Count your blessings（祝福）, we’re told, but it’s just not in our nature. We’d rather count our problems. We’re so used to focusing on bad news that we tend to pay no attention to what’s going well. As soon as we solve one problem, we take the progress for granted and find a new cause for alarm. Every now and again it doesn’t hurt to think how good we have it. Start counting:
Free time
As much as we complain about being busy, the typical American has more free time than ever—more than five hours per day. If you feel too busy, it’s probably only because you’re doing so many other things than work. Experts say there’ll be even more free time in the future.
Peace
Wars and terrorist attacks will always make headlines, but it’s remarkable how many of the world’s 6.7 billion people now live in peace. In recent decades, though the population has been growing, the number of wars around the world has declined. In some earlier generations, a quarter of the male population died violent deaths. Over the past century, even counting the world wars, a person’s chance of dying from war was less than 2 percent.
American dream
While some people are struggling to keep their homes, the vast majority of Americans still have plenty to be thankful for when they walk through the front door. In 1950 the typical new American house had one floor with 1,000 square feet, two bedrooms, and one bathroom—and even that bungalow was beyond many people’s means. Today, more than two thirds of Americans own their homes, and the typical new house has two floors, at least three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and more than 2,200 square feet of space for the family.
The reader’s revolution
In 1970 barely half the people in the world were literate, and many of them could afford only a few books. Today, more than 80 percent of the world’s people can read, and 22 percent have access to the greatest library in history. The Web provides classic books and reference works free of charge.
More wilderness
Once you travel beyond the cities, you’ll find plenty of open space and peaceful forests. Many of the woodlands cleared by settlers have returned now that the land is no longer needed for agriculture.
The modern cars
Cars give off greenhouse gases and create maddening traffic jams, but consider what else they do. Compared with the models on the road in 1970, today’s cars burn less gasoline per mile and emit 98 percent fewer pollutants. That’s why, despite the doubling of the number of cars, there’s much less smog in the air. The basic car today offers more comforts and safety than the luxury（豪华）cars of old.
阅读短文，填表格，每空一词。
| Title | Six reasons to be thankful |
| Problems | We tend to focus on our problems and ignore what’s going well. Even with problems solved immediately, we still |
| The blessings we should count | Today Americans have more free time than ever. |
| The number of people dying of wars has declined despite the | |
| Owing a two-floor house with at least 3 bedrooms has been within the | |
| More reading materials are available to readers and more than 80% can read. | |
| More land for agriculture has made | |
| The basic cars are much |
相似题推荐
There was a woman who inherited (继承) a clothes store after her sister died. The woman had a job, but she still decided to run (经营) the store on weekends.
The first day she opened, an old woman came in and looked at things here and there. However, she didn’t buy anything. When the woman asked why, the old woman said, “Well, I like these things, but I don’t have enough money.”
“I have a job. I can give her some clothes,” the woman thought to herself. So she let the old woman have the clothes for free.
Soon more and more people know the “free” clothes store. People started coming in. They told the woman that they didn’t have enough money. She would give them clothes. But one day, she went in to open the store and found there was nothing left inside.
It’s a good thing to help others when they are poor or in need. But we must also be careful. Not everyone is nice — some people will cheat others whenever they can. Use your best judgment (判断) to decide who really needs help.
根据短文内容回答问题。
1. Why didn’t the old woman buy any clothes?
2. What happened to the store in the end according to Paragraph 4?
3. What idea does the writer want to show us?
把划线部分翻译成汉语。
4.
5.
【推荐2】As teenagers，you have many dreams．These dreams can be very big，such as winning the Nobel Prize，or they can be small．You may just want to become one of the ten best students in your class．
Once you find a dream，what do you do with it? Do you ever try to make your dream true?
Follow Your Heart by Australian writer Andrews tells us that making our dreams true is life’s biggest challenge（挑战）．
In fact，everyone can make his dream come true．The first thing you must do is to remember what your dream is．
Don’t let it leave your heart．Keep telling yourself what you want．Do this step by step and your dream will come true faster because a big dream is，in fact，many small dreams．
You must also never give up your dream．
There will be difficulties on the road to your dreams．But the biggest difficulty comes from yourself．You may think you’re not very good at some school subjects，or____ 1 _____．These kinds of thoughts stop you from getting your dream，the book says．
You need to decide what is the most important．Studying instead of watching TV will lead to better exam results，while saving five yuan instead of buying all ice cream means you can buy a new book．As you get closer to your dream，it may change a little．This is good as you have the chance to learn more skills and find new interests．
1. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese．（将文中划线句子译成汉语）2. Why does the writer say“the biggest difficulty comes from yourself’?（根据短文内容回答问题）
3. What should you do if you want to make your dream come true?（至少两条）
4. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?（根据短文内容回答问题）
5. 请给短文拟定一个适当的英文标题。
【推荐3】Jack Johnson is one of the most popular song writers in the world. He was born on May 18, 1975 in Hawaii, America. Being the son of a famous surfer, Jack naturally has an interest in surfing. Most of his life lessons were learned in the water. At the age of 17, Jack entered the world’s most famous surfing competition. Everyone thought Jack would become a professional surfer like his father. Unluckily, one month later, he had a deadly accident while surfing and was seriously hurt.
