1 . “Be proud of what you do,” my father always told me, “whether you are a boss or a cleaner.” When I was 15, I got a summer job in a hospital. I was told that my duties would include sweeping floors. I smiled and remembered Dad's words. Even though my job was the lowest, it made me feel excited. I saw it as a challenge because it was my first job. I learned to be on time and tried to do everything well. In return, I was treated with respect by doctors, nurses and patients. Each morning I imagined that the dirty dishes would make patients more sick if I were not there to wash them clean. After breakfast was done, I started sweeping the floors of all patient rooms and cleaning the toilets. Though I was tired, I wanted the job to be done well. Hearing people say “That young boy really does a good job”, I was filled with pride.
Working in the hospital taught me that being proud of one's job is important. It does not matter whether the job is sweeping floors or managing a large business. Through every job I have ever had, my father's words have always stayed with me. I was a good cleaner, and now I'm a good manager. I think Dad would be proud of me all the time.
1. The writer's first job was a ________.| A．boss | B．manager |
| C．cleaner | D．doctor |
| A．Washing dishes. | B．Looking after patients. |
| C．Cleaning toilets. | D．Sweeping the floor. |
| A．worked hard | B．wasn't tired |
| C．made the patients sick | D．did everything |
| A．the writer's father always stayed with him |
| B．the father didn't like the writer's first job |
| C．the writer wasn't proud of his first job |
| D．the father's words encouraged the writer to do everything well |
2 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied （欺凌）at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.
But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy 1 shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received, I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.
Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.
After surviving the terrible experiences at school and at home, 1 made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.
Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone's life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.
1. What was the author's life like when he was 12?| A．Boring. | B．Peaceful. | C．Joyful. | D．Unhappy. |
| A．It helped him find the goal of life. |
| B．It made him energetic in his life. |
| C．It helped to shape his dream career. |
| D．It helped him understand others' lives better. |
| A．he was inspired by his teacher. |
| B．he found he had a talent for writing. |
| C．he could pass positive energy to readers. |
| D．he wanted to share his teenage experiences. |
| A．Say 'no' to bullies bravely. |
| B．Make positive changes in our lives. |
| C．Treat others with kindness in daily life. |
| D．Learn to care more about others' feelings. |
3 . When it comes to sitting properly, we all know the correct way even if we don' t do it to the letter. No crossed legs, bottoms touching the back of the chair and feet on the ground. But even if you' re doing it right, sitting for long periods is shockingly bad for you. It has been described as the new smoking, linked to heart disease and even cancer. There is no doubt we should all try to do less of it. But perhaps we could also do it better.
A classic survey, published in 1953, described 100 different sitting postures adopted by 480 cultures around the world. Among the most common were sitting cross-legged, kneeling and the deep squat (深蹲), with feet flat on the ground and bottoms resting on or just above it. Even in Western cultures, these are preferred sitting positions among young children. But Westerners tend to prefer chair use from an early age, insisting children sit on seats in school.
One big problem with this desire for chairs is that they make sitting so, well, sedentary (久坐不动的). Consider the Hadza, a group of hunter-gatherer people in Tanzania. They spend around 9 hours a day sitting. However, they squat and sit on the ground in various positions, and this involves high levels of muscle activity. The supportive nature of chairs, with their high backs and armrests, removes this effort perhaps the reason that people love them.
So what' s the best way to sit? Josette Bettany-SaItikov at Teesside University, UK has found that kneeling can help keep the spine in a better position as does squatting. We might also take inspiration from traditional cultures like the Hadza. "Use a variety of postures and preferably not just still postures but some which allow movement," says Bettany-Saltikov.
Bettany-Saltikov believes that we should be rethinking what it means to do a desk job. "We still need to design workplaces that enable people to be productive while being lightly active, like with under-table cycling or walking desks," she says. For now, if your job is sedentary, don' t forget to stand up regularly and move around.
