Chris Jones recently completed a very unusual journey. Our reporter Mary Owen met him at his home in the south of London and be told her all about the trip.
Reporter: What gave you the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant, Chris?
Chris: Well, it all started the idea two years ago when I was planning a trip to India. I visited a photo exhibition of elephants and I realized that the only enjoyable way to make a trip around India was on an elephant.
Reporter: What did you do next?
Chris: I flew to New Delhi and started looking for an elephant, I needed an elephant trained to carry people. I didn’t know anything about elephants, so I asked an expert(专家) for help. He taught me how to ride an elephant. He also helped me find an elephant.
Reporter: How long did it take to find a suitable elephant?
Chris: Not too long. I bought a female elephant called Tara for about 6, 000 dollars.
Reporter: Can you tell me about the journey?
Chris: Tara and I set off from New Delhi a week later. We were going to Sonepur in northern India. There is a big elephant market there and I could sell Tara easily. And what a ride! Elephants can travel at about 6 miles an hour and Sonepur is more than 1, 200 km away. It took us 64 days to complete the journey.
Reporter: Did you have any problems on your journey?
Chris: Yes, a few. But nothing serious. On the third day, Tara hurt her foot. Btu that got better quickly. Also, there was a lot of heavy rain during the first week and we got very wet!
Reporter: What happened when you reached Sonepur?
Chris: My plan was to sell Tara. But I was very fond of her. I couldn’t take her back to Britain and I didn’t want to sell her at the market. I happened to meet some people who wanted an elephant for their national park in southern India. I knew that Tara would be safe with them, so I gave her to them. I was very sad to say goodbye.Chris got the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant from __________.
A.a visit to a zoo |
B.an elephant expert from India |
C.the photos of elephant |
D.an old friend who lived in India |
The elephant expert told Chris __________.
A.when to buy an elephant |
B.how to feed an elephant |
C.where to sell his elephant |
D.how to ride an elephant |
Chris decided to go to Sonepur because __________.
A.it is a very interesting place |
B.he would be able to sell Tara there easily |
C.elephants cannot be sold anywhere else |
D.it would take only a short time to get there |
When Chris arrived at the market in Sonepur, __________.
A.he realized that he did not really want to sell Tara |
B.he visited some shopkeepers |
C.he sold Tara to a national park |
D.he decided to take Tara home with him |
Jim suffered heart problems. In conversation he expressed little joy and it seemed that his life was drawing to a close.
When his heart problems led to operation, Jim went through it successfully, and a full recovery was expected. Within days, however, his heart was not beating properly. Jim was rushed back to operation, but nothing was found to explain the cause of his illness. He died on the operating table on the day before his 48th birthday.
Dr. Bruce Smoller, a psychologist (心理学家), had had many conversations with him, and the more he learned, the stranger he realized Jim's case was. When Jim was a child, his father, a teacher, suffered a heart attack and stayed home to recover. One morning Jim asked his father to look over his homework, promising to come home from school at noon to pick it up. His father agreed, but when Jim returned his father had died. Jim's father was 48.
"I think all his life Jim believed he killed his father," Dr. Smoller says. "He felt that if he had not asked him to look at his homework, his father would have lived. Jim had been troubled by the idea. The operation was the trial (判决) he had expected for forty years. " Smoller believes that Jim willed himself not to live to the age of 48.
Jim's case shows the powerful role that attitude (态度) plays in physical health, and that childhood experiences produce far-reaching effect on the health of grown-ups. Although most cases are less direct than Jim's, studies show that childhood events, besides genes, may well cause such midlife diseases as cancer, heart disease and mental illness. Jim was sent back to operation because ________.
A.his heart didn't work well |
B.he expected a full recovery |
C.his life was drawing to a close |
D.the first one wasn't well performed |
What made Dr. Smoller feel strange about Jim's case?
A.Jim died at a young age. |
B.Jim died on the operating table. |
C.Both Jim and his father died of the same disease. |
D.Jim's death is closely connected with his father's. |
From Smoller’s words, we can infer that ________.
A.Jim's father cared little about his study |
B.Smoller agreed that Jim did kill his father |
C.Jim thought he would be punished some day |
D.Smoller believed Jim wouldn't live to the age of 48 |
Which of the following could have strong effect on one's physical healthaccording to the text?
a. One’s genes.
b. One’s life in childhood.
c. One’s physical education.
d. The date of one’s birthday.
e. The opinions one has about something.
A.a, b, d | B.a, b, e |
C.a, c, e | D.b, c, d |
Bicycle tour and race
A bike tour and race will be held on August 26th and 27th(Sat. &Sun. ) at 5:30 a. m. The riders will leave Tian’an Men Square and ride the first 35 kilometers as a training leg(一段路程). Then the next 55 kilometers’ leg, from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive(比赛的) part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be taken from Jixian to Changli.
