 plus tax crossed out and a handwritten TO CLEAR $750 AS IS. NO RETURNS. Must be a mistake. $6000 off? Salesman. I had to talk to a salesman. I spotted a young fellow with a “Hi. I’m Mathew” tag trying to hide out from bargain hunters. I grasped his sleeve. “Mathew. Tell me about this El Supremo canoe. What’s wrong with it? Why is it only $750?”
“Oh. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s brand new. We’re closing the store is all. It’s on clearance like everything else. I think that includes lifejackets, paddles and a bunch of fishing gear, too. I’ll go check.”
A few minutes later he came back and said, “I’m sorry ma’am. Someone made a mistake on the sale tag. It’s supposed to be $4,750 for the whole package. I just talked to my Dad who is running the close-out. He said it was worth more than $8,000 regular price so it’s still a real good deal.”
I felt tears well up in my eyes. “Oh well,” I said sadly. “Of course, it was too good to be true. This is exactly like my husband’s dreamboat. I guess I started to dream myself when I saw that price tag. He’s going to be 62 years old Friday. Had to retire early for his health. It’s been hard on just the pension but the stubborn old fool has been saving $10 every week for years to buy one just like this. Just an old man’s silly dream, you know. Always said he wanted to spend his retirement out fishing in a canoe,” my voice reduced and I turned and walked away. I was already at the mall door when Mathew caught up with me. “Do you have $750 plus $25 for delivery and a bit more for tax, ma’am?” I gasped. “Yes. Yes. That’s about all I have,” I said as I thought quickly about the eye surgery I was saving up for. “Well then, you just have your husband sitting on the front porch on Friday morning around 10 o'clock so he can be there when my Dad and I come to unload his new boat. We’ll even put a bow on it for his birthday.” I started to cry. My old hand shook and I had to squint (眯眼看) as I wrote out my cheque. Mathew swallowed hard.
“Ma’am. There’s something you should know. This store was my Grandpa’s. He ran it for more than 30 years. He always promised to retire one day. Said he wanted to spend time relaxing and out fishing in a canoe. He ordered this one, custom, for himself last year but, well, just never took the time off to use it.” He swallowed even harder. “My Grandpa died, sudden-like, just last week. He was only 68 years old. I think he’d be mighty happy that your husband will get this here canoe. My Dad thinks so too. You just have to make sure he uses it a lot, okay? Promise? ” I handed Mathew a Kleenex and we stood there together, quietly lost in our own thoughts for a moment, blowing our noses.
“I promise,” I said as I dashed off to look for my dear sweet husband.
1. From the passage, we can find the writer’s husband _______.| A．had deep prejudice against businessmen |
| B．was an old man with wise comments |
| C．needed an operation on his eyes |
| D．dreamt of possessing a fishing canoe |
| A．the writer loved buying cheap sporting goods most |
| B．the old couple lived comfortably with their pension |
| C．all the goods were 80 percent off their original price |
| D．many bargain hunters were interested in goods on sale |
| A．desperate | B．curious |
| C．excited | D．skeptical |
| A．it’s better not to put off keeping the promise |
| B．it’s important to be a man of wisdom |
| C．helping others will double your happiness |
| D．the old should retire as early as possible |
| A．A real bargain | B．Broken promises |
| C．A dream come true | D．Lost hope found again |
【推荐2】William had worked hard to pass the exams to enter high school. When the term began, however, his father told him that there was no money to pay for his school fees because of the summer drought. Still, William wanted to learn.
He made the village library his school. One day, he found a book called Using Energy. On the book’s cover was a picture of windmills, tall steel towers with blades (叶片) spinning like giant fans. He learned that wind—something of which his hometown had plenty—could produce electricity.
He couldn’t help picturing his own windmill in mind, but collecting the parts and tools he needed would take months. In a junkyard, he dug through piles of used metal, old cars, and worn-out tractors, searching for anything that might help him construct his machine. He made four-foot-long blades from plastic pipe, which he melted over a fire, flattened out, and hardened with bamboo poles.
Earning some money, he paid a blacksmith to attach the piston (活塞) to the pedal sprocket (踏板链轮) of an old bicycle frame. This would be the axle (轮轴) of the windmill. When the wind blew, the spinning blades would turn the bicycle wheel and spin a small dynamo (发电机), donated by his friend.
