Recently, I’ve been following a simple rule that is helping me crush procrastination(拖延症) and making it easier for me to stick to good habits at the same time．1. There are two parts to the 2-Minute Rule.
Part 1—If it takes less than two minutes，then do it now．
2. For example，washing your dishes immediately after your meal，tossing the laundry in the washing machine，taking out the garbage，sending that email，and so on．
If a task takes less than two minutes to complete，then follow the rule and do it right now．
Part 2—When you start a new habit，it should take less than two minutes to do．
Can all of your goals be accomplished in less than two minutes? Obviously not．But，every goal can be started in 2 minutes or less．3.
It might sound like this strategy is too basic for grand life goals，but I beg to differ．The 2-Minute Rule works for big goals as well as small goals because of the inertia(惯性)of life．4. I love the 2-Minute Rule because it embraces the idea that all sorts of good things happen once you get started．
The most important part of any new habit is getting started—not just the first time，but each time．It’s not about performance，it’s about consistently taking action．
I can’t guarantee whether or not the 2-Minute Rule will work for you．5. Anyone can spare the next 120 seconds．Use this time to get one thing done．Go．
A. I call this little strategy the “2-Minute Rule”．
B. And that’s the purpose behind this little rule．
C. Here’s what you need to know to stop procrastinating．
D. Once you start doing something，it’s easier to continue doing it．
E. But，I can guarantee that it will never work if you never try it．
F. The goal is to make it easier for you to get started on the things you should be doing．
G. It’s surprising how many things we put off that we could get done in two minutes or less．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It’s the 3rd Annual Family Fun Fair!
• Games • Crafts (工艺品) • Apple pie contest
• Food • Face painting • Door prizes (门票对号奖)
... and more!
What: A chance to celebrate spring, support our community (社区), and have fun!
When: Saturday, February 8th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine!
Where: The big field next to Hopedale Elementary School
For more information: Contact Peter Halm at 555-0191
Don’t miss the 3rd annual Family Fun Fair!
This fair promises to be even better than last year’s fair — no kidding!
Last year the game booths (摊位) were a big hit. (Who could forget Principal Snyder winning a toy dog that was so big it took four students to carry it to her truck?) This year we have two new game booths. So get ready to take part in the games.
Visit our craft tables. They will be better than ever! You can buy items such as clothing, backpacks, and gift baskets.
Children aged 5 and under can have their faces painted for FREE by Mr. Garcia’s third-grade art class.
No fair would be complete without food. We will be selling hot dogs, ice cream, roasted nuts, and cotton candy at our booths. For those of you who love to bake, why not enter our new apple pie contest? Just bring your pie to the pie table on the morning of the fair. At 1 p.m., our judges, Coach Carter and math teacher, Mrs. Adams, will choose a winner.
Won’t you please support our school by coming to the fair? Tickets are only $2 each. Door prizes will be given. You could win sports equipment, a new camera, or dinner for four at Merino’s Restaurant!
This will be the best fair ever. Don’t miss it!
1.What do we know about the 3rd Annual Family Fun Fair?
A. It is organized by Mr. Garcia.
B. It will be held even if it rains.
C. It is only open to children aged 5.
D. It will be held inside an elementary school.
2.According to the text, the apple pie contest _____.
A. requires the competitors to bring pies they bake
B. includes a dinner for four at Merino’s Restaurant
C. sells the pies the competitors make in the contest
D. teaches the competitors how to bake apple pies
3.Anyone who takes part in the fair _____.
A. can enjoy food for free B. must be good at baking
C. will have their face painted D. should spend $2 on the ticket
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
We didn’t have a tree. My dad had as much pride as anybody, I suppose, so he wouldn’t just say that we couldn’t afford one. When I mentioned it, my mother said that we weren’t going to have one this year, that we couldn’t afford one, and even if we could, it was stupid to mess up your house with a dead tree.
About three days before Christmas, I was out collecting for my paper route. It was fairly late, snowing and very cold. I went to the apartment building to try to catch a customer who hadn’t paid me for nearly two months. she owed me seven dollars. Much to my surprise, she was home. She invited me in and not only did she pay me, she also gave me a dollar tip.
On the way home, I walked past a Christmas tree shop and the idea hit me. The selection wasn’t very good because it was so close to the holiday, but there was this one real nice tree. It had been a very expensive tree and no one had bought it; now it was so close to Christmas that the man was afraid no one would.