The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaihe, covering a distance of 20 kilometers. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.
Cost: 200 yuan; Telephone: 4675027
Brazilian(巴西的) footballers
The Brazilian Football Club play with Beijjing Guo’an Team at the Workers Stadium On August 26th. The club has four nation team players. Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Ronario who has promised to play for at least 45 minutes.
Ticket Prices: 60/100/150 yuan
Time/date: 4: 30 p. m. August 26th(Sat. ); Telephone: 5012372
Rock climbing
The third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26th and 27th at the Huairou Mountain--climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for audience.
Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou.
Time/Date: 9~12 am, August 26th and 27th; Telephone: 7143177, 7144850 Wang Zhenghua The main purpose of announcing the above events is to give information about_______.
A.visiting teams | B.things to do for the weekend |
C.famous players | D.prices to pay for the sports events |
What is special about the rock climbing cmpetition?
A.You don’t have to be a sportsman to take part in. |
B.The bus trip to the places of the competition is free. |
C.You can watch it without paying. |
D.Many foreign teams take part in it. |
If you want to do something on Saturday afternoon, which telephone number will you call?
A.7144850 | B.7143177 | C.4675027 | D.5012372 |
Tom is a 12-year-old boy. If he has a headache, he should take a day.
A.1/2 tablet | B.1 tablet |
C.2 tablets | D.3 tablets |
If you want to borrow some children books, you can go to the .
A.5th floor | B.3rd floor |
C.4th floor | D.2nd floor |
Lin and his father want to go to the Hamilton Zoo, they should pay .
A.$15 | B.$30 | C.$45 | D.$10 |
We can choose failure, but we can’t choose fear. That’s like what James Cameron said “Failure Is an Option, but Fear Is Not” at the end of his TED talk and I love it. We shouldn’t be afraid of facing failure, try to accept it and learn from it.
Make room for failure
Nobody wants to fail, but failure is often on your way to success. Geprge Bernard Shaw said, “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable(可敬的), but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” So if you never fail then it probably means that you do nothing. Failure shows that you actually do something instead of just sitting in your comfortable seat.
Learn from each failure
Don’t just fail and get nothing out of it. Learn something from each failure that makes you better and better.
Fail fast
Time is precious, so if you failed then you’d better fail fast. Why? Because it will make you learn and improve faster. Don’t wait until everything is perfect. Instead, test your idea in the real world as soon as possible.
Don’t choose fear
Many people don’t want to work on something unknown. But fear is not a good choice, so you should be willing to try out your new ideas. Even if you aren’t successful, you will still come out better than before.
根据短文内容,选择最佳答案:In the writer’s opinion, failure is NOT .
A. useful B. terrible C. commonWhich of the following is George Bernard Shaw’s thought?
A. If you fail, you’d better fail fast.
B. If you never fail, it may mean you do nothing.
C. You should learn something from failure. From the passage, we know that we should .
A. be away from failure
B. fail every time
C. test our new ideas What does the underlined word “precious” mean?
A.宝贵的 B.公正的 C.智慧的What is the best title for the passage?
A. Failure is an option, but Fear is not.
B. Make room for failure
C. Fail fast as soon as possible.
![]() Lisa’s Gym Keep fit! Lose weight! Play basketball, do yoga(瑜伽), dance and meet many new friends! Price: ¥40 per hour Open time: Saturdays and Sundays Tel: 7860769 |
![]() A Concert Do you like classical music? Come to the concert on Friday evening. The concert will begin at 6:30 in the children’s Palace. Ticket price: Adults--¥120; children(under 15)-- ¥60 |
![]() Star Wars U.S.A. wonderful movie at Huachen Cinema. Ticket price: ¥80 Time: 6:00 p.m.→8:00 p.m. Date: July 24 to July 27 |
![]() Summer Job Do you like to talk with people? Do you like to work late? Do you like to work for a restaurant? Then come and work for us as a waiter. Please call Jenny at 8124697 for more information. |
根据以上图表信息,选择最佳答案:You can at Lisa’s Gym.
A. watch a movie
B. find a job
C. play basketballMr. and Mrs. Smith and their 14-year-old son want to go to the concert, they have to pay for the tickets.
A. 120 yuan B. 180 yuan C. 300 yuanStar Wars is the name of .
A. a cinema B. a movie C a clubLinda wants to find a job during her summer holiday, she can call for more information.
A. 8124697 B. 7860769 C. LisaWhich of the following is TRUE?
A. Lisa’s Gym is open every day.
B. You have to work late as a waiter in the restaurant.
C. You and your friend should pay eighty yuan for the movie.