When he had collected all the parts, William began putting them together. He fixed the blades to the tractor fan he found, using washers (垫圈) he’d made from bottle caps. Next he pushed the fan onto the piston joint to the bicycle frame. With the help of his two best friends, William built a 16-foot-tall tower from trunks of trees and lifted the ninety-pound windmill to the top.
The big moments eventually came. He climbed up the tower and connected two wires that held a small bulb. As the wind whipped around him, the blades began to turn, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The light bulb flickered (闪烁), then flashed to life. The crowd cheered from below. “Wachitabwina (well done)!”
William’s machine now powered his house. And the story of the boy who’d built a power-generating windmill to rescue his family from the drought spread across the Internet.
1. After reading Using Energy, what did William decide to do?| A．Make use of wind. | B．Enter a high school. |
| C．Build a village library. | D．Learn to survive a drought. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Determined. |
| C．Cooperative. | D．Friendly. |
| A．It was built by villagers. |
| B．It worked at the first attempt. |
| C．It took him years to complete it. |
| D．It was made from metal materials. |
| A．Winds Of Hope | B．Ideas Worth Spreading |
| C．Learning from Experience | D．Windmills for Villages |
【推荐3】Valencia lives, for the time being, in a mobile home park.
He greeted me when I arrived and poured me a cup of coffee. He told me that his dad had worked at a brick-manufacturing plant. His mother worked at home. Most of his seven brothers and sisters didn’t go to college.
Valencia was determined to be the first, despite his late start. He said he was an average student struggling with math and went to community college a year after graduating from high school but decided quickly it was not for him.
He got into construction and then the insurance industry, but he’d always liked to write and do crossword puzzles. “And I loved to read. A lot,” he said. And he joked with his mother that if he won the lottery, he’d use the winnings for college.
It was around 2007. Valencia got tired of telling himself he was going to go back to school. He told his mother it was finally for real. She said, “I hope you make it, Jerry.” And I told her, “I’m going to make it, Mom. Surely!”
The plan was to capitalize on his former construction experience to study civil engineering—the design, building and repair of roads, bridges, etc. But he discovered other interests.
“He was not the youngest student,” says Grant Tovmasian, coach of the forensics debate team Valencia joined. “But he was the most motivated and dedicated, encouraging fellow students and inspiring them to live a more satisfying life?”
Valencia’s sister Sindi Majors says her brother was always bright, but he went through a couple of rough experiences in his life.
Because Valencia has nearly always been homeless, she bought him a motor home, where he lived from 2009 to 2018.
There is something splendidly irrational about Valencia’s determination to get a four-year degree and then a master’s. At his current pace, he’ll be 90 when he finally achieves his goals.
But that doesn’t influence him. He’s found all the youthful energy and academic opportunity stimulating.
“Valencia’s grade in my class this semester will not show up on his transcripts (大学生的成绩单). But I’m giving him an A and in the most important ways, it counts.” says Tovmasian.
1. What does the underlined phrase “capitalize on” in paragraph 6 probably mean?| A．Make use of. | B．Get rid of. | C．Break down. | D．Appeal to. |
a. Valencia joined the debate team.
b. He went to a community college.
c. He got into construction industry.
d. He planned to study civil engineering.
| A．b-d-c-a | B．b-c-d-a. | C．c-a-d-b | D．d-c-b-a |
| A．Caring and ambitious. | B．Devoted and modest. |
| C．Positive and generous. | D．Determined and motivated. |
| A．Because he hopes to see Valencia graduate as soon as possible. |
| B．Because he admires Valencia for his good quality and performance. |
| C． Because Valencia has done extra work to perform the best in the class. |
| D．Because Valencia has reached his goals earlier inspired by Tovmasian |
【推荐1】Growing up in rural Alabama, Lisa Jones often helped her parents with repairs around their house. Though her memories of days spent repairing walls and replacing handrails（扶手）are special, they don't end up with picture-perfect makeover（翻新）. "My dad was the ultimate handyman, but he was 60 when I was born, already a senior, " says Lisa, "and some projects were too hard for him and my mom while others were just too costly." Then the repairs went undone. "I know what it feels like to live in such a house.”
Today Lisa lives in Atlanta, where an increasing number of elderly homeowners are in the same situation. As executive director of the nonprofit HouseProud Atlanta, she's now fully equipped to help them solve it.
