For several years, we lived at the end of a long Texas country road. Every evening when I was away from home on business, my little boy would ask permission of his mother to take his black and his daddy’s walking stick, to make the half-mile from the house to the fence which the beginning of the dirty driveway.
One day, I was busy with my business and was for about an hour, completely forgetting about the little boy down the road who might be for his daddy.
On my way home, the rain was so thick that I could not ten feet in front of me. All I could was finishing my journey and getting out of the rain. , the downpour began to abate(减弱). It was only a drizzle(细雨) by the time my car turned the last and approached the final street between me and a warm home and nice meal.
, I caught sight of my little boy, who was an umbrella in one hand, a walking stick in the other, and was wearing the biggest and most beautiful smile ever to lighten the of a little boy.
As I stopped the car and the door, he ran into my arms and held me long and hard. He was wet and with cold, but he never the rain, nor the hour-long wait. He simply said, “Daddy, I missed you. I am so glad you are home.”
Last year, we to a wonderful new home provided for a special season in our lives. We no longer have a long country road. , I have never forgotten the rainy day and the little boy and his black dog. Often, perhaps a thousand times, that has occurred in my mind. all events in our lives, it happens once, and must be treasured.
A．bag B．dog C．umbrella D．toy
A．journey B．flight C．effort D．ride
A．discovered B．explained C．marked D．described
A．controlled B．trained C．delayed D．bothered
A．hopeful B．grateful C．careful D．faithful
A．waiting B．sending C．searching D．calling
A．drive B．see C．feel D．hear
A．stick to B．think of C．pick up D．hold on
A．In fact B．In surprise C．At once D．At last
A．moment B．corner C．street D．way
A．All of a sudden B．Believe it or not C．To my pleasure D．For seconds
A．holding B．taking C．folding D．carrying
A．body B．head C．face D．hand
A．closed B．locked C．knocked D．opened
A．worrying B．nervous C．trembling D．anxious
A．noticed B．doubted C．judged D．mentioned
A．moved B．turned C．returned D．traveled
A．Therefore B．Besides C．Otherwise D．However
A．time B．scene C．act D．sight
A．With B．For C．Like D．Among
The mental aspect of athletics is underrated. The common expression, “athletics are 90 percent ____ and 10 percent physical,” is often used by coaches, and stresses that mindsets make a huge ____ in competitions.
“The physical aspect of the sport can only take you ____ ,” said Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Shannon Miller during an interview with the Dana Foundation. “The mental aspect has to ____ , especially when you’re talking about the best of the best. In the Olympic games, everyone is talented. Everyone ____ hard. Everyone does the work. What ____ the gold medalists from the silver medalists is simply the mental game.”
Many athletes have used the technique of mental imagery, or ____ , to perform at their best. Research on the brain patterns of ____ found that the patterns activated when a weightlifter lifted heavy weights were activated ____ when they simply imagined lifting and some studies have suggested that mental ____ can be almost as effective as physical training. One study, published in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology in 1996, found that ____ weight lifting caused ____ changes in muscle activity.
“Mental imagery ____ many cognitive (认知的) processes in the brain: motor control, attention, perception, planning, and memory,” researcher Angie LeVan wrote in Psychology Today. “So the ____ is getting trained for actual performance during visualization. It’s been found that mental practices can enhance motivation, increase confidence, improve motor performance and ____ your brain for success.”
____ visualizing is more than just thinking about an upcoming event. ____ athletes use visualization, they truly feel the event taking place in their mind’s eye.
“During visualization, she incorporates (整合) all of her ____ into the experience,” sports psychologist Dr JoAnn Dahlkoetter wrote in a blog post on The Huffington Post ____ a speed skater she works with. “She feels her forefoot pushing off the track, she hears her skating splits, and she sees herself racing ahead of the competitors. She experiences all of the elements of her race ____ before executing (完成) her performance.”
A．lucky B．intelligent C．mental D．strategic
A．difference B．importance C．improvement D．challenge
A．so long B．so far C．so much D．so high
A．turn on B．show off C．take up D．set off
A．thinks B．moves C．runs D．trains
A．breaks B．pushes C．decides D．distinguishes
A．activation B．visualization C．motivation D．perception
A．athletes B．gymnasts C．weightlifters D．skaters
A．regularly B．normally C．finally D．similarly
A．connection B．practice C．performances D．directions
A．imagining B．considering C．reviewing D．dreaming
A．few B．usual C．actual D．strange
A．impacts B．increases C．slows D．follows
A．brain B．body C．attention D．memory
A．help B．apply C．use D．prepare
A．Though B．But C．Thus D．Otherwise
A．Unless B．After C．When D．Until
A．observations B．spirit C．determination D．senses
A．to B．for C．about D．with
A．in surprise B．in detail C．on time D．for example
Optimism and pessimism are both powerful forces. Each of us must choose which we want to our future and our expectations. We can choose to laugh or cry, bless or . It’s our decision: From which perspective do we want to view life? Will we look up in or down in desperation? I believe in the upward look. I choose to the positive and skip right over the negative.
