1 . People always regret asking me and my wife how we got together. It's a long story, involving other relationships and several countries, and to be honest, it's not that interesting, so I'll spare you the details. We were at a restaurant in Tuscany on our summer holiday last year though, when we met another English couple who had a far more interesting story than us. Lynn and Andy had actually met online before they got together, or at least they thought they had. After a few casual conversations through an online dating agency, they decided to meet for real. Lynn arrived at the restaurant first, and shortly after was approached by Andy, who thought she was someone else. It turns out they'd both arranged to meet different people, but liked the look of each other, and that was that!
And they're not alone. It seems there are all sorts of places you might meet that special someone. Lukas met Sofia for the first time when he crashed into her car — on his bicycle. It was raining and I was coming downhill really fast, so I couldn't really see where I was going. Sofia opened her car door and I went straight into it, and off my bike,explains Lukas. I was unconscious for a few seconds, and when I came round there was this beautiful young woman asking me "Are you OK?" Well, after that, she went to the hospital with me and was just really kind, really caring, and we hit it off. ”
Every cloud has a silver lining, so they say, and Nick McKiddie would most likely agree. He was leaving the office late one night when he got robbed by a group of young men. He wasn't hurt, but they stole his phone and wallet, so he called the police. Susan Harris, a young police officer at the time, attended the call. Nick explains, I don't know whether I was in shock because of what had happened, but I think it was love at first sight. I would never usually be so confident, but I just asked if she wanted to go for a drink sometime, and to my surprise, she said yes! Nick and Susan got married last December.
Animals don't have the same social inhibitions (抑制;顾虑) as humans do, and this was certainly the case when Ri took her dog, Ben, to the local dog park. “As soon as I took his head off, he ran straight to another dog on the other side of the park, and started getting very friendly indeed,” she laughs. “I actually had to pull him away, and that was when I met Ben, the other dog's owner. We had a good laugh about it all, especially when we realised he had the same name as my dog. We became friends after that, and well, the rest is history.”
1. According to the passage, Lynn and Andy .A.first met in a restaurant in Tuscany |
B.regretted talking to each other online. |
C.were arranged to see other people at first. |
D.preferred casual conversations to real meeting |
A.The author and his wife | B.Lukas and Sofia |
C.Nick and Susan | D.Ri and Ben |
A.every day is good beginning |
B.good luck comes with misfortunes |
C.what you value matters in your life |
D.people do not always behave as usual |
A.The methods of joining animals and us. |
B.The places where people get together. |
C.The weird ways people meet. |
D.The special cases of dating. |
The Goosehead guide to life
Ashley Powers mother bought a computer for her when she was eight. When she was thirteen, she was surfing the Internet regularly, but she
So, when Ashley was sixteen, she launched her own website, called Goosehead. She had no idea how big a success it
After a few years, the website closed down. Then Ashley, who lives in Los Angeles,
In her book, Ashley talks about the problems facing teenagers today, and about the importance of friendship, but also about being independent. "Learn to love your friends but not rely on them. I did that by
Ashley says that The Goosehead Guide o Life is not a book of teenage advice. "It isn't a book that's going to tell you what to do. I hope you can work that out for
Rescue a Raccoon (浣熊)
A disoriented five- month-old raccoon hurries across a busy road in Greenbrae, California.Somehow the animal and her mom have become separated, and now the
Other motorists, who saw the accident, pull over to check on the injured animal. One concerned witness is Marco Berger,
They use a net to lift up the lttle raccoon, then load her into an animal ambulance and
At the hospital, head veterinary technician Nat Smith gives the raccoon a checkup. An X-ray of her leg reveals that the thighbone is completely broken. If the bone
Almost immediately after
Within two months, the young raccoon is ready
4 . By the end of the 20th century, TV show producers had begun to turn to the cheapest performers available — their audience. It seemed that anyone who wanted fame could
Richard and Mayumi Heene,
So do we want fame? Research suggests that a large number of us do. According to one recent survey, 30 percent of adults regularly daydream about being famous and 40 percent of us expect to
Furthermore, people who achieve fame often don’t seem to like it once they have it. A survey of celebrities found that they worry about the press, critics, threatening letters, the lack of privacy, and the
“When the person has to go back to everyday life, there’s a sense of
A.envy | B.avoid | C.afford | D.get |
A.for example | B.on the other hand | C.in contrast | D.in comparison |
A.shut down | B.searched through | C.sent off | D.looked into |
A.charged | B.accused | C.considered | D.warned |
A.supported | B.ashamed | C.crazy | D.famous |
A.involve | B.increase | C.beat | D.experience |
A.arrangement | B.aspect | C.variety | D.zone |
A.behavior | B.crisis | C.pressure | D.reputation |
A.accessible | B.admitted | C.used | D.crowded |
A.weight | B.influence | C.benefit | D.energy |
A.intelligent | B.well-known | C.common | D.considerate |
A.accidentally | B.fortunately | C.ironically | D.understandably |
A.held up | B.gave up | C.decided on | D.returned to |
A.disappeared | B.arisen | C.been paid | D.grown |
A.moderation | B.achievement | C.disappointment | D.direction |
Turning Pain into Music
After
The problem first started for Smith when he was a freshman in high school. He suffered a concussion(脑震荡)while playing basketball. The symptoms didn't seem to go away after several months.
