Erica McElrath calls herself “ The Happy Lady”. And by now, you may have caught her singing and dancing with her mp3 player on any of several city street corners. “ I don’t want money,” said McElrah, 40, of St. Louis. “ I come out here to make people smile.”
McElrah lost her full-time job in January. Since then, she has spent her days doing what she loves-dancing in the street. Her message to people in hard times: do something that you enjoy, no matter what your circumstances. “ Life isn’t that bad,” she said. “ If you’re working 40 hours a week, you shouldn’t be complaining.”
McElrah graduated from parkway Central High School and has spent the past 21 years working as a nursing assistant, She began singing and dancing publicly on her days off a few years ago to help her through the pain of her second divorce.
Her favorite spot is the northwest corner of Chouteau Avenue and South Grand Boulevard near St. Louis University. McElrah’s mp3 player is loaded with hundreds of classic rock hits and 80’s pop songs, including those by Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Neil Diamond and Toto. But her favorite artist, by far, is Stevie Nicks.
Videos of McElrah have appeared on YouTube, a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. “People think I’m crazy, but I don’t care,” She said. “ I can dance a little. I just go with the music.” Even a rude gesture from a passing motorist doesn’t bother her either. “ I just smile and wave,” she said.
McElrah’s show of bravery recently earned her a job opportunity with Liberty Tax Service, which temporarily offered her a job as a dancer Statute of Liberty to promote a new place near Grand Center starting in January.
“ Just be happy and do what you love,” she said. “The money will come.”At first McElrah began singing and dancing in public in order to _____.
| A．make a living |
| B．entertain the public |
| C．rise to fame |
| D．encourage herself |
Erica McElrah’s actions are _______.
| A．popular with others |
| B．stopped by her family |
| C．supported by passers-by |
| D．laughed at sometimes |
Erica McElrah was offered a job because of _____.
| A．her beautiful voice |
| B．her positive behavior |
| C．her lively dancing |
| D．her competitive spirit |
Which of the following about Erica McElrah is TRUE？
| A．She doesn’t care others’ comments on her. |
| B．Her favorite artist is Joe Cocker. |
| C．She once worked as a doctor. |
| D．She has been divorced once. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Ways To Be Happy |
| B．Learn To Do What You Love |
| C．Happy Lady’s Singing and Dancing Life |
| D．What Made The Happy Lady Famous? |
Everyone wants to have a healthy heart. Still, heart diseases affect more than 1 in 3 adults in the United States. The good news is that some simple, everyday habits can make a big difference in your ability to live a healthy lifestyle. Here are some worst habits for your heart, and how to avoid them.
Watching TV
Sitting for hours on end increases your risk of heart attack and stroke(中风),“some exercise doesn’t make up for the time you sit,”says Harmony R. Reynolds, Why? The lack of movement may affect blood levels of fats and sugars. Dr. Reynolds advises walking around regularly and, if you’re at work, standing up to talk on the phone.
Leaving hostility and depression unchecked
Are you feeling stressed or sad? It can do harm to your heart. While everyone feels this way some of the time, how you handle these emotions can affect your heart health.“Those with stress are in greater danger; research has shown a benefit to laughter and social support,” Dr. Reynolds says. “And it’s helpful to be able to go to someone and talk about your problems.”
Cutting off from the world
It's no secret that on some days, other human beings can seem annoying and too difficult to get along with.
However, it makes sense to strengthen your connections to the ones you actually like. People with stronger connections to family, friends, and society in general tend to live longer, healthier lives.
Everyone needs alone time, but you should still reach out to others and keep in touch whenever you can.
Drinking (too much) alcohol
Sure, studies suggest a small amount of alcohol may be good for your heart. However, too many of us drink over. Too much alcohol is linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure, high levels of blood fats, and heart failure.Watching TV for a long time may ______________.
| A．help you live a healthy life | B．lead to heart attack |
| C．make up for the time you sit | D．make you feel stressed |
Which of the following is bad for those with stress and sadness?
| A．Laughing a lot | B．Talking about their own problems. |
| C．Getting social support | D．Leaving these emotions alone. |
If you want a long healthy life, you should____________.
| A．cut off from the world | B．get along well with others |
| C．stay alone as much as possible | D．drink no alcohol |
From the passage we can infer that _____________.
| A．some everyday habits can help avoid heart attacks |
| B．standing up to talk on the phone is not a good idea |
| C．it’s easy to strengthen your connections to others |
| D．too much alcohol is not linked to heart failure |
A new study suggests that the roundtheclock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may take a toll on family life. The study，which followed more than 1,300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone throughout the study period were more likely to report negative “spillover” between work and home life—and，in turn，less satisfaction with their family life.
