The phone ID flashed, “Emergency Vet”. “Oh no” I whispered. I could not lose Merlin now.
Ron and I had tried to have children for a long time with depressing results. I threw myself into my work. Any maternal feelings I had were spent on Merlin.
I couldn’t wait to get home from work each night. I wanted to pick up that warm bundle of loving fur and nestle him. I wanted to sing “Rock-a-bye Merlin”, as I did every night as he would put his paws around my neck.
Merlin was my comfort especially at times when I wondered if God was listening. But last night something had changed. Not only did I sing “Rock-a-Bye Merlin”, but I asked, “What will I do after you’re gone?”
Although Merlin was 19 years old, a senior in the age of a cat, he didn’t look or act that way. I didn’t want to accept the fact that he was nearing the end of his lifetime. My job at the law firm was so demanding and stressful that I couldn’t imagine getting through the day without Merlin waiting to greet me at home.
I dialed the vet’s number. I asked for my husband but he already left. Then I took a breath and asked the question that no one wants to ask, “Is my Merlin still alive?” The nurse said “yes.”
Ron came home and said that Merlin had almost no red blood cells left. White blood cells were replacing them. Merlin would need expensive transfusions most likely on a monthly basis. We both knew Merlin was running out of time. I asked Ron to drive me to the vet so I could say goodbye to my little boy cat but he was beat tired and it was late. Ron said if Merlin was still alive the next morning then he would take me to the vet.
The next morning I called the vet. Merlin had survived the night.
After driving to the vet, I went into the examining room. The nurse brought Merlin and placed him on an examining table on his side. His eyes were tightly shut. I thought he died already. I carefully edged my hand to reach his body. His body felt warm, but when I spoke his name there was no response. No response to his name or that I was there and that I loved him. I was extremely sad.
In that examining room I felt helpless. I wondered how many people in an examining room felt as helpless as I did.
Feeling driven to prayer I yelled, “God this isn’t good enough. I need to see my Merlin the way I remember him, I need a miracle and I need it now!”
At that moment, God granted a miracle. Merlin’s favorite compliment entered my mind. I said, “Merlin, You are Beautiful and You are Gorgeous, do you hear me?”
One eye opened.
I said “Gotcha”. I kept repeating those words.
Merlin opened the other eye and, one limb at a time, got up. He was waiting for that phrase. He wanted to hear that he was beautiful and gorgeous again.
Then I experienced another miracle.
There was no sound in that examining room until Merlin started walking to me. From out of nowhere, or maybe from heaven, I clearly heard a song we sung in church often: “It Is Well With My Soul.” I remembered thinking, “Yes, it is well with my Soul. I got to see my little boy cat one more time.”
Merlin walked to me. He put his face in mine, which he had never done before. He rubbed a circle around my face twice. Merlin said goodbye with his face and marked me for life.
Ron appeared shocked that Merlin was up and had walked to me. I said to Merlin, “Tell God you are a good boy and how much we love you” and then handed him back to the nurse.
Tears of gratitude poured forth in memory of a miracle. You see for nineteen years God spoke to me through a special cat named “Merlin.” On Merlin’s last day, God proved he heard me when he granted a miracle. That miracle gave me time to say goodbye.Ron’s wife couldn’t lose Merlin because ________.
A.Merlin was her adopted child for nineteen years |
B.Merlin could supply her with comfort and warmth |
C.she failed to give birth to her own biological child |
D.she would sing her usual song to no one later in life |
What did Ron’s wife think of Merlin?
①comfortable ②demanding ③long life
④full of devotion ⑤lovely ⑥religious
A.①②⑥ | B.①②③ | C.④⑤⑥ | D.③④⑤ |
What does “The next morning I called the vet.” in Paragraph 8 imply?
A.The writer turned to the vet because Merlin was in desperate condition. |
B.The writer was so hopeless as to ask a favor of the vet. |
C.Ron would accompany her wife to the vet to live up to his promise. |
D.Ron did not care about Merlin so that the writer called the vet. |
When Merlin reached the examining room, ________.
A.he shut his eyes tightly and was obviously dead |
B.his body felt warm because the writer rubbed him hard |
C.the writer chanted prayers to him trying to waking him up |
D.the writer felt helpless to have no timely surgical operation |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
A.we have to have faith in the church to get miracles in future life |
B.God will not disappoint us if we are devoted to our loved ones |
C.couples should have a child or something to fill in their free time |
D.doctors may not always be reliable when our loved ones need their help |
Which of the following can be the proper title?
