If you could leave a farewell (告别) video for your loved ones that they’d see only if you died, would you do it? I think I would.
I read about an app (应用程序) that helps people create a video to be published on a social-networking site only after death. Of course you don’t need an app since it’s easy to make your own video with smartphones, laptops and computers. But how many people do you know who would actually go ahead and leave “If I die” footage (镜头)?
My father died unexpectedly on Christmas Eve three years ago and I’ve since longed for one more time to talk to him and hear his voice. Imagine if he had left such a video. I would see him again, hear his laughter and benefit from his parting words and advice.
I don’t think people, unless they have a terminal illness, go through life thinking they’d better leave a video in case of an untimely death. But it is an opportunity to say all the things you want to say before it’s too late.
Still, some say that such a video robs loved ones of their own memories of you. Any special images they have would be superimposed (叠加) by the video image you’ve created. Others think it’s scaring and might be tempting fate.
I expect my video would consist of reminders to my children: Be safe; be mindful of your surroundings; exercise good judgment; speak up; it never hurts to ask; don’t waste time and “call when you get there”. And in addition, I would repeat what I always tell them: I need to know where you are, every-step-of-the-way. That would make them laugh.
Readers, would you find comfort in knowing you’ve said your farewells and left something concrete for your loved ones? What messages would you leave for family and friends?
The writer mentions the app to show .
| A．the app is out of date now |
| B．smartphones are better tools to make videos |
| C．it is not convenient to make a video with the app |
| D．how he was inspired to get the idea of creating a video before death |
Some people against such a video argue that the image in the video .
| A．will be different from that of the real person |
| B．cannot convey the real intention of the dead |
| C．will replace our loved ones’ own memories of us |
| D．will stop the loved ones from missing the dead |
The purpose of mentioning his father’s unexpected death is to .
| A．show his deep love for his father |
| B．show the importance of keeping healthy |
| C．show thanks for the benefits he got from his father |
| D．show that it is necessary to leave a farewell video |
The underlined word “untimely” in Paragraph 4 probably means .
| A．happening at a suitable moment |
| B．happening too soon or sooner than expected |
| C．continuing to happen or exist without stopping |
| D．having a value that is not limited to a particular period |
Once upon a time there was a crook（骗子）who only thought about how to get money. What he hated most was when people were polite to each other, saying things like “please”, “thank you”, and “don’t mention it”.
The crook thought all those kinds of words were a waste, so he spent a lot of time inventing a machine which could steal words. With this machine, he planned to steal “please”, “thank you”, “don’t mention it”, and similar words people used to be polite. After he stole these words, he intended to take them apart and sell the letters to book publishers. After he started up his machine, people would open their mouths, intending to say kind and polite things, but nothing came out. All those words ended up inside the big machine.
The crook was happy with his success, but he didn’t count on (料想到)a couple of very special little girls. Those girls were deaf, and had to communicate with sign language. Because the machine couldn’t steal gestures, these girls continued being kind and polite. Soon they realized what had been happening to everyone else, and they found out about the crook and his plan. The girls followed him and found the machine busy separating all the words into letters. They approached the machine and started being polite to each other.
Try as it might, the machine couldn’t steal those words, and it started to suffer a power overload(超载). Finally, it exploded, sending all the letters it had gathered flying into the sky. These letters started coming down, like rain, and most ended up in the sea. After that, everyone could be polite again.
Seeing all those letters fall into the sea, those little girls had an idea. A little while later they opened a factory, making alphabetic spaghetti soup!What the crook hated most was ______.
| A．his machine | B．money | C．language | D．politeness |
The crook spent a lot of time inventing a machine to ______.
| A．publish books | B．steal words |
| C．write letters | D．make alphabetic soup |
Why did the machine have no effect on the two girls?
| A．Because they were kind and polite. |
| B．Because they were very clever. |
| C．Because the machine couldn’t steal gestures. |
| D．Because there was something wrong with the machine. |
Notice
Dear Degree-doing International Students,
According to the University’s regulations governing the Curriculums (课程) of General Education, the curriculum-choosing procedures (程序) are as follows:
Who
All degree-doing international students are required to choose the curriculums related to Chinese Language and Culture. Refer to Item 3 for different arrangements for undergraduate students (本科生) ,master and doctor students.
What curriculum to choose
You are required to choose two curriculums related to Chinese Language and Culture that suit your own level and program. The curriculum consists of Elementary Chinese, Intermediate （中级的）Chinese, and Chinese Culture (Taught in Chinese and English ). Please refer to Attachment 1 for details.
How many credits
You are required to complete 6 credits for each curriculum within a term.
When and How
A. Undergraduate students: you are required to complete the curriculum selection process (The system will be reopened next week) by 5:00 p.m. on June 22, 2013. About how to choose the courses, you can refer to Attachment 2 (It is in Chinese; turn to your Chinese friends or teachers for help if you cannot follow the procedures of the attachment) for the instructions.
B. Master and Doctor Students: you won’t have to complete the curriculum selection until early September; please wait for further notice on the arrangement.
