That Easter day ( 复活节) I found out we were so poor . The minister brought us the money for the poor family , so we must be poor , I thought . I didn’t like being poor . Everyone there probably already knew we were poor ! I thought about school . I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class over 100 students . I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor .
We sat in silence for a long time . Then it got dark , and we went to bed . All that week ,we girls went to school and came home , and no one talked much . Finally , on Saturday , Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money . What did poor people do with the money ? We didn’t know . We didn’t want to go to the church on Sunday , but mom said we had to . Although it was a sunny day , we didn’t talk on the way . Mom started to sing , but no one joined in .
At church we had a speaker . He talked about how churches in Africa built schools and houses for the poor people , but they needed more money to buy foods . The speaker said ,“ Can’t we all give away some money to help those poor people ?” We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week .
Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope . She passed it to Darlene , Darlene gave it to me , and I put it into the offering .
When the offering was counted , the minister announced that it was a little over 500 dollars . The speaker was excited . He hadn’t expected such a large offering from our small church . He said ,＂ You must have some rich people in this church .” Suddenly it struck us ! We had given 420dollars of that “ little over 500 dollars .“
We were the rich family in the church ! Hadn’t the speaker said so ? From that day on , I’ve never been poor again .When the writer’s family was given the money for the poor , she probably felt ____________ .
| A．thankful | B．surprised |
| C．fair | D．embarrassed (难堪的) |
The mother decided to go to the church to ________________
| A．hang out with her kids |
| B．donate ( 捐赠 ) the money to poor people |
| C．cheer her kids up |
| D．show other people they were not poor |
What does the underlined word “announced” mean ?
Ａ. Spoke loudly in public B. Made a hard decision
C. Host a good program D. Discovered an exciting resultWhich of the statements is true ?
| A．The writer was born in an African country |
| B．The writer didn’t like going to school |
| C．The mother was helpful to others |
| D．the mother didn’t want the money given by others |
What can we learn from the article ?
| A．It’s not good to receive other’s money |
| B．Being poor ,you still can help |
| C．Churches are good places to learn |
| D．We should regard difficulties as challenges |
A Pathway (路径) to Meaning in Life
When it comes to a meaningful life, we might think of love, happiness and health. A life filled with meaning is what most of us want for ourselves. Then, what makes a meaningful life?
Many researchers agree that a meaningful life comes down to three factors (因素): having long-term goals, believing that one’s life matters, and feeling that one’s life fits together and “makes sense”.
But we believe there is more to consider. Sometimes life enables us to experience small moments of beauty. When people are open to appreciating (欣赏) such experiences, these moments may improve how they see their own life. We call this experiential appreciation (EA). EA is about the person feeling connected to events and being able to appreciate the value within the connection. It shows the discovery of and admiration for life’s beauty.
We recently set out to better understand EA in studies. We were interested in whether EA was also tied to general judgment of meaning in life. If so, it could be a factor for meaningfulness.
In the first study, we had people rate (评估) their support for different methods of reducing stress. We found that people who managed stress by focusing on their appreciation for life’s beauty also reported experiencing life as highly meaningful.
In the next study, we asked people to rate the degree to which they agreed with various statements, such as “I appreciate the beauty of life” and “I appreciate little things in life,” as well as other statements that related to the three factors and a general sense of meaning in life. Our results showed that the more people reported that they were “appreciating life” and its many experiences, the more they felt their life was valuable.
In the following studies, we further looked at the connection between EA and meaningfulness. For example, we found that people who were asked to look back on the most meaningful event of the past week generally reported high EA in those moments.
All the results proved our theory (假设) true. But putting it into practice can be difficult. Our fast-paced lifestyles fill the day with goals. We try to get the highest output both at work and in spare time. This focus on future outcomes makes it all too easy to miss what is happening right now. We should slow down and let life surprise us.
(1). You were most probably in the EA condition when _________.
| A． |
you made a travel plan for the coming holiday |
| B． |
you hurried to serve the customers in the store |
| C． |
you practiced hard to become the best violinist |
| D． |
you stopped to admire the roses by the roadside |
(2). What can we learn from the studies mentioned in the passage?
| A． |
Thinking back to the past weakens our sense of meaning. |
| B． |
Enjoying small things can influence our attitude toward life. |
| C． |
Proper stress management is the key to living a satisfying life. |
| D． |
Good judgment on beauty improves connections among people. |
(3). What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
| A． |
It is easier for results-driven people to achieve success. |
| B． |
We often turn a blind eye to the present moment. |
| C． |
A fast-paced lifestyle helps us reach our goals. |
| D． |
Future life will bring us many more surprises. |
(4). What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage?
| A． |
To explain how to discover beauty in life. |
| B． |
To discuss what the true meaning of life is. |
| C． |
To introduce a new factor for a meaningful life. |
| D． |
To compare different factors for meaningfulness. |
What does it mean to be green? Green is more than just a color. It also means taking special steps to protect the environment. Buying a green product is a small step everyone can take. Deciding whether a product is green, however, isn’t always easy. We need to consider the whole life cycle of the product even after it’s of no use. Here is what we may keep in mind.
The materials of a product are usually our first focus (关注). What is it made of? Are there any harmful chemicals in it? Green products are made of more natural materials which are free from harmful chemicals, so they can be good for our physical health.
Packaging is important. How is a product packaged? Is it over packaged? We’d better choose glass, metal and paper packaging, as these can be reused or more easily recycled (回收利用). We can also look for less packaging or even choose unbagged products whenever possible.
