A rich landowner decided to leave possessions to one of his two sons. As he lay on the deathbed, he called the two young men to him the break of dawn and even before the cock could crow (鸣叫). He then said, “I will leave all my wealth to the one
can best fill this room. It was in this room
I made plans on how to build up my fortune. Not an inch must
(leave) uncovered. As I am getting
(weak) by the hour you both must come back by midnight.” He handed them a small piece of silver and an empty bag to put their purchases in. They both went out and
(hurry) came back with their purchases.
(bring) the straw, the elder began to spread it about the floor,
far from filling the room. It did not even cover half the space. “This is no use, son,” said the father, “and let me see how
brother fills the room.” The younger son took
his bag a large candle, set it on the table in the centre of the room and lit it. A brilliant bright light filled up the whole room. The father was delighted and exclaimed, “Son, I am sure you will use the wealth well.”
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Imagine living in a country torn by war. Or maybe you live in a place where there are few jobs and little chance to earn a living. Your family decides to move — not to another town, but to another country. You and your family have become immigrants. People are called immigrants when they move to a foreign country to make their homes.
People become immigrants for many reasons. The most common one is economic opportunities. Most immigrants are attracted to other countries by the promise of jobs, farmland, or business opportunities.
Other people become immigrants in order to get away from mistreatment or natural disasters. They are refugees. Some refugees move to avoid wars and political unrest. Others are seeking freedom to express their religious views. Still others are uprooted by disasters, such as terrible flooding or drought.
Some people have become immigrants against their will. Captured in Africa, shipped to foreign lands and forced to work as slaves, many early African immigrants to North and South America came in chains.
Except for Native Americans, all people came to the United States from someplace else. For nearly 500 years, immigrants have landed on America’s shores seeking a better life. Throughout American history, immigrants often worked low-paying, dangerous jobs that other people refused to do.
Immigrants from around the world helped shape American life. Many immigrants absorbed the customs and language common to most Americans. They also brought their own traditions, including music and foods. Over time, many of these traditions have become part of American life.
The first European immigrants to America hoped to colonize new lands. By the mid-1500s, Spaniards had ventured into Florida, California, and the American Southwest. French immigrants arrived in the early 1600s and built their first colony in Canada. The English also arrived in the early 1600s. They established 13 colonies along America’s Atlantic Coast.
In the 1700s, England became the major power in colonial North America. But many European immigrants came to live in the English colonies. They included people from Sweden, Holland, Germany, Scotland, and Ireland.
Immigrants still come to the United States seeking freedom and economic opportunities. Most new immigrants no longer come from Europe. They come mainly from Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Today, the U.S. government limits the number of immigrants into the country each year. People who sneak illegally into the United States are called illegal immigrants, who, if caught, would be sent back to their home countries.
Key Points |
Detailed Information |
Immigrants are those who move to a foreign country to make their homes. |
|
Reasons |
Most people come for Some move to the US to Some people immigrate to Some people have become immigrants |
History |
French immigrants The English also came to the early 1600s and In the 1700s, European immigrants came to live in the English colonies, people from Sweden, Holland and etc. are |
Today |
The US government erects dams to |
There are many things that we wish to achieve in life. For some, we set goals and objectives, and for some we don’t. Try to remember the last time you set a goal to achieve a certain task. Were you able to complete the task in an effective manner? The tasks which are done by setting and meeting daily goals will definitely be useful and rewarding experiences. A step-by-step approach towards achieving smaller goals is the key to achieving larger ones.
When it comes to the workplace, each and every employee is expected to meet daily responsibilities and expectations. With organizations becoming more and more competitive, the importance of goal-setting for employees is increasing. It helps the employee to perform better and increases his or her efficiency and time management. It’s also important for every student to set high academic goals so as to be able to build a good career.
Setting goals for completing the daily schedule helps an employee to finish the assigned tasks and targets in a timely manner. If an employee is performing the way he or she is expected to, then this will automatically increase the performance, output and productivity of both the employee and the organization. Daily study targets are the same. This helps you complete your assignments within the set time, thus putting less pressure on you during exams and increasing your chances of performing well.
