My parents have certainly had their troubles, and as their child I’ll never know how they made it to 38 years of marriage.They loved each other, but they didn’t seem to like each other very much.Dad was too fond of his beer, and he talked down to Mom a lot.When she tried to stand up to him, a fight would unavoidably follow.
It was my dad’s disease that began to change things.The year 1998 was the beginning of a remarkable transformation for my family.My father, Jim Dineen, the always healthy, weightlifting, never-missed-a-day-of-work kind of dad, discovered he had kidney (肾) disease.
The decision to go ahead with a transplant for my father was a long and tough one, mostly because he had liver damage too.One physician’s assistant told him, “According to your file, you’re supposed to be dead.” And for a while, doctors mistakenly thought that he would need not just a kidney transplant, but a liver transplant too.Dad’s future hung in midpoint.
When the donor testing process finally began in the spring of 2003, numerous people, including me, my uncle Tom, and my mom, came back as matches of varying degree.But Mom was the one who insisted on going further.She decided to donate a kidney to my father.She said she was not scared, and it was the right thing to do.We all stepped back in amazement.
At last a date was chosen – November 11, 2003.All of a sudden, the only thing that seemed to matter Dad was telling the world what a wonderful thing Mom was doing for him.A month before the surgery, he sent her birthday flowers with a note that read, “I love you and I love your kidney! Thank you!”
Financially, the disease was upsetting to them.So my sister and I were humbled and surprised when, shortly before his surgery day, Dad handed us a diamond jewelry that we were to give to Mom after the operation.He’d accumulated(积累) his spare dollars to buy it.
At the hospital on the day of the transplant, all our relatives and friends gathered in the waiting room and became involved in a mean euchre (尤克牌游戏) tournament.My family has always handled things with a lot of laughter, and even though we were all tense, everybody was taking bets on how long this “change of conduct” would last in my parents.
We would inform Dad that if he chose to act like a real pain on any particular day after the operation, he wasn’t allowed to blame it on PMS just because he’d now have a female kidney.
The surgeries went well, and not long afterward, my sister and I were allowed to go in to visit.Dad was in a great deal of pain but again, all he could talk about was Mom.Was she okay? How was she feeling? Then the nurses let us do something unconventional.As they were wheeling Mom out of recovery room, they rolled her into a separate position to visit Dad.It was strange to see both my parents hooked up to IVs and machines and trying to talk to each other through tears.The nurses allowed us to present the diamond jewelry to Mom so that Dad could watch her open it.Everyone was crying, even the nurses.
As I stood with digital camera in hand, I tried to keep the presence of mind to document the moment.My dad was having a hard time fighting back emotion, and suddenly my parents unexpectedly reached out to hold each other’s hands.
In my nearly 35 years of existence, I’d never seen my parents do that, and I was spellbound.I snapped a picture and later rushed home to make sure I’d captured that enormous, life-defining moment.After so many years of disagreement, it was apparent to me that they finally understood how much each loved the other.From the first paragraph we can learn that _________.
A.Dad was fond of drinking |
B.My parents got along well |
C.Dad often beat Mom |
D.Mom never obeyed Dad |
The underlined part “Dad’s future hung in midpoint” in Para.3 suggests that _________.
A.Dad's life journey was on half way |
B.Dad came to a critical moment in his life |
C.Dad’s future was decided by doctors |
D.Dad faced a tough decision in his life |
Before the surgery, which of the following words can best describe the feeling of the families?
A.Worried and negative. |
B.Anxious and helpless. |
C.Nervous but optimistic. |
D.Relaxed and positive. |
Which of the following is TRUE according the passage?
A.Dad bought a diamond jewelry to Mom for their wedding anniversary. |
B.Dad asked the nurse to visit Mom soon after the operation. |
C.Despite a lot of pain, Dad was eager to know Mom’s condition soon after the operation. |
D.On the day of the transplant, the families involved in a mean euchre tournament to relax themselves. |
What’s in the writer’s photo?
A.Everyone was crying, even the nurses. |
B.His parents were trying to talk to each other. |
C.Dad watched Mom opening the gift. |
D.His parents were holding each other’s hands. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Dad’s disease | B.Mom’s decision |
C.The Gift of Life | D.The photo of hands |
B
Seeking to find happiness through a job before you find happiness on a personal level is like trying to stand on stilts (桩子) on quicksand. That’s how Anahita Moghaddam feels about it, anyway. She believes it is our “primary responsibility” to cultivate (耕耘) love and happiness within ourselves, first and foremost. Moghaddam says that if you only look to your professional achievements to keep your sense of purpose and well-being going, a sense of emptiness or desperation can’t almost be avoided.
