Children find meanings in their old family tales.
When Stephen Guyer’s three children were growing up, he told them stories about how his grandfather, a banker, 21 all in the 1930s, but did not lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times 22 his strong-minded grandfather was nearly 23 , he loaded his family into the car and 24 them to see family members in Canada with a 25 ,“there are more important things in life than money. ”
The 26 took on a new meaning recently when Mr. Guyer downsized to a 27 house from a more expensive and comfortable one. He was 28 that his children, a daughter, 15, and twins, 22, would be upset. To his surprise, they weren’t. 29 , their reaction echoed （共鸣） their great-grandfather’s. What they 30 was how warm the people were in the house and how 31 of their heart was accessible.
Many parents are finding family stories have surprising power to help children 32 hard times. Storytelling experts say the phenomenon reflects a growing 33 in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in a storytelling events and festivals.
A university 34 of 65 families with children aged from 14 to 16 found kids’ ability to 35 parents’ stories was linked to a lower rate of anger and anxiety. The 36 is telling the stories in a way children can 37 . We’re not talking here about the kind of story that 38 , “When I was a kid, I walked to school every day uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow. ” Instead, we should choose a story suited to the child’s 39 , and make eye contact （接触） to create “a personal experience”,. We don’t have to tell children 40 they should take from the story and what the moral is. ”
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A．missed B．lost C．forgot D．ignored
A．when B．while C．how D．why
A．friendless B．worthless C．penniless D．homeless
A．hope B．promise C．suggestion D．belief
A．tale B．agreement C．arrangement D．report
A．large B．small C．new D．grand
A．surprised B．annoyed C．disappointed D．worried
A．Therefore B．Besides C．Instead D．Otherwise
A．talked about B．cared about C．wrote about D．heard about
A．much B．many C．little D．few
A．beyond B．over C．behind D．through
A．argument B．skill C．interest D．anxiety
A．study B．design C．committee D．staff
A．provide B．retell C．support D．refuse
A．trouble B．gift C．fact D．trick
A．perform B．write C．hear D．question
A．means B．ends C．begins D．proves
A．needs B．activities C．judgments D．habits
A．that B．what C．which D．whom
I have a cousin who’s a farmer. If you saw him on market day with his old boots and worn hat, you might think he was a tramp (流浪汉). But he’s either buying or selling for thousands of pounds. He doesn’t have a luxurious lifestyle, but the farmhouse, dozens of acres of land, machinery, cattle, chicken and crops must be worth a fortune. You might describe him as a man, but he doesn’t look like that.
My father owned a shop selling newspapers, cigarettes, birthday cards, toys, books and magazines. The shop a comfortable life for us, but we weren’t rich. The only luxury was that my father owned a car when most people in our town couldn’t afford one, professionals such as doctors and lawyers.
My point is that can be misleading. You often can’t the rich from the way they look.
I once met Richard Branson, the Virgin Airlines tycoon (巨头).He’d a hot balloon across the Atlantic and landed in the Irish sea. When he was rescued, he was wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a sneaker. You’d have guessed he was a multimillionaire.
Andrew Bruce, the 11th Earl (伯爵) of Elgin, a group of press people to his luxurious home in Fife, Scotland. His , the 7th Earl of Elgin was famous for removing and transporting to Britain priceless sculptures from the Parthenon, a very famous temple in Greece. The so-called Elgin Marbles can be seen in the British Museum. The Earl’s castle was cold, despite a fire burning in the hearth (壁炉). He explained to us,“I’m sorry it’s so cold, but you should know that a gentleman’s house is always cold.”
There you have it: doesn’t always bring comfort.
A．eggs B．foods C．cattle D．fruits
A．wealthy B．poor C．good D．successful
A．offered B．provided C．supplied D．gave
A．besides B．including C．as well as D．apart from
A．things B．facts C．appearances D．faces
A．say B．tell C．recognize D．judge
A．made B．driven C．bought D．flown
A．perhaps B．neither C．never D．rather
A．allowed B．permitted C．demanded D．invited
A．forefather B．father C．grandfather D．father-in-law
A．frozen B．freezing C．surprising D．surprised
A．health B．wealth C．luck D．poverty
Whatever misfortune you face, just hold up your head and face it with a smile! I got to know this from a musical soul.