How many times you have to be at work on a weekend just to complete your work? How many times you have had to stay up all night to complete your homework or study for your exams? Had you followed your set goals and targets right from the beginning, you would have spent the time relaxing rather than being busy working or studying! Setting up goals and objectives helps you organize your time and efforts in an efficient manner.
In performing your work diligently, you are likely to keep a steady pace when it comes to fulfilling your set targets. Because you are already on track, there will be no unnecessary workload and time limits over your head. Therefore, another benefit of effective goal-setting is lack of stress and a more calm and relaxed mind. Only a stress-free and calm mind can house progressive and productive thoughts. A calm mind causes positivity, which goes a long way towards increasing your ability to achieve the personal goals you have set for yourself.
Each and every human being aims to achieve two things: to fulfill desires and to enjoy life. This is possible only through proper discipline and time management. Goal-setting leads to not only professional growth but also personal growth and development. You are expected to know that every step counts and that setting up goals is easy, but following them on a consistent basis is difficult. Therefore, if you want to be successful and also harvest the fruits of your hard work, you need to stick to your set goals and be focused towards achieving them. Realize the significant role that goal-setting plays in your life, make sure that you do all you can to achieve what you want., set your goals, work towards achieving them and celebrate your success!
Passage outline |
Supporting details |
Significance of goal-setting in achieving success |
In face of competition, employees with goals can perform better as well as Students who want to build a good career should attach |
Increase output and performance |
By setting goals, an employees can increase output and performance instead of Students can have less pressure and perform well with the aid of daily study targets. |
Help in time management |
You can have your time and efforts You’re likely to have more time for |
Reduce |
Chances are that you can fulfill your set targets steadily Effective goal-setting is |
Every step counts |
You should be Your hard work will |
Carlos had been in New York for five months now, and he detested it. He would never forget the day when the plane landed. His parents had big smiles on their faces as they discussed the wonderful new life they would have in this great city. His older sister and brother looked in wonder and excitement at the buildings. Uncle Miguel and Aunt Esperanza thought of the good jobs they would get. Grandmother and Grandfather told him what a lucky boy he was to come to this wonderful city. But Carlos was lonely. The city looked big, cold and dirty to him.
They lived in an apartment in Manhattan. There were stores and cinemas close to their home. But Carlos didn’t want these things. He loved his home in the country in Puerto Rico; he loved the green fields, the hot sun, and the lovely beaches.
He didn’t want to go to school because it made him think of his friends at home. And he didn’t want to learn a new language that he could never describe the world as beautifully as his own.
He began to go the dock(码头), because this made him feel closer to Puerto Rico. He sat down and watched the ships. He would often find a man also sitting there looking at the sea. The man was Eric—a taxi driver who came there to escape from the noisy traffic.
Eric noticed the young boy and felt his sadness. One day he said, “Yes, it’s hard to leave your homeland. I remember when I left Norway 15 years ago. I know it’s hard to start a new life in a new country, but let’s face it. I did it, and you can do it, too.”
From then on the taxi driver and the young boy began to develop a deep friendship.The underlined word “detested” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.
A.forgot | B.enjoyed | C.hated | D.missed |
According to the text, ________________.
A.Carlos’ grandparents were afraid of the traffic in New York |
B.Carlos’ parents were looking forward to the life in New York |
C.Carlos’ uncle and aunt found it hard to get jobs in New York |
D.Carlos’ brother and sister got excited at the schools in New York |
Why did Carlos feel lonely?
A.He knew nobody around his apartment. |
B.No one went to the movies with him. |
C.His parents left him alone at home. |
D.He missed the life in Puerto Rico. |
Eric and Carlos became friends because they ________.
A.came from the same country | B.faced the same problems |
C.were the same age | D.both hated noise |
HARVARD, the top university in the United States, is a dream place for many students. Imagine being able to see how unique Harvard students are. Asking them what they learn. And how their classes are conducted.
