The key to happiness is how quickly you can get back your focus on what`s important.
——Anonymous
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here`s what happened. I hopped in a taxi,and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when,all of a sudden,a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes,skidded,and missed the other car`s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car,who almost caused a big accident,started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean,he was friendly. So,I said,"Why did you just do that?This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck. "
Many people are like garbage (rubbish)trucks. They run around full of garbage,full of frustration, full of anger,and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up,they need a place to dump it. And if you let them,they`ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you,don`t take it personally. You just smile,wave,wish them well,and move on. You`ll be happy with what you did.
I started thinking,how often do I led Garbage Trucks run right over me?And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work,at home,or on the streets?It was that day I said,"I`m not going to do anymore. "
Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you?If you let more garbage trucks pass you by,you`ll be happier. Life`s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So,Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don`t.What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?
A.The taxi almost hit another car. |
B.The taxi driver was injured. |
C.The author scolded the driver of the other car. |
D.The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck. |
How did the taxi driver respond to the behaviour of the driver of the black car?
A.He yelled back at the driver. |
B.He sent the driver to the hospital. |
C.He was friendly towards the driver. |
D.He dumped some garbage in front of his car. |
What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3?
A.Many people like to drive garbage trucks. |
B.Many people dump garbage wherever they like. |
C.Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy. |
D.Many people tend to be very much depressed. |
What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A.The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks. |
B.The author used to complain a lot. |
C.The author used to have a lot of money. |
D.The author used to be a good manager. |
According to the passage,what should you do if people "dump garbage" on you?
A.Ignore them and go on with our own work. |
B.Try our best to persuade them not to do that again. |
C.Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place. |
D.Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else. |
Americans can travel almost anywhere they choose. But to protect its people ,the government lists a few dangerous places where Americans cannot go. These places are unfriendly countries or countries at war. There the travelers might not be safe. These countries are listed in a small book called a passport.
This passport is a government request for the safety of its traveling people. It is also a government's pledge (保证)that the people will obey the rules of the host countries.
To receive a passport from the government,a traveler must prove that he is an American citizen (公民) An American cannot go overseas without a pass-port. Only certain close countries such as Canada and Mexico do not ask for passports.
Pasted inside the passport is the traveler's picture. Children traveling with their parents are included in one parent's book.
Tens of thousands of people from the United States visit other countries every year. An American traveler might carry plane tickets,money, clothing and many other things. But the most important thing that he carries in another country is his passport. A passport is not needed when an American goes to __________
A.foreign countries |
B.dangerous areas |
C.Canada or Mexico |
D.countries overseas |
From the passage we can see that __________.
A.children can't travel to foreign countries |
B.Americans like to travel |
C.a traveler is not safe in most countries |
D.Americans like to travel to close countries |
Why does a traveler need a passport?
A.He needs something more to carry when he travels. |
B.It helps the country to protect the people. |
C.He needs to have his picture taken more often. |
D.It helps the traveler to know where he will go. |
Which statement does the passage lead you to believe?
A.People should take care of their passports. |
B.It is not important to have a passport to travel. |
C.Children are never included in a passport. |
D.When you are in another country, money is more important than a passport. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.When Americans are traveling in another country, they must obey the rules of the country. |
B.The American government sometimes allows its people to travel to dangerous places. |
C.A passport is needed wherever an American is traveling. |
D.Everyone who lives in the United States can get a passport from the American government. |
My mother died twice in August 2009—once on her75th birthday at a crowded restaurant, surrounded by her closest family members - and finally,the next day at a hospital. Eight months later, I began to come out of the fog of grief and depression to find a new purpose for my life.
Like many of my generation, I had lived only for myself—traveling, acquiring what I needed, rising to a position of importance and getting financial rewards. I was “kind - hearted” and “volunteered” for various causes, but really didn't give of myself.
In the spring after Mom's death, I found myself waking in the middle of the night with one thought. I wanted to offer myself as a living kidney (肾)donor. My husband Robb had received the gift of life through a kidney transplant (移植)from a deceased donor in 1999,so I was familiar with the need for donors and knew several people who were waiting for a life saving transplant. I decided to offer myself to be matched with the most suitable person on the waiting list at my local transplant center. I was paired with a 71-year-old grandmother from New Jersey who had survived for six years. At her 70th birthday, her family threw a big party as they did not expect her to live much longer. She has become my very good friend.
In donating my kidney, I extended myself in a way far beyond what I ever believed was possible. I did so in honor of my mother who sacrificed so much for me and my sisters, and in memory of my husband's donor who extended her life through him.
I encourage all who enjoy the gift of good health to share with others, either as a living donor or by donating organs upon death. By extending yourself through organ donation, you will live on through others in a magic way and give comfort to your loved ones. From the second paragraph, we can conclude that __________
A.the author was kind and generous in giving help |
B.the author enjoyed financial rewards seriously |
C.the author sought reasons to help others |
D.the author looked after her own interest |
When did the author decide to offer her kidney?
A.The moment her husband received a kidney transplant. |
B.In the fourth month of 2010. |
C.When she was waking at midnight alone. |
D.After she visited a 71-year-old woman. |
The grandmother's family held a birthday party __________
A.to show thanks for what the author had done |
B.to celebrate the old woman's recovering |
C.to make the old woman happy |
D.to say goodbye to the old woman |
After donating her kidney, the author __________.