Doctors discovered a small fracture(裂缝)in Smith's skull that was causing the pressure and the headaches. The teenager had surgery to repair it, but when he woke up, the problem was much worse. For months, he was in near constant pain. ''It was the first time in my life that I
Doctors eventually diagnosed him with Trigeminal Neuralgia(三叉神经痛), a disorder that causes severe pain in the face. T. N. ,
Facing this awful reality, Smith turned to something he'd known since he was five years old - playing the piano. When he was in too much pain to sleep, he would be in the basement on his keyboard playing all night long.
The keys wouldn’t take the pain away, but the notes would make it more bearable.
While dealing with the immense pain, the then-18-year-old wrote his first album, Loreto. He published all 17 songs on his website, free for all, aiming to offer some comfort to people also
The idea prompted Smith to start song dedications(为他人写歌). He would take request within online groups for people suffering from T. N. or other pain disorders and write
''A lot of people say that when I write them a song and they listen to it, their pain is a lessened ... So, I guess that's
The 20-year-old has so far published over 100 songs on his website. His efforts
6 . The Old Man and the Sea is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. For eighty-four days. Santiago, an aged Cuban fisherman, has set out to sea and returned
On the eighty-fifth day of his unlucky streak, Santiago does as promised, sailing his skiff(小艇) far beyond the island’s shallow coastal waters and
Unable to tie the line
As Santiago sails on with the fish, the marlin’s blood leaves a trail in the water and attracts sharks. The first to attack is a great make shark, which Santiago manages to kill with the harpoon(鱼叉). In the
The next morning, a crowd of
A.second | B.single | C.empty | D.first |
A.made | B.encouraged | C.dissuaded | D.forced |
A.Nevertheless | B.Therefore | C.Furthermore | D.Besides |
A.confident | B.depressed | C.pessimistic | D.proud |
A.determines | B.fails | C.considers | D.favors |
A.venturing | B.diving | C.drowning | D.securing |
A.slow | B.fast | C.quick | D.loose |
A.drives | B.steers | C.pushes | D.pulls |
A.sustainable | B.temporary | C.constant | D.instant |
A.attempt | B.control | C.freedom | D.damage |
A.journey | B.shock | C.quarrel | D.struggle |
A.opponent | B.master | C.acquaintance | D.hero |
A.disappointed | B.amazed | C.terrified | D.accomplished |
A.remains | B.meats | C.ruins | D.rests |
A.seniors | B.companies | C.coaches | D.partners |
Ten years ago, after 2 years as a postdoc(博士后), I found myself wondering whether I should take a different road. Up to that point, I had stuck to a pretty traditional path investigating cancer genetics, but I was losing interest in the research. At the same time, federal funding had flattened, which added to my dissatisfaction.
As I was considering my options, I found inspiration in my first graduate school research tutor, whose work reminded me that scientists’ efforts away from the bench can be incredibly powerful. But I still didn’t know exactly what I should do.
Looking back at these 10 years, I realize how much my work on this campus has helped me grow, both as an academic and a tutor. I’m grateful that I stepped away from a traditional career path and found a way to serve both the student and research communities in my own way, modest though it may be.
A.However, my work has its challenges. |
B.Then a second bit of inspiration came my way. |
C.Distressed as I was, I resolved to pursue my interest in research. |
D.Besides the spiritual reward, there are other less apparent benefits. |
E.So I decided to leave the academic path to find a better match. |
F.Here, at last, was a way to combine my interest in science with my passion for teaching. |
8 . I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And unless otherwise assigned a seat by the teacher, I always
All this
Taking the
I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the
With my improved self-confidence comes more
A.hesitated | B.chose | C.declined | D.turned |
A.reflected | B.remained | C.changed | D.ruined |
A.admitted | B.objected | C.suggested | D.considered |
A.crazy | B.funny | C.interesting | D.wonderful |
A.signal | B.impression | C.courage | D.hesitation |
A.confused | B.bored | C.assisted | D.frightened |
A.Effectively | B.Regularly | C.Historically | D.Fortunately |
A.glance at | B.concentrate on | C.apply for | D.account for |
A.rules | B.structures | C.remarks | D.gestures |
A.preference to | B.overuse of | C.lack of | D.awareness of |
A.experienced | B.included | C.involved | D.respected |
A.stress | B.praise | C.energy | D.sigh |
A.sealing | B.lasting | C.attracting | D.hiding |
A.attention | B.authority | C.hostility | D.damage |
A.depressed | B.regretful | C.pleased | D.sure |
9 . Seasickness and sunburn. Taking care of old people in different situations. My medical friends did their best to persuade me. Everyone said that running away to sea would ruin my career. But after five sleep-deprived (睡眠不足的) years working as a junior doctor, I was willing to take the risk.
