Looking out of the window, my son saw a tree whose branches were strongly swaying back and forth. “How does the tree move its branches like that?” He asked.
Without rising from my chair, nor looking up from my book, I started to answer, “The tree is not moving the branches, son. The wind is…” But before the words were out, I caught myself. Instead I rose from my chair and moved to the window to join my son. I looked at the tree. From inside our room, from behind the window, I could neither feel nor hear the wind. I saw instead a tree with its branches silently moving and thought to myself, from inside this room, how could I possibly be sure that the branches were moving because of the wind rather than from the tree’s own willing?
As I stood there with my son watching the tree, I became struck by the movement of the branches, the shimmer of the leaves. My mind quieted and I became less sure myself of what was causing the branches to move. Was it the wind, or was it some expressive, independent movement of the tree? “I see what you mean,” I said to my son. “The movement of the tree is very beautiful.”
“Do you think the tree is dancing?” asked my son. “Why would it be dancing?” I asked. “Maybe it is happy because the sun is shining,” he said. “Perhaps,” I said. “Or because it’s spring,” he added, “and it’s not cold any more.” “Perhaps,” I said.
As we continued to watch the tree together, I, too, began to appreciate the dance of the tree. I enjoyed the movement and sway of the branches, seeing little nuances(微妙之处) that I hadn’t noticed before. There seemed to be a rhythm to the movement, first strong and forceful, then light and gentle, then more vigorous, sometimes nearly violent.
“Are trees alive?” my son asked. “Yes, they are alive. Why do you ask?” “Because this tree looks happy,” he answered. “Can a tree be happy or sad?” “What do you mean?” I asked.
“In the winter, trees seem sad,” he said. “Their branches hang down, and they look cold and lonely. But now with the leaves on the tree and the sun shining and the birds flying, it looks happy.”What is the meaning of the underlined word “caught” in Para 2?
A.stopped | B.grasped | C.seized | D.held |
What on earth caused the tree to move?
A.The tree itself felt happy and was dancing. |
B.The tree was too sad to sway as if to get rid of all trouble. |
C.It was the warm spring. |
D.The wind did so. |
What do you think of the boy?
A.Naughty. | B.Imaginative. | C.Clever. | D.Foolish. |
My 3-year-old son and I lived a very hard life because I had been out of work since two years ago. Being poor is a terrible feeling when your 3-year-old finishes his meal and says: “Can I have some more bread and jam (果酱) please, Mummy?” And you break down in tears, because you don’t know how to tell him that there is no more food. With £6, I went to the supermarket, picked up some food and started to cook at home. It was time for me to make a change and get back on my feet. I began to write a series of articles for the website named Hunger Hurt in July 2011.
A few months later, local food bank gave me some help-- with some free vegetables every month, which made my life a little easier. I began to write recipes(食谱), posting them on my blog. To my surprise, families, students and those poor people told me how much it helped to see healthy recipes made from affordable supermarket vegetables.
My Life took unexpected turns. I was invited to give a speech on food , interviewed for an Oxfam report on food banks and asked to write a cookery book.
When I got the money from the book, for the first night in almost two years, I went to bed without worrying. Now, I have a well-paid job and a beautiful home, and I’ll never forget the days when I worked hard for a good life.The writer started to cook because _______.
A.the food at the supermarket was unhealthy |
B.she had to feed themselves in a cheap way |
C.she was advised to do so by someone |
D.her son preferred home-cooked food |
According to the text, the food bank _______.
A.helps sell the food in supermarkets |
B.gives out food to those people who are in need |
C.brings people together who care about food waste |
D.write healthy recipes to food lovers around the world |
The writer’s first post of recipes _______.
A.drew much attention | B.was given little notice |
C.moved the readers | D.attracted only housewives |
Which could be the best title?
A.what a loving mother |
B.A lesson hard life teaches me |
C.A mother’s dream job |
D.Success lies in your own hands |
One day an old woman was traveling alone in the mountains. Suddenly she saw something shining in the stream. When she came close, she found it was a precious stone. She put the stone into her bag and went on with her trip.
The next day the old woman met a young man, who was also a traveler in the mountains. The young man looked very hungry, so the old woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked carefully, “The stone is beautiful. Would you like to give it to me?”
