Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The next building was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman living there, and I had never met her, yet I could see she sat by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading.
After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself. “I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her window. It really looks terrible.”
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window on the inside.
Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible (看见). Her window was clean!
Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing (批评) her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings?
Since then, whenever I wanted to judge (评判) someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?” I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly.The writer couldn’t see everything clearly through the window because _______.
| A．the woman’s window was dirty |
| B．the writer’s window was dirty |
| C．the woman lived nearby |
| D．the writer was near-sighted |
“It dawned on me” probably means “_______”.
| A．I began to understand it | B．it cheered me up |
| C．I knew it grew light | D．it began to get dark |
It’s clear that ________.
| A．the writer had never met the woman before |
| B．the writer often washed the window |
| C．they both worked as cleaners |
| D．they lived in a small town |
From the passage, we can learn _______.
| A．one shouldn’t criticize others very often |
| B．one should often make his windows clean |
| C．one must judge himself before he judges others |
| D．one must look at others through his dirty windows[ |
Dr． Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish． It's not because fish are endangered, though wild fish stocks in many oceans are very low． It's not because they're bad for you, though fish in many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water． It’s because they're smart．
"Fish are sensitive, they have personalities," says the marine biologist． For Earle, eating a fish would be like eating a dog or a cat． "I would never eat anyone I know personally．"
There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to be touched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human． They can remember things and learn from experience． Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these as strong arguments against eating fish altogether．
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way from the sea to the supermarket． "While it may seem conspicuous that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables," says Dr． Lynne Sneddon． "Really, it's kind of a moral question． Is the enjoyment you get from fishing （or eating fish） more important than the pain of the fish?"
Fishermen and （fried） fish lovers are skeptical． "I've never seen a smart fish," says Marie Swaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant． "If they were very smart, they wouldn't get caught．"
"For years, everyone's been telling us to eat fish because it's so good for us," says another diner． "Now I've got to feel guilty while I'm eating my fish? What are they going to think of next? Don't eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?"According to Dr． Sylvia Earle, he would stop eating fish as a result of the following reasons EXCEPT ___________ ．
| A．Fish are sensitive and have personalities |
| B．He knows fish very well |
| C．Fish are dangerous to eat because the water is polluted |
| D．Fish are clever |
Dr.Lynne Sneddon describes the behavior of eating fish in a（n） _______ tone．
| A．opposed | B．optimistic |
| C．indifferent | D．supportive |
Which word below can take the place of the underlined word “conspicuous” in Paragraph 4?
| A．obvious | B．easy |
| C．impossible | D．necessary |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____________ ．
| A．Human beings should stop eating fish |
| B．We would feel guilty if we continued eating fish |
| C．People eat fish because fish are delicious |
| D．Cucumber is a kind of vegetable or fruit |
What was the author’s purpose when writing this passage?
| A．To advise people to stop eating fish． |
| B．To introduce a topic of whether people should eat fish． |
| C．To advise people not to stop eating fish． |
| D．To tell us that fish will feel pain when caught and transported． |
We know that hugs make us feel easy inside. And this feeling, it turns out, could actually ward off stress and protect r the immune (免疫) system, according to a new research from Carnegie Mellon University.
It’s a well-known fact that stress can weaken the immune system. In this study, the researchers sought to determine whether hugs----like social support more broadly ----could protect individuals from the increased sensitivity to illness brought on by the particular stress that come with interpersonal conflict.
“We know that people experiencing ongoing conflicts with others are less able to fight off cold viruses. We also know that people who report having social support are partly protected from the effects of stress on psychological states, such as depression and anxiety, “the study’s lead author, psychologist Dr. Sheldon Cohen , said in a statement. “We tested whether awareness of social support is equally effective in protecting us from sensitivity to infection caused by stress and also whether receiving hugs might partially account for those feeling of support and thus protect a person against infection.”
In the experiment , over 400 healthy adults filled out a questionnaire about their perceived (感知) social support and also participated in a nightly phone interview for two weeks . They were asked the frequency they engaged in interpersonal conflicts and received bugs that day.
