THE PET LAMB
Almost all the possessions had been sold to buy food and clothing for the family. At last, nothing was left but the pet lamb, Daisy. At the thought of parting with the little creature, Mrs. Grant’s felt sad because the children loved it very much. Having struggled hard, she had to make up her mind to sell the lamb. But she could not ask any child to go for the butcher. Finally, she went herself with a heavy heart, dragging her leaden feet, and bargained with the butcher for the sale of Daisy.
While the children were all playing with the lamb, the butcher and his boy came to the door. “You see I am here for the lamb,” said the butcher in a loud voice. Hearing this, one child ran to her mother's side, and asked what was happening in alarm. Mrs. Grant gently pushed the child aside, bent down and was about to tell the truth.
“That’s my lamb now, Charlie!” said the butcher’s boy in a playful tone, going up to Daisy with a rope in his hand.
“No, it is not your lamb. It is ours!” said Charlie, placing himself in front of it.
But the boy, pushing him aside, threw a rope round Daisy’s neck, and began to drag the little creature away. The poor lamb bleated very sadly. The cry of grief which fell upon the mother’s ears was too much for her, and her heart sank within her. In a moment, begging with tearful eyes, the children were all around their mother with voices choking with sobs for their little pet.
“Pray tell your boy to stop a moment,” she said in husky (沙哑的) tones to the butcher. The boy, at a word from the butcher, stopped dragging the lamb, and the little creature stopped its bleating.
The boy, at a word from the butcher, stopped dragging the lamb, and the little creature stopped its bleating.
In a trembling voice, Mrs. Grant explained to them how badly off they were after their father died. She also added that the kind butcher had given the money for Daisy. With this money, she could buy her children bread to eat.
注意:
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语;
3.续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
4.续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Para 1: But the more she explained, the stronger her children begged for Daisy.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Para 2: The butcher, who had been watching all, was touched in his heart.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Henry Dunant (1828—1910) was born in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1856, he created a trading company which did business in Algeria, a French colony at the time.
3 . My husband and I made an agreement to help each other stay off social media platforms as much as possible. We left our accounts up instead of deleting them, but consciously stopped using them.
Tired of being the last to hear of things, we downloaded a few news-specific apps that provide timely information.
Staying updated on our social circle has also been a more conscious effort. Previously I was kept up-to-the-minute on engagements, weddings, new jobs and babies through updates and pictures.
Without social media, I now learn of these important events only when actually meeting the people involved.
I still log in occasionally.
A.Overall, I'm glad to have made the change. |
B.I bought myself a diary again after many years. |
C.We have made a few adjustments in our daily life. |
D.This has also widened the range of news I keep up with. |
E.I do miss the convenience of using social media to record and reflect. |
F.However, social media now plays a much less important role in my life. |
G.I didn't realize how programmed I had become to constantly use the app. |
4 . Feeling inactive at work? Indoor pollution might play a part. A new study by scientists at Harvard has found that the air quality inside an office can have a significant impact on employees cognitive (认知的) function.
"The limited amount of previous studies on indoor settings focused on measures like thermal (热的) comfort and satisfaction, rather than on cognitive outcomes," Jose Guillermo Cedeno Laurent, a researcher told AFP.
Jose and his colleagues designed a study that followed 302 office workers across six countries over a period of a year, all of whom were aged between 18 and 65 and worked at least three days in an office building. Their workspaces were fitted with an environmental sensor to monitor real time concentrations of PM2.5. The participants were given a custom-designed app on their phones to carry out the cognitive tests, which they were reminded to take at prescheduled times or when PM2.5 levels fall below or rise beyond certain thresholds (临界点).
There were two tests for the participants. The first required them to correctly identify the color of displayed words that spelled out another color. This evaluated cognitive speed. The second test involved basic calculation with long numbers to assess cognitive speed and working memory.
Results showed that an increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of PM led to about a one percent reduction in response times, and more than a one percent reduction in accuracy.
"While past studies have shown that prolonged exposure to PM2.5 damages the central nervous system and causes long-term neuro diseases, this is the first to show short-term effects on people's cognitive abilities," Jose told AFP.
For employees returning to in-person office work, it is time to open a window for fresh air. If the outdoor air quality isn't good, adding high quality portable air cleaners is a good choice.