1. What does the author think of sitting properly for long?| A．It still does some harm. | B．It improves body shape. |
| C．It can prevent heart disease. | D．It may cause smoking-related illnesses. |
| A．Children should sit in their preferred manner. |
| B．Children should take their seats while sitting. |
| C．Children should practice sitting cross-legged. |
| D．Children should learn different sitting postures. |
| A．They sit for short periods of time. | B．They sit for the purpose of exercise. |
| C．They use some muscles while sitting. | D．They remain generally still while sitting. |
| A．Combine exercise and their work. | B．Improve their productivity at work. |
| C．Kneel or go cycling as often as possible. | D．Start exercising as soon as they leave work. |
4 . Handwashing is one of the easiest ways to protect against disease, but lack of running water is a problem for 3 billion people in the world, according to the World Health Organization(WHO) and UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. Tippy taps are one way. Sometimes, the little things make such a big difference. These low-cost handwashing stations are helping people stay healthy.
There are different ways to build and use tippy taps. But the basic tools include a plastic water bottle, sticks, and rope. Hang the bottle from a branch or pole. Press a foot pedal to tip the bottle and release water. Then wet your hands and scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds. Done!
In Uganda, Faridah Luanda has been teaching her neighbors how to make tippy laps. Washing hands is very difficult in her neighborhood because they don't have access to washing facilities. When COVID-19 started and people were told to clean their hands frequently, they needed to be creative. Luanda and her neighbors have set up 800 tippy taps in the community. “We are helping ourselves,” Luanda says “Children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable people—they cannot be left behind.”
In Guatemala, people have set up nearly 400 tippy laps. Each cost about $12 to make.
Tippy taps are also being used in the United States. Kids from the Lake & Park School, in Seattle Washington, heard about the project. They raised $4,000 to support it. In Tucson, Arizona, they' re helping the homeless. Two were set up at a shelter called Sister Jose Women’s Center. COVID-19 forced the shelter to close. But workers continued to give out food. They needed a way to let people wash their hands before eating. The tippy tap is such a simple solution.
1. What does the author think of tippy taps?| A．They are invented by the WHO | B．They can ease the water shortage. |
| C．They are money-saving and effective. | D．They are too expensive to popularize. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Lazy. | B．Weak | C．Dirty. | D．Foolish. |
| A．The homeless. | B．The school children. |
| C．The volunteer workers. | D．The patients in hospital. |
5 . Years ago, my wife and I volunteered at a homeless shelter in downtown Los Angeles, US, preparing meals for thousands of people. I got to talk with one of them in line, Albert. He said he liked my socks. “Want to see mine?” he asked, lifting his leg. He was barefoot (赤脚的). He said he had been meaning to buy a pair but he hadn’t got around to it. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
The next day, after work I stopped at Ross and filled up my car with socks. That next morning, I drove over to Santa Monica’s Palisades Park, which is a common place for homeless people. I knew that when they woke up they would find a very meaningful present.
That was nine years ago. Every week I’ll hand out as many socks as I can. If I’m on vacation or on a business trip for more than a week, I bring a bag of socks with me and hand them out to the homeless on the streets in other states and countries.
It’s extremely satisfying to do “under the radar” things to help make some people’s lives a little bit easier. Part of me hopes to see Albert out there one of these days, but even if I don’t, I’d like to think one of the pairs will find him.
1. What caused the author to hand out socks to the homeless?| A．A homeless shelter’s request. |
| B．His wife’s volunteer work. |
| C．His talk with Albert. |
| D．A festival’s arrival. |
| A．He wondered about the reason behind it. |
| B．He expected to get more socks. |
| C．He refused to accept it. |
| D．He was afraid of it. |
| A．Spreading presents on trips |
| B．Looking for Albert all over the world |
| C．Giving the homeless a lifetime surprise |
| D．Helping the homeless in an unexpected way |
6 . I took one of the bags from my car. It was still dark out. I headed for a group of three men, standing around a tree, probably using it as a windbreaker. As I walked toward them, one of them watched me, perhaps questioning my motives. “I thought you all might need some fresh new socks,” I said, handing him a pair. He looked confused at first but took them and said, “Thank you.” I gave him two more pairs for his friends. I moved on. An hour later, I had given out all the socks. Most people were sleeping, and I felt like Santa. On her first day teaching students from poor families at an after-school program in New York City, Alyssa Kapasi noticed how many kids were lining up for free sandwiches and fruit in the school cafeteria. One of the workers explained that many of these students don’t get enough to eat at home, so a school lunch or an after-school meal might be the most food they would get all day.