Hungry for adventure, I boarded a bright white ship in Singapore. With 2,000 passengers and crew, she was the size of a small town.
To my relief, the hospital was well equipped, with an X-ray machine and a blood analyzer.
That first cruise (航行) was a learning experience, a tight schedule full of safety drills (演习). There was so much new information to take in. Even remembering which of the uniforms to wear each day was a challenge. Most confusing, I often forgot to change my clock when the ship crossed time zones.
As a doctor, I was responsible for the 600 crew including waiters, engineers, cooks and navigators (领航员), and I was on call (随时待命的) for the entire ship.
Far from treating seasickness and sunburn, as I’d been warned, my patients were wide and varied. The ship’s medical center was essentially a floating emergency room, but we didn’t have a team of specialists on hand for a second opinion. With long and unpredictable hours, it required mental toughness.
As you can guess, many of the passengers were elderly. Heart attacks don’t care about geography and emergency evacuations (疏散) were difficult to arrange.
I recall one such patient, who was taken off the ship on a stretcher (担架) halfway through the Panama Canal. After a terrifying ride in the back of an old ambulance, I was relieved that the patient survived long enough to arrive at the hospital in Panama City.
Thankfully, there were several unexpected benefits to the job. I regularly enjoyed the passenger facilities, including the gym, spa and deck buffet (甲板自助餐). I even hosted my own table of passengers in the evenings. On rare days off, I volunteered as a tour guide on trips ashore (在陆地). I got to fly over Alaska in a seaplane and watched a ballet in St Petersburg.
I now understand that being a cruise ship doctor is not a job — it’s a way of life.
One year at sea became two. I lost my career ambitions, but I redefined happiness in my life.
1. What can we know about the author’s first cruise?A.She missed her job as a doctor. | B.She enjoyed a relaxing lifestyle. |
C.She had to learn a lot of things. | D.She often felt confused about her job duties. |
A.To tell that it was difficult to look after old patients. |
B.To prove that being a cruise ship doctor is more tiring. |
C.To stress the importance of a well-equipped hospital on the ship. |
D.To show it was challenging to handle emergency situations on the ship. |
A.The author’s experience as a tour guide. |
B.The advantages of being a cruise ship doctor. |
C.The loneliness of being the ship’s only doctor. |
D.Various facilities for passengers on the cruise ship. |
A.It was too stressful to tolerate. |
B.It helped her build a better career. |
C.It changed her understanding of happiness. |
D.It provided opportunities to make more friends. |
10 . Have you ever shouted, “The rent is too damn high?” Shaking wall and hidden disgusting bugs? You’re not
Even in the very early days of Rome, people were crowded together in uncomfortable
Roman rented residence were called insulae, or islands, because they occupied whole blocks, with the roads flowing around them like water around an island. The insulae, often consisting of six to eight apartment blocks built around a staircase and central courtyard,
By the fourth century A.D., there were around 45,000 insulae in Rome, as
Though made of concrete brick, insulae were usually weakly built,
According to law then, builders were supposed to make walls at least an inch and a half thick, so as to
What’s more, the insulae caught fire frequently leaving Rome with a vicious(恶意的)
A.lonely | B.alone | C.unique | D.special |
A.unfair | B.gracious | C.mean | D.terrified |
A.basements | B.mansions | C.seasons | D.quarters |
A.housed | B.lived | C.reserved | D.organized |
A.exposed | B.opposed | C.switched | D.related |
A.mixed | B.filled | C.invited | D.squeezed |
A.arranged | B.assigned | C.thrown | D.banned |
A.instead of | B.thanks to | C.regardless of | D.except for |
A.builders | B.architects | C.landlords | D.renters |
A.insure | B.make sure | C.assure | D.ensure |
A.codes | B.limitations | C.reservations | D.emphasis |
A.defeat | B.alert | C.charge | D.object |
A.cheap | B.vacant | C.insignificant | D.shaky |
A.cycle | B.punishment | C.treatment | D.fate |
A.unexpected | B.intentional | C.restless | D.thorough |