A Nation of Animal Lovers
The British are traditionally a nation of animal lovers. This is clear from the large number of animal programmes on TV. There are programmes about wildlife in Britain and other countries, and about pets at home. There are programmes like Animal Hospital about sick animals and the working lives of animal doctors. Some programmes try to find new homes for unwanted or homeless animals. All these programmes are very popular. There is a pet in more than half of the homes in the UK(52.3%). The most popular pets are cats.
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London is a very famous home for unwanted dogs and cats. It was started in 1860 by Mrs. Mary Tealby, because she was worried about all the homeless animals on the streets of London. Since it opened, the home has taken in more than 3 million dogs and cats. In 2006, over 11,000 dogs and cats came to the home. By the end of the year, homes were found for 5,000 of them. The home even has its own magazine, Paws.
| It Can Only Happen in Britain! The Echo January 13 The rat at platform one has just made your train late! An officer was called to Stirling station today because passengers were worried about a large white rat on the line. Three trains passed over it, but the rat was unhurt. The Scottish railway company, Scotrail, closed the line. Then passengers watched as the officer carefully caught the rat. It bit him, but he took it away safely. An officer from Scotrail said, “We try to protect all wild animals and pets. At first the rat was very frightened, but now he’s fine.” “We’ve called him Ronnie. He needs a good home. People think rats are dirty. But they make great pets!” |
2. How many homes in the UK raise pets?(no more than 10 words)
3. Why did Mrs. Mary Tealby started Battersea Dogs and Cats Home?(no more than 15 words)
4. What was the result of the rat in the train station?(no more than 10 words)
5. How will you react if you see some wild animals in cities? Please further explain that.(no more than 20 words)
2 . You have to get to your job interview, but you don’t have access to an automobile. How would you solve this dilemma (困境)? Most people would probably call an Uber or perhaps ask a friend or family member for a ride. But not this Indiana woman. Kasia Shelton from Muncie has been arrested for stealing a vehicle from a local dealership (经销商). According to police reports, the 20-year-old used the 2013 Kia Optima to drive to a job interview in Indianapolis.
The auto theft happened on Monday, October 9. On the day, Shelton arrived at RDI Motors in Muncie and asked an employee to see a certain 2013 Kia Optima. He showed the car to Shelton and we can only assume he talked in length about its great condition for its age, the features, and the reliability. The employee later told the police that Shelton seemed interested in the car and asked to take it for a test drive. But while he was talking to her and preparing the car for a drive, the dealership’s telephone kept ringing and ringing. He said that he had to excuse himself constantly to go pick up the phone, yet there was never anybody on the other end of the line. The last time the phone rang was just as the employee had gotten the car ready for Shelton to take it for a test drive. When he got back from the phone, Shelton and the Kia were gone.
The RDI employee immediately called the Muncie Police Department. The police then began using the Flock camera surveillance system (监控系统) in an attempt to spot the car. A while later, they saw the car again, this time returning to Muncie. After that, the cameras lost the car, but we now know that Shelton drove it back to RDI Motors. Finding out wasn’t too difficult. The police said they were able to connect the car to Shelton because she had filled out an online form on RDI Motors’ website.
When the police later showed up at Shelton’s door, she seemed confused and thought the officers were pulling off some kind of a joke. She genuinely didn’t seem to understand what she was getting arrested for. After all, she returned the Kia to the dealership once she was done with her trip. She didn’t plan to keep it, so what’s the big deal?
Whether she understood the reason why or not, Shelton was arrested. She has been charged with auto theft, which could land her in prison for up to two and a half years.
