Welcome to Inspire 21
Our aim is to provide “Inspiring words for the 21st century”. So, here we offer a unique collection of inspiring short stories, motivational short stories, and humorous short stories for you to read and share.
If you do care to share, click the “SHARE” button in the bottom left corner of each page. And thanks for telling others about Inspire 21.
The inspiring stories that are labeled (标记) “TRUE” are done so to the best of our knowledge, but we do not have full proof in some cases. However, all of these stories and messages are provided because of their uplifting content, whether true or not. Many books we’ve read and movies we’ve watched were totally untrue, but we enjoyed the inspiration they gave us—especially if they had a happy ending.
So, please read and share these stories at your own discretion (判断力). Thank you for your understanding!
Also, many of the inspiring stories used here are used with permission from the author. However, we cannot grand(授予) permission to reuse any of these inspirational stories, as the majority of them are not ours.
Lastly, many inspiring stories (emailed to us or we came across online) are listed as “Author Unknown”. If you happen to know the author’s name, to whom credit should be given, please contact us with that information so we can keep our inspiring story collection accurate. Thank you again!
1.What does Inspire 21 do?
A. Encourage people to use inspiring words.
B. Offer books and movies with a happy ending.
C. Collect both true stories and untrue message.
D. Provide short stories for people to read and share.
2.Which of the following words has the closest meaning to “inspiring”?
A. Uplifting. B. Unique.
C. Accurate. D. Humorous.
3.What are the readers expected to do in the last paragraph?
A. Reuse inspiring stories. B. Give credit to unknown authors.
C. Write more true stories. D. Make Inspire 21 more popular.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Have you ever noticed how Americans fill up their entire glass with ice and then pour their beverage(饮品) in, but Europeans take their drinks at room temperature? In the U.S., we’ve created fridges that give you cold ice at the press of a button, but in Britain they typically serve their tap water warm.
This tradition—if that’s what you want to call it—dates back to the 19th century. During that time, it was already commonplace for most American homes to have an ice box. Ice would be harvested in northern America or Canada and shipped across the Atlantic and sold at a high price in British department stores. Can you imagine heading to Macy’s to treat yourself to a block of ice?
Putting ice in your drink started to become somewhat of a fashion(时尚)trend for the wealthy in Britain. Some would put a few cubes in their champagne and sip on their chilled drinks at high-class parties. But, like with any fashion trend, it eventually faded, mainly because the ice was just too expensive. And even once ice boxes began appearing in homes in Britain as well, Brits never took a liking to ice in their drinks.
So, next time you travel overseas, don’t feel offended(冒犯) when your server gives you an eye roll when you ask for ice water.
1.Who has written the text?
A. A European. B. An American.
C. A Canadian. D. An Asian.
2.Why do Europeans take their drinks at room temperature?
A. Because they have no fridges. B. Because they have warm taps.
C. Because they are accustomed to it. D. Because they can’t afford ice.
3.What can we infer about Europeans?
A. They have ice boxes later than Americans.
B. They don't know where to get ice blocks.
C. Wealthy people like to have ice in their drinks.
D. Wealthy people always follow what Americans do.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. Why Americans like icy drinks while Europeans don’t.
B. When people overseas have icy drinks with their meals.
C. Where people can entertain themselves with icy drinks.
D. How Europeans and Americans make different beverage.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A new study suggests that the timing of a wound affects the speed at which it heals（痊愈）. Wounds suffered during the day heal around 60 percent faster than those at night.
The study showed how the bodies circadian rhythm（昼夜节律）controlled the healing of
wounds. 1. It tells our bodies when to wake up, eat and sleep in a circle—a series of activities that repeat themselves day after day. 2.
In the study, researchers found that skin cells moved faster to repair wounds suffered during the day. Their findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The researchers examined cells, mice, and burn injury databases. 3.
Night-time burns—burns suffered between 8 o’clock at night and 8 o’clock in the next morning—were 95 percent healed after an average of 28 days.
But after an average of 17 days, daytime burns -burns suffered between 8 o’clock in the morning and 8 at night -were 95 percent healed. 4.
Wounds are very costly to treat. 5. In Britain’s National Health Services, for example, such services cost around $6.56 billion per year. Experts say the high costs result, in part, from a lack of drugs that speed up the closure of wounds.
A. Each cycle lasts about 24 hours.
B. The circadian rhythm is like a clock or timer.
C. Specifically, their investigation found the following information:
D. The new study’s findings could help scientists develop better drugs.
E. In other words, nighttime injuries took an average of 11 days longer to heal.
F. Worldwide, billions of dollars are spent every year on wound-treatment services.
G. That’s what a group of researchers from a university in Canada recently published.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
“I just think, a year ago, at 54 years of age, I couldn't swim. I was terrified at the thought of going into the water. Now, I have just ______my 200 meters. It feels like a_______ , and it is all thanks to Everyday Swim”.
