For John and Amy, birthdays have always been a big deal—a welcome excuse to celebrate life. When their son, Alex, three in 2005, they invited 20 friends to a nearby park. Not long after that the were brainstorming ways to teach Alex about giving to 1 . “We wanted to do something that would have a(n) on our community（社区）, and that our young child could in. We started wondering what fortunate kids do on their birthdays. The next day, we called a local shelter, and learnt that children typically didn’t do to celebrate at all. No cake. No gifts. No party.” The couple said.
Several weeks later, threw a party at the for the children who had birthdays that month. They decorated, served cake, and danced with 50 kids. Alex helped presents.
22 that first party, the couple have turned their simple idea Birthday Blessings, a non-profit that hosts monthly parties at 10 shelters.
To date, Birthday Blessings (birthdayblessings.org.) has thrown more than 500 at different shelters and handed out 22,000 party to nearly 4,000 homeless children in and around their community.
Birthday Blessings is entirely by volunteers. The charity（慈善）will take almost anything — toys, clothing, candy, baby items— it’s not used. “These kids never get anything new.” John said, “It makes a big to them psychologically.”
Being “part of this labor love” is making an impression on their son Alex. On his seventh birthday, his grandparents sent a check. it, the first thing he said was that he wanted to give half to the birthday kids.
A．turned B．grew C．came D．got
A．shelters B．neighbors C．friends D．couple
A．the other B．another C．others D．each other
A．impression B．influence C．permission D．limitation
A．participate B．take C．bring D．move
A．fairly B．less C．rather D．more
A．penniless B．jobless C．homeless D．hopeless
A．nothing B．anything C．everything D．something
A．Alex B．John C．Amy D．the family
A．shelter B．church C．school D．community
A．make out B．pass out C．show out D．leave out
A．Before B．Until C．After D．Since
A．into B．down C．out D．off
A．birthdays B．parties C．presents D．donations
A．cakes B．honors C．favors D．surprises
A．continued B．undertaken C．operated D．performed
A．as far as B．as soon as C．as simple as D．as long as
A．difference B．surprise C．benefit D．advantage
A．never B．always C．hardly D．already
A．Realizing B．Saving C．Opening D．Folding
You support someone when you help him or her through a time. ___, the best part is that when you support others, you are also supporting yourselves. When you ____ to give support to others, it is usually a __ that you are also stopping giving support to yourself.
One of my friends, Donna, told me a story recently that clearly showed the __ of support. Several years ago, Donna had just _ _her boyfriend of two years and she was having a very___ time, accepting the loss. She refused to be _ __ and stayed at home alone, which certainly was not helping. She just couldn’t ____ crying all the time.
Early one morning, Donna received a phone call with some ___ news: a car accident had __her best friend’s brother’s life. Donna had known this friend, Mary, and her brother ____ her entire life, and the news was destructive. Donna __ her sadness and got in the car as soon as possible, driving to her friend’s house to be with her. During the funeral, Donna held Mary close while she cried, sat by her and slept ___ Mary’s bed to make sure she did not wake up alone in the middle of the night. During that time she hardly felt any __ _ in her heart. Several weeks later, when life began to return to ___, Donna realized the level of support she had given Mary far overtook any support she had __ herself during her dark time. She was able to use the support she had given her friend as a ___for the support she needed.
When you find yourself unable to support someone else, _ yourself and see if there is something within yourself that is not supporting. _ _, when you give complete support to others, it will mirror those places within you that require the same level of attention.
A．different B．cheerful C．challenging D．definite
A．Therefore B．However C．Moreover D．Meanwhile
A．encourage B．refuse C．begin D．decide
A．sign B．signal C．mark D．sight
A．force B．strength C．power D．energy
A．put up with B．broken up with C．kept up with D．caught up with
A．tough B．excited C．rushed D．strange
A．accompanied B．accomplished C．accelerated D．acknowledged
A．stand B．hide C．stop D．bear
A．terrific B．exciting C．horrible D．terrible
A．killed B．deprived C．seized D．claimed
A．fairly B．nearly C．barely D．rarely
A．overcame B．gathered C．recognized D．changed
A．ahead of B．apart from C．next to D．along with
A．warmth B．happiness C．love D．pain
A．normal B．often C．average D．common
A．reduced B．offered C．protected D．avoided
A．candle B．gift C．torch D．mirror
A．look up B．look back C．look through D．look into
A．In effect B．As a result C．On the contrary D．Likewise
When 24-year-old Hannah Brencher moved to New York after college, she was hit by loneliness. One day she felt so that she want to reach out to someone. And so she put pen to paper and started writing letters-letters to complete .
