1 . Love your parents
Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling （满意的）part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents.
Respect them more and cherish（珍惜）these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, journal about your feelings, or talk to a friend.
Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes.
Keep company with them. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them.
Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. .
| A．There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example. |
| B．Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. |
| C．Tell them you love them every morning. |
| D．Forgiveness is the key. |
| E．Parents will turn express their love to you. |
| F．After this, share your feelings with your parents. |
| G．Please remember parents are as important as friends. |
2 . Every day when Glen Oliver orders his morning coffee at the drive-through window of a local cafe, he insists on paying for the order of the person behind him. He also asks the restaurant workers to tell the customer to have a great day, in case they’re not already having one.
Oliver has never made a big deal out of his own generous actions until a letter was published by a news website in November. He found out that he had not just bought someone his breakfast —he had saved a life.
According to the website, someone had written a letter stating that on July 18th, he was planning on committing suicide. The writer said that while he was at the drive-through window, he was planning on going home, writing a note and ending his life. When he went to pay for his coffee and muffin, however, the cashier told him that the man in the SUV in front of him had picked up the tab and told him to have a great day.
“I wondered why someone would buy coffee for a stranger for no reason,” said the writer. “Why me? Why today? If I were a religious man, I would take this as a sign. This random act of kindness was directed at me on this day for a purpose.”
When the writer arrived home, he couldn’t restrain his tears and started to think about the simple good deed that had affected him so deeply. “I decided at that moment to change my plans for the day and do something nice for someone. I ended up helping a neighbor take groceries out of her car and into the house.”
The writer says that in the months following that fateful event, he does at least one kind thing for others every day. “To the nice man in the SUV, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please know your kind gesture has truly saved a life,” he said. “On July 18, 2017, I had the greatest day.”
1. What is Oliver’s act of kindness every day?| A．Buying others breakfast. |
| B．Greeting restaurant workers. |
| C．Publishing positive news. |
| D．Taking groceries for neighbors. |
| A．It brought him thank-you letters. |
| B．It was reported on a news website. |
| C．It was the first time he’d paid for others. |
| D．It stopped someone from killing himself. |
| A．Paid the bill. | B．Parked the car. |
| C．Left a message. | D．Ordered a drink. |
| A．He felt guilty. | B．He felt grateful. |
| C．He felt confused. | D．He felt sad. |
Global warming refers to the fact that the earth's atmosphere is warming near
One popular theory relates to the “greenhouse effect”. Gases that make up the atmosphere are similar to
While scientists agree that human-produced compounds (化合物) like carbon dioxide and others are being released into the atmosphere, some argue it's not clear how this results
Global warming can
4 . Baby giraffes inherit(经遗传获得) aspects of their mothers’ patterning — which could give them a survival advantage if good camouflage(保护色) runs in the family. Just like humans have unique sets of fingerprints, every giraffe has a unique set of spots.
Derek Lee is a wildlife biologist and population ecologist at Penn State, and with the Wild Nature Institute, a research consulting group. He and his colleagues have been tracking giraffes for seven years, throughout 1,500 square miles in Tanzania.
Now, they’ve used image analysis software to study the spots of mothers and their babies. And they found that baby giraffes inherit at least some particular elements of their patterning from their mothers, like how circular the spots are. They also found that baby giraffes with larger spots have better chance to survive their first months, because the spots are more like the dappled(斑驳的) sunlight in the bushes where baby giraffes like to hide from hungry lions and hyenas (wild animals like dogs).
The results — and a lot of giraffe patterns — are recorded and explained in the journal PeerJ. [Lee et al., Seeing spots: quantifying mother-offspring similarity and assessing fitness consequences of coat pattern traits in a wild population of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)]
It’s perhaps not surprising that a physical characteristic that protects an individual from being eaten passes the test of Darwinian natural selection — and get passed along to later generations. “The fact that these things are inheritable and they did affect survival of baby animals makes us feel like evolution is embodied exactly by these spot features.” So if a mom’s camouflage is good, her babies, too, might have the spots that keep them safer.
