It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth (收费站). “I’m paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me,” she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare.”
It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend’s refrigerator: “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” The phrase impressed her so much that she copied it down.
Judy Foreman spotted the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. “I thought it was beautiful,” she said, explaining why she’d taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, “like a message from above.” Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, admitting that though she liked it, she didn’t know where it came from or what it really meant.
Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days.
“Here’s the idea,” Anne says. “Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly.” Her fantasies include painting the classrooms of shabby schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, “Kindness can build on itself as much as violence can.”
The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours!Why did Natalie Smith pay for the six cars behind her?
A.She knew the car drivers well. |
B.She wanted to show kindness. |
C.She hoped to please others. |
D.She had seven tickets. |
Judy Foreman copied down the phrase because she_________.
A.thought it was beautifully written |
B.wanted to know what it really meant |
C.decided to write it on a warehouse wall |
D.wanted her husband to put it up in the classroom |
Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence above?
A.Kindness and violence can change the world. |
B.Kindness and violence can affect one’s behavior. |
C.Kindness and violence can reproduce themselves. |
D.Kindness and violence can shape one’s character. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.People should practice random kindness to those in need. |
B.People who receive kindness are likely to offer it to others. |
C.People should practice random kindness to strangers they meet. |
D.People who receive kindness are likely to pay it back to the giver. |
Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.
Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive way.What is Cleveland?
A.An island. | B.A country. |
C.A city in America. | D.A village in England. |
What do most p
eople usually do to show their care to others according to the passage?
A.They give gifts. | B.They give money. |
C.They send regards. | D.They offer help. |
What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A.Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in October. |
B.Sweetest Day is just an occasion to care about disabled people. |
C.Sweetest Day is an occasion for lovers to express love. |
D.Sweetest Day is a day to make others happy. |
The underlined word “neglected” in the second paragraph means “______”.
A.remembered | B.hated |
C.disappointed | D.paid little or no attention to |
Which of the following has little relationship to Sweetest Day?
A.Visiting sick peop![]() |
B.Visiting children who have lost their parents. |
C.Giving flowers to sweethearts. |
D.Giving friends small gifts. |
There is a wonderful story about a young girl who had no family and no one to love her.
One day, feeling very sad and lonely, she was walking through a grassland when she noticed a small butterfly caught in a thorn (荆棘) bush. The young girl carefully released the Butterfly. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“For your wonderful kindness,” the good fairy said to the girl, “I will give you any wish you would like.” The little girl thought for a moment and then replied, “I want to be happy.”
The fairy leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the fairy disappeared.
As the little girl grew up, there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her secret of happiness .She would only smile and answer, “The secret of my happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.”
When she was very old and on her deathbed, the neighbors all gathered around her, that her unbelievable secret of happiness would die with her. “Tell us, please,” they begged, “Tell us what the good fairy said.” The lovely old woman simply smiled and said, “She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seemed, no matter how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me.” ______ the girl felt sad and lonely.
A.There were many friends but |
B.There was nobody to love her so |
C.There was nothing to do |
D.Seeing the butterfly was caught |
Noticing the butterfly was caught by the thorn, the orphan girl ______.
A.helped the butterfly escaped from the thorn |
B.felt sorrow, but she didn’t go up to help it |
C.fell down on it too |
D.failed to help it release from the thorn |
The butterfly ______ after was saved by the little girl.
A.flied away | B.still died |
C.changed into a fairy | D.was more beautiful than before |
The only thing that the little girl wanted was________.
A.to be rich | B.to have her own parents |
C.to have a lot of friends | D.happiness |
The neighbors all gathered around the old happy woman when she was dying, because ______.
A.they loved this woman deeply and they didn‘t wanted her to die |
B.the woman had lots of money to be shared as soon as she died |
C.they wanted to know the secret of her lifetime happiness |
D.they wanted to pray for her after her death |
When people hear a president speak, they seldom think about others helping to shape the presentation(报告). Today, however, presidents depend on writers such as J. Terry Edmonds to help them communicate(交流)effectively. Edmonds is the first African American ever to work as a full-time speechwriter for a U. S. president; he is so the first African American to serve as director of speechwriting for White House. His is an all-American story of success.
