-
I recently had dinner with someone who told me that one of his best friends had been killed in a private plane crash, and something happened at the memorial service that he'll never forget. He shared the story with me.
At the memorial service, his friend's wife walked to the platform to speak to the gathering. She said a friend had asked her the best memory she had of their life together. At the moment, she had been too sad to answer, but she had thought about it since and wanted to answer the question.
They were in their late forties when he died, and she began talking about a time in their life almost twenty years earlier. She had quit her job to obtain her master's degree, and her husband never hesitated in his support.
He held down his own job and also did the cooking, cleaning, and other housework while she studied for her degree.
One time they both stayed up all night. She was finishing her paper, and he was preparing for an important business meeting. That morning, she walked out of her study, leaned against the door by the stairs, looked at her husband downstairs and just thought about how much she loved him. She knew how important this meeting was to his future, and she was feeling guilty that she didn't even have time to make his breakfast. He took his briefcase and hurried out. She heard the garage door open and close, but much to her surprise, she heard it open again about thirty seconds later. From above, she watched her husband dash into the house and walk over to the forgotten coffee table. Marking the surface of it with his finger through the dust with the words "I love you", then he raced back to his car.
The new widow then looked out at her audience and said, "John and I had a wonderful life together. We have been around the world several times. We've had everything money can buy. . . but nothing comes close to that moment."
Hearing this, I was deeply moved. "Love makes life worthwhile. "
1.The service was held to _________.
A. listen to the woman's story B. express sorrow at the man's death
C. meet some old friends D. share the woman's sadness
2.Why did the woman quit her job?
A. She had to support her husband.
B. She had too much housework to do.
C. She wanted to travel around the world.
D. She needed to concentrate on her studies.
3."He held down his own job…" in Paragraph 4 means that _________.
A. he managed to keep his job B. he needed help in his work
C. he cancelled his job D. he delayed his work
4.The woman mentioned an incident 20 years ago to show _________.
A. how busy their life was B. how her husband loved her
C. how they improved their life D. how hard her husband worked
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
WELCOME
Welcome to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Windsor is one of the official residences (住所） of the Queen, who sometimes stays here.
Audio tours
Free audio tours are available on leaving the Admission Centre at the start of your visit.
There is a descriptive audio tour for blind and poor-sighted visitors.
Guided tours
Visitors can explore the history of the Castle through a tour of the Precincts with an expert guide. Tours depart at regular intervals throughout the day from the Courtyard and finish at the entrance to the State Apartments.
Visitors with children
For those visiting with children, a special family tour and various activities are offered during school holidays and at weekends. Please note that, for safety reasons pushchairs are not permitted in the State Apartments. However, baby carriers are available to borrow.
St George's Chapel
Visitors arriving at the Castle after 15:00 from March to October are advised to visit George's Chapel first before it closes.
Shopping
Shops offer a wide range of souvenirs designed for the Royal Collection, including books, postcards, china, jewellery, and children's toys. Please ask at the Middle Ward shop about our home delivery service.
Refreshments
Bottled water can be purchased from the Courtyard and Middle Ward shops. From April to September ice cream is also available. Visitors wishing to leave the Castle for refreshments in the town may obtain re-entry permits from the castle shops. Eating and drinking are not permitted in the State Apartments or St George's Chapel.
Photography and mobile phones
Non-commercial photography and filming are welcomed in the Castle. Photography, video recording and filming are not permitted inside the State Apartments or St George's Chapel in consideration of other visitors.
Security
As Windsor Castle is a working royal palace, visitors and their belongings should get through airport-style security checks. For safety and security reasons a one-way system operates along the visitor route.
1.A visitor can apply for a free audio tour _________.
A. in the Courtyard B. in the State Apartments
C. at the Admission Center D. at St George's Chapel
2.Who can get re-entry permits?
A. Visitors wishing to cat outside the Castle.
B. Visitors buying gifts in the castle shops.
C. Visitors buying water from the Courtyard.
D. Visitors eating outside St George's Chapel.
3.In the last part, a "working royal palace" refers to one _________.
A. still being constructed
B. still used by the royal family
C. where the Queen usually works
D. where works of art are on show
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
-
Fear can be fun. Many young people queue up to ride very fast and scary roller coasters（过山车）， screaming but enjoying themselves, Other people like to read "goose bumps（鸡皮疙瘩）” books or watch horror movies at night, scared to death but feeling excited. Why do people like being scared?
Fear is an ancient way of surviving. Being scared makes animals, including humans escape from danger and save themselves. It is because of fear that we have lived through millions of years of evolution. Those who lacked a strong fear response were more likely to be killed, leaving the more fearful and careful to pass their genes onto the next generation.
How do scientists explain why shaking over such scary things is fun? "Some kids will go to a scary movie and love it and laugh over it, others will feel anxious and hide their faces and some won't even set foot in the cinema," said Ned Kalin, a US scientist. "Which kind of person you are depends partly on experiences you've had and partly on your genes."
What happens in the brain when something frightens you? Nerves that begin at the eyes and ears lead to a part of the brain called the amygdala, When you suddenly see a snake, for example, the amygdala makes you freeze, sweat, have a quickened heartbeat, or run very fast. However, seeing the snake also uses another part of the brain, the cortex. It analyzes the situation, and if it finds that the snake is only made of rubber it tells your heart and the rest of your body to calm down. Think of the amygdala as the engine and the cortex as the brake.
Back to the first question: Why do some people like to make themselves scared? "One reason is that we can play games with fear, find ways to reduce the scariness by looking away or thinking of something else," Kalin said. "To believe we have control over a situation gives us a feeling of power. " "Scary movies or novels are good practice to prepare young people for the real thing, Thrills such as roller coaster rides also go to the brain's pleasure centre. "
And there might be some evolutionary advantage to being able to adjust this system that is there to protect people.
1.How many questions are answered in the passage?
A. 2 B. 3
C. 4 D. 5
2.Some people like to be scared because _________.
A. they are afraid that the fear genes will be passed onto their children
B. it's a good practice to get prepared for the real frightening situation
C. it can help them show their own personalities
D. they will feel powerful after getting rid of fear
3.Which of the following is true about the people who are not easily scared?
A. Their cortex is better at analyzing the situations.
B. They are more likely to suffer from potential danger.
C. They are born unaffected by anything horrible.
D. They lack a strong response towards threat.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Ready to scream? B. How to be scared?
C. Willing to shake? D. Why to be scared?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet. . . We are surrounded by the word "diet" everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale（秤） instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word "diet" in food labels.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don't have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分). Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them.
1.From Paragraph 1, we learn that _________.
A. diet products fail to bring out people's potential
B. people have difficulty in choosing diet products
C. diet products are misleading people
D. people are fed up with diet products
2.One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to _________.
A. try out a variety of diet foods
B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods
C. pay attention to their own eating habits
D. watch their weight rather than their diet
3.In Paragraph 3, "gain comes without pain" probably means _________.
A. losing weight is effortless
B. it costs a lot to lose weight
C. diet products bring no pain
D. diet products are free from calories
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
C: central point P: point Sp: sub-point（次要点） C: conclusion
A.
B. 
C.
D. 
难度: 中等查看答案及解析