The other day I was feeling quite , having just been laid off from my job. With so many to pay, I was wondering what was going to happen to my family.
I got off the bus when I heard piano music and singing rising above the noise of the . I walked a bit slower, trying to find out where it was coming from. Through the I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a box next to her.
She was singing songs about love and her sweet voice me a bit. Then I stood there watching her playing, thinking that it must take to perform on her own in front of hundreds of people she didn’t know.
She might have felt my for she occasionally looked in my direction.
By now I was telling myself that I could at least tell her how good she sounded. I walked and put some money in her box and she expressed her thanks with a smile on her face.
I asked her , “Why are you playing the piano in the middle of this crowded place?”
She explained to me that she sees so many people in the world that she is trying to relieve the pain by motivational(激励的)music.
Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, “I have been going through a time lately, but you’ve made me again.”
“I’m happy that I could be to you,” she replied. “Why are you so sad?”
I told her my story and said, “I’m not so about what to do….”
“You see, here’s the ,” she responded. “When you were walking, your head was down.” She looked me in the eyes and went on, “Don’t look defeated, because comes in different ways and if your head is down you might never see it. You should more … lift your head up.”
I was really by what she said! I did hold my head up and soon got through the difficult time.
So in trouble, just face it bravely and you are sure to overcome your difficulty sooner or later.
A．lonely B．relaxed C．awful D．breathless
A．bills B．fees C．fines D．prices
A．listeners B．traffic C．instrument D．background
A．trees B．street C．buildings D．crowd
A．shocked B．comforted C．excited D．amused
A．courage B．energy C．patience D．technique
A．mood B．presence C．thought D．appreciation
A．aside B．down C．off D．over
A．quietly B．deliberately C．curiously D．seriously
A．negative B．unhealthy C．unconscious D．elderly
A．creating B．sharing C．enjoying D．teaching
A．tense B．wonderful C．rough D．crazy
A．enthusiastic B．emotional C．energetic D．hopeful
A．available B．essential C．superior D．helpful
A．sure B．ashamed C．particular D．anxious
A．problem B．situation C．conflict D．condition
A．success B．opportunity C．aid D．happiness
A．concentrate B．look C．smile D．fight
A．occupied B．moved C．inspired D．satisfied
A．however B．wherever C．whoever D．whenever
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36 ~ 55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25. I didn’t think there would be any , sighing about having to work on Christmas. Just then five bodies at my desk, a pale woman and four children.
“Are you all ?” I asked. “Yes,” she said weakly and lowered her head.
But when it came to of their problems, things got a little strange. They all claimed to have headaches, but the headaches weren’t by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still.
Something was wrong. Our hospital policy, , was not to turn away any patient. I explained it might be a little while a doctor saw her. She responded immediately, even a bit “Take your time,” and then added, “It’s warm in here.”
Then, I checked their registration form out of curiosity. No address—they were .The waiting room was warm. I went back to the nurses’ station and mentioned we had a homeless in the waiting room. The nurses, complaining of on Christmas, turned to sympathy for a family just trying to get on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there’s a emergency. But this was a Christmas emergency.
We were all a free meal on Christmas Day, so we took back that meal and prepared a big dinner for our .We needed presents. We from different departments candies, fruits and other things that could be presents. As seriously as we met the needs of the patients, our team worked to meet the needs of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas.
, as the family walked to the door to leave, the mother came back, gave me a hug and whispered, “Thanks for being our angels today.”
A．customers B．patients C．workers D．doctors
A．showed up B．took in C．came out D．looked on
A．tired B．hungry C．sick D．warm
A．descriptions B．comments C．instructions D．results
A．accompanied B．adjusted C．acknowledged D．affected
A．therefore B．otherwise C．however D．moreover
A．after B．since C．before D．when
A．shyly B．happily C．calmly D．politely
A．lonely B．greedy C．clever D．homeless
A．family B．holiday C．woman D．Christmas
A．operating B．interrupting C．managing D．working
A．present B．warm C．relief D．approval
A．beneficial B．friendly C．medical D．different
A．rewarded B．offered C．allowed D．ordered
A．neighbors B．relations C．brothers D．guests
A．borrowed B．received C．collected D．bought
A．expensive B．useful C．convenient D．available
A．healthy B．physical C．tragic D．mental
A．Soon B．Later C．Next D．Gradually
A．to run B．run C．running D．and ran
I always knew that I depended way too much on my phone. I didn’t know how much, so I decided to do this challenge to find out.
