A woman was in a hurry to go to the airport. She told the cab driver to drive quickly. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she was not aware they were going by a different route.
Suddenly, a man got inside the cab. He took her handbag where she had placed her visa, passport, and all her money for the trip.
The driver, who was in cahoots with the robber, left her in the middle of that dark street. She cursed the world for being so mean to her, and thought how unlucky she was in that situation.
That very same night, she heard some shocking news．Tears flowed down her face．Flight 230,which was the plane that she was supposed to have boarded, had crashed．If she had not lost her precious belongings, she could have lost something far more important—her life．
Sometimes bad things really happen．We lose money, fail our exams, or are rejected by others．There are times when nothing seems to go our way．
So what should we do about it? Should we be disappointed? The answer is a resounding “No!" We must get rid of all these frustrations and start all over again in the consistent faith that we will get what we deserve．
Don't waste your time and energy on things that can't be changed．Continuous worrying will only affect your health and you'll be doing much more damage than what was previously done．
What if it was the other way round? What if we never ran out of good luck?
There was a man who won the lottery．He thought he was the luckiest person in the world．He became greedy and wasted all his money on everything he could get his hands on．
One day, he made it to the front page of the newspaper again．But this time, it was a different story．He had been killed because of his riches．
If you attain good luck, you can never be too secure about it．Hope for protection and guidance．Life is so unpredictable．You never know what will happen next．
Live one day at a time．we sometimes subject ourselves to unnecessary emotional trouble．We ask ourselves: "What if I don't get this done in time?" or "What if my family leaves me and I've got no one else to turn to?"
Live for the moment．Do what must be done for the present and the future will turn out just fine． Believe me．And believe in yourself．As Captain Planet always says: "The power is yours!"The underlined phrase "in cahoots with" in Paragraph 3 probably means "____"．
| A．was forced by | B．was fighting bravely with |
| C．had cooperated with | D．was trying to beg |
From the passage, we learn that___．
| A．the woman was lucky to miss her flight |
| B．some people just never run out of good luck |
| C．robbers will get what they deserve |
| D．if you feel yourself lucky, you will continue to be so |
According to the author, which of the following is the right attitude to adopt towards life?
| A．Don't waste your time and energy because time is limited． |
| B．There's no need to worry or get frustrated．Just believe in yourself． |
| C．Even when everything seems to be going well, we should keep fully alert． |
| D．Worrying about what you don't have means you miss out on opportunities for other things． |
The stories are intended to tell us___．
| A．fortune only favors the prepared mind |
| B．gains and losses go hand in hand |
| C．misfortune might be a blessing |
| D．we should save up for a rainy day |
MAY 14 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel(以色列). Many Israelis, however, are not in the mood to celebrate.
Looking at the damage to her neighbor's home from a Palestinian（巴勒斯坦） rocket, Batia Katar, a 17-year-old Israeli girl, was in tears. "We can't celebrate (Israel's) independence when things like this are happening," she said.
What is clear is that Israel is not a normal country. The country has a dramatic (戏剧性) history and ancient culture but has only officially existed for 60 years. Within hours after it was established in 1948, Israel was at war with its Arab neighbors for land. It won that time, and in 1956, 1967 and 1973, acquiring the West Bank, the Golan Heights, Gaza and east Jerusalem. For good or ill, Israelis can take pride in victories with so many countries. However, it occupied much more land than the United Nations agreed, which left local Palestinians homeless.
Different from all its neighbors in religion, Israel is also far more successful economically than its neighbors. Though, it gets a great amount of support from America and other Western countries. The country is now a world leader in many industries, such as IT and modern agriculture.
However, conflict exists, just like 60 years ago. And the signal of peace is as weak as ever. Palestinian militants (武装人员) have fired more than 7,000 missiles from Gaza, mainly at Sedro, killing 13 people. In the same period hundreds of Palestinian civilians in Gaza have died in Israeli military action.
In order to create peace, the world community hopes both sides accept and follow the Middle East peace plan. Optimists believe through Israeli-Palestinian negotiations there will finally be peace.