Life is like a revolving(旋转的) door. When it closes, it also opens. Jack started to practice playing the guitar and writing songs when he was staying in hospital. At first, his father thought Jack only did it for fun, but soon he was surprised at the great progress his son had made. When studying in the university, Jack didn’t stop practicing his guitar skills. He played the guitar for school parties. He wrote songs and sang for his teachers and friends. They liked his songs. Later Jack had lots of concerts and became popular all over the world.
Jack’s songs are more like folk music, which are played with a guitar and a beautiful voice. When listening to his songs, people feel like lying on the beach enjoying the warm sunshine.
Jack is a talent, though he himself says he is only a surfer who loves music. In his songs we can find his secret of success: Whatever happens in our lives, we have to accept it and do the best we can.
1. Where was Jack Johnson born?2. When did Jack have a deadly accident?
3. What did Jack do to practice his guitar skills in the university?
4. How do people feel when listening to Jack’s songs?
5. What does the writer want to tell us through Jack’s story?
【推荐1】Martin Strel knows one thing or two about rivers. The 63-year-old swimmer has been swimming in them since he was a young boy. Although he holds five world records in marathon swimming, he is best known for using his sport to warn people of water pollution. After years of swimming in dirty water, he decided he had to do something. Strel says he began to swim to develop peace, friendship and clean water. He hopes to see environmental laws improved and put into practice.
To achieve this, he has swum in many of the world’s most famous rivers. In 2000, he swam in Europe’s second longest river, the Danube. He swam 1,866 miles in 58 days and kept a world record for long distance (距离) swimming. The Danube is heavily polluted by factory waste.
In 2002, Strel swam in the Mississippi River and covered a distance of 2,360 miles in 68 days. The Mississippi is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. It is so polluted that it is called the dead zone (地带). Strel became so sick by the end of his Mississippi swim that he had to stay in hospital for three days.
In 2007, he swam 3,274 miles of the Amazon River in 66 days. Most of the pollution in the Amazon comes from harmful materials. He lost 42 pounds and was so weak that he couldn’t feed himself.
Strel plans to keep on swimming for peace, friendship and clean water, but he would choose to do it in the ocean (海洋). Sadly, the world’s rivers are simply too dirty. “Everyone would like to go swimming in clean water,” says Strel. He dreams of a day when that will be possible for people around the world.
每小题答案不超过6个单词。1. Is Strel good at swimming?
2. How many world records in marathon swimming does Strel hold?
3. How far did Strel swim in the Danube in 2000?
4. Why does Strel plan to keep on swimming?
5. What kind of person is Strel?
【推荐2】It is said that the eyes are the windows to our soul (灵魂). However, to have healthy eyes, you have to look after them properly. Your eyes need attention every day.
First, you have to pay more attention to your diet (饮食). Eat more fruits, vegetables, fish and eggs. It’s good for your eyes. Also, a regular amount of vitamins A and B2 should also be taken.
Second, you must have regular and enough sleep. This relaxes the eye muscles and gives them the rest they need. Enough sleep can help the body repair its tired tissue (组织). You should sleep for at least seven to eight hours every day. Not enough sleep can give you dark circles under your eyes.
Next, it’s necessary for you to exercise your eyes every day. Blink (眨眼) your eyes at regular periods to keep your eyes moist (湿润的).
Last, you should treat your eyes correctly. For example, if you get something in your eyes, don’t rubbing (揉) it. Rubbing is harmful to your eyes. Don’t read or write in poor or bright sunlight because sunlight can cause eye tiredness. Remember to use sunglasses to stop the sun from shining directly in your eyes. Too much reading, writing, watching television or working on a computer can also cause eye tiredness, so rest is required.
1. How many pieces of advice does the writer give?2. What kind of food is good for our eyes?
3. What can help the body fix its tired tissue?
4. Do you need to exercise your eyes according to the passage?
5. What does the passage mainly talk about?
They can have different colors and shapes. They can be both red or green, round or sharp, big or small, and more importantly, loved or hated by someone. What can they be? Right, the answer is chilies (辣椒).
Many of us in China enjoy adding chilies to our food, but do you know that this spicy (辣的) vegetable could also be very dangerous? A 34-year-old US man lost his life in hospital after eating a Carolina Reaper, the spiciest chili. After taking just one bite, the man began to get serious headaches in the following days, reported by BBC News.
In fact, eating spicy food causes stomachache and headache. But if chilies are harmful, why do people eat this vegetable? What makes people love chilies so much? The human body is influenced (影响) by natural chemicals (化学物质) that produce “a sense of happiness”. That means chili makes them happy.
And chilies do good to people in another way. A study shows that the death rate (率) of those who eat spicy food once or twice a week is 10 percent lower than those who eat it less than once a week. The death rate is 14 percent lower for those who eat spicy food six to seven times a week. This makes people eat more spicy food to make their health better. So don’t worry if you love spicy food. It seems that chilies are really good for us.
1. The passage is mainly about2. Who enjoys adding chilies to food?
3. Chilies do good to people in two ways. What are they?
4. What happened to the man after eating the spiciest chili?
5. Will you eat chili or spicy food? Why?
