-
Sally Donovan is cooking when a paper plane flies across the kitchen and lands at her feet. She picks it up, unfolds it and finds a child’s sketch (素描) of a tear-stained face with a speech bubble saying: “I’m sorry I was naughty—I’m a bad person.”
Sally, 42, draws a big smiley face on the back of the paper with “I love you, Rose, and we’re always going to look after you.” Then she folds it up and launches the plane back into the living room where her nine-year-old daughter is watching TV with brother Jamie, 13 and dad Rod, 40.
Jamie often makes pictures for his parents too—like the one showing a swift river with them on one side and him trapped on the other side.
It’s one of the many unusual ways that Sally and Rob have learned to communicate emotionally with their abused children in an astonishing eight-year journey of hope, healing and love.
Jamie was just four and half—sister Rose one when they were adopted by the Donovans in 2005. The youngsters had been taken from their natural mother and placed in foster care after a series of cruelty and neglect. They were left alone, hungry, and witnessed home violence on a regular basis.
Sally and Rob spent three years trying for a baby before deciding to adopt, and were well aware of the youngsters' poor background. But they were still unprepared for raising a child permanently scared by abuse or the lack of support on offer.
But now Sally has written a brilliant and heart-touching account of their family struggle in a book called “No Matter What”. Sally said: “These kids come to you with a story that what happened to them was their fault—because they are bad and unlovable. To show them they are loveable and none of it was their fault takes a lot of time. They both still say “I’m bad”. Jamie is less stuck on it now but whenever life deals him a knock, he will fall back into ‘that happened because I am stupid, I’m rubbish, I’m bad’.”
Sally’s book is humorous, heart-touching and so wildly honest that academics, charity bosses, parents and adoptees are praising it as a major contribution to child welfare work.
1.Sally and Rob adopted the two children mainly because ____.
A. they knew the children’s background very well
B. they wanted to help the children out of trouble
C. they couldn’t have children of their own
D. they couldn’t bear the cruelty done to the children
2.Why did the two adopted children still say “I’m bad” ?
A. They know clearly they are not lovable enough.
B. They often put the situation in an embarrassment.
C. What they suffered rooted deep in their minds.
D. They are honest of what they have done.
3.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. Rose was a baby when adopted by Sally and Rob.
B. Sally has written a book about how to adopt children.
C. Jamie still blames himself for whatever happens to him.
D. There is still a long way to go for helping the children out.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
For the business traveler who is all about efficiency: Check out these hotels that will get you in and out with a minimum of trouble. When you are pressed for time on a business trip, nothing can infuriate you more than a slow hotel check-in process. On your next trip, try these hotels that offer a speedier check-in process.
1. Yotel New York
The self-service kiosks at this high-tech New York hotel work just like the ones you’d see at an airport. There are just five-steps to register and obtain your card key. There is even a robotic luggage bellboy. You tap in the number of bags you are carrying and sizes, then wait for a robot arm to swing down and store your luggage in a locker (say, for a day trip). This also speeds up the check-in process if the first thing you need to do, like me, is head to a series of meetings.
2. Marriott Detroit Airport
Another option for business travelers in a hurry: Marriott is rolling out its mobile check-in app to 325 hotels this year, including the Marriott Detroit Airport hotel. (I’ve tested the app itself but not for a real visit quite yet.) Here is the basic idea: you download the iphone or Android app. The night before, you can “check-in” virtually. When you arrive, you get an alert that the room is ready and your key, which is already tied to your reservation, is waiting for you at the desk.
3. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
I happened to stay at this hotel recently and liked how fast the kiosk check-in works. Like the Yotel, the kiosk asks you to insert your credit card, similar to an airport terminal. The whole process took about three minutes, when I left, I was equally impressed with the fast check-out. An agent meets you in the lobby with an ipad and asks for an email to use for a receipt. The big advantage: you never have to wait in line.
4. Radisson: LaCrosse
The Radisson is trying to make the kiosk process even faster, at a few select hotels like the Radisson Lacrosse in Wisconsin, you use a mobile app to register and then receive a barcode by email or text. When you get the kiosk, you scan the barcode to get your key without any other steps required. It’s super fast. You can find this new check-in system at the Radisson hotels in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Phoenix as well.
1.What does the word “infuriate” in paragraph 2 most mean?
A. annoy B. remind C. amuse D. impress
2.Which two hotels offer a mobile app for customers to check in?
