1 . I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys I had made a long trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of
Here in Iowa everything was
Over the years to come I learned something else. Each of us has a special beauty
Each of us has our own
A.assisting | B.attending | C.visiting | D.quitting |
A.fun | B.hard | C.novel | D.tiresome |
A.chance | B.school | C.family | D.goal |
A.when | B.how | C.why | D.whether |
A.became | B.flooded | C.drew | D.surrounded |
A.easy | B.beautiful | C.flat | D.rough |
A.hear | B.touch | C.taste | D.smell |
A.cared about | B.prepared for | C.dreamed of | D.thought over |
A.body | B.soul | C.face | D.pain |
A.fill | B.cover | C.separate | D.block |
A.folded | B.sank | C.escaped | D.flowed |
A.tiny | B.pale | C.splendid | D.weak |
A.change | B.punishment | C.creation | D.reflection |
A.as well | B.in addition | C.for sure | D.in between |
A.extra | B.unique | C.possible | D.reasonable |
2 . A few years back I worked in a university building that also housed an entire department full of psychologists, all of whom seemed to see us as perfect guinea pigs(实验对象) for their latest studies. I learned to be cautious about answering seemingly casual questions in the elevator. If one of them showed up in my office bearing a plate of snacks and asked me to pick some, I'd cast a doubtful glance and ask "Why?" before grabbing the apple fritter.
So one day, when someone from the Psychology Department posted instructions in the bathroom advising us to think about five things you're grateful for every day for a week, my response was frankly suspicious. I did the math. Five things a day for seven days is a lot of brainpower to consume without so much as the promise of an apple fritter.
I wandered into the office of Zetzer, the director of our school's Psychological Services Clinic. That was when I first heard the term" positive psychology" and discovered that "the gratitude thing", as Heidi had explained it. "It's only a week, "she urged. "Try it. ” So I did.
I started looking for my five moments of gratitude in each day. By the end of that week, I found myself slowing down a little and taking time to notice things I might have walked past before, including a bunch of young students laughing together, They are so smart and optimistic, giving me so much hope for the future!
I couldn't be more grateful to my wonderful husband. He's a great cook. He always puts our family first. My oldest son took his vacation to come and help out at home. He took me to all my medical appointments, and made me laugh by titling his spring break "Driving Miss Leslie. "The kindness of a colleague with a green thumb made sure my plants stayed alive until I could care for them again.
Life will never be perfect, I still see news stories that distress me. But with just one simple exercise, I'm rediscovering the deep meaning of old sayings: accepting the things I cannot change, working to change what I can, and being wise enough to know the difference.
And all it took was a little gratitude.
1. Why did the author hesitate about the snacks offered by psychologists?A.She had no appetite for snacks. |
B.She didn't think snacks could show gratitude. |
C.She disliked those psychologists. |
D.She cared about what to be paid for them. |
A.The instructions seemed to make sense to Leslie. |
B.No one would behave as the instructions suggested. |
C.Leslie had no intention of following the instructions. |
D.The psychologists were actually playing a joke. |
A.She overcame her psychological problem. |
B.She realized how hard it was to be grateful. |
C.She found Heidi was really a reliable doctor. |
D.She learned to be positive and show gratitude. |
3 . There he was, turning the corner of Hawley and Main Street like clockwork. His red hair seemed to catch the sunlight, giving his head a soft candle-flame glow. He caught my eye, and up went his arm in his usual wave. As usual, I
Having moved from a larger city, I wasn’t used to waves from
Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed these daily waves. It felt great to be
One night I was walking in the street, my thoughts traveled to “The Waver”, wondering if I could be
I heard a car
Everyone at some point in their lives wonders if they’ve made any
A.waved | B.took | C.saluted | D.glanced |
A.cautious | B.reliable | C.friendly | D.thankful |
A.strangers | B.relatives | C.colleagues | D.employers |
A.informed | B.encouraged | C.encountered | D.acknowledged |
A.behaviors | B.business | C.appearance | D.manners |
A.worried | B.noticed | C.relieved | D.checked |
A.agree | B.attempt | C.promise | D.happen |
A.pedestrians | B.buildings | C.street | D.children |
A.mildness | B.kindness | C.eagerness | D.brightness |
A.brave | B.mature | C.lucky | D.crazy |
A.attacking | B.escaping | C.following | D.approaching |
A.lengthened | B.softened | C.worsened | D.tightened |
A.cool | B.tough | C.fresh | D.curious |
A.comment | B.impact | C.decision | D.sense |
A.accurately | B.slightly | C.thoroughly | D.generally |
There was once a wonderful old man who loved everything: animals, spiders, insects and allsorts of living things.