This month, 300 students from different parts of China had an opportunity to spend a week with Harvard students. They gathered in the High School Attached to Fudan University in Shanghai where the Harvard College Association for US-China Relations Summit for Young Leaders in China (HSYLC 2007) took place. Over 40 Harvard undergraduates took part in it!
Around 2,000 Chinese students applied online for the program, which included various activities. Wang Wenjing, 17, from Shanghai Jingye High School was one of the 300 participants to be selected.
Seminars (研讨会)
Every day, the schedule was very busy filled with seminars, lectures, workshops (研习班), games and parties. Wang liked the seminars most.
Seminars are small classes with no more than 10 students. Wang could choose six from 40 different seminars to attend. A Harvard student led each one.
"They explored international issues such as US immigration (移民). We were allowed lively discussion and sometimes the only thing we did in a class was debate," Wang said. "To prepare for the next seminar, we often stayed up late doing research. No one could keep silent and it was fun to share ideas with others."
Celebrities’(名人) lectures
Each day, two or three lectures were given. Wang was excited that the lecturers were famous figures that before she had only seen on TV.
"I finally know why people are crazy about Yi Zhongtian. He is intelligent and eloquent (有口才的). Pu Bajia taught me how to overcome difficulties and plan for the future. All the lectures were inspiring," she said.
At the closing ceremony, Wang and her partner from Nanjing presented their workshop project. It was a survey of how Chinese view Americans, as an article about how Americans view Chinese is popular on the Internet.
"The program taught me what I could not otherwise learn in the classroom. Harvard students also let me know how important to be creative," she said.
Background information |
300 Chinese students had an opportunity to spend a week with students of Harvard University, the most _ |
|
The programme was _ |
||
About 2000 Chinese students applied online, but only 300 were luckily chosen. |
||
__ |
Seminars |
Seminars are small classes with only 10 students, __ |
There were 40 different seminars for participants to choose from. |
||
The Chinese students had to __ |
||
Everyone had to stay up late, __ |
||
Celebrities’ lectures |
Every day two or three _ |
|
Conclusion |
Participants had to present their workshop projects, intended to encourage their ___ |
Can you escape from a sinking vehicle? The answer is obviously yes. “But you’ve got to be quick.” said Gordon Greisbeck, a professor from the University of Manitoba’s. Here he gives four rules of survival.
Rule 1. Don’t call 911 until you are out of the car. You should get out of that vehicle immediately after unbuckling. Think about calling 911 once you’ve made it out alive. ‘Time is very important,” Greisbeck says, “If you touch your cell phone, you’re probably going to die.”
Rule 2. Don’t open the door. Roll down or break the windows instead. Opening the door is very difficult against the water pressure and it also allows so much water into the vehicle that it will speed up the sinking process. Since most vehicles now have electronically controlled windows, it is probable that the circuits (电路) will short before you have a chance to roll them down. So you’ll need a tool like the Life Hammer to break the windows open. And make sure these tools are within reach at all times.
Rule 3. Children first. Everybody should get out of their own window if possible, but the kids are going to have a harder time fighting through the rush of water, so push them out if you have to. Greisbeck suggests starting with the oldest kids and taking the youngest out in your arms.
Rule 4. Get out. Swim through the broken windows as fast as possible. You can’t imagine what will happen in the next second. Any intention to take your belongings can be deadly.
If you’ve failed to get the windows rolled down or broken, you’ll still have the slightest of chances to escape. Once water fills the car, the pressure will be equalized and you will be able to open the door. But to do this, you will also have to be expert at holding your breath in an extremely stressful situation.
How to |
||
Rules |
Details |
|
Don’t call Immediately. |
Make a phone call once you’ve |
Time is of great importance. |
Don’t Open The door. |
Roll down the windows or use a Life Hammer to make the windows |
◆The water pressure can make opening the door ◆The vehicle will sink ◆Most cars have electronically controlled windows and the circuits will |
Children first. |
Push the oldest kids out first, and then go out with the youngest in your |
Kids have more difficulty |
Get out. |
Swim through the broken windows as fast as possible. |
What will happen is |