You and your brain are more flexible than you think. The brain changes and grows depending on what it interacts with. Positive thoughts will give support to neuron pathways (神经路径) for the feeling of joy; negative thoughts will make neuron pathways for feelings of sadness stronger. “The number of possible combinations of neurons that fire and wire together is 10 to the millionth power in your nervous system. In comparison, the number of atoms in our entire universe is estimated to be around 10 to the 80th power. If we are 10 to the millionth power, that makes us almost infinite. So what are we? Who are we? And what can we do with this?” she says.
Unfortunately, human brains have several biological tendencies to negative thoughts and feelings. First, human brains can identify and avoid threats. Often, that means that other humans instinctively register as competition, instead of teammates or comrades. Second, we’re biologically likely to remember a single negative incident more than multiple positive experiences.
Despite it, we can control the thoughts with mindfulness. As Rick Hanson explains, changes in our thoughts can change the grey matter in our brains, and vice versa. “Mental activity is like a spring shower, leaving little traces of neural structure behind,” he says. “Over time, the little tracks in the hillside draw in more water down, deepening their course.”
There are benefits to living mindfully other than happiness. People who try to live more mindfully can focus for longer periods of time. “The ability to focus more strategically makes you more clear. It makes you show up to your own life more fully,” Moghaddam says. “Happiness and creativity are the purpose and they are also the byproduct of living mindfully, living with purpose. Otherwise it is a social idea, and a concept that we grasp at, but it really starts in your heart.”What does Moghaddam think the most important for us?
A.Working hard to avoid a sense of emptiness. |
B.Finding a specific purpose for our own life. |
C.Relying on our achievements to be happy. |
D.Seeking happiness from our inner mind. |
We can infer from Paragraph 3 that .
A.we are likely to remember good memories more than negative experiences |
B.human brains instinctively refuse to remember negative thoughts |
C.human brains can’t avoid threats instinctively |
D.we tend to be impressed with negative incidents |
What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Our nervous system. |
B.Our ability to be infinite. |
C.Our entire universe. |
D.Our total number of neurons. |
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项 。
A
Wondering where to watch the fireworks on the fourth Friday of July? Here are some restaurants where you can sit, grab a bite to eat and watch the show.
The Roof on Wilshire offers a view of the city, so chances are that you’ll be able to catch a fireworks show while you’re up there. The restaurant will also offer an all-you-can-eat menu for $20 that includes all beef hot dogs and sweet potato chips. The festivities will take place from 2 to 11 p.m. Reservations are recommended. 6317 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 852-6002.
Whiskey Red’s is located in Marina Del Rey. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., it will include live music from Jack of Hearts. Drink specials include $3 select “Old School” beers and $5 Fireball shots from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. A custom menu of hamburgers and hot dogs will be available. Guests can make reservations from 5:30 to 10 p.m. It costs $59 to reserve a seat on the patio (露台) and $49 for indoor seating. Kids aged 5 to 12 need $25 for a seat outside and $20 for an indoor seat. Kids aged four and below are free. 13813 Fiji Way, Marina Del Rey, (310) 823-4522.
High Rooftop lounge in Venice at the top of the Hotel Erwin offers views of the Venice coastline. The fireworks show starts at 9 p.m. The rooftop lounge (休息室) offers a full menu of cocktails and a selection of snacks. 1697 Pacific Avenue, Venice Beach, (800) 786-7789.
The last one is Carbon Beach Club at the Malibu Inn. Here you can see fireworks from the restaurant’s oceanfront balcony from 6 to 9:30 p.m. The restaurant offers a menu of cheese, steak, fish, as well as a selection of raw shellfish. Reservations are recommended. 22878 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, (310) 456-6444.Which restaurant will you choose if you want to watch the fireworks at 3 p.m.?
A.The Roof on Wilshire. | B.Whiskey Red’s. |
C.High Rooftop lounge. | D.Carbon Beach Club. |
If a couple with a six-year-old kid want to reserve three indoor seats in Whiskey Red’s, they should pay at least _____.
A.$143 | B.$138 | C.$123 | D.$118 |
D
Thousands of taxi drivers in Shenyang, Liaoning province, reportedly blocked streets with their vehicles on Sunday in protest against unlicensed vehicles using taxi-hiring apps(打车软件) and apps-based car rental companies providing passenger services, including high-end cars. Although the drivers also complained about the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy by the government, their main complaint was the loss of business because of the rising number of Internet-based car services companies.
On Wednesday, news reports came that Beijing transport authorities will take measures to stop the illegal “taxi business” of private cars through the newly rising Internet apps, following the footsteps of Shenyang and Nanjing.
It is not yet clear how the Shenyang city government will handle the issue and whether it will declare the services offered by market leaders such as Didi Dache, a taxi-hiring app provider backed by Tencent Holdings, and Kuaidi Dache illegal. But Shanghai transport regulators have set a rule, by banning Didi Zhuanche, or car services offered by Didi Dache in December.