Then, the researchers exposed the participants to a common cold virus, and monitored them to assess signs of infection. They found that both perceived social support and more frequent hugs reduced the risk of infection associated with experiencing interpersonal conflict. Regardless of whether or not they experienced social conflicts, infected participants with greater perceived social support and more frequent hugs had less severe illness symptoms.
“This suggests that being hugged by a trusted person may act as an effective means of conveying support and that increasing the frequency of hugs might be an effective means of reducing the effects of stress,” Cohen said. “The apparent protective effect of hugs may result from the physical contact itself or hugging being a behavioral indicator of support and closeness. Either way, those who receive more hugs are somewhat more protected from infection.”
If you need any more reason to go wrap your arms around someone special, consider this: hugs also lower blood pressure, reduce fearsome around death and dying, improve heart health and decrease feeling of loneliness.In Paragraph 1, the underlined words “ward off “can be replaced by ____.
| A．produce | B．increase |
| C．prevent | D．support |
Dr. Sheldon Cohen’s experiment shows that ____.
| A．hugs can hide serious illness symptoms |
| B．social conflicts can monitor signs of infection |
| C．social support can reduce the risk of having a cold |
| D．depression and anxiety result from less social support |
The passage aims to convey that ____.
| A．hugs can have protective effects |
| B．social support can sure diseases |
| C．interpersonal conflicts cause infections |
| D．stress can weaken our immune system |
The passage is most likely to be found in ____.
| A．a social science magazine |
| B．a commercial brochure |
| C．a medical report |
| D．an academic essay |
While you may think that being smart and talented would logically make someone successful in running a business, unfortunately, this is often not the case.
This problem starts back in school when the stressful “group projects” are first assigned .The smartest don’t want to risk their grade in the class by dividing the work equally and hoping that an average student does his part well. They just take over and do the whole project themselves.
And thus begins the smart-people work cycle. The smartest people do just about everything better than most everyone else until it comes to running a business. They are not better. A smart person who can’t stand someone else doing a job badly does everything himself. Then, he is stuck with the one-man band “job-business” and ends up not being able to grow. However, it is quite interesting and strange that some “slackers” ( a person who is lazy and avoids work) are better suited to be a business leader than the “smart” people.
Smart and talented people often have a gift for the unusual, complicated or different. They don’t like to follow the KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid), which is required to make a business succeed. Maybe you think the global presence of McDonald’s complex, but in reality, in the company, every single task is broken down into easy-to-follow steps and everything has been standardized. These successful companies have just a few smart enough people to run the majority of the tasks in a way that can’t be screwed up by their average employees. So, being smart or talented isn’t going to help you unless you can use those smarts to figure out a way to simplify those tasks that will make a business successful.
Another issue with the smart people starting businesses is that they often have the most to lose. The smarter you are, the more options you have available to you. You will be able to make a lot of money in various fields and have room in your career to become promoted. This means that when you start a business, you have a lot more to risk than those who are not equally smart. This is often referred to as the “golden handcuffs” dilemma.
So, don’t be surprised when the person “MOST Likely to Succeed” from high school ends up as an employee and it is one average student that finds success in his or her own business.In group work, smart students often take over the whole project because they believe ____.
| A．the work is not divided equally |
| B．they can perform better than others |
| C．the group projects are too stressful |
| D．average students are unwilling to participate |
McDonald’s is used as an example to prove that ____.
| A．a business calls for smart people’s talent |
| B．average employees can perform complex tasks |
| C．smart people are important for a successful business |
| D．simplified tasks are required for the success of a business |
The underlined expression in Paragraph 5 refers to the situation where smart people ____.
| A．have fewer options in a company |
| B．risk more when starting business |
| C．are unwilling to put money to a business |
| D．can have a good income in many different fields |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Potentials for Success |
| B．Bases for Business |
| C．The Ordinary Achieve Bigger Success? |
| D．Talent Means Successful Business? |
The Evergreen Teen Book Club invites you to join us and take full advantage of our limited-time introductory offer.
