When Danny Wallace, 26, got bored, he put an ad on the worldwide web reading simply: “Join Me. Send a passport photo.” A year and a half later his east London flat is the headquarters for a global internet-based “club” whose members carry out good deeds for strangers every Friday.
It’s not common for people in London to talk to strangers. If you see someone struggling with something, part of the brain goes “I want to help”. But the trained part of the brain says: “They will think you are mad or going to mug them”, so you walk away.
Join Me now has about 3,000 members around the world who do an act of kindness every Friday. For example, I’m usually out on a Friday so I go for one of the standard acts — the unexpected cup of coffee. You might be sitting in a cafe and see an old man in the corner drinking coffee or tea, and you walk up with another cup of whatever they are drinking , and say: “ I’ve bought you a coffee” and walk away. It’s a pleasure to see the look of surprise on their faces. There can be some suspicion, but I think that was mostly in the early days when I didn’t know how to do it properly. I would walk up quite nervously like I was doing something wrong and I didn’t know when to leave. In the end, I learned through trial and error. Sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t. I discovered that you have to walk up with confidence and humour and not “get in their faces”. You say: “This is for you”, then you go. It’s hit-and-run kindness. And there is no point in doing it half-heartedly. You’ve got to do it because you really mean it.
Join Me is without geographical boundaries, but there are quite a few members in London, and such stories about things happen on the underground or on the buses. One lady got on the bus and put a £10 note down and said: “That’s for me and the next nine people”. So at every stop, anyone who got on was told it was paid for. A lot of people were doing this sort of thing anyway. For them it’s an excuse or reason to do something nice for a complete stranger, and it gives them the confidence to walk up and start chatting.
When Londoners see someone in trouble, they _______.
| A．often give a hand |
| B．pretend not to have seen it |
| C．stop and ask questions |
| D．telephone the police |
According to the passage, members of Join Me often _______.
| A．put an advertisement on the worldwide web |
| B．go out and make friends with strangers |
| C．do an act of kindness every Friday |
| D．buy coffees for the strangers |
The underlined expression in the third paragraph possibly means _______ .
| A．finding something very difficult |
| B．doing something without much effort |
| C．making a few mistakes |
| D．experimenting to get the right result |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Hit-and-run Kindness | B．History of Join Me |
| C．Danny Wallace and Join Me | D．Why not Join Me |
| Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
|
| 7:15 a.m. |
Body Power |
Aerobics |
Body Stretch |
Aerobics |
Body Burn |
Body Stretch |
|
| 10:30 a.m. |
Beginner Aerobics |
Beginner Aerobics |
Aerobics |
Body Stretch |
|||
| 12:30 p.m. |
Body Stretch |
Body Burn |
Aerobics |
Beginner Aerobics |
Body Burn |
||
| 3:00 p.m. |
Beginner Aerobics |
Body Stretch |
Body Burn |
Beginner Aerobics |
|||
| 4:45 p.m. |
Body Burn |
Aerobics |
Aerobics |
Body Power |
Body Power |
Body Stretch |
|
| 5:30 p.m. |
Aerobics |
Body Power |
Body Power |
Body Burn |
Body Stretch |
Body Power |
|
| 6:30 p.m. |
Aerobics |
Body Burn |
Body Burn |
Beginner Aerobics |
Body Power |
||
| 7:30 p.m. |
Beginner Aerobics |
Body Stretch |
Beginner Aerobics |
Aerobics |
Body Power: This class uses weights and aerobic movements (a form of very active physical exercise) to increase strength while burning fat. It is suitable for all levels for fitness.
Aerobics: This is a low to middle level of difficulty in aerobic class. It is good for beginner to average levels of fitness.
Beginner Aerobics: This class has a low level of difficulty and simple aerobic movements. It is mainly for people who have not exercised before or who are just returning after a long break of injury.
Body Stretch(hold your arms or legs out straight and tighten your muscles): This is a relaxation class which stretches all the muscle groups. It is suitable for all levels of fitness. People who exercise regularly or have a stressful (压力)lifestyle would also greatly improve their health in this class.
Body Burn: This is a high level of difficulty in aerobic class that mainly aims at fat burning. It is only for those people with a very high level of fitness.On Wednesday the fitness class at 6: 30 p. m. is ___
| A．Aerobics | B．Body Power | C．Body Burn | D．Beginner Aerobics |
The two classes that are suitable for all levels of fitness are___.
| A．Aerobics and Body Power | B．Body Power and Body Stretch |
| C．Body Burn and Aerobics | D．Body Stretch and Beginner Aerobics |
Lena wants to go to the City Gym on Saturday. She has not exercised for a long time. The best time for her to go would be ___.
| A．3:00p.m. | B．5:30p.m. | C．7:15a. m. | D．7:30p.m. |
The main goal of the Body Burn is to___.
| A．reduce stress | B．reduce fat | C．increase strength | D．increase muscle size |
A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane. People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days. They may also have problems thinking clearly and remembering.
Recently a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain reported the findings of his jet lag study, which involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines. They had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas.
The researcher took some saliva from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone(荷尔蒙) that increases during stress (紧张). He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen. And he took pictures of their brains to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes (脑叶).
It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones.
The researcher believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory.
Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently (永久性的) affect memory.According to the text, jet lag _________.
| A．can cause difficulties in speaking |
| B．can make people feel tired for a few weeks |
| C．can be only found in flight attendants |
| D．can be caused by flying over several time zones |
It can be inferred from the text that _________.
| A．the conclusion is refused by many scientists |
| B．scientists fear that this research is not done properly |
| C．every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests |
| D．the women who were examined in the research were not healthy |
From the result of the research we can see that _________.
| A．the women who have longer rest at home show better memory |
| B．the women who fly in short time have smaller right temporal lobes |
| C．the women who have longer flights fail the memory test |
| D．the women who rest more than 14 days produce less hormones |
What is the subject discussed in the text?
| A．The cause of jet lag. | B．A story of a group of flight attendants. |
| C．The importance of having enough rest after flights. | |
| D．A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain. |
We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen? "When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy (嫉妒) my luck?" "And Paul-why didn't he pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?" When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it's too late.
Why do we go wrong about our friends - or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don't really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You're a lucky dog." that's being friendly. But "lucky dog"? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. But bringing in the "dog" bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn't think you deserve your luck.
"Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up (包藏) in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn't important. It's telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven't got a date for Saturday night.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture (姿态)? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people to you may save another mistake.This passage is mainly about ____.
| A．how to interpret what people say |
| B．what to do when you listen to others talking |
| C．how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people |
| D．why we go wrong with people sometimes |
According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that ____
| A．we fail to listen carefully when they talk | B．we tend to doubt what our friends say |
| C．people usually state one thing but means another | |
| D．people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say |
In the sentence "Maybe he doesn't see it himself." In the second paragraph, the pronoun “it” refers to _____
| A．being friendly | B．a bit of envy | C．lucky dog | D．your luck |
When we listen to a person talking, the most important thing for us to do is____.
| A．notice the way the person is talking | B．take a good look at the person talking |
| C．mind his lone, his posture and the look in his eyes | |
| D．examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner, his tone and his posture |
Excused from recycling(回收利用) because you live in a high rise with a rubbish chute (垃圾道)? You won't be for long. Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for those living in tall buildings to use the chute and recycle too .
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leads to a pie-shaped container with six boxes that can turn around when operated. The system , which fits in the same space as the chute and container now in use, enables glass , plastic , paper , metal , and other rubbish to go into separate boxes .
The system is controlled from a board next to the chute door. The board has a button for each class of recycling materials (as well as for unrecyclables). At the press of a button, a microcomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables
Sorting(分类) recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materials recovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting . Such equipment often makes recycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted . Shantzis believes his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective.The purpose in writing this text is _________.
| A．to encourage people to recycle their rubbish |
| B．to introduce a recycling system for high rises |
| C．to describe the use of computer technology in recycling |
| D．to explain the need for rubbish collection in high rises |
When he says "You won't be for long" the writer means that _______.
| A．you'll soon be living in a cleaner building |
| B．rubbish chutes will become out of date before long |
| C．you won't wait long for your turn to recycle rubbish |
| D．it won't be long before you'll have to recycle your rubbish |
Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to ___________
| A．lock the other floors' chute doors | B．check if the container is full |
| C．press the correct button | D．break up the rubbish |
The biggest advantage of this new system is that _________
| A．it reduces the cost of recycling | B．it saves time and space |
| C．it saves money for people living in high rises | |
| D．it makes better use of the existing recovery equipment |
Money spent on advertising is money spent as well as any I know of. It serves directly to bring about a rapid sale of goods at reasonable prices, so setting up a firm home market and making it possible to provide for export (出口) at good prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps greatly to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it causes an increased need for labour, and is therefore a nice way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television program would need to be doubled, and travel by bus or subway would cost more.
And perhaps most important of all, advertising provides a promise of reasonable value in the products and services you buy. Besides the fact that twenty-seven Acts of Parliament(国会)govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare produce anything that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for the public has the good sense not to buy the poor goods more than once. If you see product frequently advertised, it is the proof I know that the product does what is promised for it, and that it has good value.
Advertising does more for the good of the public than any other force I can think of.
There is one more point I feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard a well-known television person declared that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was telling us the real difference. Of course advertising tries to persuade.
If its message were nothing but information, that would be difficult to get more people to buy, for even the choice of the colour of a shirt is a bit persuasive (有说服力的)--advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. But perhaps that is what the well-known television person wants.By the first sentence of the passage the writer means that ___.
| A．he is fairly familiar with the cost of advertising |
| B．everybody knows well that advertising is a waste of money |
| C．advertising costs more money than everything else |
| D．money on advertising is worth spending |
In the passage, which of the following is NOT included in the advantages of advertising?
| A．Getting greater fame. | B．Providing more jobs. |
| C．Raising living standards. | D．Reducing newspaper cost. |
The writer thinks that the well-known TV person is _____.
| A．quite right in passing his judgment on advertising |
| B．interested in nothing but the buyers' attention |
| C．correct in telling the difference between persuasion and information |
| D．obviously unfair in his views on advertising |
In the writer's opinion, ________.
| A．advertising can seldom bring material interest to man by providing information |
| B．advertising informs people of new ideas rather than wins them over |
| C．there is nothing wrong with advertising in persuading the buyer |
| D．the buyer is not interested in getting information from an advertisement |