It was a winter morning, just two weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them o
ur story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting. Why was the bike so important to the couple? (Within 10 words)
_______________________________________________________________________.How did people get to know the couple’s problem? (Within 3 words)
_______________________________________________________________________.What do the couple learn from their experience? (Within 12 words)
_______________________________________________________________________.
| A. Necessity for developing adult education B. Early days of adult education C. Ways of receiving adult education D. Growth of adult education E. Institutions of adult education F. Functions of adult education |
Voluntary learning in organized courses by mature men and women is called adult education. Such education is offered to make people able to enlarge and interpret their experience as adults. Adults may want to study something which they missed in earlier schooling, get new skills or job training, find out about new technological developments, seek better self—understanding, or develop new talents and skills.
This kind of education may be in the form of self-study with proper guidance through the use of libraries, correspondence courses, or broadcasting. It may also be acquired collectively in schools and colleges, study groups, workshops, clubs, and professional associations.
Modern adult education for large numbers of people started in the 18th and 19th centuries with the rise of the Industrial Revolution. Great economic and social changes were taking place: people were moving from rural areas to cities; new types of work were being created in an expanding factory system. These and other factors produced a need for further education and re-education of adults.
The earliest programs of organized adult education arose in Great Britain in the 1790s, with the founding of an adult school in Nottingham and a mechanics’ institute in Glasgow. The earliest adult education institution in the United States was founded by Benjamin Franklin and some friends in Philadelphia in 1727.
People recognize that continued learning is necessary for most forms of employment today. For example, parts of the adult population in many countries find it necessary to take part in retraining programs at work or even to learn completely new jobs. Adult education programs are springing up constantly to meet these and other needs.
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
If you are hungry, what do you do? Have your favorite meal and stay quiet after that? 1But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your friends or favorite stars．So it silently serves your needs and never lets itself grow．When mind loses its freedom to grow, creativity gets a full stop．This might be the reason why we all sometimes think "What happens next?", "Why can't I think?"
2Why reading but not watching TV? It is because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from childhood．Since it develops other aspects of our life, we have to get help from reading．
Once you read a book, you run your eyes through the lines and your mind tries to explain something to you． 3Now this seed is unknowingly used by you to develop new ideas．If it is used many times, the same seed can give you great help to relate a lot of things which you would have never thought of in your wildest dreams!
This is nothing but creativity． 4Within no time you can start talking with your friends in English or any other language and never run out of the right words．
So guys, do give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading． 5Go and get a book!
| A．The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed． |
| B．Why not do some reading while you are hungry? |
| C．Just like your stomach, your mind is also hungry． |
| D．Now what are you waiting for? |
E．Hunger of the mind can be actually solved through wide reading．
F．Reading can help you make more friends, too．
G．Also this makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary．
When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish it as the most precious thing in the world. Because in some ways, it is.
60 . Most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad. And we are reminded that we should try to avoid mistakes. We’ve been scolded when we make mistakes — at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction.
Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow.61 . We don’t really consume information and instantly know it or know how to do it. Instead, we get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually; then we construct a model in our mind, test it out by trying it in the real world, make mistakes, revise the model based on the results of our real-world experimentation and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until we’ve pretty much learned how to do it well.
62 . If you succeed at something, it’s probably something you already knew how to do it. You haven’t really grown much from that success — at most it’s the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey is made up of mistakes. By trial and error, we try out new strategies and make new discoveries, thus leading to higher payoffs. So if you value learning, if you value growing and improving, then you should value mistakes. 63
| A．Just think about how we learn. |
| B．Everyone can make mistakes in their life. |
| C．Mistakes are how we learn to do something new. |
| D．It is natural that we are in a bad mood when we make mistakes. |
E. Mistakes are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible.
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
In the 60s, people asked about your astrological (about star) sign. In the 90s, they want to know your website. 1Your website is an electronic meeting place for your family, friends and potentially, millions of people around the world. Best of all, you may not have to spend a cent. The web is filled with all kinds of free services and all it takes is some time and creativity.