Spillover essentially(本质上)means that the line between work and home begins to become unclear. Work life may invade home life when a parent is taking jobrelated calls at home，for instance—or family issues may start to take up work time. For example，a child may call mum at work，telling her “microwave exploded”，explained Noelle Chesley，an assistant professor of sociology at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be that they are allowing for even more spillover between work and home.
This may be especially true for working women，the study found. Among men，consistent use of mobile phones seemed to allow more work issues to creep (潜入)into family time. But for women，the spillover tended to go in both directions. Being “connected” meant that work cut into home time，and family issues came into work life.
Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchanges among family members. But there may be ways to control the spillover，according to Chesley. Employers, she said，could look at their policies on contacting employees after hours to make sure their expectations are “reasonable”．For their part，employees could decide that cell phones go off during family time, Chesley said.What does the underlined phrase “take a toll on” probably mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．explaining. | B．founding. | C．extending | D．damaging. |
According to Chesley，what is the best solution to the problem caused by cell phones?
| A．Separate work hours from family time. |
| B．Refuse to use cell phones. |
| C．Ignore coming calls during family time. |
| D．Encourage women to stay at home. |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．cell phones affect men as much as women |
| B．cell phones seem to be convenient to families |
| C．cell phones make the line between work and home unclear |
| D．we can do nothing to solve the problem |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A． How to control the negative spillover caused by cell phones. |
| B．How work life invades home life. |
| C．Consistent use of cell phones makes people feel less satisfied with their work. |
| D． Cell phones cause negative "spillover" between work life and home life. |
When a dirty and untidy orange cat showed up in the prison yard，I was one of the first to go out there and pet it．I hadn’t touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years．I spent at least 20 minutes，knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around，relaxed．What he was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly．It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care．
Over the next few days，there were other prisoners responding to the cat．Every yard period，a group of prisoners gathered there．They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat．These were guys you wouldn’t usually find talking to each other．Several times I saw an officer in the group，not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners．Bowls of milk and water appeared along with bread, wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it．
The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape．People said that the cat came to the right place．He's getting treated like a king．This was true．but as I watched I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us．There was a lot of talk about what's wrong with prisons in America．We need more programs．We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds．Some may even talk about making prisons more kind．But I think what we really need is a chance to practise our own kindness．Not receive it，but give it．After more than two decades here，I know kindness is not a value that's encouraged．It's often seen as a weakness．
Instead，the culture encourages keeping your head down，minding your own business，and never letting yourself be weak．
The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here．By simply saying，”I need some help here”，he did something important for us．He needed us．And we needed to be needed．I believe we all do．Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The cat was dirty because it was kept in prison． |
| B．The officer in the prison enjoyed petting the cat． |
| C．The prisoners prepared food for both the cat and birds． |
| D．The author realized the importance of practising kindness． |
We can infer from the third paragraph that______
| A．showing love to others can make prisoners strong |
| B．the American prison culture will be improved |
| C．the author is not content with the prison culture |
| D．caring for others is encouraged in American prisons |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Caring Makes US Human． | B．Prison Culture is Important． |
| C．Animals Need Care． | D．Everyone Needs to be Cared for． |
In Paragraph 2，the author mentioned that "Several times I saw an officer in the Group, not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners." to______ ．
| A．show us the officer and prisoners get along well with each other |
| B．show us the American prison culture does need improvement |
| C．show us the officer and prisoners all like cat |
| D．show us the American prison culture is great |
Musa teaches English at Chunmiao Primary School in Wuhan. He had never heard of China’s idol (偶像) of selflessness before he arrived in the country, but this unusual young man from Nigeria is carrying on the good work of China’s hero soldier.
