Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his three-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight（困窘的）, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier over-reaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty.
He shouted at her loudly, “Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it?”
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses in the box. I filled it with my love. All for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her for forgiveness（原谅）. My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary（假想的）kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession（财产）anyone could hold.Why did the father punish his daughter?
| A．Because the girl had torn his favourite paper. |
| B．Because the girl was wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. |
| C．Because the girl took the box under the Christmas tree away. |
| D．Because the father was in bad temper（脾气）. |
Why did the father become angry again when he opened his present?
| A．Because the present is not suitable for him. |
| B．Because his daughter didn’t know that when she gives someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it. |
| C．Because he hated receiving present. |
| D．Because he found that the present box was empty. |
What kind of present did the little girl give her father?
| A．The little girl had put her kisses in the box as a present. |
| B．The little girl had kissed the box as a present. |
| C．The little girl had filled the box with gold wrapping paper. |
| D．The little girl had filled the box with air. |
How did the father feel after he listened to his daughter’s explanation?
| A．Happy. | B．Sorry. |
| C．Crazy. | D．Impatient. |
What’s the meaning of the last sentence—“There is no more precious possession（财产）anyone could hold.”?
| A．The possession is too heavy to hold. |
| B．There’s no more precious thing for us to hold. |
| C．It’s not necessary to hold the possession. |
| D．The present contained with children’s love and kisses is the most precious thing. |
| ABOUT LIPITOR Lipitor(阿伐他汀钙片) is a prescription medicine. Along with diet and exercise, it lowers “bad” cholesterol(胆固醇) in your blood. It can also raise “good” cholesterol. Lipitor can lower the risk of heart attack in patients with several common risk factors, including family history of early heart disease, high blood pressure, age and smoking. |
| WHO IS LIPITOR FOR? Who can take LIPITOR： ●People who cannot lower their cholesterol enough with diet and exercise ●Adults and children over 10 Who should not take LIPITOR： ●Women who are pregnant, may be pregnant, or may become pregnant. Lipitor may harm your unborn baby. ●Women who are breast-feeding. Lipitor can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. ●People with liver problems |
| POSSIBIE SIDE EFFECTS OF LIPITOR Serious side effects in a small number of people： ●Muscle problems that can lead to kidney(肾脏) problems, including kidney failure ●liver problems. Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start Lipitor and while you are taking it. Call your doctor right away if you have： ●Unexplained muscle pain or weakness, especially if you have a fever or feel very tired ●Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and / or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing ●Stomach pain Some common side effects of LIPITOR are： ●Muscle pain ●Upset stomach ●Changes in some blood tests |
| HOW TO TAKE LIPITOR Dos： ●Take Lipitor as prescribed by your doctor, ●Try to eat heart healthy foods while you take Lipitor. ●Take Lipitor at any time of day, with or without food. ●If you miss a dose(一剂),take it as soon as you remember. But if it has been more than 12 hours since your missed dose, wait. Take the next dose at your regular time. Don’ts： ●Do not change or stop your dose before talking to your doctor. ●Do not start new medicines before talking to your doctor. |
What is a major function of Lipitor?
| A．To help quit smoking. |
| B．To control blood pressure. |
| C．To improve unhealthy diet. |
| D．To lower “bad” cholesterol. |
If it has been over 12 hours since you missed a dose, you should___________.
| A．change the amount of your next dose |
| B．eat more when taking your next dose |
| C．have a dose as soon as you remember |
| D．take the next dose at your regular time |
Which of the following is a common side effect of taking Lipitor?
| A．Face swelling. | B．Upset stomach. |
| C．Kidney failure. | D．Muscle weakness |
It was the summer of 1965. DeLuca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked DeLuca about his plans for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” DeLuca recalls, saying “Buck said, ‘You should open a sandwich shop.’”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $1000. DeLuca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1000.
But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. DeLuca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
DeLuca was managing the store and going to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful, we are opening a second store.” And they did—in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, DeLuca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their suppliers. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary, but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” DeLuca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” DeLuca adds.
DeLuca ended up founding Subway Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain. They decided to open a second store probably because they __________.
| A．had enough money to do it. |
| B．had succeeded in their business |
| C．wished to meet the increasing demand of customers |
| D．wanted to make people believe that they were successful |
What contribute most to their success according to the author?
| A．Learning by trial and error. |
| B．Making friends with suppliers. |
| C．Finding a good partner. |
| D．Opening chain stores. |
How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment?
In the southwest African country of Namibia, and the Sahara lands of Mali further north, the desert elephant does just that.
Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant, the desert cousin differs in many ways. Their bodies are smaller, to absorb less heat, and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces. They are taller, to reach higher branches. They have shorter tusks (象牙), and most importantly, longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds.
Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and waterholes, and have a larger group of families. They drink only every 3-4 days, and can store water in a “bag” at the back of their throat, which is only used when badly needed. Desert elephants are careful feeders---they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches, and thus maintain what little food sources are available. Young elephants may even eat the dung (粪便) of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage. During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly. Desert elephants have sand baths, sometimes adding their own urine (尿液) to make them muddy!