“Sure. Why not?” the woman said, and handed the stone to him.
The young man left happily with the stone. He knew it was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back and hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within your bag.”
The woman opened her bag. It was almost empty. She looked at the young man and smiled, “I have nothing special in my bag, but I do have something precious — the joy of giving!” The young man felt ashamed and left silently.How did the young man find the precious stone?
A.He found it in his food. |
B.He dug it out in a valley. |
C.He saw it in the woman’s bag. |
D.He noticed it shining in the stream. |
What does the underlined word “security” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Money. | B.Worry. | C.Health. | D.Trouble. |
The man returned the stone to the woman because ______.
A.he found the stone was not precious |
B.he understood the real meaning of joy |
C.he felt embarrassed at taking away the stone |
D.he wanted to get something even more precious |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A.A special stone |
B.The joy of giving |
C.A woman and a young man |
D.An experience in the mountains |
One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?
Listen — Listen when they are talking. Don't say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.
Help them — If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra (额外的) pencil or pen with you to classes in case (以防) they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.
Be there for them — Try to make something for your friend to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for a friend. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U.S. actor, once said, “I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can't stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve (值得) to be with me at my best.” Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times, then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!
Make plans — Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you'll remember these things when you're all old!While your friend is talking to you about his or her feelings, you should ________.
A.give him or her some advice |
B.calm him or her down |
C.just listen unless asked |
D.share your feelings as well |
When we provide help for our friends, we should_______
A.put them before ourselves |
B.try to do everything for them |
C.Change their bad habits first |
D.ignore their faults |
What can we learn from Marilyn Monroe’s words?
A.Life without a friend is death. |
B.A friend is easier lost than found |
C.A man is known by his friends |
D.A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to find a good friend. |
B.How to be a good friend. |
C.How to help friends in trouble. |
D.How to make more friends. |
A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups — porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some extremely expensive — telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.The fact is that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee.In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously(有意识地)went for the best cups...And then you began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups.They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not change the quality of life we live.Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."God makes the coffee, not the cups.Enjoy your coffee!"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.They just make the best of everything."
Live simply.Love generously.Care deeply.Speak kindly.Leave the rest to God.What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A.the nice-looking cup |
B.the ordinary-looking cup |
C.the coffee of good quality |
D.the coffee of poor quality |
Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?
A.To give his students many more choices. |
B.To teach his students how to enjoy coffee. |
C.To tell his students the right attitude to life |
D.To show the students his collection of cups. |
According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____.
A.get the best type of coffee cups |
B.care about social status and wealth |
C.have a wide range of coffee cups |
D.make the best of what they have |
Life affects (影响) friendships. As we grow, marry, fight in wars, move across the country or change jobs, old friendships fall away and new ones form. As long as we live, the things around us change, and as long as things change, friendships are affected.
When we were children we had best friends. No matter what happened we were still friends. We live our lives, however, and do what life calls for us to do, and as we get older, memories fade (逐渐消失), faces blur (变得模糊不清), and even friends' names from childhood are forgotten.
Do you have a question about friendship? Do you wonder what to do with a friend who is no longer friendly? Perhaps you will see that you can't control others. If someone wants to be your friend, it is their choice. All you can do is treat them well and do the best for them when you are with them. Then you wish them well when they leave.
You can talk to old timers and they will tell you that life is full of incredible (难以置信的) joy and incredible sorrow, and that what bothers you today will one day become a memory and the sting (痛苦) will be gone. Seniors might tell you that you will learn more as you get older. They will tell you that friendships come and friendships go.Sometimes when they go it will hurt, but you will be okay with it.It's the way life works, after all.The text is most probably taken from a __________
A.science newspaper | B.novel |
C.health magazine | D.Psychology book |
What can we learn about friendship, according?
A.Friends in childhood are sometimes forgotten by us. |
B.Friends are always around us and will never go away. |
C.Friends in childhood are the best no matter what happens. |
D.Friendship can not be easily affected by one’s family. |
What does the underlines words “old timers” mean in the last paragraph?
A.Rich people | B.Old People |
C.Kind People | D.Smart People |
The text mainly tells us__________
A.How to deal with unfriendly People |
B.that childhood friendship is valuable |
C.how to face the change in friendship |
D.how to share happiness with friends |