Musa’s week begins with a crowded two-hour bus ride for a flag-raising ceremony (仪式) at Chunmiao Primary School with old classrooms for the children of migrant (移民) workers on the outside parts of Wuhan.An hour later, he steps in front of a room full of expectant (期盼) students, some of whom recently organized a dance exhibition for their foreign teacher.
The dance showed the spirit of Lei Feng (1940-1962), a soldier who was idolized (作偶像) across China for his selflessness. It was especially meaningful to Musa because the students call him “foreign Lei Feng”.
“I know Lei Feng, he is a good man. Everyone should learn from Lei Feng,” he says.
Born to a family of diplomats (外交官) in 1985, he is the second of nine children and the eldest son. Musa was expected to become a diplomat like his father, who worked in Canada from 2007.In 2008, Musa was picked by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to study in China for a master’s degree in sociology (社会学硕士学位). With the hope of joining the foreign service, he then went on to study for a doctor’s degree in international relations at Central China Normal University.The students Musa teaches at Chunmiao Primary School are __________.
| A．native children in Wuhan |
| B．children of workers from outside Wuhan |
| C．children from different foreign countries |
| D．children from poor families |
Musa is called “Foreign Lei Feng” because __________.
| A．he is doing good deeds as Lei Feng did |
| B．he is teaching English at a primary school |
| C．he is loved and respected by the students |
| D．he helps the students dropping out of school |
Some students organized a dance exhibition to __________.
| A．say good bye to their foreign teacher |
| B．show their wish to learn English |
| C．remember China’s hero soldier |
| D．honor their foreign teacher |
Before he came to China, Musa ___________.
| A．taught English in his country |
| B．did what Lei Feng did in the countryside |
| C．knew nothing about Lei Feng |
| D．was interested in Chinese dance |
What can we learn about Musa from the last paragraph?
| A．He studies Chinese in a China’s University. |
| B．He has an elder sister in his big family. |
| C．He was a foreign official in Canada. |
| D．He got a doctor’s degree in a China’s University. |
On Christmas Eve a few years ago an English couple received a very special telephone call. It was only a 20-second call but it was very important. The Haydens’ 15-year-old daughter had disappeared six months before. On Christmas Eve she rang them. “I’m phoning to wish a happy Christmas,” she said, “I love you.”
Ronals and Edwine Hayden were so happy that they started a special telephone service called “Alive and Well”. The service helps parents to get in touch with children who have run away from home.
Young people can phone “Alive and Well” and leave a message for their parents. The telephones are answered by answering machines. So no one can speak to the child of making him return home.
Parents of runaway children who are under eighteen can ask the police to bring their children home, so children do not want to tell their parents where they are. Through “Alive and Well” they can telephone their parents without worrying about this or giving out their addresses.
The Haydens and their helpers write down the tape recorded telephone messages and connect the address given. Many of the 30,000 British teenagers who have left home are probably in London. For only two pence they can go into a telephone coin box and call their parents. They can dial (拨) 5675339 and stop a parent’s worry: Is he dead or alive?The Haydens’ daughter rang her parents .
| A．because she knew she had done something wrong |
| B．in order to give them her address |
| C．to say she was coming home soon |
| D．in order to comfort her worried parents |
If you ring “Alive and Well”, .
| A．you will get the information you want |
| B．your message will be passed over to your parents |
| C．the police will bring you home |
| D．your parents will know where you are |
From the passage, we can know that ________.
| A．the Haydens received an “Alive and Well” call before Christmas |
| B．an “Alive and Well” call usually costs a lot |
| C．30,000 British teenagers enjoyed the “Alive and Well” service |
| D．an “Alive and Well” call is very important for worrying parents |
Through “Alive and Well”, parents of runaway children .
| A．often fail to persuade their children to return home |
| B．know nothing from their children |
| C．can say nothing to their children |
| D．can ask the police to help them to find lost children |
What can we know about the Haydens’ daughter from the passage?
| A．She died six months ago. |
| B．She had a quarrel with her parents. |
| C．She worked in “Alive and Well”. |
| D．She ran away from home half a year ago. |