As we continue to overheat our weak planet, it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means “_____”.
| A．remains in the African countries |
| B．drinks 120 liters of water a day |
| C．manages to live in desert areas |
| D．eats 150 kilograms of food daily |
Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they _____.
| A．rarely ruin trees |
| B．drink only every 3-4 days |
| C．search for food in large groups |
| D．protect food sources for their young |
The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with _____.
| A．stories and explanation |
| B．facts and descriptions |
| C．examples and conclusion |
| D．evidence and argument |
What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage?
| A．Overheating the earth can be stopped. |
| B．Not all animal species are so adaptable. |
| C．The planet will become hotter and hotter. |
| D．Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants. |
A hoarder is someone who is unable or unwilling to throw items away, and the disposal (处理) of items causes them considerable pain. When people hoard a massive amount of objects, it takes over the inhabitable spaces of their home. As the collection grows, they are unable to do simple , quotidian activities such as cooking a meal or watch TV. Sometimes the hoarding is so severe that parts of their homes become inaccessible.
But among the many problems that such behavior brings about, the most significant are the health risks. Once hallways and windows are blocked, hoarders are at the risk of dying in a fire, since they no longer have a clear path of evacuation(疏散). Things that are piled up high can fall on top of the homeowner, or a person trying to climb over a pile of objects can experience a fall. There is also the problem of sanitation(卫生). Areas where food can’t be properly cleaned begin to attract insects, and bathrooms that are full of many possessions can no longer be washed.
Unfortunately, the serious effect of the problem can become worse for two reasons. One is that since the behavior progress behind closed doors, people can accumulate collections of objects for years before friends or family members become aware of the problem. A second reason is that hoarders often don’t recognize that they have a problem, and will continue to live in denial until they get professional help.
When attempting to make a diagnosis, psychologists don’t regard hoarding as a disorder in itself. Instead, it’s often seen as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (强迫症), depression, or anxiety. The mental health community has only recently begun an intensive study of boarding, and more research is needed in order to understand its causes and find effective treatment.The first paragraph mostly serves to ________.
| A．introduce the problem of hoarding |
| B．inform the public of the hoarder’s lifestyle |
| C．illustrate how frequently hoarders’ lifestyle |
| D．explain how hoarded react when items are disposed |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Hoarders’ houses are not always out of order. |
| B．Hoarding is regarded as a disorder by psychologists. |
| C．Symptoms of hoarding can’t be easily noticed since it progresses quietly. |
| D．The mental health community has found effective treatments for hoarding. |
We can infer from the passage that ______________.
| A．hoarding is a serious problem that needs concern. |
| B．the main reason of hoarding is the economic burden. |
| C．food preparation becomes easier if a person is a hoarder. |
| D．hoarded items can’t be piled higher than a person’s head. |
The underlined word “quotidian” probably means _________.
| A．abnormal | B．ordinary | C．skillful | D．Popular |
As a parent you might never guess all the ways a good imagination benefits your child. It helps a preschooler:
Develop social skills
As children play pretend, they explore relationships between family members, friends and co-workers and learn more about how people interact. Playing doctor, they imagine how physicians care for their patients. Playing house, they learn more about how parents feel about their children. Imaginative play helps develop sympathy for others. If children can imagine how it feels to be left out of a game or to lose a pet, they are better able to help those in need. They become more willing to play fair, to share, and to cooperate.
Build self-confidence
Young children have very little control over their lives. Imagining oneself as a builder of skyscrapers or a superhero defending the planet is empowering to a child. It helps them develop confidence in their abilities and their potential.
Boost intellectual growth
Using the imagination is the beginning of abstract thought. Children who can see a king’s castle in a mound of sand or a delicious dinner in a mud pie are learning to think symbolically. This skill is important in school where a child will have to learn that numerals symbolize groups of objects, letters symbolize sounds, and so on.
Practice language skills
Kids who play pretend with their friends do a lot of talking. This helps boost their vocabulary, improve sentence structure and enhance communication skills.
Work out fears
Playing pretend can help children work out their fears and worries. When children role-play about the big, bad monster under the bed, they gain a sense of control over him and he doesn’t seem quite so big or so bad. Imaginative play also helps kids let out confusing feelings they might have, such as anger toward a parent or rivalry (竞争) with a new sibling (兄弟姐妹).
To encourage your youngster’s imagination, read to him every day. Books offer children the opportunity to visit other worlds and create new ones of their own.
For generations children have enjoyed reading the story of Peter Pan because Peter takes them on fascinating adventures. Reader’s Digest Young Families offers a beautiful vintage Disney edition of Peter Pan, which is an iParenting Media Award winner. Click here to find out how you can get this classic story along with 2 free books -- Bambi and Pinocchio.Where can you probably find the article?
| A．Newspaper. | B．Magazine. | C．Internet. | D．Book. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word?
| A．improve. | B．limit. | C．pull. | D．praise. |
What’s Not the advantage of children having a good imagination?
| A．Understanding the other people’s feelings and problems. |
| B．Expressing their feelings like anger. |
| C．Having a strong faith in their own abilities and potential. |
| D．Helping them form a good habit of reading story. |