We all, at one time or another, have pretended to be a rock star, singing and dancing along to our favorite song. Most of us have done this in the privacy of our own room when we were kids and as adults, in the privacy of our homes. Me? I love to do that when I drive! I turn on the radio, find a song that I can sing along too and pretty soon my arms are in the air and I am moving along to the rhythm. Most of the time, I do this on my way to work.
Yes, that is true. I will be in my nice work clothes, jamming while driving or stopped at a traffic light. I get weird looks from some people and others laugh. Personally, I love to get lost in the rhythm of a song which leads me to share with you the importance of being silly!
The definition for the word silly, according to the dictionary is: stupid, foolish and nonsensical. I know many people do not want to look foolish. So they walk around all serious, which in all honesty, is foolish!
No one is perfect, I repeat: no one is perfect. I don’t care how educated, how thin, how beautiful, how simple, how frugal, how rich, and so on… No one is perfect! So why pretend to be something you are not?
Life is so short… You never know when this beautiful journey will be over, so why waste a single second on being so full of rigidity(呆板)? Here is a quote by Souza, that I think says it all and is a great recipe for life:
"Dance as though no one is watching you,
Love as though you have never been hurt before,
Sing as though no one can hear you,
Live as though heaven is on earth."
When we were kids, we had no idea of what limitations were and we had no care in the world so we could do things without worrying about how we appeared to others. However, as we grew up, we lost that childlike innocence.
So don’t lose the child that still lives within you. The next time you feel down, go turn on your favorite song, and sing and dance along like there is no tomorrow. Or watch something that makes you laugh. Laughter is the best medicine to whatever ails you and nothing is better than laughing so hard that your tummy hurts. Trust me, you will feel a whole lot better, and who doesn’t want to feel good? According to the passage, what does the writer usually do?
| A．He pretends to be a rock star. | B．He dances in his own home. |
| C．He sings songs while going to work. | D．He gets jammed on his way to work. |
What do other people think of the writer?
| A．They think that the writer is strange. | B．They look down upon the writer. |
| C．They believe that the writer is lonely. | D．No one is interested in the writer. |
What is the writer’s opinion about the people who look very serious?
| A．They are honest. | B．They are silly. |
| C．They are perfect. | D．They are educated. |
The writer quotes Souza to show that _______.
| A．life is a beautiful journey | B．life is full of rigidity |
| C．life is like a great recipe | D．life is to be treasured |
The underlined part “the child” in the last paragraph probably refers to _______.
| A．the writer | B．any child |
| C．the feeling of being a child | D．the time of being a child |
Guide to Stockholm University Library
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones
The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Group-study places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.
There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have obtained at least 40 credits(学分), you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.Library computers on the ground floor __________.
| A．help students with their field experiments |
| B．are mostly used for filling out application forms |
| C．are for those who wan to access the wi-fi |
| D．contain software essential for schoolwork |
What condition should be met to book a group-study room?
| A．One should first register at the university |
| B．Three-hour use per day is the minimum |
| C．A group must consist of 8 people |
| D．Applicants must mark the room on the map |
A student can rent a locker in the library if he __________.
| A．can afford the rental fee |
| B．attends certain courses |
| C．has earned the required credits |
| D．has nowhere to put his books |
David is an excellent student and he comes from New York. His family was there until he finished eighth grade. David had no choice but to sleep on park benches. Being alone on the streets was scary. One thing kept David going: his determination to do well in school.
Even though many things were difficult in David’s life, one thing was going very well. David was accepted to a special high school called MC2STEM.It is a public school in Cleveland for kids who are extremely good at science. The school turned out a peaceful place for David. He especially enjoyed having the chance to learn by doing lots of projects.
High school wasn’t easy. But David says that the school helped him set high standards for himself. Even when he didn’t have a place to stay at night, David kept his focus on his schoolwork.
While he was homeless, David would sometimes sleep in the park during the day because it was safer. “ If you sleep in the daytime in the park, people won’t bother you,” he says. “you’re just taking a nap. It’s acceptable.” Then David would study through the night. He showered at a friend’s house when his friend’s parents were at work.
All his hard work paid off. In May 2011, David graduated second in his high school class. He was accepted to 22 colleges. He also won a scholarship form the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It will pay for all his college expenses.
Last fall, David began attending Harvard University, one of the top colleges in the US.”I found the perfect school for me.” He wrote in his blog.
In the future, David might look for a job at a company like Google. Even better, he would like to start his own company. David says, “ I want to work for myself.”According to the passage, David ________.
| A．liked to sleep on park benches. |
| B．studied very hard. |
| C．felt high school was easy. |
| D．hated doing a lot of projects. |
We can know from the passage that David would _________.
| A．work only in big companies. |
| B．start a company with partners. |
| C．win a scholarship again. |
| D．have a bright future. |
Which of the following word can best describe David?
| A．cautious | B．Lazy | C．Determined | D．Creative |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．A top University | B．A Poor Student |
| C．Homeless to Harvard | D．Winning a Scholarship |
People these days always complain how they suffer stress from their daily life. With drugs widely available in the market today, it is still advisable that we consume the best kind of medicine for our body, that is natural drugs.
One of the natural resources for a relaxation drug is the Valerian Root Extract. Scientifically known as Valeriana Officinalis, this plant is a flowering type with heads of pink and white flowers mostly blooming in the summer months. Native in Europe and in small parts of Asia, the plant became popular worldwide because of its sweet scent and unique health benefits.