If you join our club, you will receive a certificate for 3 free books. These are yours to keep, even if you decide to cancel your membership. However, if you decide to purchase just one book at the regular club price, you will receive a certificate for an additional 3 free selections after your first order is placed.
As our member, you can benefit from all of our super sales and our Bonus Program. You accumulate 2 bonus points with each cash purchase of one book. Every 6 bonus points will earn you a certificate for one free book!
To join our club, fill in the brief application listing your name, address, and phone number on the postage-paid card at the bottom of this page. Then drop the card in the mail and our present catalogue will be immediately mailed out to you for your 3 free selections!
This catalogue offers a wide selection of over 500 books in every issue, including mysteries, adventures, biographies, cookbooks, sports, and many more. Our catalogue also contains interviews with your favorite authors, reviews of newly published novels, and a teen top-ten list for both fiction and nonfiction.
Once you are a member, you will receive our catalogue monthly, but you don’t need to purchase any selections. We send you only exactly what you order.
If you join before June 30th, we will also provide complimentary shipping (免费送货)，even if you choose to order nothing except your 3 free books.
You can build a great book collection!
Begin now by taking advantage of this great offer.If you join the Evergreen Teen Book Club, you can __________.
| A．buy books at cost price |
| B．get one free book for a cash purchase of 3 books |
| C．receive a gift after each order |
| D．expect 3 free books each month |
If Lily wants to get free delivery, she should __________.
| A．accumulate 6 bonus points |
| B．order at least 3 books |
| C．purchase the catalogue |
| D．join the club before June 30th |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to __________.
| A．collect books for the club |
| B．read different kinds of books |
| C．join the club and order books |
| D．learn from famous writers |
Yesterday I started the Year of Giving, my first day of a year-long journey into exploring the act of giving and the meaning of charity. I chose December 15 as the starting date, which marked three years since my mother died from heart disease. She was one of the most generous people that I have ever known. She always thought of others first and certainly serves as an inspiration to me.
I had a rather busy day yesterday, ironic (具有讽刺意义的) for someone who is unemployed right now. In the morning I went to the gym, and unsuccessfully got the phone call from the unemployment office for some job searching. Before I knew it, it was noon. I grabbed a quick lunch and rushed down to a meeting. On my way to Connecticut, I wondered if I would see someone that I would feel forced to give my first $ 10 to. I was running late and decided to do it afterwards.
After the meeting I had about half an hour to find the first person of my Year of Giving! I decided to check out DuPont Circle. I had met a guy there named Jerry once and thought he would willing accept my $ 10. He wasn’t there, but I did see a man sitting by himself who looked really lonely, so I approached him. Now I had to figure out what I was going to say, I think I said something like, “Hi, can I sit down here?” “I would like to know if I could give you $ 10?” He asked me to repeat what I had said, I did, then he looked at me funny, got up and left.
I then started walking south where I spotted a man standing by the bus stop on Connecticut Ave. He appeared to be in his 60s. I don’t know what drew me to him, but I thought I would make my second attempt. I was a bit nervous and asked him which bus came by that stop. Then I explained that I was starting a year-long project to give $ 10 to someone every day and that I wanted to give my $ 10 for today to him. The gentleman, I later found out that his name was Ed, responded without hesitation that he could not accept my offer and that there were many people more deserving the money than him. This was exactly one of the things that I hoped would happen. People would think of others before themselves.The author set the starting date on December 15 to ____.
| A．help the charity | B．remember his mother |
| C．make an explosion | D．fulfill a wish if his mum |
In the author’s first attempt to give away the money, ____.
| A．he was considered ridiculous |
| B．he hesitated for a long time |
| C．he was forced to donate the money |
| D．he had no time to take action |
In the author’s second attempt, the gentleman refused his offer because ____.
| A．he didn’t need other’s help |
| B．he thought more for others |
| C．he didn’t care about money |
| D．he wanted to get more money |
We can refer that the author was inspired by ____.
| A．true friendship | B．his own kindness |
| C．generous donations | D．human’s good nature |