My 8-year-old daughter is making an experiment. She has been making her own colorful smile cards and often takes them with her everywhere.
Last Sunday, I took my kid to go shopping with me. She was hoping to see John, who is an elderly man and gives out samples. We see him from time to time and he is so happy and friendly. John wasn’t at the store on Sunday, so my daughter decided that it would be a good idea to distribute her smile cards to the store’s other employees.
So she did. In the produce department, she gave a card to a young man and she hoped it would make him smile. And he smiled at her and thanked her. Then she came across an older gentleman who looked rather impatient. And she snuck a card into his cart on top of his groceries, remarking to me later that he looked at her suspiciously as if she was dumping trash in his cart. But I thought he would be happy later.
When we got back from our shopping trip, she had run out of cards. She was walking by a woman with two babies in her cart. My daughter smiled at her and the young mother smiled back. My daughter came to me and said excitedly, “Mom, I just realized something. You don’t need cards to make someone smile. All you need to do is make eye contact and smile into their eyes and they will smile back.”
What a beautiful lesson my daughter reminded me of. You are never too young or too old to experiment with kindness and smiles. At first, the writer’s daughter made an experiment by ______.
A.giving smile cards | B.giving samples |
C.making eye contact | D.giving groceries |
According to the text, John was a man ______.
A.who is very young and lively | B.who may be a salesman |
C.who is in trouble and needs smiles | D.who is never seen to smile |
The underlined word “distribute” in paragraph 2 probably means ______.
A.make up | B.tear up | C.give out | D.sell out |
From the text, we can learn that ______.
A.John got a smile card from the writer’s daughter |
B.the older gentleman would smile later after he got the smile card |
C.we could make others smile only by giving them what they wanted |
D.the mother with two babies smiled because she got a smile card |
We know that cigarette smoking kills. So, producers made electronic cigarettes as a safer smoking choice - safer than tobacco. Although e-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine like cigarettes, they do not use tobacco and you do not light them. They are powered by battery (电池).
However, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why has the United States Center for Disease Control(CDC) seen an increase in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings?
The answer is children. Most of the calls are from people worried about children who have played with the devices, In the period of one month this year, the Center said 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette concerns. More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger. The devices had made them sick.
Tim McAfee is director of the Center's Office on Smoking and Health, He says the problem is regulation. Meaning, the U.S. federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine. Mr.McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger. Mr.McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when it gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed. It can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance. And too much nicotine can kill,
Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do.He notes that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes. "So, cigarettes are the winner in that contest." E-cigarettes do not contain hundreds of harmful chemicals that are found in real cigarettes. So, the U.S.Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak has suggested that e-cigarettes may be a useful tool for adults trying to end their tobacco use.
But McAfee worries that teenagers may think electronic cigarettes are harmless. They could become addicted to the nicotine and then start smoking real cigarettes. In other words, he fears that for young people fake e-cigarettes could be a "gateway" to the real thing.What do the producers think of e-cigarettes?
A.Dangerous. | B.Expensive. |
C.Safer. | D.Cheaper. |
Why did the CDC receive so many calls about e-cigarettes?
A.Parents feared that their children might get poisoned. |
B.Parents found the device useless in quitting smoking. |
C.Children swallowed the liquid nicotine from the device. |
D.Children might get addicted to playing with the device. |
You are the collector in the gallery of your life. You collect. You might not mean to but you do. One out of three people collects tangible(有形的)things such as cats, photos and noisy toys.
There are among some 40 collections that are being shown at “The Museum Of”—the first of several new museums which, over the next two years, will exhibit the objects accumulated by unknown collectors. In doing so, they will promote a popular culture of museums, not what museums normally represent.
Some of the collections are fairly common—records, model houses. Others are strangely beautiful—branches that have fallen from tree, for example. But they all reveal (显露)a lot of things: ask someone what they collect and their answers will tell you who they are.
Others on the way include “The museum of Collectors” and “The Museum of Me”. These new ones, it is hoped, will build on the success of “The Museum Of”. The thinkers behind the project want to explore why people collect, and what it means to do so. They hope that visitors who may not have considered themselves collectors will begin to see they, too, collect.
Some collectors say they started or stopped making collections at important point: the beginning or end of adolescence—“it’s a growing-up thing; you stop when you grow up,”says one. Other painful times are mentioned, such as the end of a relationship. For time and life can seem so uncontrollable that a steady serial(顺序排列的)arrangement is comforting.How will the new museums promote a popular culture of museums?
A.By collecting more tangible things. |
B.By showing what ordinary people have collected. |
C.By correcting what museums normally represent. |
D.By accumulating 40 collections two years from now. |
What can be learned about collectors from their collections?
A.Who they are. |
B.How old they are. |
C.Where they were born. |
D.Why they might not mean to collect. |
Which of the following is an aim of the new museums?
A.To help people sell their collections. |
B.To encourage more people to collect. |
C.To study the significance of collecting. |
D.To find out why people visit museums. |
According to the last paragraph, people may stop collecting when they
A.become adults |
B.feel happy with life |
C.are ready for a relationship |
D.feel time to he uncontrollable |
BLOOD DRIVE & MARROW(骨髓)REGISTRATION
“These patients deserve a chance at a normal, happy future and they rely on the kindness of the strangers to make that happen.