One day while walking through the woods, the old man found a cocoon(茧) . He decided to take the cocoon home to watch its beautiful transformation from a little cocoon to a beautiful butterfly.
A few days later, the cocoon started to move. It moved frantically! He sat and watched it struggle and struggle for several hours. But it seemed not to make any progress. Then the old man felt sorry for the little butterfly inside, and rushed to its aid. With a pair of scissors and gently, he cut a little opening in the cocoon so the butterfly could come out. And then the butterfly came out of its cocoon. It had a swollen body and small, fragile wings, but it never was able to fly.
He was quite puzzled. Had he accidentally killed the little butterfly? No, it was still moving a little bit. Maybe it was sick. Then he decided that the best thing he could do for the butterfly was to place it gently back into its cocoon. He did so, and placed a drop of honey on it to seal the cocoon, leaving the butterfly to nestle (筑巢) in its natural state.
The next day he noticed that the cocoon was moving again. It struggled and struggled. Finally the butterfly broke free from its cocoon and stretched its wings out. Its beautiful wings were filled with wonderful colors! It took off! It was flying!
The wonderful butterfly flew and flew till it was almost out of the old man’ s sight. What a joy, he exclaimed! But then he started to think: what did I do wrong by trying to help that beautiful little butterfly out at first?
Finally the answer came out.
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Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.
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5 . I was coming back from home late at night in a “Sharing” mini van (厢式货车). In Hydera-bad, India, it is a cheap and quick form of
Making her way to the
Even in
I neither
A.1ife | B.transport | C.activity | D.communication |
A.designed | B.bought | C.organized | D.powered |
A.heavy | B.noisy | C.crowded | D.awkward |
A.driver | B.window | C.door | D.seat |
A.guided | B.suggested | C.admitted | D.signaled |
A.noticed | B.managed | C.recognized | D.stood |
A.caring | B.reaching | C.waiting | D.planning |
A.back | B.knees | C.feet | D.own |
A.immediately | B.doubtfully | C.naturally | D.anxiously |
A.silence | B.surprise | C.vain | D.pain |
A.patient | B.helpful | C.generous | D.secret |
A.home | B.stop | C.car | D.school |
A.dark | B.rain | C.wind | D.van |
A.himself | B.herself | C.myself | D.itself |
A.ignored | B.persuaded | C.promised | D.knew |
It was the first day of our new grade. Everyone in the classroom was chatting happily, excited to see each other again after the long holidays. When the door slid open, all of us stopped talking and turned to look. In came our teacher Ms. Sullivan, followed by an ordinary-looking boy,
“This boy’s name is Rafael.” Ms. Sullivan announced. “He’s a transfer student (转校生), and he’s going to be in our class starting from today. Make sure all of you welcome him warmly.”
The class clapped. But I didn't want to have a second look at the newcomer, for he had no outstanding qualities considering his small figure and casual T-shirt.
“Oh, I forgot to mention one thing.” Ms. Sullivan spoke up. “Rafael actually has hearing problems. Normally he would have hearing aids on, but his old ones have just been broken.
His doctor suggested that he stay at home until he got his new ones. However, Rafael insisted on attending his first day of school. So if you want to communicate with him, you have to write it on a piece of paper.”