1. Why are baby giraffes with larger spots more likely to survive?| A．Their spots match surroundings better. | B．They keep away from lions and hyenas. |
| C．Their mothers tend to protect them more. | D．They barely move around in the bushes. |
| A．Summarize the previous paragraphs. | B．Add some background information. |
| C．Provide evidence for the findings. | D．Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| A．Promoted. | B．Represented. | C．Questioned. | D．Prevented. |
| A．Animals have their unique sets of patterning | B．Mom’s genes make some giraffes hard to spot |
| C．Derek Lee has been studying animal patterning | D．Animal physical characteristics are similar to family’s |
5 . While we may think it feels good to complain, complaining has some bad effects associated with it.
Why isn't complaining beneficial? Research shows that it connects our brain with negativity. The brain is designed to work efficiently. This means that when we repeat a thought, negative or positive, the nerve cells form a bridge between each other to pass information at a higher speed. Therefore, the next time we have a similar type of thought, it is more easily passed. This explains why certain thought patterns become habits.
Yet the harmful effects don't stop there. A study shows that complaining causes the hippocampus(海马区), which plays a vital role in problem-solving, to become smaller.
In addition to causing brain damage, complaining also releases a stress hormone(激素): cortisol, a kind of chemical the body produces when we meet with some danger. Constantly having a high level of cortisol results in high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and lower immunity(免疫力).
The ill effects of our complaining aren't just limited to ourselves: they also involve those around us. We tend to mirror the moods of our friends. For this reason, we should be cautious about having stubborn complainers in our circle of companions.
The best way to deal with constant negativity is to develop a sense of gratitude (感恩). Just like complaining acts as a poison, gratitude acts as a medicine. Research shows it lowers cortisol levels by 23 percent, as well as reduces blood pressure and blood sugar. It also decreases tiredness and depression. Gratitude is the perfect cure for complaining, a behavior that steals our brain power, happiness and physical well-being.
What have you observed about the effects of complaining in your own life or in the lives of others? Have you noticed that when you are grateful, you feel better all over? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
1. What do Para 2-3 mainly talk about?| A．The diseases caused by complaining. |
| B．The decrease of a vital part of our brain. |
| C．The bad effects of complaining on brain power. |
| D．The reason why certain thought patterns become habits. |
| A．Gratitude is an effective cure for cortisol. |
| B．Our body produce cortisol when we feel exited. |
| C．Cortisol is a chemical that can cause brain damage. |
| D．Having a high level of cortisol can lead to many health problems. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Tolerant. | C．Disapproving. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a medical report. | C．On a website. | D．In a radio program. |
6 . I had a picnic one day with my sister. We both like to ride her motorcycle and that day we rode it to the nearest park. We bought some coffee and cakes, and then we enjoyed our food. Within a few hours, the sky changed and looked ready for a heavy rain. We packed everything and were ready to go. My sister, who was sitting on a bench suddenly was very still and couldn't talk to me.She couldn't move. Her eyes were rolling and she was about to lose consciousness(知觉). I held her in my arms and asked if she wanted to rest. She didn’t answer and only said“Sorry.”
It started to rain and I didn't know what to do. She was fighting to stay aware but her skin was pale and her eyes were acting strangely. Suddenly, from nowhere, a woman on a bicycle appeared. wearing a raincoat." She isn't looking good. Do you want me to call an ambulance(救护车)?”“Yes, please,yes!”I begged.
She did. Struggling with the rain, she managed to call some policemen, who quickly helped me carry my sister to a safer place. The ambulance arrived and we went to a hospital where she was treated in time and she came to life the next morning after some rest and medical help.
An interesting fact was that I guessed the woman in the raincoat was a doctor or a nurse. I later learned from one of the police officers who told me: “No.She was an ordinary person who took some courses on emergency situations(紧急情况).”
I am so grateful that she appeared exactly at the moment I don’t know why or how .I didn’t even get the chance to say thanks to her.
