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Rodney Smith, Jr. started mowing the lawns (割草坪) in Huntsville, Alabama last fall. He used his time between classes at Alabama A&M to reach a goal of mowing 100 yards before winter. Smith has been cutting grass for free to help single moms, the elderly, and the disabled, while teaching the local youth the values that can turn boys into men. “I’m doing something positive. I want boys to follow me and be better than me,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Rodney is from Bermuda. He says people there help each other and are always friendly. “That’s what drives me to help people.”
In May this year, he was getting ready to launch his mowing service for the summer when he heard about a 93-year-old woman trying to cut grass by herself. Smith and a friend showed up to do the job for her.
In November, a local TV station gave him $300, calling it a special gift for his good work. After he received the money, he used it to create the non-profit(非盈利的) service group, Raising Men Lawn Care Service. He also started a page to collect money to buy lawn equipment and other things—including T-shirts with special logos.
After I read about Rodney’s story, I told my friends about him. We also planned to mow lawns for single moms, the elderly and disabled in our neighborhood. And I hope more and more young people will join Rodney’s service group—Raising Men Lawn Care Service.
1.What was Rodney Smith, Jr.’s goal last fall?
A. To mow 100 yards for free.
B. To start a non-profit service group.
C. To set a good example to his kids.
D. To make use of time between classes.
2.What does the underlined word “launch” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Improve. B. Find. C. Start. D. Help.
3.What did Rodney do with the money he received?
A. He gave it to the elderly.
B. He improved his mowing service.
C. He gave it to a friend’s service group.
D. He bought many T-shirts for neighbors.
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Writing journals has been one of the most helpful things I’ve ever done. Through writing journals I’ve not only learned a lot about myself, but also removed a lot of obsessive (烦恼的) thoughts, by writing them down and considering them.
Journals give you a place to write down your honest thoughts without being afraid of what people will think of you. There are some ideas for writing journals:
Draw pictures
Write poetry or short stories
Goals: daily and long-term
Respond to a magazine article that you are interested in
Write about obsessive thoughts and try to find what’s causing them
A list of things you are proud of (It can always increase your confidence when you need it)
Make a pro/con (赞成/反对) list when you’re trying to make a decision: most of the time the decision will start to be clearer afterwards
The best way to start is to decide where you want to write your journal. (Though it’s called the journal, it doesn’t mean you can only do it in a “journal”) . If you like the traditional style of journals, then use a notebook, blank paper or graph paper, whichever you like best. If you prefer to go digital, start a blog. You can make the blog public or private, and it’s a good way to keep track of articles or pictures you find online. (You can link to them.)
Even if you feel there’s nothing for you to write about at first, you might be surprised to find that once you start, you can’t stop.
1.What does writing journals help the author do?
A. Make many friends.
B. Do many helpful things.
C. Be free from some worries.
D. Learn a lot about other people.
2.Why is making a pro/con list useful?
A. It increases your confidence.
B. It helps you get what you want.
C. It helps you make great progress.
D. It helps you decide what to do.
3. What do you think about writing journals as a beginner?
A. You have little to write.
B. Writing journals is fun.
C. You’re good at writing.
D. It’s hard to keep track of articles.
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One of the most recent social changes taking place in the world is social networking. Social networking has been in existence for at least 150 years, and probably longer than that. In the times before the invention of the computer and the World Wide Web (WWW), social networking was done in person. People who had similar likes and interests would gather together to share experiences, make new friends, and improve their businesses.
On the Internet, social networking websites made their first appearances during the late 1990s. The first major social networking website in the United States was MySpace. MySpace allowed its users to exchange messages, share pictures, and make new friends in a way that was never thought of in the past. With MySpace, people who did not go out much could reach out to others from their own homes.
In 2004, Facebook was created. It was first a website created for use by Harvard University’s students and teachers, but it soon expanded to include just about everyone. It is now larger than some of the largest companies in the world. It is a website that is changing all the time. Facebook has completely changed the way people stay connected with each other and the rest of the world. The way it works is simple. Users can set up a new account (账户) easily. All a new user needs is an email address to start. Once a person has created an account and his friend also has his own Facebook page, he can invite his friend by sending a request out to him. Once you get started, making new friends will come easily.
1.What can we learn about social networking?
A. It is not a new development.
B. It made World Wide Web famous.
C. It appeared because of the computers.
D. It helped people develop new interests.
2.What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
A. MySpace is less famous than Facebook.
B. MySpace greatly changed people’s lives.
C. MySpace led to the appearance of Facebook.
D. MySpace was improved by Harvard University’s students.
3.What do new users of Facebook need to create an account?
A. An email address.
B. His friend’s help.
C. High-speed network.
D. His friend’s Facebook page.
4.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. The way to be a Facebook user.
B. The importance of social networking.
C. Two important social networking websites.
D. The differences between MySpace and Facebook.