An optimistic attitude is not a luxury; it’s a(n) . The way you look at life will determine how you feel, how you perform, and how well you will get along with other people. , negative thoughts, attitudes, and expectations themselves; they become a self-fulfilling prophecy (预言). Pessimism creates a dark place where no one wants to live.
Years ago, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day, and I was feeling great. As I walked into the station to pay for the gas, the attendant said to me, “How do you feel?” That seemed like a(n) question, but I felt fine and told him so. “You don’t look well,” he replied. This me completely by surprise. A little confidently, I told him that I had felt better. Without hesitation, he continued to tell me how bad I looked and that my skin appeared yellow.
By the time I left the service station, I was feeling a little . About a block away, I over to the side of the road to look at my face in the mirror. How did I feel? Was I affected with jaundice(黄疸)? Was everything all right? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a little nauseous(恶心). Did I have a bad liver? Had I some rare disease?
On another beautiful day, when I went into that gas station, feeling again, I figured out what had happened. The place had recently been painted a bright, distasteful , and the light reflecting the walls made everyone inside look as though they had hepatitis（肝炎）! I wondered how many other folks had the way I did. I had let one short conversation with a total change my attitude for an entire day. He told me I looked sick, and before long, I was actually feeling sick. That single observation had a great effect on the way I felt and acted.
The only thing more powerful than negativism is a word of optimism and hope. When a whole culture adopts an upward look, incredible things can be accomplished.
A．shape B．decide C．preview D．transform
A．forgive B．curse C．praise D．regret
A．vain B．anger C．action D．hope
A．highlight B．analyze C．evaluate D．introduce
A．necessity B．opportunity C．quality D．identity
A．Actually B．Consequently C．Accordingly D．Contrarily
A．rely on B．feed on C．go on D．take on
A．familiar B．ordinary C．odd D．easy
A．got B．took C．stopped D．made
A．more B．less C．quite D．too
A．never B．ever C．once D．always
A．uneasy B．unconcerned C．unsatisfied D．unaffected
A．got B．came C．took D．pulled
A．come up B．brought up C．picked up D．put up
A．fine B．upset C．sick D．calm
A．gray B．blue C．yellow D．red
A．in B．over C．off D．through
A．quit B．adapted C．answered D．reacted
A．liar B．onlooker C．attendant D．stranger
A．positive B．negative C．careful D．rigid
This was my grandmother's first Christmas without grandfather, and before he passed away we had promised grandfather that we would make this her best Christmas ever. When my parents and I at her house, we found she had waited up all night for us. The house did seem a little without grandfather.
Grandfather had always said that the Christmas was the most important decoration of all. So we immediately set to work on the beautiful artificial tree that was stored in grandfather's closet (壁橱). Through our efforts, we finally stepped back to our handiwork. It looked beautiful. something was missing.
"Where's your star?" I asked.
The star was my grandmother's favorite part of the tree.
"Why, it be here somewhere," she said, starting to sort through the boxes again. "Your grandfather always everything so carefully when he took the tree down."
As we emptied the boxes and no star, my grandmother's eyes filled with tears. Grandfather had given it to grandmother some fifty years ago on their first Christmas together. It brought them great happiness. Now, on her first Christmas without him, the star was , too.
"Don't worry, Grandmother," I her. "We'll find it for you."
My mother and I formed a search . "Let's start in on the closet where the ornaments (装饰品) were," Mother said. "Maybe the star just fell out of the box."
That sounded , so I began to search the closet. I thought I tried every , but no star. I could see grandmother was , although she tried not to show it.
"What’s in this wrapped box?” Mother suddenly called out. "It was at the bottom of father’s closet."
Grandmother took the box in and opened it. Her face when she unfolded the paper and pulled out a golden star. There was a(n) attached.
Don't be angry with me, dear. I broke your star while packing the decorations, and I couldn't to tell you. Thought it was time for a new one. I hope it brings you as much as the first one. Merry Christmas!
Love,
Bryant
So grandmother's tree had a star after all, a star that expressed their everlasting love for one another. And we were glad we were able to make this Christmas for her.