A.The Miracle Granted | B.A Dying Cat |
C.God Accompanying Us | D.Gratitude Out Of Miracle |
Have fun with Stamp collecting...Join the Collectors Club today!If you enjoy learning all about stamps, then the Royal Mail’s Collectors Club is for you.Join the club and discover the fascinating world of stamps.There are over 70,000 members and it is one of the biggest clubs of its kind in the country.
Become a member today and you will receive lots of wonderful stamp collecting goodies...
●A Starter pack...
And every two months...
●Collectors Club magazine
●Collectors Corner supplement
And every year...
●A new Stamp Calendar
●A set of Album Pages
Join today!
It won’t cost you much to experience the fun of stamp collecting.
Collectors Club Starter Pack
1.100 used stamps and hinges
2.The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting
3.The latest Collectors Club magazine (packed with news and views about stamps, quizzes and competitions, all in colour)
4.Album pages
5.Badge and stickers
6.Membership card
7.Royal Mail Stamp Calendar.
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View a Flash presentation about our club (3.51MB)Which of the following is NOT included in a starter pack?
A.One hundred used stamps and hinges and album pages. |
B.The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting and badge and stickers. |
C.The latest Collectors Club magazine and membership card. |
D.Royal Mail Stamp Calendar and Collectors Corner supplement. |
This advertisement is written for people who want to_______.
A.make money through collecting stamps |
B.develop stamp collection as a hobby |
C.get something free from the club |
D.find out where the club is located |
From the advertisement we can learn_____.
A.Collectors Club is among the biggest clubs in this country |
B.how much you must pay to become a member of the club |
C.today is the last day for stamp collectors to join the club |
D.members may receive a set of album pages every month |
Where is this advertisement most probably found?
A.In a newspaper. | B.On a web page. |
C.In a magazine. | D.On a TV program. |
A new study has found that the best way to make yourself feel happier is to think of something good that happened to you the day before.
Volunteers who were asked to remember a pleasant event from past 24 hours began to feel happier right away.Other activities such as saying “Thank you” and smiling also made volunteers feel happier, but not as much.
Professor Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University planned the study.He got 26,000 people to go online to try out a few different activities to make them feel happier.They were told to be nice, remember a pleasant event from the day before, give thanks or smile for 15 seconds twice a day.The volunteers did these activities for one week.
The result showed that thinking about one good thing that had happened the day before worked the best for making people happier.(146 words)The text may probably be taken from _____.
A.a personal anecdote(轶事) | B.sports news |
C.a history novel | D.brief news |
Volunteers who _____ began to feel happier right away.
A.thought of something good that happened the day before |
B.were asked to remember a pleasant event from the past 24 hours |
C.did other activities like saying “thank you” and smiling |
D.went online to try out a few different activities |
From the text we know that Richard Wiseman is a(an) _____.
A.worker | B.artist | C.professor | D.director |
The best title may probably be _____.
A.Thinking about yesterday’s happiness to be happy today |
B.Making a study to make people happier and younger |
C.Letting out a secret to live a longer life |
D.Doing experiments to make people happier |
Our spiritual intelligence quotient (精神智商), or SQ, helps us understand ourselves, and live fuller, happier lives.
Though we're all born with SQ, most of us don’t even realize that we have it.Fortunately, you don't have to sign up for classes to learn how to improve your SQ.Here are some simple steps that can lead you to this new level of understanding.
Sit Quietly.The process of developing spiritual intelligence begins with solitude (独处) and silence.To tune in to your spirit, you have to turn down the volume (强度) in your busy, noisy, complicated life and force yourself to do nothing at all.Start small by creating islands for silence in your day.In the car, instead of listening to the music, use the time to think.At work, shut the door to your office between meetings, take a few breaths and let them out very, very slowly.Enjoy the stillness in your home after the kids are finally in bed.
Step Outside. For many people, nature sets their spirit free.Go outside to watch a beautiful sunset.If you are walking with the dog, take the time to admire flower in bloom; follow the light of a bird and watch clouds float overhead.
Ask Questions of Yourself.Ask open-ended questions, such as "What am I feeling? What are my choices? Where am I heading?"
But don't expect an answer to arrive through some supernatural form of e-mail."Rarely do I get an immediate answer to my question," says Reverend Joan Carter, a Presbyterian minister in Sausalito, California.“But later that day I suddenly find myself thinking about a problem in a perspective(角度) I never considered before.”
Trust Your Spirit.While most of us rely on gut(本能的) feeling to realize danger, spiritual intelligence pushes us, not away from, but towards some action that will lead to a greater good.The passage is mainly about.
A.what your SQ is and in what way it can benefit our life |
B.what your SQ is and in what way it can be improved |
C.the relationship between your SQ and your life |
D.advantages and disadvantages of SQ |
The underlined phrase "to tune in to your spirit" in the third paragraph probably means to _____.
