Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life.
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is
Misbah, 27 years old.I was born in a war-torn area.Right now I’m a web designer.
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields.For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long.Those are my great memories.
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes.As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family.I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age.However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone.I learnt to be independent.
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area.I would have loved to live with my family in freedom.Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe.
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age.I want to give back what I’ve got.That’s our way.But I am working in another city.My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it.It filters(过滤) out your emotion and leaves your voice only.My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch.In Misbah’s childhood, .
| A.he was free from worry |
| B.he liked living in the countryside |
| C.he was fond of getting close to nature |
| D.he often spent holidays with his family |
What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?
| A.Peace and freedom | B.A beautiful house. |
| C.A colorful life. | D.Money for his family. |
How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?
| A.By chatting on the Internet. | B.By calling them sometimes. |
| C.By paying weekly visits. | D.By writing them letters. |
If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?
| A.What was your childhood dream? | B.What is your biggest achievement? |
| C.What is your parents’ view of you? | D.What was your hardest experience in the war? |
Forgiving someone who has hurt you or let you down is never an easy thing. Several new studies, however, say that it could have a lot of health benefits. When you think of forgiveness, you probably don’t think of it as being a health or medical problem. Studies from Stanford University, on the other hand, show that something like anger can change your well-being.
When cartoon book characters like the Incredible Hulk get angry, they
change colours and often
gain special power. In the real world, anger is less obvious and may be more dangerous. That’s why Professor Fred Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project and author of Forgive for Good, says holding on to anger and hatred can harm your physical and mental health. Two new studies seem to show the same idea.
The studies find that people who are able to forgive feel less stress, less back pain, and less depression. They also have fewer headaches, lower blood pressure, and fewer problems on sleeping.
So it doesn’t matter if your anger is caused by the traffic or other things. Learning to let it go is important. Techniques such as deep breath or thought can help. Or just ask yourself if it’s worth hurting yourself by staying angry with someone else.
Forgiveness does not mean that you simply accept what happened and say it’s OK. Instead, it’s a way of making peace with yourself about what happened in the past. The author of the passage tries to make his viewpoint clear _______.
A.by raising his o wn examples |
|
| B.based on his own experience | |
| C.by mentioning some studies | D.by mentioning some typical patients |
The example of the cartoon book characters is taken in the passage to_______.
| A.support the viewpoint that anger and hatred harm physical and mental health. |
| B.introduce a famous expert. |
| C.let the reader know the different colours of cartoon faces. |
| D.show how to control one’s temper. |
The underlined phrase “holding on to” in this passage possibly means“_______”.
| A.removing | B.keeping up | C.getting rid of | D.learning about |
The best title for this passage is probably _______.
| A.Forgiveness | B.Forgiveness Is Good for Health |
| C.A Secret to Keeping Health | D.Anger Is Bad for Health |
I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said, “Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”
This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, eat, rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to the doctors: one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip, but neither helped. He said, “My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤) --- if you have ever been paralyze
d(使瘫痪) by sorrow, you know what the meant.
“But thank God, I had one child left --- a four-year-old son. He gave me the solution to the problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked, ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent fellow! I had to give in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.”
“The following night, I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly, I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am so busy now that I have no time for worry.”
No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said, “I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to _________.
|
Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because _________.
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Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because _________.
|
At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to ________.
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The holiday is upon us. Finally, after months of study, you have some time to yourself. So, why not read a book? Well, some people will say, "Why bother with books? We have the Internet and other media that offer a lot of more colorful entertainment. Books are history!" But don't be fooled. I'm sure there's still a lot to be said for reading.
One clear reason is that a well-chosen book is a wonderful source of vocabulary, so long as you have a good dictionary, of course. Believe me, it's far easier to get new English words and phrases from a book or an article than it is from the TV or the Internet.
But another more important point is that books give you something that modern media simply can not. The average webpage is picture-heavy and the text is often designed to make it as
easy to read as possible. While "easy" may be attractive, unfortunately it's of little use for any long-term development of reading skills and the general language level. Because of that, there's still no substitute (替代品) of a book.
But perhaps the best single reason is that simply choosing what you read and doing it independently means that it's something you do by and for yourself. You can choose what you want to read. It's hard work, but somewhere down the line, you'll find that what once seemed like a duty is n
ow a pleasure.How many reasons for reading a book does the author mention in the passage?
| A.Three | B.Two | C.One | D.Four |
According to the passage, we basically need a ________ in reading.
| A.television | B.pencil | C.notebook | D.dictionary |
In the author's opinion, reading on the Internet may_________.
A.develop long-term readi ng skills |
B.improve the general language ability |
| C.not take the place of reading books | D.be an effective way of reading |
The passage is written mainly to _________.
| A.share the pleasure of reading books | B.advise readers to read books |
| C.stress the importance of reading online | D.help readers to choose good books |
Moods (心情), say the experts, are feelings that are likely to become fixed, having effects on one’s outlook(way of looking at things) for hours, days or even weeks. That’s great if your mood is a pleasant one, but a problem if you are sad, anxious, angry, or simply lonely.
Perhaps the best way to deal with such moods is to talk them out; sometimes, though, there is no one to listen. Scientists offers a lot of tranquilizers(镇静剂) and anti-anxiety drugs. What many people don’t realize, however, is that scientists have discovered the effectiveness of several non-drug methods to make you free from an unwanted mood. These can be just as useful as drugs, and have the added benefit of being nonpoisonous(无毒的). So next time you feel out of sorts, don’t head for the drug store―try the following method.
Of all the mood-changing self-help techniques, aerobic exercises (有氧运动) seem to be the best cure for a bad mood. “If you could keep the exercise, you’d be in high spirits,” says Kathryn Lance, author of Running for Health and Beauty.
Researchers have explained biochemical and various other changes that make exercises compare favorably to drugs as a mood-raiser. Physical work such as housework, however, does little. The key is aerobic exercises – running, cycling, walking, swimming, or other repetitive and sustained activities that increase the heart rate and circulation(循环), and improve the body’s use of oxygen. Do them for at least 20 minutes a time, three to five times a week.It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A.when one is in a bad mood, he or she must not work very well. |
| B.the best way to overcome a bad mood is to talk to oneself |
| C.some drugs are more effective than physical exercises |
| D.taking drugs is at risk of being poisonous |
The phrase "feel out of sorts", as is used in the second paragraph, could be best replaced by ____________.
| A.put things in order | B.are in a bad mood |
| C.search for tranquilizers | D.want a mood-raiser |
Which of the following best describes the organization of this passage?
| A.An exercise and its importance are explained |
| B.A problem is examined and solutions are given |
| C.Two different views of a problem are presented |
| D.Recent developments in medicine are described |
Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paper books (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A.TV programs are a main provider of knowledge |
| B.cinemas are the best choice in getting information |
| C.reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun |
| D.newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself |
What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?
| A.People only need reading, though. | B.Reading is still necessary today. |
| C.Reading is more fun than television. | D.Watching television doesn’t help reading. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A.Fewer and fewer people will buy books. |
| B.A good dictionary should be kept in every home. |
| C.Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks. |
| D.More people like TV programs about famous men. |