A．arrived B．looked C．stayed D．worked
A．noisy B．empty C．safe D．clean
A．flower B．bell C．stocking D．tree
A．admire B．repair C．paint D．design
A．Or B．So C．But D．And
A．might B．must C．need D．will
A．packed B．decided C．covered D．searched
A．made B．left C．found D．felt
A．gone B．hidden C．broken D．forgotten
A．warned B．persuaded C．reminded D．comforted
A．game B．class C．company D．party
A．challenging B．reasonable C．pleasant D．difficult
A．suggestion B．direction C．possibility D．method
A．ashamed B．shocked C．disappointed D．frightened
A．fear B．relief C．anger D．surprise
A．cleared B．brightened C．darkened D．tightened
A．article B．note C．receipt D．poem
A．bear B．afford C．wait D．agree
A．peace B．change C．luck D．joy
A．special B．funny C．relaxing D．favorite
"How was school, Ben?" I asked my after he began kindergarten(幼儿园) this year. "The work is too and there's not enough time to play." he replied with a deep .
I couldn't help but remember Ben's mother. my daughter, Jane, and her to the first day of school. When Julie home that afternoon. I asked her the same question . She also replied with a long, face but her answer was a little different as she announced . " I didn't learn to today."
What a disappointment for a little girl who thought she would know how to read her little books after the first day of school. I had to explain to her that she would learn to read but didn't happen quite that fast.
My went back to my school days again I could almost the chalk dust in the air. I suppose few schools still use chalk and blackboards. They have probably been with newer equipment and large computer screens
On the first day of school, the expectation was s0 that I would be up early in the morning and long before it was time to leave for school We . about 6 blocks to school new shoes that felt tight and carried our small supplies inside a cigar box from one of the local stores. The stores must have saved cigar boxes just to give to us children .We them from year to year until they fell apart.
The first day of school was a new beginning, although there might be on the first day. The doors of knowledge had been opened and we great learning adventures. It is an in our lives that most of us remember. It's a big step for a small child toward leaving babyhood and so "there isn't enough time to play".
A．son B．grandson C．brother D．cousin
A．short B．loose C．hard D．long
A．cheer B．expression C．concern D．sigh
A．attention B．approach C．reaction D．access
A．returned B．left C．headed D．escaped
A．cheerful B．friendly C．sad D．familiar
A．write B．read C．listen D．speak
A．widely B．magically C．perfectly D．commonly
A．eventually B．originally C．occasionally D．constantly
A．idea B．view C．mind D．sight
A．smell B．imagine C．taste D．reach
A．decorated B．replaced C．exchanged D．equipped
A．small B．great C．faint D．slight
A．anxious B．nervous C．curious D．ready
A．walked B．drove C．ran D．rode
A．on B．in C．by D．with
A．saved B．used C．protected D．hid
A．excitement B．anxiety C．disappointment D．sorrow
A．expected B．promised C．demanded D．appreciated
A．matter B．affair C．fact D．event
Surfing: It's Not Just for Boys Anymore
If you asked high school girls to name their favorite sports, most would probably say basketball or volleyball. I happen to be one of the few girls who would : surfing. But isn't that a boy thing? Some people . Most certainly not.
I started surfing about five years ago and in love with the sport on the very first day. Riding that first was the best feeling I had ever experienced.
When I try to surfing with other things, I find it very difficult because, in my , there's nothing like it. It involves body, , and soul. There's sand between my toes and cool, salt water all us. The feeling I get when I'm surfing across that , becoming one with the , is like I'm weightless.
The one thing I can from surfing and not any other sport is endless challenge. You can never be the "best surfer" because the ocean an uncountable variety of waves that nobody can ever master. The variations of surfing styles are wonderful. Some surfers are free and flowing; others are very aggressive and . All of these things attract me to surfing and make it from any other sport.
I've to tell every girl I know to do something that people don't think girls can do. It's part of being human to advance to new , so shouldn't it be expected that girls should step up and start the limits of things boys and men used to dominate（主宰）？
There're women side by side with the President of our country, so why not side by side with the boys the football team or out in the water surfing? Give girls a chance to , and they will.
A．tell B．answer C．give D．realize
A．wonder B．understand C．reply D．believe
A．stayed B．came C．dropped D．fell
A．wave B．storm C．sail D．boat
A．bring B．connect C．compare D．tie
A．work B．study C．holiday D．life
A．mind B．effort C．health D．time
A．along B．above C．around D．by
A．beach B．water C．board D．lake
A．sky B．world C．earth D．ocean
A．take B．get C．make D．keep
A．catches B．includes C．offers D．collects
A．sharp B．great C．hard D．calm
A．known B．right C．far D．different
A．chosen B．tried C．learned D．promised
A．levels B．points C．steps D．parts
A．reaching B．accepting C．pushing D．setting
A．sitting B．walking C．fighting D．working
A．of B．from C．on D．with
A．think B．succeed C．perform D．feel