Kincaid looked at his watch: eight-seventeen. The truck started on the second try, and he backed out, shifted gears, and moved slowly down the alley under hazy sun. Through the streets of Bellingham he went, heading south on Washington 11, running along the coast of Puget Sound for a few miles, then following the highway as it swung east a little before meeting U.S Route 20.
Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. He liked this country and felt unpressed stopping now and then to make notes about interesting possibilities for future expeditions or to shoot what he called “memory snapshots.” The purpose of these causal photographs was to remind him of places he might want to visit again and approach more seriously. In later afternoon he turned north at Spokane, picking up U.S Route 2, which would take him halfway across the northern United States to Duluth, Minnesota.
He wished for the thousandth time in his life that he had a dog, a golden retriever, maybe, for travels like this and to keep him company at home. But he was frequently away; overseas much of the time and it would not be fair to the animal. Still, he thought about it anyway. In a few years he would be getting too old for the hard fieldwork. “I must get a dog then.” He said to himself.
Drives like this always put him into a sentimental mood. The dog was part of it. Robert Kincaid was alone as it’s possible to be – an only child, parents both dead, distant relatives who had lost track of him and he of them, no close friends.
He thought about Marian. She had left him nine years ago after five years of marriage. He was fifty–two now, that would make her just under forty. Marian had dreams of becoming a musician, a folksinger. She knew all of the Weavers’ songs and sang them pretty well in the coffeehouse of Seattle. When he was home in the old days, he drove her to the shows and sat in the audience while she sang.
His long absences – two or three months sometimes – were hard on the marriage. He knew that. She was aware of what he did when they decided to get married, and both of them had a vague (not clear) sense that it could all be handled somehow. It couldn’t when he came from photographing a story in Iceland and, she was gone. The note read, “Robert, it didn’t work out, I left you the Harmony guitar. Stay in touch.”
He didn’t stay in touch. Neither did she. He signed the divorce papers when they arrived a year later and caught a plane for Australia the next day. She had asked for nothing except her freedom.
51. Which route is the right one taken by Kincaid?
A. Bellingham – Washington 11 – Puget Sound – U.S Route 20 – U.S Route 2 – Duluth
B. U.S. Route 2 – Bellingham – Washington 11 – Puget Sound – U.S Route 20 – Duluth
C. U.S. Route 2 – U.S Route 20 – Duluth – Bellingham – Washington 11
D. Bellingham – Washington 11 –U.S. Route 2 –U.S Route 20 –Duluth
52. Which statement is true according to the passage?
A. Kincaid’s parents were dead and he only kept in touch with some distant relatives.
B. Kincaid would have had a dog if he hadn’t been away from home too much.
C. Kincaid used to have a golden retriever.
D. Kincaid needed a dog in doing his hard fieldwork.
53. Why did Kincaid stop to take photos while driving?
A. To write “memory snapshots”.
B. To remind himself of places he might want to visit again.
C. To avoid forgetting the way back.
D. To shoot beautiful scenery along the road.
54. What can you know about Marian?
A. She died after five years of marriage.
B. She was older than Kincaid.
C. She could sing very well and earned big money.
D. She was not a professional pop singer.
55. We can draw a conclusion from the passage that _____
A. Marian knew what would happen before she married Kincaid.
B. Kincaid thought his absence would be a problem when he married Marian.
C. It turned out that Marian could not stand Kincaid’s absence and left him.
D. After Marian left him, they still kept in touch with each other.
Having one of those days—or weeks—when everything seems to annoy you? Even if you do nothing about it, your bad mood(心情) will probably go away after some time. But with a little effort, you can forget it much faster—often within a day or two.
Walk it off
Exercise is the most popular bad mood buster. A person who's in a bad mood has low energy and high tension. Taking a fast ten-minute walk, or doing some quick exercises can do wonders towards changing the bad mood.
Tune it out
Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make tension go away quickly, because music starts connection with past positive experiences we've had.
Give yourself a pep talk
Stop and listen to what's on your mind. Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts. Write them all down on paper, the pessimistic(悲观的) messages you've been giving yourself, and then give optimistic answers. (“I still don't have a job.” vs “I have two interviews next week.”)
Reduce your stress
Relaxation techniques are wonderful moodlifters. These include deep breathing, stretching and visualizing(想像), all of which sound complicated(复杂的) but aren't. One easy way to visualize: close your eyes and picture a favorite place, such as the beach. Another simple way to distress is to make a todo list. One reason for being in a bad mood is feeling you have no options. By taking control over certain areas, you realize you're not helpless. You can make changes in your mood and life.
Avoid things that won't improve your mood
TV may not help much: you need to increase your energy level and stimulate(刺激) your mind—something that the TV show “Neighbors” won't do. And before you reach for that piece of cake and coffee, think about how mood and food are linked. Sugar and caffeine contribute to depressed moods. The better choice? Research shows that carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta(面食), produce calming effects in people who have a desire for them.Which of the following may help us stop a bad mood?
A.Doing nothing about it | B.Exercising and enjoying music. |
C.Writing down negative thoughts | D.Talking about it with neighbors. |
Why is it suggested that you close your eyes and picture the beach?
