Homesick is a compound word made up of HOME and SICK. You know what each word means on its own, of course. But think about what the words mean when they are used together. Homesick means SICK FOR HOME.
Now think for a minute about SEASICK. If you change the word home in the definition(释义)to the word sea, would the definition fit SEASICK? Seasick means SICK BY THE MOVEMENT ON THE SEA. When you are homesick ,the only place you want to be is at home. When you are seasick, the last place you want to be is at sea.
Have you ever heard of a person being heartsick? Heartsick doesn’t mean that something is wrong with a person’s heart. people are heartsick when they are hurt deep inside and when they feel as if their hearts are broken.
But, on the other hand, we have such compound words as handshake, handstand, and handbag. Perhaps you may write definitions for them.The word SEASICK means“______”.
A.to be eager to go to the sea | B.what has nothing to do with the sea |
C.to be sick because of the sea | D.that the sea is terrible |
When we say a person is heartsick, we mean that________.
A.his heart is sick | B.his heart needs testing |
C.he’s sorry at heart | D.he’s terribly disappointed and sad |
“The last place you want to be” is_________.
A.where you want to be most | B.where you want to be least |
C.where you go the last | D.the last place you go to |
The definitions of handshake, handstand and handbag are_______.
A.easy to know | B.difficult to know |
C.impossible to learn | D.unnecessary to learn |
Even when you’re extremely busy, you aren’t using your time with 100% efficiency. There are gaps in everyone’s schedule where they aren’t doing anything important. Even if your schedule has no gaps, there is probably lots of time where you aren’t working as fast or as effectively as you possibly could.
Why aren’t you completely efficient? It’s because time isn’t the limiting factor. If it were the limiting factor, people could work non-stop without breaks or any unproductive distractions (消遣). Instead, people, even those who are highly productive, need to take breaks, occasionally procrastinate (拖延) and slow down on tasks throughout the day.
The real and most important limiting factor for productivity is your energy levels to pay attention. Energy levels limit your productivity because when you’re tired, you can have enough time and still not get everything done. Your attention ability is also limited, because even if there are a million things that need to be done, you can only focus on one or two at a time.
You might not be able to add another 4-5 hours into your schedule without making some sacrifices. But even extremely busy people can add an hour or two into their schedule without cancelling (取消) anything. The reason why it’s hard to “find time” isn’t a lack of time. It’s because you don’t have enough energy left to focus on something else that needs to fit into your day.
I first suspected time wasn’t the real problem during an extremely busy period in my life over a year ago. I was extremely busy, but at that time I still exercised regularly. I had daily to-do lists with over twenty items, and I still found time to exercise. However, after a few weeks off, due to illness, I stopped exercising. I was not busy by any standards, in fact, my schedule was incredibly light. Despite this free time, I found it hard to find time to exercise. It seemed to get pushed later and later into my schedule until it was gone. How can I explain this strange experience? I believe you have known it.If someone can’t work with 100% efficiency, the most important limiting factor is ________.
A.a schedule without gaps |
B.breaks and distractions |
C.the limited time |
D.the limited energy |
The writer gives the example of himself in the last paragraph in order to ________.
A.prove what the real limiting factor is |
B.show us how busily he needs to work |
C.explain how important a healthy body is |
D.tell us what an strange experience he has |
What is the best title of the passage?
A.Do You Really Lack Time? |
B.How Can You Work Efficiently? |
C.What Makes Your Energy Limited? |
D.When Should You Do Exercise? |
Most young architects—particularly those in big cities—can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical—parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生锈的) walls.
In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned (放弃) years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building, The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there—the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said. “Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation (装置) in there—a slow-motion show.”
Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer (缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical (机械的) room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.According to the passage, it is for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.
A.easy | B.unnecessary |
C.unrealistic | D.common |
Working on the old building, Yocum and Bell.
A.pulled rubbish out through the roof |
B.removed the skylights from the bathroom |
C.presented a slow–motion show in an art gallery |
D.built a kitchen at the back part of the old building |
It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell .
A.benefited a lot from pulling down the roof |
B.turned more old buildings into art galleries |
C.got inspiration from decorating their old building |
D.paid more attention to the outside of the gallery |
The main idea of the passage is that .
A.people can learn a lot from their failures |
B.it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building |
C.people should not judge things by their appearance |
D.creative people can make the best of what they have |
Do you want to get home from work knowing you have made a real difference in someone’s life?
If yes, don’t care about sex or age! Come and join us, then you’ll make it!
Position: Volunteer Social Care Assistant
(No Pay with Free Meals)
Place: Manchester
Hours: Part Time
We are now looking for volunteers to support people with learning disabilities to live active lives! Only 4 days left. Don’t miss the chance of lending your warm hands to help others!