He wanted ten dollars for it, but when I told him what I had, he said he might sell it for that. I really didn’t want to spend the whole money on the tree, but it was so pretty that I finally agreed. I dragged it all the way home and I tried hard not to damage it. I arrived at home at last. My heart was bursting as I announced that I had a surprise.
“Where did you get that tree?” my mother exclaimed. But it wasn’t the kind of exclamation that indicates pleasure. After she knew the truth, she said that I was going to end up in the poorhouse(救济院) because I believe in stupid things like Christmas trees. My mother had never talked to me like that before and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
1.Why did the writer’s mother refuse a tree?
A. Because she couldn’t afford a dead Christmas tree.
B. Because she thought it was unreasonable to have a tree.
C. Because she was much so proud that she felt better.
D. Because she thought she wasn’t very proud of herself.
2.How did the writer feel when he got home?
A. Upset and calm. B. Anxious and happy.
C. Proud and excited. D. Sorry and confused.
3.What made the shop owner sell the tree?
A. His pity on the writer’s situation B. His desire of offering help
C. His worry of keeping the tree. D. His kindness of helping others
4.What the writer’s mother said in the last paragraph means ______.
A. she was pleased B. she was angry
C. she was doubtful D. she was embarrassed
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In every British town, large and small, you will find shops that sell second-hand goods. Sometimes such shops deal mostly in furniture, sometimes in books, sometimes in ornaments（装饰） and household goods, sometimes even in clothes.
The furniture may often be “antique”, and it may well have changed hands many times. It may also be very valuable, although the most valuable piece will usually go to the London salerooms, where one piece might well be sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. As you look around these shops and see the polished wood of chests and tables, you cannot help thinking of those long-dead hands which polished that wood, of those now-closed eyes which once looked at these pieces with love.
The books, too, may be antique and very precious; some may be rare first printings. Often when someone dies or has to move house, his books may all be sold, so that sometimes you may find whole libraries in one shop. On the border between England and Wales, there is a town which has become a huge bookshop as well. Even the cinema and castle have been taken over, and now books have replaced sheep as the town’s main trade.
There are also much more humble shops, sometimes simply called “junk shops”, where you can buy small household pieces very cheaply. Sometimes the profits（利润）from these shops go to charity. Even these pieces, though, can make you feel sad; you think of those people who once treasured them, but who have moved on to another country or to death.
Although the British do not worship（崇拜）their ancestors, they do treasure the past and the things of the past. This is true of houses as well. These days no one knocks them down; they are rebuilt until they are often better than new. In Britain, people do not buy something just because it is new. Old things are treasured for their proven worth; new things have to prove themselves before they are accepted.
1.Books found in second-hand book shops may .
A. be copies of the earliest printings B. be on sale for the first time
C. never be worth very much D. never be rare
2.What was the small town on the border between England and Wales famous for?
A. Its sheep. B. Its bookshops.
C. Its cinema. D. Its castle.
3.The average British person .
A. does not respect old things because they are not fashionable
B. likes to build new houses simply because it is fashionable to do so
C. likes to buy new things because they are fashionable.
D. does not like to buy things simply because they are fashionable
4.What does the underlined word “them” (Paragraph 4) refer to?
A. junk shops B. profits from shops
C. old things D. old houses
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
From self-driving cars to care-bots（care+robots） for elderly people, rapid development in technology has long represented a possible threat to many jobs normally performed by people. But experts now believe that almost 50 percent of occupations existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence continues to change businesses.
“The next fifteen years will see a revolution in how we work, and a revolution will necessarily take place in how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew, Director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.
A growing number of jobs in the future will require creative intelligence, social skills and the ability to use artificial intelligence.
The report is based on interviews with 200 experts, business leaders and young people from Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. It shows that in the US technology already destroys more jobs than it creates.
But the report states: “Losing occupations does not necessarily mean losing jobs — just changing what people do.” Growth in new jobs could occur as much, according to the research.
“The growth of 20 to 40 person companies that have the speed and technological know-how will directly challenge big companies,” it states.
A 2014 report by Pew Research found 52 percent of experts in artificial intelligence and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few years. The optimists pictured “a future in which robots do not take the place of more jobs than they create,” according to Aaron Smith, the report’s co-author.
“Technology will continue to affect jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although there have always been unemployed people, when we reached a few billion people there were billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change,” Microsoft’s Jonathan Grudin told researchers.
1.We can infer from the text that in the future _____.
A. people will face many difficulties
B. people will take up more creative jobs
C. artificial intelligence will threaten people's lives
D. most jobs will be done in traditional workplaces
2.According to the report, _____.
