1 . It was the most destructive wildfire in California history. It started in Paradise (天堂镇) and caused $16.5 billion in
Grammer, working in Los Angeles, grew up there. When his friend Edwards posted pictures of his white chimney — the only part of his house to survive — he felt
“I’ve got to
Grammer spent three hours painting an image of a woman on the
Grammer posted the image on Instagram. Those who were affected by the fire,
Greatly inspired, Grammer returned eight times. Outside one house, he found a photo of a girl, Eleanor. He painted a picture of her on the wall of her home left
Ironically (讽刺的是) that first painting, on the chimney in Paradise,
A.damage | B.collection | C.debt | D.reserve |
A.basically | B.generally | C.beautifully | D.seriously |
A.disappointed | B.interested | C.helpless | D.fearless |
A.beautify | B.paint | C.build | D.repair |
A.succeed | B.improve | C.practice | D.express |
A.chimney | B.wall | C.window | D.door |
A.art | B.life | C.nature | D.beauty |
A.on average | B.in general | C.on earth | D.in particular |
A.argued | B.insisted | C.posted | D.suggested |
A.standing | B.existing | C.fallen | D.destroyed |
A.pretend | B.afford | C.continue | D.decide |
A.new | B.special | C.practical | D.real |
A.copy | B.handle | C.donate | D.admire |
A.flashed | B.suffered | C.survived | D.waited |
A.spirit | B.size | C.fame | D.power |
Hi Kelsey,
Happy 18th birthday! You’ve officially reach
Many bittersweet events will happen in the next ten years. There will be highs. Stick to
The world will always throw new challenges at you.
As you become an adult, jump at every opportunity
Happy birthday, Kelsey! See you in ten years.
28-year-old Kelsey
For years, putting up Christmas lights had been a family tradition for the Patrick’s household. It was an occasion when they would busily prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
Their Christmas light display was always a highlight of the neighborhood and brought much delight to the whole community. Typically, Anthony would invite the neighbors over as they decorated the Christmas tree in the front yard. Emily, who lived next door and had known Sara’s family for long, often came to admire their wonderland of Christmas lights.
In early December, Anthony would string colorful lights all around their roof until it looked dazzling. On the front lawn, he would blow up a large white Frosty the Snowman and a Rudolph with a glowing red nose. Sara always joined in, along with their warm-hearted neighbors, hanging gifts on the tree and playing “White Christmas” over and over to keep everyone in the spirit.
Yet the bad news came in the midst of the festive mood, before they could finish the Christmas decoration. Anthony fell desperately ill. The symptoms suggested acute heart failure and he was soon admitted to hospital. Sara spent days and nights in the ward, attending to Anthony and praying for his recovery, though the hope was slim. On Christmas Eve, Anthony passed away.
It came as a huge blow to Sara. In the following days, she had to manage the funeral while struggling to figure out a way to cover housing and household expenses, and tackling a seemingly endless list of difficult to-dos. Perhaps hardest of all, she had to persuade herself into accepting the loss of her father. It was too much to take.
When she pulled up to the house after a long day on the go, the only thing that could comfort her were the twinkling Christmas lights, which brought her a spark of hope-it felt as if the brightness of the lights could cancel out some of the darkness of the past days’ misfortune.
Wanting to help, Emily shared their story on a community website.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Touched by their kindness, Sara decided to fulfill the lighting decorations, though Christmas was gone.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . These days, more and more people go to the gym to work out. But with so many gyms out there, how do you know which one is the right one for you? We find some information about the best gyms in New York City so you can have a better idea of what each gym offers.
New York Sports Club
Initiation Fees: Neighborhood membership, $49.99; Passport membership, $49.99.
Membership Costs: Neighborhood membership, $44.99 a month; Passport membership, $ 99.99 a month.
Additional Fees: Neighborhood membership, $49.99 a year; Passport membership, S 49.99 a year.
Locations: Locations in all five boroughs.
Classes: Studio classes, athletic conditioning, boxing, kickboxing and yoga.