Role:
You will provide people with learning disabilities with all aspects of their daily lives. You will help them to develop new skills. You will help them to protect their rights and their safety. But your primary concern is to let them know they are valued.
Skills and Experience Required:
You will have the right values and great listening skills. You will be honest and patient. You will have the ability to drive a car and to communicate in fluent written and spoken English since you’ll have to help those people with different learning disabilities. Previous care-related experience will be a great advantage for you.The text is meant to ________
A.leave a note | B.send an invitation |
C.present a document | D.carry an advertisement |
What does the underlined part mean?
A.You’ll make others’ lives more meaningful with this job. |
B.You’ll arrive home just in time from this job. |
C.You’ll earn a good salary from this job. |
D.You’ll succeed in getting this job. |
The volunteers’ primary responsibility is to help people with learning disabilities ________.
A.to get some financial support |
B.to properly protect themselves |
C.to learn some new living skills |
D.to realize their own importance |
Which of the following can first be chosen as a volunteer?
A.The one who can drive a car. |
B.The one who has done similar work before. |
C.The one who has patience to listen to others. |
D.The one who can use English to communicate. |
My l4-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat at the same time in a second-hand clothing store. It stood out among big and old coats. It had beautiful tailoring and an unbelievable price: $28. I looked at my son and we both said nothing, but John’s eyes shone. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular with teenage boys, but they could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better. John tried it on and turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror. The fit was perfect.
John wore the coat to school the next day and came home with a big grin. “Did the kids like your coat?” I asked. “They loved it.” he said.
Over the next few weeks, John changed. He was polite, less argumentative, more thoughtful, and on the whole much happier. “Good dinner, mom.” he would say every evening. Without a word of objection he would carry in wood for the stove. One day when I suggested that he might start on his homework before dinner, John, who always put things off, said: “You’re right. I guess I will.” When I mentioned this incident to one of his teachers, she joked that the coat must have changed him.
John and I both know we should never mistake a person’s clothes for the real person within them. But there is something to be said for wearing a standard of excellence for the world to see, for practicing standards of excellence in thought, speech, and behavior, and for matching what is on the inside to what is on the outside.What does the author try to express in the first paragraph?
A.The coat looked like a magical coat. |
B.They were good at shopping. |
C.The coat was a real bargain. |
D.They had the same taste in clothes. |
What does the underlined word “grin” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.A wide smile. | B.A worried look. |
C.A low spirit. | D.A joking voice. |
After John wore the new coat, the author found he _______.
a. was happier and better-behaved
b. received more praise from his teachers
c. was willing to follow suggestions
d. made rapid progress in study
e. would say sweet words to please her
A.a, b, c | B.a, c, e |
C.b, d, e | D.c, d, e |
What message does the author intend to deliver in the article?
A.We should not judge people by their appearance. |
B.Life is full of possibilities when we are young. |
C.It’s beneficial to try different things in our lives. |
D.What we wear could help shape who we are inside. |
When many people in the west think of China, the animal that they think of is the dragon. For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell how dragons have killed brave knights and eaten beautiful young girls.
For Chinese people, however, the dragon is not an evil monster. It’s a cultural and spiritual symbol for prosperity and good luck. The dragon’s main task is to create harmony and bring rain. Dragons are celebrated in art and architecture, and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual (仪式).
China isn’t the only country to have the dragon as its symbol. Wales in the UK, has a red dragon proudly displayed on its flag. Another country in the world with a dragon on its flag is Bhutan, a tiny country between China and India.
Almost all countries in the world have an animal symbol representing their countries. This is particularly obvious during sports. The English think lions to be brave and proud animal and the English football teams have three lions on their football shirts.
Australia is famous for kangaroos, of course. The national rugby team is more commonly known as the Wallabies, a type of small kangaroo. The South African team is known as the Springboks, a type of African antelope. Likewise the New Zealanders, whether playing sports or not, are commonly known as kiwis. A kiwi is a native New Zealand bird that can’t fly.
All countries are proud of their symbols, which they feel reflect national characteristics or the beauty and variety of their natural environments. Recently, a Shanghai professor claimed that using the dragon as a national symbol could make western countries have a negative view of China. But in an Internet survey 90% of Chinese people wanted to keep the dragon.In the opinion of the west, the dragon is ______.
A.a terrible animal that is not popular |
B.a cultural and spiritual symbol of good luck |
C.a reflection of China’s national characteristics |
D.an animal that can create harmony and bring rain |
Which of the following does NOT use the dragon as its national symbol?
A.China. | B.Wales. | C.Bhutan. | D.India. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The national rugby team from the South Africa is well known as the Wallabies. |
B.The Australian team is known as Springboks, a type of kangaroo. |
C.The New Zealanders are commonly known as kiwis only when playing sports. |
D.The dragon is mentioned to have been used on the flag in two countries. |