1 . When Emma woke up, she knew it was going to be one of those days. She felt unwell — a cold had taken hold of her. Still, she needed to brave the storm of responsibilities at work. Emma dragged herself out of bed and got ready for work. Then she put on her raincoat and went out into the pouring rain. As she walked, she fought against the bad weather. Emma’s umbrella was almost useless as it was raining cats and dogs. Then like a bolt from the blue, the wind blew it inside out. She was immediately wet from head to toe. She said to herself in a quiet voice. “What a day to forget my rain boots!”
At the office, the day was as stormy as the weather. She had a mountain of tasks. Handling endless emails and phone calls should have been a light wind. But before long, she was desperate to take a break so she could get a second wind.
Then, at exactly the moment, her coworker Alex came to her rescue. Alex was not a fair-weather friend but was always ready to lend a hand. With a warm smile, he offered to help Emma. Having Alex assist her was like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. Their laughter and good-fellowship as they completed their tasks made the hours pass quickly.
On her way home, Emma reflected on the day, which had ended up being surprisingly pleasant. She realized that every cloud did indeed have a silver lining. Today, that silver lining had been her wonderful colleague, Alex.
When Emma arrived home, she decided to send Alex a heartfelt message of appreciation. She wrote, “Thanks for being my ray of sunshine in this rainy day!” It was a simple message, but it carried a lot of meaning.
That night, listening to it rain cats and dogs outside, Emma couldn’t help but smile. She had weathered the storm with Alex’s help.
1. Why did Emma get totally wet?A.Because she forgot to take her umbrella. |
B.Because she didn’t wear her raincoat. |
C.Because her rain boots were broken. |
D.Because the wind was too strong. |
A.They finished the assignments with joy. |
B.They took a break to refresh themselves. |
C.They talked about the weather while performing tasks. |
D.Alex came to rescue Emma because she was in danger. |
A.Grateful and warm. | B.Pleased and amused. |
C.Shocked and confused. | D.Confident and determined. |
A.Save for a rainy day. | B.Hard work pays off. |
C.Actions speak louder than words. | D.A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
2 . Many things come to mind when I think of a great vacation. Impressive scenery and delicious food are certainly on my list. Those two features can’t always be found in the same location. However, amazing views and great food are both on the menu at the following three restaurants.
The Rock. ZanzibarOn an enormous stone off the coast of the East African island of Zanzibar sits The Rock. The freshest seafood, much of it straight from the surrounding ocean, is always available here. Fresh lobster, prawns, octopus salad and calamari are just a few of the appetizing dining options. At low tide, customers can walk out to The Rock. As the water rises, though, customers must take a short boat ride to it. Once they arrive, they’re greeted by friendly staff and 360-degree views of beautiful blue-green water. The Rock, sometimes called the “floating restaurant,” is available for weddings and other small group events.
The Labasin Waterfalls Restaurant, PhilippinesStunning waterfalls sometimes have restaurants at the top. But the Labasin Waterfalls, in San Pablo City, Philippines, are different. A restaurant sits at the bottom of these falls. Guests dine on authentic Filipino meals at bamboo tables that stand right in the water. They cool their feet in the water that flows under their tables. The surrounding jungle makes a perfect background for this one-of-a-kind dining experience.
The Grotto, ThailandThe Grotto Restaurant on Thailand’s Phra Nang Beach offers delicious food and an incredible dining experience. The restaurant is partly positioned inside a cave and partly on the beach. Guests seated toward the front look out at Happy Island in the lovely Andaman Sea. Those seated at the back enjoy an authentic cave-dining experience. Comfortable tables are arranged inside the cave. International food with a Thai influence is featured.
For your next travel-and-dining adventure, why not make a reservation at one of these unique restaurants?