Both Israelis and Palestinians want to live in peace without explosions that remind them that they are living in a special but dangerous place. Why are many Israelis not in the mood to celebrate the both anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel? Because .
| A．the government didn't organize it |
| B．they are too busy to attend it |
| C．it is dangerous to celebrate it |
| D．conflicts and fights still exist |
The underlined word established in the fourth paragraph means .
| A．defeated | B．founded | C．attacked | D．accepted |
Israel is not a normal country because .
| A．the country has a dramatic history and ancient culture but has only officially existed for 60 years |
| B．within hours after its establishment, Israel was at war with its Arab neighbors for land |
| C．it occupied much more land than the UN agreed, which left local Palestinians homeless |
| D．all of the above |
Which statement about Israel is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．It became a country in 1948. |
| B．It is different from all its neighbors in religion. |
| C．It is now a world leader in many industries, such as IT and modern agriculture. |
| D．No country has supported it since it was founded. |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．it is still a question mark whether Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace |
| B．Israel was created as a homeland for homeless Jews |
| C．for good or ill, Israelis can take pride in victories with so many countries |
| D．Israel is far more successful economically than its neighbors |
TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TEENSGIVING?
TEENSGIVING is an exciting yearly event where hundreds of New York City teens gather together yearly for a remarkable day of community service. This year, TEENSGIVING in SRING 2010 participants will once again better New York City and influence thousands of lives!
When is TEENSGIVING in SPRING2010?
SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010
Where is TEENSGIVING?
All over New York City. Everyone will meet at the 92nd Street Y (92nd and Lexington) at 9:00 AM for the event kick-off. Then, all TEENSGIVING volunteers will spread across the city to work with our partnering agencies where they will make a HUGE difference and have fun!
Who participates in TEENSGIVING?
Hundreds of teenagers from around the city. Teens come from the 92nd Street Y, various city schools, youth groups, and organizations in the area. In addition, many adult volunteers (aged 21 and older) will contribute their time to TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010.
What projects do participants do at the agencies?
Sample projects include painting park benches, plantinggardens,visitingand playing with the poor children, assembling(组装) model planes for children in hospitals, assisting at animal shelters（收容所）, working at soup kitchens, delivering meals and celebrating with families at homeless shelters.
Do I get anything for participating in TEENSGIVING?
Yes! Everybody benefits! Teen volunteers willreceive*6hours*ofcommunity service credit, goodtowardshonorsociety,highschoolgraduationandcollege application requirements. Adult volunteers will be “thanked” with a light breakfast, a gift certificate(证明，证书)for their troubles, and the satisfactionofhelping our city’s youth contribute to their community. In addition, all teen and adult volunteers will receive a cool TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010 T-shirt.
This sounds amazing! How do I record my name for TEENSGIVING in SPRING2010? Interested teens and/or adults should e-mail the TEENSGIVING Coordinator Josh Hyman at jhyman@92Y.org (subjet: TEENSGIVING ) to receive more information and to register for this fantastic event!
**Teenscanalsocontacttheirschool’sCommunityServiceAdvisor**
TEENSGIVINGissponsoredbythe92ndStreetY. TEENSGIVINGisaneventwhichisheld______.
| A．fromtimetotime | B．onceeveryyear |
| C．everytwoyears | D．twiceayear |
TeenagersmaydoallthefollowingintheeventEXCEPT____.
| A．wateringflowers | B．cooking |
| C．cleaningstreets | D．takingcareofanimals |
Anadultvolunteermayget_ forhistimedevoted
toTEENSGIVING in SPRING2010.
| A．communityservicecreditandaT-shirt |
| B．ahighschoolcertificateandalightbreakfast |
| C．aT-shirtandagiftcertificate |
| D．agiftcertificateandcommunityservicecredit |
Thewriter’spurposeinwritingthispassageisto_______.
| A．informreadersofsomefrequentlyaskedquestions |
| B．introduceTEENSGIVINGinSPRING2010toreaders |
| C．encouragereaderstoaskmorequestionsaboutTEENSGIVING |
| D．callonreaderstoparticipateinTEENSGIVINGinSPRING2010 |
A few days ago I got a call from my old college friend whom I haven’t seen for a very long time. The topic, which was about all the good old times that we had changed to a touching story when he started talking about his father.
His father’s declining health made him stay at the hospital. Because of his illness, his father suffered from insomnia (失眠) and often talked to himself. My friend, who had not been able to sleep for a few days as he had to keep watching his father’s condition, became annoyed and told his father to keep silent and try to get some sleep. His father said that he really wanted to sleep well because he was very tired and told my friend to leave him alone in the hospital if he did not want to keep him company.