A. people won't necessarily lose jobs
B. big companies will face fewer challenges
C. small companies will win against big companies
D. most people will become interested in technology
3.What is the attitude of most experts in artificial intelligence and robotics to the future?
A. Mixed B. Worried.
C. Hopeful. D. Doubtful.
4.Jonathan Grudin’s words in the last paragraph suggest that _____.
A. there will be enough jobs for people
B. things will change a lot in a few years
C. many people will become unemployed
D. technology will totally change future jobs
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Ibby Piracha is one of many regular customers at his local Starbucks in a small town in Virginia, US.__________, Ibby isn’t like the other regulars – he’s________. Krystal Payne, a new employee, wanted to do something to make Ibby feel more_________. So she spoke with other employees about Ibby, learning that they always did what they could to give him excellent__________. But Payne wanted to take it a step further.
She went home and spent her night learning American Sign Language so she could better__________with Ibby. The next day, she wrote him a small__________saying: “I’ve been learning ASL, just so you can have the same_________as everyone else.”
Ibby, who was overcome with emotion over this small act of kindness, has_________the note at home ever since. Ibby was so__________by Payne’s gesture (友好的示意) that he posted it on Facebook to share with his friends. His _________was then reposted by many other people – a result that he did not__________. But he is happy that Payne is getting the__________she deserves .
The next morning, Payne heard about the post when her manager__________her and mentioned that there were many requests from reporters to__________her. A Starbucks spokeswoman heard about her_________gesture and said the company was very________of Payne’s actions. “My job is to________people have the experience they expect and that’s what I gave him,” said Payne.
Ibby sees Payne’s act of kindness as a(n)__________. “It shows that she respects deaf people,” he said. Payne now knows enough ASL to take Ibby’s_________, which makes Ibby’s life much easier. In the past, Ibby would have to order through text messages that he would show to the staff. Ibby still loves to visit the coffee shop, saying it is something that “gave me genuine _________– even now, I’m still smiling”.
1.A. Besides B. However C. Instead D. Also
2.A. quiet B. famous C. deaf D. blind
3.A. welcome B. cheerful C. different D. confident
4.A. presents B. ideas C. service D. guide
5.A. live B. compete C. play D. communicate
6.A. note B. story C. tip D. report
7.A. right B. experience C. chance D. emotion
8.A. kept B. copied C. read D. shared
9.A. bothered B. moved C. confused D. attracted
10.A. story B. gesture C. post D. picture
11.A. expect B. ignore C. want D. notice
12.A. chance B. pay C. award D. recognition
13.A. praised B. questioned C. criticized D. warned
14.A. understand B. interview C. meet D. promote
15.A. strange B. important C. kind D. brave
16.A. proud B. fond C. afraid D. ashamed
17.A. protect B. promise C. admit D. make sure
18.A. trust B. inspiration C. opportunity D. guidance
19.A. step B. rule C. order D. advice
20.A. surprise B. pride C. challenge D. happiness
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
单词拼写。根据下面各句句意以及所给单词的首字母或汉语提示词，写出该单词的正确形式。
1.Then, deal with the most important tasks first so you will feel a real sense of ______(成就).
2._________（激励） by the teacher’s words ,he is determined to study harder than before.
3.It was very c_______________ of him to wait for us for such a long time .
4.Our family enjoy drinking milk d_______________ to our door every morning.
5.E_______________ with some advanced tools ,they began their exploration.
6.His _______________(幽默的) words made us burst into laughter.
7._________________(不幸的是)，we missed the last bus ,so we had to walk home .
8.As is well-known, a white pigeon _________________(象征) peace.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。短文中共有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：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧), 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。
Mistakes are unavoidable in life .But attitudes towards it may make difference.
I still remember how my spoken English was improved. In the beginning, I always kept silent in our oral class to avoid make mistakes. Before long my teacher got to know about his situation, he encouraged me to speak out that I thought. Whenever I made mistakes and felt discouraging, my teacher and my classmate would help me to find out my problem. I also joined in an English club to get more chances to speak. Practice made perfect. Now I can talk fluent in English.
Just as the saying goes, “Every bean has its black”.Don´t be afraid of making mistakes .Learning from mistakes, and success is just waiting for us.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，你们班来自美国的交换生Peter最近在学校举办的最美中国散文大赛中没有获奖而情绪低落，请你根据所给提示用英语给他写一封电子邮件，要点包括：
1．表示同情；
2．给予安慰；
表达祝愿。
注意：1.词数：100词左右（开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。）
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。 散文：prose
Dear Peter,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours faithfully
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析