1. What do we know about The Rock?A.It is located on an enormous ship. |
B.It is suitable for holding a wedding celebration. |
C.Customers can walk out to the restaurant all the time. |
D.The tables stand right in the beautiful blue-green water. |
A.Customers can enjoy the beautiful views of the sea. |
B.Short boat rides are needed to get to these restaurants. |
C.They offer the freshest seafood from the surrounding ocean. |
D.They integrate delicious food with incredible dining experiences. |
A.To call on readers to visit the unique restaurants. |
B.To present available restaurants for readers to work in. |
C.To introduce the delicious food offered in the restaurants. |
D.To remind people to take a break from the busy schedules. |
3 . Before you head out to a fun event where there will be many people, you should be aware of the dangers of a crowd crush (拥挤的人群), whose possibility adds up during the festivals or on some celebrating occasions.
Though the risk of crowd crush is rare, it can be deadly when it happens. Crowd crush occurs when many people are packed together and begin to fall over one another. In the past, such instances have caused horrible injury and even death.
Before attending a crowded event, look up a map of the venue.
Helping others is another great way to keep everyone safe. Once one person falls down, more people tend to fall over them.
A common cause of death in a crowd crush isn’t being crushed but rather losing air. It’s best to hold out your arms in front of your chest.
There is usually fun where the crowds are, so enjoy yourself. But meanwhile, it is also important to remember to stay alert and take care of your family members when you sense the smell of danger.
A.If you do end up in a crush, here’s how you can stay safe. |
B.This allows space between you and the person in front of you. |
C.So if your neighbor in the crowd falls to the ground, help them up. |
D.Seeking for a safer place takes some time and is sometimes challenging. |
E.To avoid such an outcome, it’s best to escape the crush before it happens. |
F.The shortage of air means less oxygen, which will lead to serious consequences. |
G.This will give you an idea of the surroundings—pay special attention to any exits. |
1.活动时间和地点;
2.活动目的和内容。
注意:1.词数 100左右;
2.开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
5 . From birth, every person needs other human beings. Babies need to be cared for to survive. Their first connections usually come from parents and other family members. But as children grow up, they spend more time with others. And they may or may not feel connected to the people they see every day. Some people feel different from or rejected by their neighbors, people they work with or even their families. People who don’t feel like they belong often feel lonely, even when others are around.
People find different ways to meet their natural desire to belong to a group. Some rely on their families while others find communities based on other interests. These can include shared goals, life experiences or popular culture.
You need others for many reasons. Community members can offer advice or practical help when you go through difficult times. You can also grow as a person from helping others
So what can you do if you lack a sense of belonging? The first step will usually be to make a conscious effort to reach out to others. You could join groups based on interests you share. Or you could contact an individual with whom you have something in common and decide when to meet up. This may be uncomfortable at first, but as with most things, it becomes easier with practice. Focusing on others more than on yourself may help. Ask questions that show you care about others’ lives. This will help them feel valued. If you are shy, it will spare you from having to talk about yourself too much.
Finding community requires a willingness to accept others. But it is also important to remain true to yourself. If a person always hides his or her true thoughts and feelings to fit in, how could he or she feel a sense of belonging? And it will be much easier if you ask yourself what matters most to you.
Finding a place where you belong may not be easy. But it will help you live a happier, more fulfilled life. So if you are the one looking for it, don’t lose heart easily since it truly deserves the effort.
1. Where are babies’ first connections usually from?2. Why do you need others?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▶Focusing on others more than on yourself may help when you are finding community, so you should ignore your true feelings or thoughts during this process.
4. Give an example to illustrate what benefit(s) having a sense of belonging has brought you. (In about 40 words)
6 . In this age of social media, everyone has followed the review trend. Nearly every business or website persuades customers to leave reviews as they can drive traffic to the site or business. The online business directory Yelp, which gets 178 million monthly visitors, invites anyone with a cellphone to leave a review of a business or restaurant. But by no means are negative reviews always honest. Some people threaten to give a bad review to extort (敲诈) discounted or free food from a restaurant. Some then follow through when their demands are not met.
But there are two sides to every story. One Denver chef decided to respond to bad reviews at his restaurant. As it turned out, some customers who left bad review s deserved bad reviews themselves. One customer’s terrible review claimed that the food at the restaurant was so awful that he didn’t eat a single bite. The chef looked through the monitor and found clear evidence that he had eaten every bite! In response, the chef called out the dissatisfied customer in his own negative review. Since the chef started responding to all his negative reviews, business at his restaurant has nearly doubled.