— Daisy, Isabelle’s Mother
Isabelle is the daughter of Daisy and Saman Mirzaei. In January 2008 Isabelle was diagnosed(诊断)with a genetic blood disorder,beta thalassemia. Isabelle’s body
is unable to produce healthy red blood cells. As a result, Isabelle has been receiving blood transfusions (输血) every 4-6weeks since she was 11 months old. A lifetime of regular transfusions can lead to serious medical problems. Her only chance at a normal, healthy life is to have a marrow transplant. Isabelle is an only child, so doctors have started a search for an unrelated marrow donor through The Match Registry. The Mirzaei family asks that you consider helping patients like Isabelle by registering to be a marrow donor and give the gift of life, the gift of blood.
Held at Wiley Hall
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Behind Heathman Dormitory/Butterfield Rd.
12:00 PM - 6 :00 PM
Don’t forget to bring your driver’s license or another form of identification when you donate.
Visit www.ribc.org to make an appointment, Sponsor Code 3390.
FREE Kingston Pizza ! ! !
Marrow Donors: BE THE MATCH
bethematch.org
•be 18 to 44 years old
•in good health
•give a swab(化验标本)of your cheek cells for marrow typing
•FREE—sponsored(赞助)by Michael’s Fund
WWW. ribc. org 800-283-8385
The Rhode Island Blood Center distributes blood products to hospitals
in Rhode Island and Southern New England.We can learn from the passage that__________.
A.the blood drive is organized by Isabelle's mother |
B.Isabelle receives blood transfusions regularly |
C.Isabelle has been ill for 11 months |
D.doctors will sponsor Isabelle's family |
To be a marrow donor, you must_____________.
A.be a relative of the patient | B.carry a driver's license |
C.be at least 18 years old | D.apply to Michael's Fund |
Those who want to help patients like Isabelle can ___________.
A.come to Wiley Hall every Wednesday |
B.visit www. ribc. org for an appointment |
C.contact their parents at 800-283-8385 |
D.call at hospitals in Rhode Island |
Every one of the gymnasts who went to National Qualifiers (国家冠军赛资格赛) showed up with that goal in mind. Everyone gave it their all.
And I hate admitting it, but I was an exception. I did not do my best. Not for the ribbon exercise, nor for the club exercise. Knowing that I could have reached a little further to catch my ribbon, focused a little more so the stick wouldn’t slip through my fingers, tried a little harder to clean up those errors, but I didn’t, still bothers me.
After my disappointing competition, I tried my best to keep my eyes dry. But soon tears burned the edges of my eyes, and as I blinked, the first tear rolled down my cheek. Even though I angrily wiped my tears away before she looked at me, the evidence of my self-pity session presented itself clearly in the form of dirty makeup and reddened eyes.
My mom hated to see me cry, especially because I had no right or reason to. I had messed up — that wasn’t anyone’s fault but mine — and crying wouldn’t help at all. “Why are you crying, Amanda?” she asked, perhaps more pointedly (尖刻地) than intended, but I heard the concern in her voice. Unable to form all the emotions into words, I just looked away and avoided her questions.
“Tell me now why you’re crying.” Her voice this time wasn’t as gentle as it was before; it was filled with frustration and impatience. “Why are you crying?” she whispered again, but this time her voice was shaky and flooded with pain. This was the first time I’d ever seen my mom cry; my mom, who was always so strong and was there to encourage me through the roughest times, was now crying, and I was the reason for it. Finding my voice, I tentatively asked, “Why are you crying?”
She looked at me and answered exactly what I was afraid to hear, “I hate to see you hurting yourself.” So it was my fault. I had put those tears in her eyes. I had filled her with pain, with helplessness and with sadness.
I’ll never forget her pained expression. It forced me to realize how shortsighted and close-minded I’d been. I decided that no matter what happens in the future, I will never lose myself to regret.Which words reflect the change of the mother’s emotions?
A.Painful — impatient — concerned |
B.Concerned — frustrated — painful |
C.Satisfied — painful — frustrated |
D.Frustrated — angry — painful |
What did Amanda determine to do?
A.Never cry in face of her mom. |
B.Never compete as a gymnast. |
C.Never involve herself in self-pity. |
D.Never make up before games. |
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o'clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul's and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among them was new St Paul's.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ______.
A.many famous buildings were destroyed |
B.the birds in the sky were killed by the fire |
C.some people lost their lives |
D.the King's bakery was burned down |
Why did the writer cite (引用)Samuel Pepys’ words?
A.Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire. |
B.Because Pepys also wrote about the fire. |
C.To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire. |
D.To show that poor people suffered most. |
Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread (扩散)of the big fire?
(a) There was a strong wind.
(b) The streets were very narrow.
(c) Many houses were made of wood.
(d) There was not enough water in the city.
(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.
A.(a) and (b) |
B.(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) |
C.(a), (b), (c) and (d) |
D.(a), (b) and (c) |