But these weren’t letters about how she was feeling. There were happy letters, all about the other person, not her. She would write messages for people to have a “ day " and tell strangers how brilliant they were, they thought no one else had noticed. Brencher began dropping the all over New York, in cafes, in library books, in parks and on the subway. It made her letter, knowing that she might be making somebody’s through just a few words. It gave her to focus on. And so, The Word Needs More Love Letters was born.
The movement is all about letters—not emails, but handwritten letters. Not love letters, written to a real beloved, but letters for strangers. They don’t necessarily say “I love you”, but they are kindness—telling people they are remarkable and and all-round amazing. It’s the sort of stuff that most people don’t really say out loud even to the people they , let alone a total stranger.
Brencher’s initiative(初衷) has now . There are more than 10,000 people who join in all over the world. Last year, she gave a talk. In it, she talked about a university student who dropped letters around her campus, only to suddenly everyone was writing them and there were love letters hanging from the trees.
It’s a very cute idea. I know that if I was on the end of a letter like that, it almost certainly would put a on my face. So I decided to give it a try and see if I could do the same for someone else.
A．sick B．alone C．comfortable D．great
A．businessmen B．friends C．strangers D．fools
A．formal B．sad C．long D．careless
A．rainy B．cold C．hot D．bright
A．in case B．so that C．as though D．even if
A．notes B．pens C．papers D．books
A．feel B．behave C．study D．play
A．way B．day C．fortune D．dream
A．funny B．sweet C．big D．empty
A．anything B．everything C．something D．nothing
A．opening B．reading C．writing D．answering
A．countless B．endless C．public D．conventional
A．official B．polite C．apology D．surprise
A．full of B．short of C．prepared for D．known for
A．strong B．special C．common D．friendly
A．look down upon B．give up on C．care about D．worry about
A．failed B．occurred C．stopped D．exploded
A．find B．forget C．remember D．guess
A．receiving B．sending C．starting D．finishing
A．sign B．wrinkle C．smile D．sticker
It happened last winter, at the end of a difficult year for my family. My brother died suddenly in the spring in 2013.
By Christmas, my family was still _____with the impossibility of “moving on.” Thinking of the holidays____ us of the previous holiday season before Ben died. Attempting a “____” Christmas in Vancouver seemed impossible, we decided to ____ to California for our first Christmas without Ben. My parents and sister would drive there, and I would _____from Ottawa to meet them.
Actually, I found it difficult to ignore my feelings of_ ___ and find any Christmas spirit. I just wanted to stay in Ottawa and avoid pretending the holidays were possible when my family was ______.When I unwillingly began to pack, I couldn’t find my passport.
I searched a file of other _____ papers, my tiny apartment, and I checked everywhere –Nothing.
Frustrated, I curled up in bed, _____ everything I’d said about wanting to stay in Ottawa . “My family really needed this vacation and I’ve spoiled it,” I said to my friends.
Calling the airline. I was warned waiting time for customers were “Over. Three. Hours.” While waiting, I searched the ____ again, no luck.
I checked Air Canada’s website aimlessly when a weather report caught my eye: A Storm Hit Toronto . My heartbeat quickened. I was _____to fly through Toronto that afternoon.
For the first time, I hoped for a storm big enough to ____ my travel plans and buy me enough time to get an emergency passport. After four hours on hold, my_____ was granted. An agent promptly informed me the weather wasn’t promising and_____ me to a Christmas Eve flight.
Hours later I landed and hugged my sister tightly. I felt _____ for friends who supported me through hard times; for my loving and strong family.
A．associating B．struggling C．agreeing D．identifying
A．reminded B．informed C．suspected D．warned
A．common B．typical C．normal D．regular
A．get B．hurry C．escape D．return
A．drive B．fly C．ride D．walk
A．love B．disappointment C．home D．loss
A．divided B．incomplete C．separated D．away
A．worthless B．historical C．valuable D．useless
A．regretting B．imagining C．considering D．retelling
A．kitchen B．airport C．classroom D．apartment
A．able B．supposed C．likely D．sure
A．cancel B．make C．perform D．develop
A．wish B．application C．plan D．promise
A．agreed B．sent C．invited D．switched
A．sympathy B．happy C．grateful D．anxious
Thanksgiving is one of the biggest American holidays. And at the center of Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey. You may wonder why the word "turkey" ______ both a country and a bird that Americans eat for Thanksgiving dinner. Many think the bird comes from the of Turkey. But turkey is not from Turkey. In fact, the fact that the turkey bird is called by that name is one big mistake. We could say it is a case of identity.