Kapasi, who attends private school, was very surprised. What’s more, she made up her mind to help. “I want other kids to understand that if you see a problem, you don’t have to wait to grow up to fix it,” says Kapasi. She and a group of friends are now putting their programming skills to work to create an app called Food for Thought, which will allow parents, students, and even kind-hearted strangers to donate to a lunch account for a student in need at a nearby school.
About 20 million American kids receive free lunches. Two million more can have low-price meals, and those students’ families have to pay for part of their food. When they don’t have the money on any given day, the students might have to settle for an “alternative (可替代的) meal” such as a cheese sandwich.
The app — which is getting financial (财政的) support from a GoFundMe page — provides anonymity (匿名) to those who receive lunch and donors. To receive help, a family will need only a recommendation (推荐) from a school teacher, and no one else has to know.
“I want to make an app that all users feel no shame in using,” says Kapasi. She hopes to test the app in a school district this fall.
1. Why does Kapasi want to create an app?| A．To teach kids how to help others. | B．To practise her programming skills. |
| C．To introduce her school to the public. | D．To solve the problem of hunger in schools. |
| A．Buy. | B．Make. | C．Accept. | D．Offer. |
| A．Visit a GoFundMe page. | B．Get in touch with Kapasi. |
| C．Be recommended by teachers. | D．Donate something else instead. |
| A．They won’t lose face in using it. | B．They will make money by using it. |
| C．They will know who offers them help. | D．They won’t meet their donors until this |
7 . Every day, we have messages to give people through Post-it Notes. They have a special glue on the edge（边缘）of the paper. They are sticky so that you can leave them anywhere and they won’t fall off. You can reuse the notes because the special glue on the back doesn’t wear off easily.
Who invented Post-it Notes? Art Fry was a scientist who worked for the famous 3M Company. He needed a bookmark that stayed in place but didn’t tear（撕）the page when he wanted to remove it. So he took some of the weak glue a friend made and put it on the back of a yellow piece of paper. Then he wrote a report to his boss and put the yellow sticky paper on the top page. His boss took off the note, wrote an answer, stuck the paper back on, and sent it back. This was the beginning of Post-it Notes. It was a new and creative way to communicate.
Today, Post-it Notes are one of the most popular office products. Everyone uses them for many different purposes. One man used one to write a marriage proposal（求婚）and put it on his girlfriend’s front door. She wrote her answer and put the note back on his door. One mother put a note on the back of her son’s car before he left on a long trip. When he arrived, he found the note. After 3,000 miles, it was still on the car. One university student was waiting in the bus station and started to feel sleepy. She didn’t want to miss her bus so she put Post-it Notes all over herself. The notes asked people to wake her up in time for her bus. She did fall asleep but her plan worked. Someone saw the notes and woke her up.
There are Post-it Notes to please everyone’s tastes. You can buy Post-it Notes in fifty different colors, twenty-seven different sizes, and fifty-six different shapes. More than 400 Post-it products are sold in more than 100 countries around the world. Art Fry should be proud of his invention.
1. What do we know about Post-it Notes?| A．They use a strong glue to be sticky enough. | B．They are used to leave messages. |
| C．They are one-off products. | D．They fall off easily. |
| A．he was making some glue | B．he was discussing with his boss |
| C．he creatively glued a torn report | D．he accidentally created a bookmark |
| A．To ask someone to wake her up in time. |
| B．To prevent herself from falling asleep. |
| C．To find out what time the bus left. |
| D．To tell others to leave her alone. |
| A．They are popular in many places. |
| B．They require design improvement. |
| C．They have failed to meet everyone’s needs. |
| D．They would not satisfy Art Fry’s expectation. |
8 . It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable(不自在) when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don’t understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways; that they are too serious and too strict with their children; and that they seldom give their children a free hand.