This single speech sent the whole class up into an uproar (嘈杂). Some students looked at each other with expressions of surprise. Others voiced cries of concern out of pity.
Ms. Sullivan calmed everyone down. “I’d like someone to personally help him out throughout the day. Do I have any volunteers?”
“How can a disabled person be intelligent?” I thought to myself. I refused to raise my hand, expecting someone else would. But nobody did or said anything. Dead silence spread across the classroom.
It was by total bad luck that my eyes happened to meet Ms. Sullivan's.
“How about you, James?” She asked me. “Is it okay for you to take care of Rafael just for today?”
It is difficult to refuse a request by someone, especially if that person is a teacher. I sighed and nodded slightly. Ms. Sullivan gestured for Rafael to sit beside me and then asked us to share our holiday stories with the class.
Paragraph 1:Immediately, the class became excited.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Then Rafael rose and walked onto the platform.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . As is known to all, most stories of kindness do not begin with formerly drug-addicted celebrity (名人) bad boys. Mine does.
When this
As my 80-year-old grandmother rose for the
I should have quickly taken control of the situation— but due to my blood faint, I didn’t. Luckily, Robert Downey Jr.
He called an ambulance immediately, and asked someone to
Some 15 years after that garden party, and five years since he’d been set free from prison for possession of drugs in his car, I came across Robert in a fancy restaurant. I was
“I don’t have any
It’s never too late to express our appreciation for kindness which lies in everyone, even a celebrity bad boy.
A.party | B.kindness | C.accident | D.story |
A.excitedly | B.surprisingly | C.fortunately | D.successfully |
A.garden | B.wheelchair | C.star | D.exit |
A.tore | B.broke | C.cut | D.pushed |
A.got across | B.turned up | C.got ready | D.calmed down |
A.buy | B.rent | C.lend | D.fetch |
A.tied | B.covered | C.placed | D.pulled |
A.instead | B.for example | C.otherwise | D.or rather |
A.shaking | B.waving | C.holding | D.pressing |
A.persuaded | B.born | C.raised | D.forced |
A.bother | B.talk to | C.stare at | D.upset |
A.abandon | B.set | C.follow | D.improve |
A.idea | B.trouble | C.doubt | D.interest |
A.called for | B.witnessed | C.heard of | D.performed |
A.However | B.After all | C.Therefore | D.On the contrary |
When Jack was a small boy, he was once asked to give a speech about “A Big Challenge in My Life”. To talk before the whole class, he was
A real trial began when Jack stood on the platform with his legs trembling and his mind blank. How much time had passed by, he didn't know. His listeners were still waiting patiently and without any signs of laughing. Gradually he found himself back,
9 . I’m proud of myself for this kindness I did last night. I did it
It was last night and I
In the past I’ve
So I tried to
Yet, something in myself was stopping me. Something in myself made me
Well, I learned a great
A.nervously | B.proudly | C.exactly | D.carefully |
A.share | B.remark | C.do | D.consider |
A.pleasure | B.respect | C.honour | D.selfish |
A.changed | B.kept | C.finished | D.missed |
A.noticed | B.greeted | C.followed | D.helped |
A.home | B.choice | C.friend | D.car |
A.hangs around | B.hides away | C.watches over | D.calms down |
A.each | B.another | C.either | D.that |
A.hated | B.happened | C.offered | D.refused |
A.works | B.lives | C.plays | D.remains |
A.fly | B.ride | C.drive | D.walk |
A.remind | B.avoid | C.attract | D.please |
A.workroom | B.office | C.playground | D.park |
A.therefore | B.even | C.however | D.instead |
A.rely on | B.spy on | C.look at | D.point at |
A.neighbors | B.pets | C.children | D.friends |
A.since | B.although | C.as | D.if |
A.accepted | B.hesitated | C.approached | D.urged |
A.reliable | B.upset | C.generous | D.grateful |
A.gift | B.lesson | C.treasure | D.method |
10 . Mr. Johnson lived in the woods with his wife and children. He owned a farm, which looked almost abandoned.