Location (地点) matters. Where was a product produced? Where are we buying it? Think about how much energy was used to get it to us try to choose local products. When it comes to food, it is a good idea to order directly from local farmer, shop at markets and buy fruits in season. Buying from stores near our houses is also a good choice, because we can go there without driving a car.
Look into what the company tells us about their product. It’s easy to say that a product is “green” or “all natural” but the words may be too good to be true. So, much of the information about a product should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, companies try to make us believe that their products are environmentally responsible.
The greenest thing is certainly the one we don’t buy. Things like food and clothing are necessary for life. But many others are not. Better than buying is choosing to leave an unnecessary product in the store and doing without. It sends a message to the producer, keeps money in our pockets, reduces (减少) waste and keeps the planet healthy.
(1). The writer would suggest choosing a product that is ________.
| A． |
over packaged |
B． |
delivered from abroad |
| C． |
C |
D． |
made of unnatural materials |
(2). The words “be taken with a grain of in salt” Paragraph 5 probably mean “________”.
| A． |
be easily understood |
B． |
not be completely believed |
| C． |
be widely spread |
D． |
not be quickly forgotten |
(3). Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A． |
Buying Green |
B． |
Recycling Waste |
| C． |
Keeping Healthy |
D． |
Reducing Energy Use |
I joined a band （乐队）as a drummer in my middle school. I thought it would be fun playing the drum and meeting new friends. At first it was easy, but a month later, it got difficult. I was the only one who couldn’t keep pace （节奏）with the other players.
Our teacher, Angie, singled me out to keep practicing while everyone else got to relax. I felt ashamed （羞愧的）as my teammates watched me fail so many times. Finally I got so tired of practicing that I didn’t care about doing it right.
“Are you giving up on me. Steve?” Angie asked.
“Yes, I am,” I shouted. Angie sent me inside the music room where I cried out. Then she came in and said. “Don’t be sad. I believe you can make it!” She told me never to give up. She left me alone and I realized Angie was right—by giving up, I was also giving up on the team and myself.
With her comfort, I decided to go on practicing. However, I still couldn’t play well. Knowing my difficulties, my teammates gave me a hand. They spent about three more hours practicing with me every week. Thanks to their support and help, I began to keep pace with them. Later, we performed wonderfully in an important show.
In the whole process, I was taught that although we each had our own job to do in a show, it would take all of us working together to make the show great. I felt accepted and made great progress. I love everyone in the band. I can’t imagine what my school life would be like without them.
(1). One month after he joined the band, Steve felt playing the drum was _________.
| A． |
funny |
B． |
helpful |
C． |
noisy |
D． |
difficult |
(2). With Angie’s comfort, Steve decided to _________.
| A． |
have a good rest |
B． |
go on practicing |
| C． |
give others a hand |
D． |
start another band |
(3). From his experience, Steve learned about ________.
| A． |
the value of teamwork |
B． |
the effect of shows |
| C． |
the importance of hobbies |
D． |
the power of music |
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL? WHY?
|
My role model is my neighbor Ms. Li. She is in her eighties now but she is still young at heart. I often see her riding her bike in the park and she also spends time doing volunteer work. She helps me understand that people won’t be old if they still have a great love for life. Adam |
I miss Mrs. White most after primary school. She was our math teacher and always patient with us. She helped us to work out the answers ourselves, no matter how difficult the questions were. So Mrs. White is my role model, and I want to be a teacher like her in the future. Betty |
|
Norman Bethune was a Canadian doctor. In 1938, Dr. Bethune came to China and helped treat the wounded. He often worked very hard without resting. Once, he managed to save over one hundred lives in sixty-nine hours. He is still remembered in both China and Canada today. So he is my role model. Peter |
Yuan Longping is my role model. He is one of the greatest agricultural (农业的) scientists of our time. He worked hard to grow better rice to solve the problems of food shortage. It is sad that Mr. Yuan has left us, but his dreams are carried by many plant and agricultural researches. Emma |
(1). Who is Emma’s role model?
| A． |
Ms. Li. |
B． |
Mrs. White. |
| C． |
Norman Bethune. |
D． |
Yuan Longping. |
(2). What does Betty want to be in the future?
| A． |
A teacher. |
B． |
A scientist. |
C． |
A doctor. |
D． |
A volunteer. |
(3). What do we know about Ms. Li?
| A． |
She worked in a hospital. |
| B． |
She solved the food problems. |
| C． |
She is old in age but young at heart. |
| D． |
She is very patient with her students. |
A father bought a kite for his son. The son couldn’t wait to fly it. So, on the next windy day, they took the kite to a park.
First, the father taught his son to fly the kite. Soon, the son was flying the kite high in the air. When it couldn’t go higher, the son realized something. “The string (线) is holding the kite down,” he said to himself. “If I cut it, it can fly higher.”
The son cut the string. After that, the kite flew up a little more. However, the kite didn’t rise for long. It slowly came down until it landed in a tree far away. The son was surprised.
“I thought the kite could fly higher without the string,” he said. “What happened?”
“The string wasn’t holding the kite down,” said the father. “It was helping it stay higher. After you cut the string, it didn’t have any support.”
Really, rules are like the string that seems to hold us down in our daily life. But, without them, we can’t fly high like the kite. We should never let go of them.
(1). Where did the son fly the kite? (不超过10个词)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(2). Why did the son cut the string? (不超过10个词)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(3). What can we learn from the story? (不超过10个词)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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