2Like the table of contents of a book or magazine, the home page is the front door. Your site can have one or more pages, depending on how you design it.
While web pages vary greatly in their design and content, most use a traditional magazine layout（版面设计）. At the top of the page is a banner（横幅）. Next comes a greeting and a short description of the site. Pictures, text, and links to other websites follow.
3Think about whom the site is for and what you want to say. Next, gather up the material that you want to put on the site.
While there are no rules you have to follow, there are a few things to keep in mind: 4If you are too much at the beginning, you may never get the site off the ground. You can always add to your site.
Less is better. Most people don’t like to read a lot of long text online. 55
Smaller is better. Since it can take a long time to download large image files, keep the file sizes small.
Have the rights. Don’t put any material on your site unless you are sure you can do it legally. Always remember to get the permission from the writer first.
Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start building.
| A．Start simply. |
| B．Break it into small pieces. |
| C．Draw a rough layout on a sheet of paper. |
| D．Many websites are considered very interesting. |
E．Before you start building your site, do some planning.
F．Think of your home page as the starting point of your website.
G．These days, having a web address is almost as important as a street address.
请从以下选项（A、B、C、D和E）中选出符合各段意思的小标题, 选项中有一项是多余选项。
A. Early to Bed, Early to Rise
B. Read Challenging Books
C. Relax yourself
D. Minimize Television Watching
E. Take Time to Reflect
Five Simple Ways to Increase Your Intelligence
Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus.
Here are 5 simple ways anyone can squeeze a bit more productivity out of the old gray matter. _________-This is a hard sell. People love vegetating in front of the television, myself included more often than I’d like. The problem is watching television doesn’t use your mental capacity OR allow it to recharge. It’s like having the energy sapped out of a muscle without the health benefits of exercise.
When you feel like relaxing, try reading a book instead. If you’re too tired, listen to some music. When you’re with your friends or family, leave the tube off and have a conversation. All of these things use your mind more than television and allow you to relax.
Exercise- I used to think that I'd learn more by not exercising and using the time to read a book instead. But I realized that time spent exercising always leads to greater learning because it improves productivity during the time afterwards. Using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy. Afterwards, you feel invigorated（精力充沛）and can concentrate more easily. _________-Many people like to read popular suspense fiction, but generally these books aren't mentally stimulating. If you want to improve your thinking and writing ability you should read books that make you focus. Reading a classic novel can change your view of the world and will make you think in more precise, elegant English. Don’t be afraid to look up a word if you don’t know it, and don’t be afraid of dense passages. Take your time, re-read when necessary, and you’ll soon grow accustomed to the author’s style.
_________-Nothing makes it harder to concentrate than sleep deprivation. You'll be most rejuvenated if you go to bed early and don’t sleep more than 8 hours. If you stay up late and compensate by sleeping late, you’ll wake up lethargic（无精打采）and have trouble focusing. In my experience the early morning hours are the most tranquil and productive. Waking up early gives you more productive hours and maximizes your mental acuity（敏锐）all day.
If you have the opportunity, take 10-20 minute naps when you are hit with a wave of drowsiness. Anything longer will make you lethargic, but a short nap will refresh you. _________-Often our lives get so hectic that we become overwhelmed without even realizing it. It becomes difficult to concentrate because nagging thoughts keep interrupting. Spending some time alone in reflection gives you a chance to organize your thoughts and prioritize your responsibilities. Afterwards, you’ll have a better understanding of what's important and what isn’t. The unimportant stuff won’t bother you anymore and your mind will feel less encumbered.
Conclusion-I hope you aren’t disappointed that none of the techniques I've proposed are revolutionary. But simple, unexciting answers are often the most valid. The challenge is having the will to adhere to them. If you succeed in following these 5 tips, you’ll be rewarded with increased mental acuity and retention of knowledge.