Billions of dollars in building development have caused property values in some areas, and tax bills, to skyrocket. "Folks who have lived in their homes for decades can't save enough money to maintain them,” Lisa, 43, explains. "It's a scary time for those who want to stay in the place they love.” HouseProud Atlanta makes that possible. "We help them be a part of the changes in their neighborhood, not pushed out by them.”
Since 2004, HouseProud Atlanta has served more than 1, 000 clients. It's no surprise that many of them have become extended family to the mom of three boys----her middle son, Khalil, 7, is even named after a beloved client's favorite poet. "Lisa's like a daughter to me, "says Tinnie Baugh, a 63-year-old woman whose hot water had been out for months when she heard about HouseProud Atlanta. "Lisa sent people to take care of the pipes, and they've painted my house and still help me out when I need it.”
It's a role that Lisa has been comfortable with from the time she was playing apprentice（学徒）to her dad. "These seniors just need someone to show them that everything can be better if they have support,” she says.
1. What can be learned about Lisa's family?| A．They made living by selling houses. |
| B．They lived in a self-built house in Atlanta. |
| C．They used to repair their house on their own. |
| D．They had their house painted from time to time. |
| A．Paying tax bills. | B．Living a life of ease. |
| C．Saving enough money. | D．Getting free houses to live in. |
| A．Sympathy. | B．Appreciation. | C．Curiosity. | D．Disappointment. |
| A．Love makes the world go around. |
| B．Learning from the elderly is necessary. |
| C．Helping others is easier said than done. |
| D．A winner is one with a great effort of will. |
【推荐2】It was a cold and wet night, I had just left a local club to travel home when I lost control of my car. I crashed into a car, then hit a tree. The force was so great that is knocked the parked car several meters forwards. I was knocked out cold. Worse still, I had no idea that a fire had started under the engine of my car. It then set the tree on fire.
Driving behind me was a young man, who I later found out was called Jared. He saw the accident occur and stopped to help me out of the burning car. He put his own life in danger when he got into the back seat to try to undo my seat belt. This wasn’t easy because I’d hit the car on my driver’s side and my seat belt was squeezed into the console (操纵台).
With my seat belt undone, Jared then hit open the driver’s window to drag me out as I had still not regained consciousness (意识). He bravely did this while my car and the tree were burning. Woken by the crash, the homeowners came out to investigate. Jared told them to ring emergency services. I was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a serious condition. I eventually woke up a day later.
I owe my life to Jared and I consider him a friend due to the special bound. Jared says that although the events of that night initially shocked him, he never once hesitated to help. In addition, he doesn’t believe that he did anything special.
1. What happened to the author in the crash?| A．He was knocked out of his car. |
| B．He was knocked unconscious. |
| C．He felt cold because of bleeding. |
| D．He climbed on the tree to escape fire. |
| A．To unfasten the author’s seat belt. |
| B．To get the author out of the car. |
| C．To help the author drive the car safely. |
| D．To put out the burning fire in the car. |
| A．A narrow escape from death | B．A courageous crash rescue |
| C．Jared, my best friend | D．A frightening car fire |
“I hope he doesn’t ask me for any money,” I thought. He didn’t. He came and sat on the seat by the bus stop but he didn’t look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke, “That’s a very pretty car”. He was ragged (衣着破旧的) but he had an air of dignity (尊严) around him. I said, “thanks,” without taking a look at him.
He sat there quietly for a moment. The expected begging for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, “Ask him if he needs any help.” I was sure that he would say “yes”. So I asked, “Do you need any help?” He answered in three simple words that I shall never forget. The three words shook me. “Don’t we all?” he said.
I was feeling successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me. Don’t we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, you need help too. However, no matter how little you have, you can give help too.
1. The author walked away from the car wash to _____.
| A．go to work |
| B．wash his car |
| C．go shopping |
| D．meet his wife |
| A．ignore his difficulty |
| B．give him a lesson |
| C．offer him some help |
| D．make friends with him |
| A．satisfied | B．shy | C．sad | D．shocked |
| A．The clever bum |
| B．Never lose your dignity |
| C．Don’t we all need help? |
| D．To give or not? |
【推荐1】Economic growth is often considered as a sure way of increasing the well-being of people in low-income countries, and global surveys in recent decades have supported this strategy by showing people in high-income countries tend to report higher levels of life satisfaction than those in low-income countries. This strong connection might suggest that only in rich societies can people be happy. However, a recent study conducted by ICTA-UAB and McGill University in Canada suggests that there may be good reasons to question whether this link is universal.