1. What's the function of the environmental sensor?A.To monitor indoor air quality. |
B.To evaluate workers'job performance |
C.To improve working environment. |
D.To develop workers' memory accuracy |
A.Giving examples. | B.Analyzing causes. |
C.Making comparisons. | D.Confirming assumptions. |
A.polluted air destroys one's nervous system |
B.an air cleaner is a must in an office building |
C.indoor setting determines a person's productivity |
D.fresh air contributes to a person's cognitive accuracy |
5 . Richard Turere walks through his family's farm just outside Nairobi National Park in Kenya. Goats, cows, and sheep eat grass peacefully on the farm while in the park nearby, lions wander leisurely, living in peaceful coexistence with the livestock. An extraordinary picture! How do livestock manage to live safely near these huge lions? It's all due to this young man's brilliant invention, Lion Lights.
Livestock is his family's entire livelihood—which is why whenever lions attacked their goats, sheep, or cattle, it was disastrous. There seemed to be no good solution to the problem until Richard began working on it. After a lion killed his family's only bull, Richard started experimenting with ways to scare off the lions. His first two attempts—fire and then a scarecrow—were unsuccessful. But one night in 2011, when he was walking around with a flashlight, he noticed that lions stayed away. That's when he realized: these big cats were afraid of moving lights!
Then Richard—who'd taken apart and studied machines since he was very small—began experimenting. Despite his lack of any formal training in electrical engineering, he fitted a system of flashing LED lights on poles around the farm. The flashing lights, which he made from vehicle indicator flashers, car batteries, and a solar panel, tricked the lions into thinking the grounds were guarded, keeping the lions away.
The word got out about the brilliant "lion-lights boy". Soon Richard was fixing the Lion Lights system for neighbors. Later, his invention won him a scholarship to Kenya's well-known Brookhouse International School. And when Richard was 13, he was invited to California to speak about his invention at a TED conference. These days, Richard still lives on his family's farm, and fixes the Lion Lights system for people all over Kenya, which functions efficiently. He dreams of becoming an airplane engineer and pilot, but he also works to arouse people's awareness about the need to support young Kenyan inventors like himself.
1. What does "an extraordinary picture" refer to?A.Eye-catching scenery. | B.Well-protected ecosystem. |
C.Lions losing their nature. | D.Animals existing in harmony. |
A.Lions attacked livestock. | B.The locals' lives were threatened. |
C.Machines didn't function well. | D.Flashlights weren't in good condition. |
A.Richard's idea came from his failure. | B.Flashing lights could scare lions away. |
C.Richard's academic knowledge mattered. | D.Flashing lights were difficult to maintain. |
A.Richard's dream has come true. | B.Richard's invention makes a difference. |
C.Richard's devotion to helping his neighbors. | D.Richard's awareness of bettering his community. |
If you are a perfectionist, you are probably familiar with the feeling of wanting to get everything just right. According to researchers, perfectionists hold themselves to unrealistically high standards and become self-critical(自责的) if they believe they haven't met these standards. Amanda Ruggeri,writing about perfectionism for BBC Future, explains, "When perfectionists don't succeed, they don't just feel disappointment about how they did. They feel shame about who they are.”
Although many people think seeking excellence as a good thing, researchers have found that on the extreme end, perfectionism is actually linked to lower mental health. In an article published in 2016, researchers found that people higher in perfectionism tended to have increases in depression(抑郁) symptoms, which suggests that perfectionism may lead to depression. In other words, although people may think of their perfectionism as something that helps them succeed, it appears that their perfectionism may actually be harmful to their mental health.
Thus, what can someone with perfection tendencies do to change their behavior? One possible alternative to perfectionism is developing what psychologists call a growth mindset. Researchers at Stanford University have found that developing a growth mindset is a significant way to help you learn from your failures. Unlike those with fixed mindsets, those with growth mindsets believe they can improve their abilities by learning from their mistakes. Another potential alternative to perfectionism is to develop self-compassion(自我同情). The idea behind self-compassion is that you should treat yourself kindly when you make mistakes,remind yourself that mistakes are part of being human, and avoid being consumed by bad emotions.