Telling people what you think of them as the result of a bad review can backfire on you, especially when a bad review is justified. Reviews are important because 94 percent of diners read online review s before they decide where to eat.
But bad reviews appear for many reasons. The reviewer may be having a bad day, or the chef may be sick and the substitute (代替者) couldn’t fill his shoes, so the cuisine suffered. Or perhaps the service wasn’t as good as usual. The worst-case scene is that the reviewer wants to punish the restaurant on purpose for some slight, real or imagined. So one or two bad reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. Many negative reviews, however, indicate a problem.
So what is a restauranteur to do? First give an honest assessment of any negative reviews. Take a step back and ask if the writer has made any valid points. Are there areas for improvement? If the answer is yes, make adjustments. Reviewers themselves need to be honest and constructive. The goal should be to improve the situation, not just blow off steam.
1. The author mentions Yelp in Paragraph 1 to ______.A.introduce the topic | B.predict the ending |
C.evaluate an argument | D.support a statement |
A.positive | B.objective | C.negative | D.doubtful |
A.Philosophical. | B.Identical. | C.Reasonable. | D.Legal. |
A.Who to Be Responsible for Bad Reviews? | B.When to Respond to Bad Reviews? |
C.How to Criticise Bad Reviews? | D.What to Do with Bad Reviews? |
7 . Memories are funny, aren’t they? You can be going along, minding your business, and then, all of a sudden, a memory pops into your head. Sometimes memories are triggered (触发) by a song that reminds you of the setting where you first heard it. Or it may be a smell that makes you think of a delicious meal with your friends or family. Perhaps hearing kids arguing makes you remember an unhappy situation with childhood friends. These spontaneous (自发的) memories can be “sweet,” or they might be “sour.” Did you ever wonder what’s going on in your brain that makes your memories produce positive or negative emotions?
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biologica Studies in California have made a discovery that could help to uncover this secret. The explanation is a bit technical (for those of us who are not brain scientists), but basically it all focuses on a single molecule (分子) called neurotensin (神经降压素). Our surrounding environment is constantly presenting our brain with stimuli (刺激). The molecule neurotensin acts as a key indicator of whether an experience is labeled as positive or negative, depending on the nature of the stimuli. Our brain subsequently associates similar stimuli with the pleasant or painful memory that we experienced.
The study by the Salk Institute was published in the journal Nature. The focus of their experiments was the brain circuitry of laboratory mice. After a sound was played, the mice received either a pleasant swallow of sugary water or, an unpleasant electrical shock or puff of air. The researchers discovered that neurotensin was the signal that associated the sound with reward or with punishment When the gene (基因) that regulates neurotensin was removed from the mice’s brains, they had more difficulty connecting the sound with the sugary water. However, the negative responses were enhanced.
Understanding how neurons in the brain respond to neurotensin could have influences on one’s mental health. Addictions may be caused by overly high levels of neurotensin (connected with positive rewards). On the other hand, depression and anxiety can result when decreased levels of neurotensin allow negative responses to dominate. Thus, regulating neurotensin could help to maintain mental stability. One other thing: The research study showed that the brain may tend to be a pessimist, focusing on fearful memories that cause negative emotional responses.
Perhaps insights into neurotensin will help us have fewer sour memories and more sweet ones.
1. What is the function of neurotensin?A.To provide our brain with stimuli. | B.To indicate the category of an experience. |
C.To focus on the surrounding environment. | D.To associate the stimuli with our memory. |
A.Addictions and anxiety may be related to different levels of neurotensin. |
B.The mice were given both sugary water and an electrical shock after hearing a sound. |
C.As the gene which controls neurotensin disappeared, the negative responses decreased. |
D.The brain prefers connecting with fearful memories which produce unexpected emotions. |
A.What happens in our brain to form our memory. |
B.What the discovery of memory can do for mental health. |
C.How brain connects our memory with different emotions. |
D.How we regulate neurotensin to make us have good emotions. |
A few years ago, Nike decided to create a new uniform that would help athletes to go faster. The aim was
Niagara Falls is a group of falls,
A strong work ethic (道德) is vital to a company. Certain