Every morning since I got a smartphone, I’ve used The Weather Channel App to find out what to . On the first morning I had to dress without guidance, but I was able to guess that the day would be cold and foggy by looking out of my window.
I couldn’t tell what time it was. I haven’t worn a for more than a year, because my phone showed the time. So I was late for friends who had been on the bus for two hours from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes. I was also late for my part-time job. And , I couldn’t call people to tell them that I was running late.
Getting places was harder, too. I got because I couldn’t use the GPS (汽车导航系统) on my phone. My driving, though, got a lot because I no longer had my phone in one hand checking directions while with the other.
But the number one trouble was not having my contact list (联络簿). I forgot to write down my friends’ and family members’ phone numbers before I the challenge. It was sad to realize that I couldn’t my brother’s and my mom’s cell phone numbers. Oh, how I wished to turn on the phone for just a second to look up phone numbers!
Even with all the problems, however, I found not worrying about missing a text message or an e-mail.
This was a great learning experience. It surprised me how I’d taken no notice of even the things like remembering phone numbers. We all should take some time to think about how we can depend on our cell phones.
A．But B．And C．Then D．Still
A．carry B．take C．wear D．see
A．hopefully B．thankfully C．strangely D．surprisingly
A．ring B．hat C．suit D．watch
A．picking up B．bringing up C．calling out D．making out
A．even so B．after all C．in all D．even worse
A．caught B．lost C．changed D．hurt
A．happier B．slower C．safer D．quieter
A．moving B．chatting C．writing D．driving
A．started B．forgot C．supported D．reported
A．collect B．copy C．read D．remember
A．silence B．peace C．patience D．confidence
A．work B．lesson C．challenge D．project
A．hardest B．simplest C．nicest D．clearest
A．less B．more C．little D．much
My 9-year-old daughterAnd I were flying from our home in Carolina to spendA week with my husband in Florida.We were__ _About the trip because we hadn't seen him for five months,And __ her Dad terribly.
As usual on the Charlotte-to-Miami flight, the plane was totally__ . Because we did not get our boarding passes until we__ At the gate, KallieAnd I could not get seats togetherAnd were __ by theAisle（过道）. IAsked two passengers in my row if they would switch places with KallieAnd me, __ we could be together. They __ , saying they thought they should stay in theirAssigned seats.
Meanwhile,A motherAnd her three children were inA _ several rowsAhead of us. There had beenA mistake in their boarding passes,And _ the whole family had been split up. The passengers in her row_ refused to move elsewhere. She was very__ About the younger boy sitting with strangers. She was in tears, yet nobody__ to help her.
There wereA troop of Boy Scouts(童子军) on __ . Suddenly the Scout leader stood upAnd said, "Ma’am, I think we can help you." He then __ five minutes rearranging his group so thatAdequate space was __ for the family. The boys followed his directions cheerfullyAnd without _ ,And the mother's relief was obvious.
Kallie, however, was beginning to panicAt the _ not being next to me. I told her that there wasn’tAnything I could do. __ , the man sitting next to the Scoutmaster, __ to meAndAsked, "Would youAnd your daughter like our seats?" __ to himselfAnd the Scoutmaster. We traded seatsAnd continued our trip, very much relieved to be togetherAnd watch the scenery from Kallie’s window seat.
A．worried B．excited C．anxious D．eager
A．loved B．considered C．imagined D．missed
A．full B．crowded C．empty D．overweight
A．reached B．arrived C．landed D．knocked
A．divided B．blocked C．separated D．connected
A．in case B．even if C．as if D．so that
A．prevented B．refused C．agreed D．promised
A．panic B．hurry C．rush D．seat
A．however B．otherwise C．therefore D．instead
A．too B．even C．ever D．also
A．concerned B．curious C．particular D．content
A．suggested B．offered C．provided D．supplied
A．duty B．watch C．board D．spot
A．took B．cost C．paid D．spent
A．convenient B．available C．probable D．comfortable
A．permission B．excuse C．apology D．complaint
A．thought B．end C．feeling D．sense
A．Immediately B．Puzzlingly C．Clearly D．Amazingly
A．turned up B．turnedAround C．turned out D．turnedAway
A．sticking B．keeping C．waving D．referring