1. What happened when the author and her sister were ready to go?| A．They had a fight. | B．The sister fell ill suddenly. |
| C．They were caught in the rain. | D．They had difficulty packing things. |
| A．By giving first aid to her sister. | B．By protecting her sister from the rain. |
| C．By carrying her sister to the hospital | D．By asking for emergency medical help |
| A．To keep order in the park. |
| B．To send the sick girl to hospital. |
| C．To carry the sick girl to a safer place quickly. |
| D．To carry the sick girl onto the ambulance. |
| A．Thankful | B．Friendly |
| C．Doubtful | D．Admirable |
Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his backyard in the snow. Bobby didn't wear boots, or rather, he didn't own any. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold.
Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, “This is useless. Even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money for a gift.”
Wiping tears from his eyes, Bobby started walking down to the street where the shops were. It wasn't easy being six without a father, particularly when he needed a man to talk to.
Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful but so out of reach. It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer (微光) of the setting sun's rays reflecting on something on the roadside. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime (一角硬币).
Never before had Bobby felt as wealthy as he did at that moment. As he held his newly-found treasure, warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store. His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime.
He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his one dime offering. Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder, saying, “You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you.” As Bobby waited, he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls loved flowers.
Paragraph 1:A few minutes later, the shop owner came out.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
With the bunch of roses in his hands, Bobby walked out of the door and then broke into a run.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. What is under repair now?
| A．The roof. | B．The entrance hall. | C．The outside walls. |
| A．The bedroom. | B．The music room. | C．The dining room. |
| A．The kitchen. | B．The garden. | C．The tearoom. |
| A．£3.50. | B．£5.50. | C．£7.00. |
9 . Last year, my oldest son Matthew went off to college. Things at home were not as “busy” as they used to be. We still had our 15-year-old son Gabriel with us, but we missed having Matthew around.
My wife soon had a crazy idea. “Let’s get a dog.” she suggested. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, but I agreed. I mean, what better way to replace a kid that has gone off to college than to get a dog.
When we got to the animal shelter, it seemed like every dog was a pit bull (比特犬). I’d had many bad experiences with pit bulls as a child, so I didn’t want to take one of them home with me.
While I walked along the rows and rows of cold metal cages, a dog caught my eye. He was scared, and looked like he’d given up on life. There was only one problem: he was a pit bull.
As he looked at me with his big, beautiful eyes, I could see into his soul. I could see how scared he was and that he just wanted a happy life. I couldn’t just walk away — I had to at least go over and look at him. I approached his cage, and he just sat there, looking at me. I stuck my finger through the hole in the cage and petted him on the head. I expected him to get mad, but he didn’t.
I knew that this dog had never felt love before, and that he was enjoying every bit of the love I could give him in that moment. Tears began to stream down my face because I felt everything that this poor creature was feeling right then. He just wanted to be loved; he just wanted a home and a family.
It’s been a year since we took the dog home, and our lives have been changed forever.
Now, his favorite thing to do is give us kisses with his giant tongue every morning. He is always there to greet us when we come home with a huge smile. He’s shown us more love than any other living creature on Earth ever had before. And every time I look into his eyes I see love,compassion and gratitude — things I never thought that a pit bull was capable of feeling.
1. Why did the author’s wife want to get a dog?| A．Because she liked a pit pull. |
| B．Because she thought it was a crazy idea. |
| C．Because she wanted the dog to replace her kid. |
| D．Because one of their children was admitted to college. |
| A．Accepted. | B．Excited. | C．Frightened. | D．Delighted. |
| A．They missed having Matthew around even more. |
| B．They found it hard to get along with him. |
| C．They lived a life full of love. |
| D．They regretted adopting him. |
| A．To share a warm story about adopting a pet. |
| B．To stress the benefits of keeping a pet. |
| C．To suggest people keep a pet of their own. |
| D．To give advice on how to keep a pet. |
1. What about the play did Windy think was worth seeing?
| A．The actors. | B．The staging. | C．The costumes. |
| A．Before the play starts. |
| B．When the play is on. |
| C．After the play is over. |