Such regulations will cause a setback to the car-hiring companies and investors that are waiting to cash in on the potentially booming business. Just last month, Didi Dache got $700 million in funding from global investors, including Singapore state investment company Temasek Holdings, Russian investment company DST Global and Tencent. Besides, the market is uncertain that Kuaidi Dache is about to finalize its latest round of funding after getting $800 million from global investors.
Regulatory uncertainties, however, could cast a shadow on the future of the Internet-based car-hiring services, which have become popular in most of China’s big cities. To be fair, these companies’ business model is anything but bad. For example, Didi Zhuanche works side by side with established car rental companies to provide high-end car service mainly for businesspeople through the Internet and mobile phone apps.
Every link in this business model chain has legal companies and services. Hence, it is hard to define it as illegal and ban it.Why did taxi drivers in Shenyang block the streets with their vehicles?
A.Because they wanted the authority to increase their driving allowances. |
B.Because they wanted to be taught how to use the taxi-hiring apps. |
C.Because they wanted to make their main complaints known to the authority. |
D.Because they wanted to appeal to passengers not to hire the private cars. |
The author’s attitude to banning internet car-hiring service is______.
A.positive | B.negative |
C.neutral | D.unclear |
Which of the following statements is false according to the passage?
A.The problem referred to in the passage exists in all cities |
B.App-based car rental is functional to some degree |
C.The government should regulate the app-based car rental market |
D.Didi Dache is a China-foreign joint company |
we can learn from the passage that ____ _.
A.Shenyang forbade apps-based car rental companies |
B.Shanghai is the second city banning Didi Zhuanche |
C.some international investment companies have strong faith in the future of apps-based car rental companies |
D.it is not difficult to picture the apps-based car rental companies illegal |
C
It was the end of my junior year, the weekend before prom (毕业舞会). I was riding with some friends, and a bottle was passed around the car. Everyone was taking swigs(一大口). When the bottle got to me, I thought:“What should I do?”I took a swig. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I had to drive home later that night.
I went back to my car, got in and drove off. At a stop sign I saw a policeman sitting in the parking lot across the street. His headlights were turned on, and I knew he was going to follow me. Then he flashed his lights at me. All I could think was: “Oh no, that swig!”
I pulled over and waited for him to come to my door. It felt like forever. “Can I see your license and registration, please, Miss?” I gave them to him. He took them and went back to his car for a while. When he returned, he asked if I had been drinking.
“No,” I said. He asked me to step out of my car.
“Walk heel to toe down the white line, please.” I passed the test. Next he had me stand on my left foot, lift my right foot and hold it for 30 seconds. I’m not the most coordinated (动作协调的) person and I can’t even walk and chew gum at the same time, so, needless to say, I didn’t pass. Then he asked me to take a breathalyzer test.
That was where I messed up. I told him I didn’t want to and didn’t understand why I had to. The officer asked me three more times, and I continued to refuse. He told me to turn around and place my hands behind my back. He arrested me right then and there.
The policeman drove me to a police station 20 minutes from my home. He called my parents and told them where I was.
I went to court two months after that, charged with refusing to obey an officer. I got a $700 (4,340 yuan) fine and 40 hours of community service. I’ll be on probation (缓刑) for a year, and I’ll have to take the driving test again. I lost my license for a whole year.
This was a huge learning experience for me. It opened my eyes to how easy it is to make a stupid decision. I want everyone reading this to know that it’s not right to drink and drive. It definitely isn’t worth losing your license over.According to the first paragraph, we may know that the author __________.
A.forgot she had to drive home later when riding with her friends |
B.would rather she had not accepted to drink that night. |
C.felt just one mouthful would not affect her driving |
D.Could not find out her driving license on the way |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
A.The author was in prison for 40 hours and had to do something about community service. |
B.The author considered that her punishment shouldn’t be so serious. |
C.The author was really sorry that she had made such a serious mistake. |
D.The author believed she would have avoided punishment if she had followed the policeman. |
What is the main purpose of the article?
A.To warn people against driving after drinking. |
B.To explain how policemen test drivers. |
C.To show that severe punishment works. |
D.To blame the author’s thoughtless friends. |
B
What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.what can we infer from the first paragraph ? ________.
A.we should reflect on how to find our career |
B.the better you are at school subjects, the more helpful they are in your career. |
C.mastering each subject well is an ability in many jobs. |
D.learning better at school shows strength in your job |
From the passage we can conclude that if a student’s school performance is not good, he will _____.
A.fail in his future work |
B.be hopeful to find a appropriate job |
C.regret not having worked harder at school |
D.have a chance of a new beginning in his future work |
All the subjects may have direct value for job hunting except _________.
A.mathematics | B.English |
C.history | D.technical drawing |
The passage mainly discusses ___________.
A.The relationship between school performance and career |
B.how to get a job |
C.How to show strengths in your work |
D.working experience and knowledge at school |