In fact, psychologists point out that giving up on perfection doesn't mean being less successful. The key is to find ways to give an effort you can be proud of without demanding the impossible of yourself. Instead of struggling for “perfect", struggle for “good enough", which can actually help you develop a healthier way of setting goals for yourself in the long run.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you know what “noodling” is? It has nothing to do with the noodles that you like to eat. In the
I learned about noodling when I lived
Well, I thought it would be worth
8 . My first year in Los Angeles, I was a birthday-party clown (小丑). I struggled a lot with my identity because,
For certain parties, I’d have to go as a
The next day, I want to the
That’s why they were laughing so
That year, I struggled a lot with my identity. But that day,
A.since | B.though | C.once | D.before |
A.attractive | B.worthwhile | C.ridiculous | D.difficult |
A.specific | B.main | C.suitable | D.perfect |
A.told | B.taught | C.forced | D.allowed |
A.accept | B.keep | C.improve | D.change |
A.forgetting | B.regretting | C.admitting | D.discovering |
A.party | B.company | C.cinema | D.school |
A.joking | B.singing | C.celebrating | D.laughing |
A.mask | B.smile | C.gift | D.moustache |
A.freely | B.loudly | C.gently | D.politely |
A.took away | B.gave back | C.brought out | D.passed down |
A.Instead of | B.Because of | C.For fear of | D.In favour of |
A.eaten up | B.messed up | C.cut up | D.picked up |
A.still | B.always | C.even | D.also |
A.hides | B.grows | C.shaves | D.wears |
A.Surprisingly | B.Eventually | C.Hopefully | D.Naturally |
A.detail | B.lesson | C.chance | D.result |
A.informed | B.reminded | C.promised | D.convinced |
A.in general | B.in addition | C.at least | D.at first |
A.supported | B.needed | C.ordered | D.missed |
9 . As 13-year-old Sadie Feingold for her Jewish coming-of-age ceremony this year, she had one goal in mind: to raise awareness of children’s mental health struggles.
She said she was inspired to focus on this topic because of her own previous struggles with mental health. “People don’t really talk about mental health as they do with physical health,” Feingold said. “I think that some people feel like it’s not important.”
So, she did some research and read a piece in The New York Times that reported how a proper amount of exercise in adolescents can raise their levels of endorphin (a chemical produced in the brain that reduces the feeling of pain), and in turn, help improve their mental health. Then, Feingold came up with a plan: she would host an exercise class for local teens and families, and raise money to support the North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center in Roslyn Heights, a mental health agency that treats children and families.
She invited family, friends and others to gather in the parking lot of the community (社区) building in Port Washington, and on Sept.13, about 35 kids, teens and adults participates in the 45-minute class of individual exercises, led by a fitness instructor they knew.
She took donations at the class to support the Guidance Center and encouraged those who couldn’t attend to dance as well. Her efforts raised nearly $2,000. Regina Barros-Rivera, associate executive director at Guidance Center, said an effort like this one promoted “positive change” adolescents needed. “Energy creates energy. Talking an action creates a change. And this young lady has created something-not only just that the exercise is good for you, it’s more that she’s creating, and she’s bringing.”
1. What led to Feingold’s idea of holding an exercise class?A.Her Jewish coming-of-age ceremony this year. |
B.Her struggles against mental health at a young age. |
C.Her increasing awareness of building up children’s physical health. |
D.Her knowing about the connection between mental health and exercise. |
A.Money was collected for the Guidance Center. |
B.The class was held in the community fitness center. |
C.The instructors were invited by The New York Times. |
D.Individual exercises were led by a mental health agent.. |
A.What Feingold has done is very beneficial. |
B.Feingold proves to be creative and energetic. |
C.More physical exercise is needed for adolescents. |
D.Adolescents should make healthy adjustments to change. |
10 . Doug Falter returned home on the evening of February 3, 2018, exhausted. The 33-year-old had just
“I caught the biggest waves of my life on that board," Falter later said “That's why it
Weeks passed with no
The once-blue board had
“I couldn't
He was excited to hear this guy bought it for his students. “I think this is the
A.scanned | B.explored | C.toured | D.admired |
A.cast | B.missed | C.forgot | D.lost |
A.freed | B.saved | C.protected | D.separated |
A.tells | B.sends | C.means | D.offers |
A.dropped | B.spotted | C.rescued | D.bought |
A.regardless of | B.instead of | C.more than | D.other than |
A.sign | B.effect | C.sense | D.memory |
A.sometimes | B.always | C.never | D.almost |
A.rented | B.sold | C.donated | D.delivered |
A.friends | B.students | C.colleagues | D.strangers |
A.faded | B.remained | C.swollen | D.shrunk |
A.covers | B.shapes | C.markings | D.colors |
A.patterns | B.designs | C.mottos | D.words |
A.make | B.help | C.believe | D.forget |
A.called on | B.relied on | C.looked forward to | D.reached out to |
A.file | B.post | C.link | D.photo |
A.extra | B.old | C.funny | D.spare |
A.confused | B.inspired | C.amazed | D.embarrassed |
A.escaped | B.survived | C.left | D.continued |
A.coolest | B.easiest | C.fastest | D.safest |