A.It helps remove bad mood. | B.It brings us a new technique. |
C.It is not complicated to do so. | D.It is an area to be easily controlled. |
TV may not improve your mood because it _____________.
A.shows what happens around you | B.does not energize you |
C.reminds you of eating and drinking | D.produces a calming effect |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
A.Energy Level and Stress | B.How to Beat a Bad Mood |
C.Bad Mood and Our Life | D.How to Control Your Feeling |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lonely dandelion(蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was____________.
A.doing shopping | B.having a debate |
C.reading a message | D.leaving for Wyoming |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from____________.
A.a photo of a flower | B.a story about a kid |
C.a call from the mother | D.a text about Christmas |
The author made the gift by_____.
A.searching for the poems online | B.drawing the background by hand |
C.painting the letters in three colors | D.matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To show how to design images for gifts. |
B.To suggest making gifts from one's heart. |
C.To explain how computers help create gifts. |
D.To describe the gifts the author has received |
Once upon a time in a land far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything:animals, spiders, insects.
One day while walking through the woods, the nice old man found a cocoon(茧)of a butterfly.He took it home.A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.Then it seemed to stop making any progress.It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then appeared easily.
But it had a swollen body and small, fragile wings.The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would be smaller in time.Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling (慢慢爬行)around with a swollen body and fragile wings.
It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and hurry did not understand was that the limited cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles and difficulties, it would disable us.We would not be as strong as what we could have been.And we could never fly.The butterfly could never fly because _______________.
A.it was too fat and strong. |
B.it loved crawling around. |
C.it got out of the cocoon easily. |
D.it didn’t get through the cocoon. |
The text is most likely to be found in a book about_______________.
A.popular science | B.humorous stories. |
C.successful people | D.philosophyevents |
What is the implied meaning of the passage?
A.Life without any obstacles and difficulties is perfect. |
B.Obstacles and difficulties contribute to success. |
C.Never help a butterfly to get out of the cocoon. |
D.A butterfly can never fly without going through the cocoon |
Dear Cary,
I'm writing because I've understood you've struggled with alcoholism (酗酒).I've been fighting mine ever since I went through 9-11.After that, I've been more or less useless professionally - I'm a lawyer - and have had to resien(辞职) from my job because I was discovered passed - out drunk in front of my computer.I've taken some medicine and it has helped somewhat.I can manage about a month without drinking, but after that I end up having a crazy stage where nothing matters except drinking.After a week or so of heavy drinking,! start having nightmares of people jumping.After that, it's a week of not being able to get out of bed.
I was supposed to travel to a conference but didn't make it because I got so drunk at the airport that I fell down on my face and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room.I have been hiding from my family since then.Fortunately they won't be expecting me to come back for a week or so.Otherwise, they would notice the bump on my forehead and two black eyes.
I don't really know what I'm asking you.Cary, I need a way out that doesn't involve causing pain to my family.I'm taking medicine, but' I still have these attacks every few months.If there's alcohol in the house, I can't stay away from it.It seems that this will never end.I'm afraid of what will happen if something bad happens, like a family member dying, or getting fired again.
Thanks for reading.
Yours TThe underlined sentence shows us all the following EXCEPT _____.
A.the reason why the author had to resign |
B.that the author was once discovered drunk as a fish |
C.that the author is a lawyer by profession |
D.that the author is a lawyer and he never gets drunk |
The author writes to Cary in order to _____.
A.ask for money | B.ask for help | C.offer advice | D.tell a story |
What is the author worried about?
A. Losing his job | B.Giving up drinking |
C. Bring pain to his family | D.Missing the conference |
We know from the passage that Cary _____.
A.is probably a recovered alcoholic |
B.never suffered from alcoholism |
C.likes to talk about the details of his life |
D.is a doctor on treating alcoholism |
Gallows humor(黑色幽默) may seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress.“Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it’s not,”says James M.Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.
Psychologists say that just because you’re laughing doesn’t mean you’re wasting time. Occasional tease among colleagues, particularly if it is associated with the job, can inspire creativity, departmental cohesiveness(凝聚力) and performance.
“There are a lot of stresses out there,”says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist in Chicago.“Gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult.”
This is as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people—not laughing at them. “Anything that would lift morale(士气) in terms of the company would be good humor,”says Thierry Guedj, a professor.
You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don’t make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr. Guedj says, don’t make comments about people’s physical appearance or faith. If you have any doubt about its appropriateness, don’t go through with it.
Or you can take aim at the person that you know won’t be offended(冒犯): yourself. “If there’s going to be a joke or story, it should be you,”Mr Dunkelblau says.
“People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves, too,”Mr Jones says.“And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself.”According to the passage, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT.
A.leading to a big mistake | B.reducing pressure |
C.making people more creative | D.improving performance |
What is Ed Dunkelblau’s attitude towards gallows humor?
A.Negative. | B.Positive. | C.Neutral.(中立的) | D.Uncertain. |
When people use gallows humor, they should.
A.observe who is aggressive |
B.show a sense of belonging |
C.doubt about the result of humor |
D.try to avoid involving private things |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.People tend to laugh at others rather than themselves. |
B.Laughing at yourself can make others free from stress. |
C.People can’t avoid offending others with gallows humor. |
D.People who laugh at themselves are easy to gain others’ permission. |