While most global surveys gather thousands of responses from the citizens of industrial and urban societies, they tend to ignore people in simple-and-tiny societies on the fringe, where social group has a limited number of members and where the exchange of money plays a minimal role in everyday life with natives and local communities depending directly on nature.
The research, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), consisted of a survey of 2,966 people from local communities in 19 globally distributed sites. Only 64% of surveyed households had any cash income. The results show that “surprisingly, many populations with very low incomes report very high average levels of life satisfaction, with scores similar to those in wealthy countries,” says Eric Galbraith, researcher at ICTA-UAB and McGill University and lead author of the study.
The average life satisfaction score across the studied simple-and-tiny societies was 6.8 on a range of 0-10. Although not all societies reported high satisfaction levels, four of the sites reported average scores higher than 8, despite many of these societies having suffered histories of neglect and control. The results are consistent with the opinion that human societies can support very satisfactory lives for their members without necessarily requiring high degrees of material wealth.
“While the reasons behind these findings remain unclear, the study provides valuable insights into how diverse communities achieve satisfying lives. It offers hope that understanding these factors can help others improve their well-being while addressing sustainability concerns.” Galbraith concludes.
1. What does the research focus on according to the passage?| A．The impact of cash income on locals’ well-being. |
| B．Income-satisfaction connection in industrial societies. |
| C．Economic growth’s concerns in low-income countries. |
| D．Relation between wealth and happiness across societies. |
| A．Edge. | B．Surface. | C．Horizon. | D．Scene. |
| A．To indicate the research’s limitations. |
| B．To prove the reliability of the findings. |
| C．To emphasize high satisfaction scores. |
| D．To show the number of people surveyed. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Unclear. | C．Promising. | D．Critical. |
【推荐2】Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young. There are many reasons for this, but the result is the same: increasing numbers of children without grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. And more old people who are lonely and feel useless, along with more and more families with young children who desperately need more support. It's a major problem in many societies.
That's why intergenerational programs, designed to bring the old and the young together, are growing in popularity all over the world, supported by UNESCO and other local and international organizations. There are examples of successful initiatives all over the world. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one obvious example. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another, perhaps reading with children who need extra attention.
One successful scheme in Franca is combining a residential home for the elderly with a nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents eat lunch together and share activities such as music, painting, gardening and caring for the pets which the residents are encouraged to keep. In the afternoons, the residents enjoy reading or telling stories to the children and, if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind lap to sit on and a cuddle(依偎). There are trips out and birthday parties too.
The advantages are enormous for everyone concerned. The children are happy because they get a lot more individual attention and respond well because someone has time for them. They also learn that old people are not different or frightening in any way. And of course, they see illness and death and learn to accept them. The residents are happy because they feel useful and needed. They are more active and more interested in life when the children are around and they take more interest in their appearance too. And the staff are happy because they see an improvement in the physical and psychological health of the residents and have an army of assistants to help with the children.
1. What is the social problem talked about in Paragraph 1?| A．A generation gap. | B．Caring for children. |
| C．Intergenerational contact. | D．The support for the aged. |
| A．Joining an elderly house with a kindergarten. | B．Hiring old people as children- care workers. |
| C．Helping children face misfortunes bravely. | D．Using children to accompany the old. |
| A．It builds up their strength. | B．They live a healthier life. |
| C．It creates a family atmosphere. | D．They are closer to their relatives. |
【推荐3】How to Disagree Agreeably
Disagreeing can’t be avoided in our life. However, how things are handled, how you voice the disagreement and how the other party hears it, all make a difference.
● Pick your moments
●
The starting point is to understand the other person’s point ahead of them understanding yours. For instance, active listening is one of the most important skills. It makes the speaker feel respected and valued. The key to listening properly is asking questions.
● Maintain emotional balance
When talking about topics that are important to you, it’s natural to feel strongly about them. However, when discussing your viewpoint, it is important to keep control over your emotions.
| A．Be Open Minded |
| B．Understand the other person first |
| C．High emotions can make the situation even worse |
| D．Non-verbal communication can show you are listening |
| E．In this way, you can know exactly what you are disagreeing about |
| F．Speaking your mind without losing your cool needs the skills below |
| G．Being mindful about when to voice your disagreement is important |