After his father finished talking, he fell unconscious (失去知觉). My friend was very sorry for speaking the ill words towards his father. My friend, whom I knew as a tough person, cried as a baby on the other end of the telephone. He said that from that moment on, he prayed every day, asking God to let his father wake up from his coma. He promised himself that whatever words came out from his father’s mouth after he regained his consciousness, he would gladly take them. His only hope for God was to give him a chance to rectify his past mistake.
Often, we complain when we have to accompany or watch over our parents for years, months, days, hours or even minutes. But do we realize that our parents keep us company and watch over us for as long as we (or they) live? From the day we were born to our adulthood, and even when deaths come to us, they are always at our side.
Imagine how sad our parents will be when they hear a seemingly innocent （天真无邪的）word of “no” come out from our mouths. We can make promises to ourselves that from now on there will be no more complaints that come out from our mouths when we have to watch over or accompany our parents. No more complaints come out from our mouths when we feel that our parents have treated us like little children. There are so many unlucky ones who have neither fathers nor mothers. They long to have the things that we most complain about, but never have them.
Actually, it takes only a second to think and light the lamp that will bring us to a place where peace is dwelling.Which of the following word can be used to describe the writer’s friend?
| A．Sad | B．Sorry | C．Regretful | D．Pitiful |
What does the underlined word “rectify” mean in Para. 3?
| A．put…right | B．recite…by heart |
| C．realize | D．recognize |
What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?
| A．Your parents will keep talking to themselves when they are old. |
| B．Be good to your parents when you still have the chance. |
| C．You will regret in your life if you don’t show your kindness to your parents. |
| D．It is not easy to take good care of sick old parents. |
It was Monday. Mrs. Smith's dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house.
Considering that there was no better way. Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it：“Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently：“Take this to the butcher（* person whose job is selling meat）and he's going to give you your lunch today.”
Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher's. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady's handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once.
At noon, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers.
But, the dog came again at four o'clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher's more surprise, it came for the third time at six o'clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it！ Mrs. Smith treated her little dog quite______.
| A．cruelly | B．fairly | C．kindly | D．friendly |
It seemed that the dog knew well that the paper Mrs. Smith gave it ______ .
| A．might do it much harm |
| B．could do it much good |
| C．would help the butcher |
| D．was worth many pounds |
The butcher did not give any meat to the dog __________ .
| A．before he felt sure that the words were really written by Mrs. Smith |
| B．when he found that the words on the paper were not clear |
| C．because he had sold out all the meat in his shop |
| D．until he was paid enough by Mrs. Smith |
From its experience, the dog found that ________.
| A．only the paper with Mrs. Smith's words in it could bring it meat |
| B．the butcher would give the meat to it whenever he saw it |
| C．Mrs. Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher |
| D．a piece of paper could bring it half a pound of meat |
There are little cars that may some day take the place of today’s automobiles(汽车). If everyone drives such a little car in the future, there will be less pollution in the air, there will be more parking space in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. The space now for one car of the usual size can hold at least three such little cars.
The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too, as these little cars can go only 65 kilometers an hour.
The cars of the future will be fine for going around the city, but they will not be useful for going far away. If the car is powered by electricity, it will have two batteries—one battery for the motor and the other for the horn (喇叭), signals (信号灯), etc. Little cars which are powered by gas will go 45 kilometers before needing to stop for more gas.
If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed to set up in the future. Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the small, slower ones. What’s the advantage (优势) of the small cars?
| A．There won’t be so much pollution and the small cars won’t be so expensive as the big ones. |
| B．It will be safer to drive these small cars. |
| C．There will be more space for cars to park. |
| D．All of the above. |
Two sets of roads are necessary in the future in order to .
| A．prevent car accidents |
| B．make the city more beautiful |
| C．let small cars run fast |
| D．limit the speed of the cars |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．A car of the usual size now is three times as big as the small car. |
| B．The small car with a speed of 65 kilometers an hour is much more useless than a car of the usual size. |
| C．the little car will be safer but cost more. |
| D．The little car will need more gas. |
The best title for this passage should be .
| A．Big Cars and Small Cars | B．How to Drive Small Cars |
| C．Cars for Tomorrow | D．Cars for Everyone |