1. Why was Shelton arrested?| A．Because she got a job interview. | B．Because she didn’t call an Uber. |
| C．Because she stole a car. | D．Because she drove a 2013 Kia Optima. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Negative. | C．Responsible. | D．Intolerable. |
| A．Some other clients. | B．Mysterious phone calls. |
| C．Shelton’s attitude. | D．His colleagues’ calls. |
| A．By searching the Flock camera surveillance system. |
| B．Through the interview company. |
| C．By inquiring RDI motors’ employees. |
| D．Through the personal information she left on the site. |
| A．Don’t you think that’s the reason you arrest me? | B．Is this small thing worth an arrest? |
| C．Is this a deal? | D．Do you think I should buy the car? |
 | Social Media Detox Today marks the last day of the Social Media Detox, Brenton High’s fundraising campaign for new sports equipment. At the start of the detox, over one hundred students had been persuaded to stop using social media, in ANY form, for seven days. This meant no messaging friends, no posting photos, no blogging — nothing. They had been promised money by family and friends for each day spent without using social media. They were excited. They were nervous. But could they do it? With the detox now finished, they’ve switched on their devices and they’re back online. I bet you’re as eager as I am to find out just how many have been motivated enough to last the full seven days! And what, if anything, has been learnt from the experience? | ||
 | I lasted two days. The detox was more difficult to tolerate than I had expected. I felt like I had lost an arm! Not eating for two days would have been easier! But on reflection, I can see how much of my time had been occupied with checking my phone. I’m now trying to spend less time online and more time picking up my hobbies. | ||
 | I lasted four days. On Monday, my classmate and I spoke about what we did at the weekend - it felt really strange not to already know what he had done. We would usually have posted pictures and updated our profiles. Doing the detox meant we had to talk and explain what we were doing and thinking! It made me realise the value of real contact that I had forgotten. | ||
 | I managed the whole week! At first, I really felt I was missing out. Then, instead of messaging my friend. I went round t her house. Without our phones, we had a proper conversation for over two hours, without being distracted by messages from other people. It felt so good! Then I decided to visit a different friend every day. By the fifth day, I wondered - was I really missing out by not constantly checking my phone to see what everyone else was up to? | ||
 | I did all seven days, too! To be honest, I didn’t find the detox too difficult, but I did give my phone to my dad to avoid giving in! My brother thought I should make full use of the time without my phone; so he took me to check out our local sports centre. An hour’s sport each day left me tired out and wanting to go to bed early. The detox made me healthier! | ||
 | I’m embarrassed to say that I threw in the towel on the first day! I knew there was a party happening that evening, but without access to social media I couldn’t remember where it was! In the end, I turned on my phone to check, but couldn’t resist having a quick look at my social media accounts. What’s worse, I then spent so much time catching up on news, I almost missed the party! | ||
 | The detox raised a total of $1,632.82 for new school sports equipment! Well done, everyone who took part! After reading the posts on this forum, it seems that something other than money has also been raised through the detox. Awareness of just how much we rely on social media can help us step away from it and communicate with each other better. | ||
| Reaction | Results | ||
| Anna 2 days | It was more difficult than she had expected. She felt like she had | She can now see how much time had been taken up with checking her phone. She is now trying to spend more time | |
| Devon 4 days | When he saw a classmate on Monday, he felt really strange | They had to talk and explain what they were doing and thinking! Devon eventually realised that | |
| Cindy | At first, she really felt she was missing out. | Without their phones, she and her friend bad a proper conversation for over two hours. By the fifth day, she realised that she hadn’t been | |
| George 7 days | He didn’t find the detox too difficult, but he did give his phone to his dad to prevent himself from | An hour’s sport each day left him tired out and ready for bed early. The detox made him | |
| Max 1 day | He stopped | He spent so much time using his phone to catch up on news on | |
4 . Why are so many people unhappy in their jobs? There are two primary reasons. First, some people are convinced that earning a living is wasting time that they could spend enjoying themselves or uncovering their true talents.
If this is the case with you, recall your last long vacation. Was it two weeks of complete enjoyment? More likely it was a week and a half of fun in the sun, with another half a week of “Boy, I can’t wait to get back to work.”If you didn’t feel such vacation blues, then imagine taking a leave of absence. You could use it to work on a novel, attend classes or just sit around watching TV. At the end of three months, in all likelihood, your self-respect would be at an all-time low. While all work and no play are not good, all play and no work are disastrous. We need to feel we are accomplishing something. We also need some form of order in our lives.
The second and perhaps more common reason for people not to like their work is that they feel trapped. Once you’ve been at a company for five years and get married, have a mortgage(抵押贷款)and a child, you often feel you have very little choice about jumping ship if things aren’t turning out as you’d planned. A steady paycheck can be the biggest restrict of all. People hate having to do something because they have no other choice.
If you find yourself hating your job, your option takes the form of an up-to-date resume(简历). You might also take a weekly glance through the help-wanted section, and make some visits to industry functions where low-key networking can take place. You’re not giving up on your current job. Rather, you are providing yourself with an option. If things get unbearable at work, you could jump ship.
At the core of adopting a positive attitude to your workplace is, above all, assuming responsibility for your own situation. Most people feel controlled by their environment, but they really aren’t. They have to learn to manage that environment so they can get from it what they need.
1. Why do some people believe that working is wasting time?| A．They think it can’t make them happy and display their natural abilities. |
| B．They think it prevents them from accompanying their families. |
| C．It can’t guarantee they can get the payoff satisfying their needs. |
| D．It makes them have no time to do their private things at will. |
| A．they have been working in a company for too long | B．they have no other way out but to keep working |
| C．they have to work to pay off their debts | D．they are not permitted to change a job |
| A．you have made a decision on your own |
| B．you have done wonders in your current job |
| C．you have chance to choose between two alternatives |
| D．you have chance to glance through the help-wanted section |
| A．thinks holding an “up-to-date resume” is the best way to remove the unhappiness in one’s job |
| B．can hardly tolerate one’s complete enjoyment of life |
| C．believes that one cannot change his/her environment |
| D．will support the idea that one should make a balance between working and enjoying life |
| A．Cautious. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Unconcerned. |
