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An old man lived with his family. The family would eat together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, dropping to the floor. When he grasped his glass of milk, it often spilled clumsily(笨拙地) at the tablecloth.
With this happening almost every night, the son and daughter-in-law became annoyed with the mess.
“We must do something about grandfather,” said the son.
“I’ve had enough of his milk spilling, noisy eating and food on the floor,” the daughter-in-law agreed.
So the couple set a small table at the corner.
There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in wooden bowls. Sometimes when the family looked in grandfather’s direction, he had tears in his eyes as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp warnings when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening, before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood pieces on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy replied, “Oh, I’m making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
These words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears streamed down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken, both knew what must be done.
1.Eating was difficult for the grandfather because ________.
A. his son and daughter-in-law didn’t like him
B. there wasn’t enough food for him
C. life was hard for the poor family
D. he was old and weak
2.The couple served the old man’s food in wooden bowls to ________.
A. show how sick they felt of the old man
B. make the old man’s food more enjoyable
C. prevent the old man from breaking more dishes
D. encourage their son to make more wooden bowls
3.What would the end of the story be like?
A. The couple gave their son a good beating.
B. No more milk was spilled by the old man.
C. The old man had every meal with the family.
D. The whole family started to use wooden bowls.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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“Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Do you agree with this old saying? Joanne Gordon does. She is the author of Be Happy at work and other books about careers(职业). Gordon believes that about 30% of employees(雇员) in North America do not like their jobs, and she thinks that is terrible. She wants to help people who do not feel satisfied with their jobs find work that is good for them. Joanne says, “There are no happy jobs, only happy workers.” She believes that happy workers share three main characteristics.
First, happy workers enjoy the daily activities of their jobs, and they look forward to the workday. Take Tony Hawk, for example. At age 14, he became a professional skateboarder. Now he is a businessman working on projects related to skateboarding—films and video games, but he still skates every day. He once said, “My youngest son’s pre-school was recently asked what their dads do for work. My son said, ‘I’ve never seen my dad do work.’” Tony agrees that his job doesn’t look like work. He has found a way to spend each day doing a job he enjoys.
Second, happy workers like the people they work with. Sally Ayote says, “I work with the coolest people in the world.” She and her group cook for almost 1,200 people in Antarctica. Most of these people are scientists who are doing research. Sally loves to sit and talk with them. She says, “There is no television here, no radio, so I get to know the scientists and what they’re studying.” Sally thinks she has a great job, and the best part about it is the people.
Third, happy workers know that their work helps others. Caroline Baron’s work helps people who have had to leave their home countries because of war or other dangers. She is a filmmaker who started an organization called FilmAid, which shows movies in refugee(难民) camps around the world. Caroline believes that movies can be very helpful in these camps. For one thing, entertaining movies let refugees forget their troubles for a little while. Movies can also teach important subjects like health and safety. For example, in one camp, thousands of refugees saw a movie about how to get clean water. Caroline knows that is helping other people, and this makes her feel proud and happy about her work.
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron all get great satisfaction from their work. Tony Hawk says, “Find the thing you love. If you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.” Joanne Gordon would agree. She encourages people to find something they enjoy doing, find people they like to work with, and find ways to help others. Then they can be proud of what they do, and they will probably be happy at work.
1.Who is the book, Be Happy at Work, written for?
A. Joanne Gordon herself.
B. Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron.
C. People who do not feel satisfied with their jobs.
D. The workers who agree with the author’s ideas.
2.Why did Tony Hawk’s son say, “I’ve never seen my dad do work.”?
A. Because Tony Hawk’s job doesn’t look like work.
B. Because Tony Hawk always finds something enjoyable in his job.
C. Because Tony helps people forget their troubles while skating.
D. Because the best part about his job is to spend each day skating.
3.Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron are good examples that show us ____________.
A. how to be a successful businessman
B. how to help people in difficulties
C. how to get along with the coolest people
D. how to become a happy worker
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Some people believe that only a few kinds of jobs can really make people feel happy.
B. The writer of the passage tells us that many different kinds of work can be enjoyable.
C. The author of Be Happy at Work thinks that happiness at work is really important.
D. Joanne Gordon believes that people will probably be happy at work when they are proud of what they do.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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What time of day can you think most quickly? Are you a morning person? Or does it take you a few hours to get your brain going? A lot of recent research suggests that we should pay attention to our body clock. It can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.
Many people work best later in the morning. This is because the body’s temperature takes time to rise through the day. Taking a warm shower when you wake up can help your body’s temperature rise quickly.
But everyone’s body clock is different and some are special. Morning people will get up early and
work better early in the day. Evening people will work later but work better towards the end of the day. Research shows that we’re better at some activities at certain times of the day. Physical performance is at its best between 3 pm and 6 pm, so it’s better to exercise later in the day.
Between noon and 4 pm, people begin to pay less attention. This is because we think less quickly
after a big meal. Research also shows we become sleepy around 2 pm. This is why people in Spain take a short sleep in early afternoon. Finally, it is best to eat when we’re active. This allows our body
to burn calories better and stops our blood sugar levels from getting too high.
1.__________ can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.
A. Morning people B. A warm shower
C. Our body temperature. D. Our body clock
2.A morning people will ________.
A. get later but work better
B. work better early in the day.
C. only work in the morning
D. go to bed late every night.
3.What is the best time for physical performance?
A. Between 3 pm and 6 pm B. Between 7 pm and 10 pm.
C. Between noon and 4 pm D. Between 5 pm and 8 pm.
4.Why is it best to eat when we’re active?
A. Because eating makes the brain unable to think quickly.
B. Because it makes our blood sugar levels higher.
C. Because our body can burn more calories.
D. Because we are allowed to eat then.
5.What is the best title for this article?
A. How can we work better
B. The best time to exercise
C. How can we keep healthy
D. The perfect time to do something
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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The Healthy Habits Survey shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1. How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
Finding：A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
Step：Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush.
Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2. How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
Finding：Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day----half of the number doctors recommend.
Step：We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day-often inviting germs(病菌)to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3. How often do you think about fighting germs?
Finding：Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
Step：Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge(海绵)that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.
1.What is found out American seniors?
A. Most of then have good habits.
B. Nearly 30% of then bathe three days a week.
C. About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day
D. All of then are fighting germs better than expected..
2.Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands________.
A. eight times a day B. three times a day
C. four times a day D. twice a day
3.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. We should keep from touching our faces.
B. There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth.
C. A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet.
D. We should wash our hands before touching a door handle.
4.The text probably comes from ________.
A. a guide book B. a popular magazine
C. a book review D. an official document
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages. Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs .
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
1.Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
A. Using river water. B. Throwing batteries away.
C. Paving parking lots. D. Throwing rubbish into lakes.
2.What can be inferred from the text?
A. All water shortages are due to human behavior.
B. It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs
C. There is much we can do to reduce family size.
D. The average family in America makes proper use of water.
3.The last paragraph is intended to ________.
A. show us how to fix leaks at home
B. tell us how to run a dishwasher
C. prove what drinking glass is best for us
D. suggest what we do to save water at home
4.The text is mainly about ________.
A. how human activity affects our water supply
B. how much we depend on water to live
C. why droughts occur more in dry climates
D. Why paving roads reduces our water
难度: 中等查看答案及解析