It's never too late to learn swimming. Angela King, 55, is a perfect______of it. For years, she had to _____ sitting on the side of a pool watching her family splash(拍水)around. Then in August 2016, the family went to an attraction they hadn’t _____ for 15 years. Angela thought, “All this time, I still can't ______. When I get back home tomorrow, I’m going to find out more about swimming _______.
In the cold light of day, she felt a little________,but her husband David searched the Internet for swimming classes. He found Everyday Swim at the local Haleigh pool and________Angela to sign up. When she turned up for her first training, she says, "I felt a bit sick and _______, but this soon passed. The instructor _____ put me at ease, as did the other people in the class. They were all shapes and sizes, ______ they were all feeling like me.”
As the lessons _______, she learned to become more ______ in the water. At first, it was a simple _______of learning she wasn’t going to sink. Then during the third lesson, the Olympic gold medal winner Duncan Goodhew turned up to offer _______. “I couldn’t believe it. He held my hand and we all held hands in a circle and splashed under the water. What he did made me believe that I could ______ it.”
When the 10 lessons for ￡100 offer finished at the pool, she______ to sign up for lessons. In fact, from initially(开始) being _______of the water, Angela was now becoming a regular swimmer and _______some certificates along the way.
1.A. undertook B. won C. completed D. challenged
2.A. dream B. game C. show D. suffer
3.A. founder B. success C. example D. pioneer
4.A. settle for B. give up C. turn in D. look out
5.A. visited B. searched C. passed D. covered
6.A. believe B. swim C. learn D. forget
7.A. hours B. lessons C. places D. problems
8.A. calm B. frightened C. grateful D. hesitant
9.A. reminded B. allowed C. forced D. encouraged
10.A. strange B. worried C. desperate D. disappointed
11.A. only B. nearly C. hardly D. really
12.A. for B. so C. and D. though
13.A. progressed B. finished C. improved D. began
14.A. energetic B. attractive C. confident D. outstanding
15.A. matter B. act C. symbol D. sign
16.A. prize B. support C. strength D. safety
17.A. try B. take C. get D. make
18.A. helped B. joined C. began D. continued
19.A. fond B. curious C. scared D. doubtful
20.A. picking B. collecting C. accepting D. registering
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Unlike some other European languages, English is a little tricky when it comes to writing. How a word 1. (pronounce) and how it is actually spelt can be very different things. Take two simple 2. (verb) like “have” and “save” --shouldn’t they be pronounced the same? Why do “sir” “her” and “fur” all rhyme, but “fork” and “work” don’t?
Imagine, then, a situation 3. two words are spelt and pronounced exactly the same way, but have 4. (complete) different meanings. Welcome to the world of homonyms（同形同音异）. 5. (take), for example, the word “fair” --it can be a kind of festival or an adjective to describe the color of your hair.
So how do you know which 6. (mean) someone is referring to? ---You don’t, except by the context. Obviously, if someone asks you to “give them a hand”, they don’t want you to remove 7.is at the end of your am.
Sometimes even the context doesn’t help much --- the result can be 8. (amuse). These sentences play with the double meaning of a noun.
I used to be a banker, 9. I lost interest.
A small boy swallowed some coins and had to go to hospital. When his grandmother phoned 10. (ask) how he was, the nurse said, “No change yet”.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
下面是一段短文，请你对其进行修改。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My first stay at home alone was very memorable. One day when I was twelve, both of my mother and father were away on the business, and I had to be all with myself for two days. My parents left early the first day, I got up soon after they left. The first evening I was a little scare, so I turned on all the lights. I actually keep the light on in my bedroom the whole night, that finally put me at ease. For fear of get up late the next morning, I put three alarm clocks near my bed and set the alarm respectively at 6:00, 6:10, and 6:15. In order to prove that I could take care of me, I washed my own clothes the next day, though I could wait for Mum to do it. I really felt proudly of myself and thought I had grown up.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华,准备参加在你市举办的“一带一路”国际青少年文化节志愿者招聘活动。活动主办方要求能够熟练运用英语。请你用英文写封信,推荐自己。
内容包括:1.你的自荐理由
2.你对活动的理解。
注意: 1.词数100左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯
3.开头和结尾已为你写好,不计入总词数。
生词提示:一带一路 the Belt and Road
Dear Sir,
Thank you for reading my letter.______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析