It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children’s trust and they tend to forget how they themselves felt when young. They show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in the back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset(扰乱) by something unexpected.
When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it.
Young people often make their parents angry with their choices in clothes, in entertainment and in music. But they do not mean to cause any trouble; it is just that they feel cut off from the older people’s world, into which they have not yet been accepted. That’s why young people want to make a new culture(文化) of their own. And if their parents do not like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy.
Sometimes you are so proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say “yes” to what you do. All you want is to be left alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents’ control.
If you plan to control your life, you’d better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility(责任), they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do.
1. This article is particularly written for_____ .| A．parents | B．both parents and their children |
| C．young people | D．teachers |
| A．ask for advice before they really start to do anything |
| B．do things without thinking carefully ahead |
| C．be very strict with themselves |
| D．think in the same way as their parents do |
| A．they want to show they have grown up |
| B．they do not want to get into trouble |
| C．they feel they are cleverer than the older people |
| D．they don’t feel they belong to the world of the older people |
| A．do everything according to his own wish |
| B．do everything the way his parents do |
| C．do everything under his parents’ control |
| D．do everything with a high sense of responsibility |
9 . Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents.
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen, it is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone. It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own.
Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year. He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He says he wished he had traveled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person.” said the 30-year-old man.
Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”, which “makes you a more confident person that is ready to deal with anything”. He said, “The feeling of having overcome something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”
The great 19thcentury explorer John Muir once said. “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.
1. Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?| A．Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone. |
| B．It is more meaningful to travel in foreign countries. |
| C．It is comfortable to travel around without a friend. |
| D．Traveling abroad helps people to find new things. |
| A．you have to make things on your own. |
| B．it is hard for you to prove yourself to others. |
| C．you can only depend on yourself whatever happens. |
| D．it will finally build your character. |
| A．He started traveling alone at an early age. |
| B．He was once shot in the arm. |
| C．He used to work as a salesman. |
| D．His website will inspire others to travel alone. |
| A．Travel Abroad | B．Travel Alone |
| C．Travel Light | D．Travel Wide and Far |
10 . Belly fat（stomach fat） has long been thought to be especially bad for your heart, but now, a new study adds more evidence to the idea that it may also be bad for your brain.
The study, from the United Kingdom, found that people who were overweight and had a high waist — to — hip ratio （a measure of belly fat） had slightly lower brain volumes （容量），on average, compared with people who were just over weight or had a healthy weight. Specifically, belly fat was connected with lower volumes of gray matter, the brain tissue （组织）that contains nerve cells.
“Our research looked at a large group of people and found obesity （肥胖）,specifically around the middle， may be linked with brain shrinkage （萎缩），” lead study author Mark Hamer, a professor at Loughborough University, said in a statement.
Lower brain volume， or brain shrinkage， has been linked with a higher risk of memory recession， which leads to being forgetful.
The new findings, published on Jan. 9 in the journal Neurology ， suggested that the combination of obesity （as measured by body mass index, or BMI） and a high waist—to—hip ratio may cause brain shrinkage.
However, the study found only a connection between belly fat and lower brain volume, but couldn't prove that belly fat actually caused brain shrinkage. It could be that people with lower volumes of gray matter in certain brain areas are at a higher risk of obesity. Future studies are needed to find out the causes for the connection.
1. What can we infer about belly fat from the new study?| A．Belly fat may have a bad influence on our brain. |
| B．Belly fat can help increase brain volumes. |
| C．Belly fat affects people's diet. |
| D．Belly fat is bad for our eyes. |
| A．A tall and thin man. |
| B．A man with too much belly fat. |
| C．A short and thin man. |
| D．A man with normal body weight. |
| A．Going ahead. | B．Getting poor. |
| C．Getting active. | D．Going around. |
| A．The real cause of getting obesity. |
| B．The danger of getting too much fat. |
| C．The bad effect caused by belly fat and brain shrinkage. |
| D．The reasons for the connection between belly fat and brain shrinkage. |