A.get your spirit relaxed | B.keep up your spirit |
C.keep seated quietly | D.change your spirit |
From the passage, we can know that the most important thing to improve your SQ is.
A.a peaceful mind | B.deep thought |
C.spare time and hobbies | D.good spirits |
According to the passage, which of the following is True?
A.Not everyone has SQ. |
B.You have to go to classes to learn how to improve your SQ. |
C.SQ leads us to take wrong actions. |
D.SQ can benefit our life. |
Section One
The city is an accumulation of human civilization.Just as the American social philosopher(哲学家) Lewis Mumford put it, it is a special system which, fine and compact, has been designed to preserve the fruits of human civilization.Many Western languages have developed their versions of the term “civilization” from the same Latin(拉丁语的) word “civitas”(meaning “city”), and it is by no means a coincidence.The city has played a significant role in the perfection of order in human society.
Section Two
The emblem, showing the image of three people ― you, me, him/her holding hands together, symbolizes the big family of mankind.Inspired by the shape of the Chinese character “世” (meaning the world), the design conveys the organizers' wish to host an Expo which is of global scale and which displays the various urban cultures of the world.
Section Three
Created from the inspiration of Chinese character “人”, the design roots deeply in Chinese culture.It tells the world the eternal core(永恒的核心) and theme of Shanghai World Expo will be always human.The mascot “Haibao” will become the messenger for the theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China “Better City, Better Life”.
The basic structure of the Chinese character “人” in which each stroke(一笔,一划) supports each other also shows the concept that the beautiful life should depends on mutual-help.If the human are willing to support one another, the harmony among human, nature, and society will be available.Such an urban life will be nice.
Haibao’s confident smile is expressing his sincere greeting from China ― “World Expo 2010 Shanghai China welcomes you!”Section One mainly tells us about ______.
A.the part cities play in human civilization |
B.the development of the word “city” |
C.why the Expo is held in Shanghai |
D.where human civilization originated |
The underlined word “it” in Section One refers to ______.
A.the civilization | B.the philosopher | C.the word | D.the city |
Which correctly matches the sections with the pictures described in the passage?
Pictures |
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Dieters are often advised to stop drinking alcohol to avoid the extra calories lurking in a glass of wine or a favorite cocktail.But new research suggests that women who regularly consume moderate(适度的) amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers and are at lower risk for obesity (fatness).
The findings, reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 19,220 United States women aged 30 to 40 who fall into the “normal weight” based on their body mass index.Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston tracked the women’s drinking habits over 13 years.About 60 percent of the women were light or regular drinkers, while about 40 percent reported drinking no alcohol.
Over the course of the study, 41 percent of the women became overweight.Although alcohol is packed with calories, the nondrinkers in the study actually gained more weight over time: nine pounds, on average, compared with an average gain of about three pounds among regular moderate drinkers.The risk of becoming overweight was almost 30 percent lower for women who consumed one or two alcohol drinks a day, compared with nondrinkers.
The findings are certain to be confusing for women who continue to receive conflicting messages about the health benefits and risks of alcohol.Although moderate drinking is associated with better heart health, regular drinking also increases breast cancer risk.
The trend toward less weight gain among drinkers doesn’t appear to hold true for men.A 2003 study of British men showed that regular drinkers gained more weight than nondrinkers.Studies suggest that drinking alcohol has different effects on eating habits among men and women.Men typically add alcohol to their daily caloric intake, whereas women are more likely to substitute(替代)alcohol for food.In addition, there may be differences in how men and women metabolize(代谢)alcohol.Metabolic studies show that after men drink alcohol, they experience little if any metabolic change.But alcohol appears to slightly speed up a woman’s metabolism.
The findings don’t mean women should rush to drink alcohol to lose weight.Other research shows that once a person is already overweight, her alcohol metabolism is more efficient, and so an overweight woman may gain more weight from alcohol than a lean(瘦的) woman.The data do, however, suggest that for many women facing weight problems, the extra calories are probably not coming from alcoholic drinks.According to the study, which of the following regular drinker is less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers?
A B C DThat men regular drinkers gained more weight than women regular drinkers is due to the following except ______.
A.women are more likely to substitute alcohol for food. |
B.men drink alcohol much faster than women. |
C.men and women metabolize alcohol differently. |
D.men have different effects on eating habits with women. |
The underlined word “whereas” may probably mean _______.
A.so | B.in order that | C.but | D.and then |
What can a dieter probably do before reading this passage?
A.Rush to drink alcohol to lose weight |
B.Add alcohol to his or her daily caloric intake. |
C.Face the weight problems alone. |
D.Try to stop drinking any alcohol or wine. |