Planet Fitness
Initiation Fees (入会费): Regular membership, $5; Black Card membership, no initiation fee. Membership Costs: Regular membership is $10 a month and includes free fitness training and free wifi. Black Card membership is $ 22.99 a month and includes access to all Planet Fitness locations, free fitness training, free wifi, half-priced cooler drinks and worldwide travel deals.
Additional Fees: $39 membership fee a year.
Locations: Locations in all five boroughs (区).
Classes: None.
Chelsea Piers
Initiation Fees: Call to request.
Membership Costs: For a specific gym, varies by location.
Locations: Chelsea and Brooklyn.
Classes: Strength and conditioning, cycling and yoga.
24 Hour Fitness
Initiation Fees: $0 on select memberships.
Membership Costs: $79.99 for Ultra Sport.
Locations: Midtown and Madison Square Park.
Classes: Studio classes, free weights, group cycling and personal training.
1. What can you do in 24 Hour Fitness?A.Boxing. | B.Yoga. | C.Free weights. | D.Athletic conditioning. |
A.$39. | B.$5. | C.$10. | D.$22.99. |
A.It has no initiation fee. |
B.Its membership costs depend on its location. |
C.Its gyms can be found in all five boroughs. |
D.Its black card members can enjoy half-priced drinks. |
7 . When colds and flu hit, many people automatically turn to over-the-counter (OTC) medicines to push through and treat their symptoms. Although these medicines are easily accessible and widely used, it might come as a surprise to many people to learn that they are not risk-free. A study estimated that every year, 26,735 people went to the emergency room for adverse (不利的) events related to OTC cold and cough medicines.
When two or more drugs are used together, their interactions can sometimes produce unexpected harmful effects. Physicians are typically knowledgeable about potential drug interactions, so it is very important for patients to ask their healthcare providers which OTC medicines are safe for them to use.
It is important to read the package ingredients of OTC medicines closely to avoid duplication of doses (剂量重复). Cold medicines are typically made up of multiple ingredients. A person who takes a single-ingredient medicine paired with one of these multi-ingredient medicines can receive an unsafe dose of that ingredient.
While everyone could potentially experience adverse effects from cold and flu medicines, some groups — including older adults, children and pregnant women — may be at greater risk. Older people who are using prescribed drugs to treat multiple health conditions may have a higher risk of drug interactions because of the higher number of medicines being used at the same time to treat different conditions. The aging body is not as expert at absorbing, distributing and clearing medicines as younger bodies are. This can put older adults at higher risk for an overdose and drug-to-drug interactions with some medicines.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend giving cold medicines to children under age 4. Because of a variety of factors, young children have a higher risk of an accidental overdose and adverse events that could lead to death.
1. What does the author advise patients to do in Paragraph 2?A.To ask for suggestions from doctors. | B.To buy medicines from hospitals. |
C.To read the package ingredients of drugs. | D.To take drugs as early as possible. |
A.To provide a medical choice for people who catch a cold. |
B.To show cold medicines are more likely to cause bad effects. |
C.To explain OTC medicines often have more than one ingredient. |
D.To stress the importance of learning about medicines’ ingredients. |
A.They can’t cope with aging positively. | B.Their body can’t handle medicines easily. |
C.They are more easily affected by diseases. | D.Their desire for health makes them unwise. |
A.Say No to OTC Drugs | B.Tips on Taking OTC Drugs |
C.OTC Medicines May Not Be Safe | D.How to Deal with an OTC Drug Overdose |
9 . Very few people can say that they have achieved all that they are capable of. But what is it that is preventing you from fulfilling your potential (潜能)?
It is easy and natural to settle into a rut (墨守成规). Why try something new when you are already doing that you are good at?
Let’s face it — your friends and family are really nice people but they are not challenging you to achieve more. Spend more time with high flyers and positive thinkers who understand ambition and achievement. Share some of your thoughts, dreams and challenges with them.
A.High achievers go further. |
B.This means that they run the risk of failure. |
C.All successful people have strong self-belief. |
D.They can take comfort in modest achievements. |
E.You waste a lot of time every day on low value activities. |
F.They will encourage you and give you the direct advice you need. |
G.It is really very hard to make progress if you have no ambition for your life. |