Your cooperation will be highly appreciated.
Attachment 1: Chinese Language & Culture for International Students
Attachment 2: Handbook for Curriculum Selection
School of International Education
Chongqing University
June 13, 2013This notice is mainly about _______.
| A．course selection | B．how to study elective courses |
| C．regulations of learning Chinese | D．Learning arrangements for elective courses |
The courses which can be chosen don’t include _______.
| A．Chinese Culture | B．Advanced Chinese |
| C．Elementary Chinese | D．Intermediate Chinese |
According to the arrangement, who must finish choosing curriculums in June?
| A．Doctor students | B．Master students |
| C．Undergraduate students | D．International students |
You can learn the instructions in the course selection from_______.
| A．your friends | B．your teachers | C．Attachment One | D．Attachment Two |
From the beginning of human history, wild animals provided food, clothing and sometimes medicine. We may not depend so much on wild animals now. But we hear about them every day. Americans use the names of animals in many ways. Automobile manufacturers (制造商) and gasoline companies especially like to use big cats to sell their products. They like lions, tigers and wildcats. When Americans say wildcat, they usually mean a lynx, an ocelot or a bobcat. All these cats attack quickly and fiercely. So wildcats represent something fast and fierce.
An early American use of the word wildcat was quite different. It was used to describe members of Congress who declared war on Britain in 1812. A magazine of that year said the wildcat congressmen went home. It said they were unable to face the responsibility of having involved their country in an unnecessary war.
Wildcat also has been used as a name for money. At that time, some states permitted banks to make their own money. One bank in the state of Michigan offered paper money with a picture of a wildcat on it. Some banks, however, did not have enough gold to support all the paper money they offered. So the money had little or no value. It was called a wildcat bill or a wildcat bank note.
The banks which offered this money were called wildcat banks. A newspaper of the time said those were the days of wildcat money. It said a man might be rich in the morning and poor by night.
Wildcat then was used for an oil well or gold mine that had almost no oil or gold in it. Dishonest developers would buy such property. Then they would sell it and leave town with the money. The buyers were left with worthless holes in the ground. Today, wildcat oil wells are in areas that are not known to have oil.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Wildcats and their stories. | B．Wildcats and their characters. |
| C．Varieties of animal species. | D．Relationship between animals and humans. |
From the passage we can know that ______.
| A．wildcats represent the state of Michigan. |
| B．the use of wildcats was not always the same |
| C．wildcats are the best friend of human beings |
| D．honest developers never buy wildcat oil wells |
The underlined words “a lynx, an ocelot or a bobcat”in Paragraph 1 may refer to ______.
| A．gasoline companies | B．automobile manufacturers |
| C．names of wildcats | D．brands of automobile |
It can be inferred that during the days of wildcat money ______.
| A．people couldn’t buy anything with the money |
| B．people didn’t know how to save money |
| C．the rich invested too much on oil wells |
| D．people complained and suffered a lot |
I suppose that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it’s given from the heart. When people are talking, there’s no need to do anything but receive them. Listen to what they’re saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. Most of us don’t value ourselves or our love enough to know this. It has taken me a long time to believe in the power of simple saying “I’m so sorry,” when someone is in pain.
One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story people often interrupted to tell her that they once had something just like that happening to them. Her pain became a story about them. Eventually, she stopped talking to most people. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand, we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen, they know we care.
I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the handkerchiefs, until I realized that passing a person a handkerchief may be just another way to shut him down, to take them out of their experience of sadness. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry, they find me there with them.
This simple thing has not been that easy to learn. It certainly went against everything I had been taught since I was very young. I thought people listened only because they were too shy to speak or did not know the answer. But now I know that a loving silence often has far more power to heal than the kindest words.What does the author value most in the communication with each other?
| A．Deep understanding | B．Saying “I’m Sorry”. |
| C．Attention from heart. | D．Doing nothing. |
The woman patient stopped telling her story to most people because ______.
| A．She didn’t get enough respect from others |
| B．she was discouraged by being often interrupted |
| C．people often told her their own opinions |
| D．people couldn’t understand her sad situation |
If you hand a handkerchief to someone crying, you may ______.
| A．hurt his feelings | B．make him embarrassed |
| C．encourage him to continue to cry | D．stop him from letting out his sorrow |
It can be inferred from the passage that while communicating, ______.
| A．listening is a perfect way to respond to others |
| B．people keep silent because they don’t know the answer |
| C．keeping silent means being too shy to speak |
| D．it is easy to form the habit of listening silently |
Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day
Gift No. I
Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits
whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part ? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. "Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep," Savard said. "We know that good sleep is very important to our health."
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构) Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?
| A．Take notes. |
| B．Be with her. |
| C．Buy medicine. |
| D．Give her gifts. |
Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
| A．In Gift No. 1. | B．In Gift No. 2. |
| C．In Gift No. 3. | D．In Gift No. 4. |
Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to
| A．enjoy good sleep | B．be well-organized |
| C．bet extra support | D．give others help |