A.carried out her mother's last wishes |
B.wanted to honor her husband's donation |
C.intended to live a longer life |
D.meant to do something useful to others |
Nine years ago ,after Leo had died ,people said to me ,“I never knew he was your stepfather. ” You see ,I never called him that. At first ,he was no one special in my life. Then he became my friend. In time, I felt he was my father too.
Leo married my mother when I was eleven. Two years later we moved into a house in a new suburban development, where we put down roots. At first ,our lawn was just a mud pile with wild grass ,but Leo saw bright possibilities. "We plant trees there to give us shade as well as some flowers ,” he said. And just these little touches made our lawn different from all the others here. More important, a real family was forming. Leo was becoming a full-time parent, and I was learning what it meant to have a father.
Weekday mornings when the weather was bad ,Leo often drove me to school. Having a father drop you off may have been something my classmates took for granted, but I always thought it was wonderful. Saturday mornings, we went to the hardware store ,then stepped into the five - and - ten, buying a sports magazine or something else. Some people might think that doing errands together is nothing special, but I,who had ever before spent my childhood watching other families do these everyday activities, experienced them now with extreme joy. Looking back, I realize that Leo gave me what I needed most—the experience of doing ordinary things together as a family.
Soon after we moved to the suburbs, one of our new neighbors introduced herself to me. She had already met my mother and Leo. “You know,” she said,“ you look just like your father. ” I knew she was just making conversation—but even so...“ Thank you,” I said. Why tell her anything different? The writer's purpose in writing this passage is __________
A.to show his pride to have a good stepfather |
B.to show how interesting a person Leo was |
C.to remind us of our parents |
D.to explain why they moved to the suburbs |
The phrase "put down roots” in the second paragraph means __________
A.settled |
B.planted |
C.farmed |
D.worked |
In the writer's opinion, __________
A.it's not easy to live with a stepfather |
B.his stepfather was more important than his mother |
C.parents should think more about their children before divorce |
D.love and friendship are extremely valuable in step families |
Youth volunteers from Beijing University visited Songtang Hospital, a care clinic for the aged and dying patients, during the second Global Youth Service Day on April 21.
Thirty student volunteers from the university's School of International Studies sat at the beds of the patients in their specially-decorated “care huts”. They talked with them and gave massages (按摩)to patients kept in their beds.
“I felt sorry that I could not offer more to these people than talking with them and trying to cheer them up,” said Deng Yetao , 20, a third-year student. “But it occurred to me that they need more care and love than babies. Their loneliness is worse than physical pains. ”
“Even though they are suffering a lot, the majority of the elderly people want to talk to us. Each of them has a lot of life experiences and philosophies to share. Instead of doing them a favor,I felt I was gaining a valuable lesson, ” said Mao Xiaohua ,another third-year student.
Ninety-one percent of the patients will spend the last days of their lives in the clinic, according to a survey by the hospital.
Daily visits and services by social workers and youth volunteers are a very important part of their programme. A total of 330,000 Beijing students from119 universities and colleges have visited the hospital. Many continue to offer services in their spare time. Some of them volunteer to hold the hands of dying patients during the last minutes of their lives.
Yin Hang, a student from Beijing Medical College, said he felt “the glory of life” as he saw the fading smile on the face of the old man who passed into a deep unconsciousness (昏迷)while he was holding his hands. Youth volunteers from Beijing University went to Songtang Hospital to __________.
A.pay a visit to the aged |
B.talk to the aged |
C.show their love for the aged |
D.help the aged out |
What the aged are most worried about is __________.
A.loneliness | B.death |
C.physical pains | D.wealth |
The underlined sentence probably means __________
A.I taught myself a lesson by talking to them |
B.I learned something important instead of only helping them |
C.I only wanted to get something rather than do them a favor |
D.I was glad to have given them a favor |
After reading the passage, we know __________
A.the youth are fond of doing popular things |
B.the second Global Youth Service Day is started by the Chinese government |
C.91% of the aged in China are facing death |
D.the volunteers are taking an active part in the activity |
Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK researchers.
Their study found that theobromine, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine, which was considered the best cough medicine at present.
The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment. “While coughing is not necessarily harmful (有害的),it can have a major effect on the quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,” said Professor Peter Barnes.
Ten healthy volunteers (志愿者) were given the-obromine, codeine or placebo, a pill that contains no medicine, during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin, which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicine are stopping coughs.
The team found that, when the volunteers were given theobromine, the capsaicin need to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they need only slightly higher levels of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.
The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity (神经活动),which caused coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness. According to Professor Barnes, theobromine __________
A.cannot be as effective as codeine |
B.can be harmful to people's health |
C.cannot be separated from chocolate |
D.can be a more effective cure for coughs |
What was used in the experiment to cause coughing?
A.Theobromine. | B.Codeine. | C.Capsaicin. | D.Placebo. |
We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment __________.
A.were patients with bad coughs |
B.were divided into three groups |
C.received standard treatments |
D.suffered little side effects |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Codeine: a new medicine |
B.Chocolate may cure coughs |
C.Cough treatment: a hard case |
D.Theobromine can cause coughs |