Past research suggests that the valerian root has healing characteristics that focus on the neurotransmitter of the brain, which makes the brain cells function well. Other researches about this herb suggest that it can keep a person free of anxiety. Although there are various types of valerian root products in the market today, modern medical studies have concluded that further research has to be taken into consideration before acknowledging the so-called benefits of Valerian Root Extracts.
One sample of the so-called benefits is the treatment for anxiety disorder called “social anxiety disorder” or SAD. The benefit has insufficient evidence to support its claim as an alternative relief for anxiety. However, many patients said that they felt improvements on their nervous conditions, stress and overall mental ability.
Valerian Root Extract can be acquired as a tea, tablet, or liquid extract. It is recommended that you consult your physician about this herbal plant if it can really benefit your health.What does the author intend to do in the passage?
| A．To tell readers how to reduce stress. |
| B．To introduce a natural anxiety treatment. |
| C．To analyze the benefits of plants. |
| D．To advertise for the new product. |
What do we know about Valeriana Officinalis?
| A．It is also called Valerian Root Extract. |
| B．It is blooming all the year around. |
| C．It is only grown in European countries. |
| D．It is well received for its health benefits. |
The underlined word “insufficient” in the passage means ______.
| A．too much | B．pretty plentiful |
| C．not enough | D．well tested |
The next time you get caught jumping on your bed you can tell your parents with a straight face that you are not playing, simply getting ready got a promising career in “Mattress Jumping”. Believe it or not, there are some people who actually get paid to do that! According to Reuben Reynoso, a professional mattress tester at San Francisco’s McRoskey Mattress Factory that still makes every mattress by hand, it is real work and needs some training. For a start, it’s not all about jumping to new heights or doing tricks like professional athletes, but rather about feeling each area of the mattress carefully to detect the filling. In order to do it right, every bit of the mattress has to be tested slowly and deliberately.
Over the years, Reynoso has figured out the perfect routine. He begins by placing a protective mat over the mattress so that it doesn’t get dirty or absorb the smell from his feet. Then begins the fun---he steps to the middle of an edge and then takes five steps back and five steps forward. In this way, he slowly but surely, covers the entire surface. The key according to him is to find the perfect number of jumps---Too many and he will end up destroying the mattress completely. Too few? And it will not fit into the giant machine for that final sewing! Who knew a job that sounds so simple could have so many skills!
While Reuben will not reveal how he got into this profession, he will admit that it is more fun than being a carpenter, roofer, construction worker and railroad engineer---all jobs he has tried previous to finding his true profession!We learn from the text that the McRoskey Mattress Factory ______.
| A．is the world’s oldest mattress factory |
| B．make mattresses for sports |
| C．produces mattresses by hand |
| D．hires athletes as mattress testers |
The protective mat is used to ______.
| A．prevent the tester getting hurt |
| B．keep the mattress as clean as possible |
| C．protect the mattress from being destroyed |
| D．make the mattress fit into the sewing machine |
According to Reynoso, the most important thing in his work is ______.
| A．the timing of his jumps |
| B．the height of his jumps |
| C．the number of his jumps |
| D．the frequency of his jumps |
We can learn from the text that Reynoso ______.
| A．has been injured several times in his work |
| B．liked mattress jumping in his childhood |
| C．didn’t choose mattress testing as his first job |
| D．dreamt about becoming a jumping athlete |
Four days after Dad’s 67th birthday, he had a heart attack. Luckily, he survived. But something inside him had died. His enthusiasm for life was gone. He refused to follow doctor’s orders, and his sour attitude made everyone upset when they visit him. Dad was left alone.
So I asked Dad to come to live with me on my small farm, hoping the fresh air would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated. Something had to be done.
One day I read an article which said when given dogs, depressed patients would be better off. So I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. As soon as I got there, a pointer’s eyes caught my attention. They watched me calmly.
A staff member said: “He got here two weeks ago and we’ve heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow.”
I turned to the man in horror. “You mean you’re going to kill him?”
“Ma’am,” he said gently. “We don’t have room for every unclaimed dog.”
The police’s calm brown eyes awaited my decision. “I’ll take him,” I said.
I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. I was helping it out of the car when Dad walked onto the front porch. “Look what I got you!” I said excitedly.
Dad wrinkled his face. “I don’t want it,” he muttered, turning back towards the house. Then, suddenly, the dog pulled free from my grasp. He sat down in front of my Dad.
Dad’s anger melted, and soon he was hugging the dog.
This was the beginning of a warm friendship. Dad named the dog Cheyenne. Together they spent long hours walking down dusty lanes and relaxing on the banks of streams.
Dad’s bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne went on to make many friends. Then, late one night two years later, I felt Cheyenne’s cold nose burrowing (搜寻) through my bed covers. He had never before come into my bedroom at night. I ran into my father’s room and found that he had passed away.
Two days later, my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad’s bed. As I buried him near their favorite stream, I silently thanked the dog for restoring Dad’s peace of mind.After the author’s father survived the heart attack, he ______.
| A．ignored everyone who visited him |
| B．became unpleasant toward other people |
| C．was left alone to get full rest |
| D．no longer wanted to live |
Why did the author take the pointer home?
| A．It was a type that is known for its friendliness. |
| B．Its eyes made her think it was the best dog available. |
| C．It was good at getting people’s attention and entertaining them. |
| D．It caught her attention right away and she didn’t want it to be killed. |
From the last two paragraphs we can conclude that _______.
| A．the author’s father and Cheyenne formed a real connection |
| B．friendship and care is much more efficient than the medicine |
| C．more attention should be given to old people |
| D．dogs are so loyal that they usually die for their friends |
Which section of a newspaper is the source of the passage?
| A．Friends | B．Entertainment |
| C．Education | D．Health |