First of all, "Turkey" has meant the "land of the Turks" since _____ times. The word turkey, _______ to the bird, first appeared in the English language around 1540. And the misunderstanding ______ the word turkey happened because of birds that look _________.
There is an African bird called the guinea fowl. This _____ bird came to Europe through Turkish lands. So, the English mistakenly called the male bird the "turkey cock" and called the bird the "turkey hen." It became to eat the bird for Christmas dinner.
When the moved to North America, they saw a bird that looked like the guinea fowl, which at that time was called the "turkey cock" and _____ gave it the same name. So we now call this North American bird turkey even though it has no at all with the country Turkey.
And there is another piece to the puzzle. The case of mistaken identity crosses land and language____.The Turkish, for their part, call the North American bird "hindi," the Turkish name for India. The reference to India probably comes from the old, wrong idea that the New World was in Eastern Asia. Sometimes, that is _____ language changes over time – by mistakes.
Another interesting fact about the turkey is that it became the national bird of the United States. Some people thought it should be the of the U.S.Founding father Benjamin Franklin did not think the eagle was a ______ icon for the new country. He thought the eagle was "lazy" and "of character" because it stole food from others. He thought that the turkey was a "more ________ bird" and a "true original native of America."
A．explains B．presents C．recognizes D．describes
A．name B．bird C．nation D．tradition
A．mistaken B．right C．real D．unknown
A．ancient B．past C．gone D．future
A．applying B．turning C．appealing D．referring
A．on B．to C．over D．in
A．like B．same C．similar D．equal
A．foreign B．beautiful C．strange D．local
A．baby B．female C．other D．American
A．trend B．delicious C．popular D．well-known
A．Europeans B．Africans C．Americans D．English
A．but B．because C．and D．so
A．question B．difficulty C．connection D．business
A．study B．borders C．link D．conflict
A．Why B．Which C．When D．how
A．almost B．just C．never D．merely
A．bird B．sign C．symbol D．leader
A．moral B．fair C．spiritual D．considerate
A．good B．bad C．logical D．legal
A．representative B．respectful C．respectable D．responsible
In a land far away, once upon a time there was great poverty （贫困）,and only the rich could manage without great __. Three of those rich men and their servants were_
_ together on a road when they came to a very_
_village.
The first could not stand seeing the poverty, _ he took all the gold and jewels from his wagons (四轮载重马车) and shared _
out among the villagers. He wished them all the best of luck, and he left.
The second rich man ,seeing the _ situation, stopped for a short time and gave _
all his food and drink, since he _
see that money would be of little
to them. He made sure that they each
their fair share and would have enough food to _
for some time . Then, he left.
The third rich man, on seeing such poverty, _ and went straight through the _
without stopping. The two other rich men saw this from a distance and commented with each other_
the third rich man lacked sympathy. It was _
that they themselves had been there to offer help.
However, three days later, they the third rich man ,who was coming in the opposite direction . He was
travelling quickly, but his wagons,
the gold and valuables they had been
,were now full of farming tools and bags of
.He was rushing back to help them out of poverty.
A. loss B. expectations
C. success D. problems
A. standing B. travelling
C. gathering D. running
A. faraway B. poor
C. different D. ancient
A. unless B. because
C. so D. if
A. them B. anything
C. nothing D. those
A. curious B. worrying
C. dangerous D. puzzling
A. the villagers B. his servants
C. the others D. the rest
A. could B. might
C. should D. must
A. interest B. concern
C. use D. attraction
A. returned B. gained
C. offered D. received
A.remain B. last
C.supply D.share
A.turned backB.set out
C. showed off D. speeded
A.village B.land
C.field D.road
A.whether B.how
C.where D.when
A.good B.certain
C.true D.strange
A.welcomed B.met
C.accepted D.persuaded
A.still B.already
C.always D.indeed
A. except B. instead of
C. apart fromD. along with
A. loading B. treasuring
C. carrying D. earning
A. food B. jewels
C. money D. seeds