Edmonds grew up in Baltimore, Maryland; his father drove a truck, and his mother worked as a waitress. A. great reader, Edmonds showed a
gift for writing at his high School, Baltimore City College. After graduating in 1967, Edmonds went on to Morgan State University.
Edmonds began his career in business, with jobs in public relations and communications. He joined the world of politics as news secretary for his congressman (国会议员) from Baltimore During Bill Clinton’s presidency. He wrote speeches for Health and Human Services, Secretary Donna Shalala and
Only three local students won Chinese Blog(博客)Competition. And 15 of the 18 awards went to students from China.
170 students’ task: to get a fully-designed blog up and running, complete with many posting based on a theme of choice—all written in Chinese.
Themes ranged from local opinions-such as the usage of Singlish, education and whether Singapore can be a cultural centre-to food blogs.
The entries were judged on Language proficiency(熟练程度)and the quality of writing, as well as the design and level of exchanging ideas with readers.
Academics from the National University of Singapore and the SIM University IT experts, and a journalist from Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore made up the judges.
In the end, only three Singaporean students made it to the award list—the rest of the awards were swept up by students from China.
“No surprise.” said Mr. Chow Yaw Long, 37, teachers in charge from Ianova Junior College, which organized the event. “Although the topics were local subjects, the foreign students were generally better in terms of the content of the posts and their grasp of the Chinese language.”
One of the three local students winning the first prize in the Best Language Award was blogger Christina Gao,19, from the Saint Andrew’s Junior College, who spared no effort in researching for and writing her blog. Each entry took her between five and seven days to produce, complete with pictures and even podcasts(播客).Her advice for bloggers is: Be responsible. “Some bloggers out there only seek to blame the authorities and other bloggers.” Said Miss Gao. “I think they lack responsibilities and there is no value to their posts.”The competition was organized by _______
A.the National University of Singapore |
B.Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao |
C.Ianova Junior College |
D.the Saint Andrew’s Junior College |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Chinese students won most of the awards. |
B.Not all the themes were about local subjects |
C.The blogs could be written in Chinese or Singlish. |
D.The judges were from university in Singapore and China. |
What Miss Gao said suggests that _____________
A.she likes to blame the authorities |
B.she has a sense of responsibility |
C.she thinks highly of the others’ blogs |
D.she loves to read v![]() |
I hated dinner parties. But I decided to give them another shot because I'm in London. And my friend Mallery invited me. And because dinner parties in London are very different from those back in New York. There, “I’m having a dinner party” means: "I'm booking a table for 12 at a restaurant you can't afford and we'll be sharing the checque evenly, no matter what you eat." Worse, in Manhattan there is always someone who leaves before the bill arrives. They'll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and then people like me, who don’t drink, end up paying even more. But if I try to use the same trick, the hostess will shout: "Where are you going?" And it's not like I can say I have somewhere to go: everyone know I have nowhere to go.
But in London, dinner parties are in people's homes. Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix. The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India. Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a gathering at the United Nations in New York. The mix is less striking. It's like a gathering at Bloomingdale's, a well-known department store.
For New Yorkers, talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York. But at Mallery's, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was. In New York people would think it was a usual new club.What does the word "shot" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A.Choice. | B.Try | C.Style. | D.Goal |
What does the writer dislike most about dinner parties in New York?
A There is a strange mix of people. B. The restaurants are expensive.
C. The bill is not fairly shared. D. People have to pay cashWhat does the author think of the parties in London?
A.A bit unusual | B.Full of tricks. |
C.Less costly. | D.More interesting. |
What is the author's opinion of some New Yorkers from her experience?
A.Easy-going. | B.Self-centred. | C.![]() |
D.Conservative. |