A. Yotel New York and Marriott Detroit Airport.
B. Marriott Detroit Airport and Radisson: LaCrosse.
C. Marriott Detroit Airport. and Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis and Radisson: LaCrosse.
3.Which hotel will send you a receipt by email?
A. Yotel New York.
B. Marriott Detroit Airport.
C. Radisson: LaCrosse.
D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. At Yotel New York, a robot will help you with all the check-in process.
B. With its check-in app, you may enter your room in Marriott without a key.
C. The barcode you receive from Radisson contributes to the fast check-in.
D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis is close to an airport terminal.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
In colleges around the country, most students are also workers.
The reality of college can be pretty different from the images presented in movies and television. Instead of the students who wake up late, party all the time, and study only before exams, many colleges are full of students with pressing schedules of not just classes and activities, but real jobs, too.
This isn’t a temporary phenomenon. The share of working students has been on the rise since the 1970s, and one-fifth of students work year round. About one-quarter of those who work while attending school have both a full-course load and a full-time job. The arrangement can help pay for tuition (学费) and living costs, obviously. And there’s value in it beyond the direct cause: such jobs can also be critical for developing important professional and social skills that make it easier to land a job after graduation. With many employers looking for students with already-developed skill sets, on-the-job training while in college can be the best way to ensure a job later on.
But it’s not all upside. Even full-time work may not completely cover the cost of tuition and living expenses. The study notes that if a student worked a full-time job at the federal minimum wage, they would earn just over $15,000 each year, certainly not enough to pay for tuition, room, and board at many colleges without some serious financial aid. That means that though they’re sacrificing time away from the classroom, many working students will still graduate with at least some debt. And working full time can reduce the chance that students will graduate at all, by cutting into the time available for studying and attending classes.
There is little reward for attending but not finishing college. Students who end up leaving school because of difficulty in managing work and class are likely to find themselves stuck in some of the same jobs they might have gotten if they hadn’t gone at all. The difficulty of working too much while in school can create a cycle that pushes students further into debt without receiving any of the financial or career benefits.
1.According to the passage, the reality of college students is that ______.
A. they throw parties a lot
B. they stay up late every night
C. they work besides attending classes
D. they pay no attention to exams
2.What is the indirect cause of an increasing number of working students?
A. The need of developing social networks.
B. The lack of summer jobs for young adults.
C. The chance of finding a job after graduation.
D. The expenses of high tuition and living costs.
3.We can learn from the passage that ______.
A. working students are more likely to finish college
B. students can cover their college expenses through working
C. students receive a huge reward for managing work and class
D. dropping out of college may not help students get career benefits
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Difficulties of Landing a Job
B. The Struggle of Work-School Balance
C. The Reward of Working While Studying
D. The Images of Working College Students
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
By now, we are all aware that social media has had a tremendous influence on our culture, in business, on the world-at-large. Social media websites revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on the Web. However, aside from seeing your friends’ new baby on Facebook, or reading about Justin Bieber’s latest conflict with the law on Twitter, what are some of the real influences?
Social networks offer the opportunity for people to re-connect with their old friends and acquaintances, make new friends, share ideas and pictures, and many other activities. Users can keep pace with the latest global and local developments, and participate in campaigns and activities of their choice. Professionals use social media sites like LinkedIn to enhance their career and business development. Students can work together with their peers to improve their academic and communication skills.
Unfortunately, there are a few downsides too to social networking. If you are not careful, immoral people can target you for cyber bullying and disturbance on social sites. School children, young girls, and women can fall victim to online attacks which can create tension and suffering. If you are a victim of cyber bullying, do not take it lying down, but try to take appropriate legal action against the attacker.
Many companies have blocked social networks as addicted employees can distract themselves on such sites, instead of focusing on work. In fact, studies show that British companies have lost billions of dollars per year in productivity because of social media addiction among employees.
Also, what you carelessly post on the Net can come back to trouble you. Revealing( 泄露) personal information on social sites can make users vulnerable(易受伤害的)to crimes like identity theft, stalking, etc. Many companies perform a background check on the Web before hiring an employee. If a potential employee has posted something embarrassing on social media, it can greatly affect their chances of getting the job. The same holds true for our relationships too, as our loved ones and friends may get to know if we post something undesirable on social networks.
Social media has its advantages and drawbacks as each coin has two sides. It is up to each user to use social sites wisely to enhance their professional and social life, and exercise caution to ensure they do not fall victim to online dangers.
1.Paragraph 2 mainly shows that social networks _________.
A. benefit users in various ways
B. offer professionals good chances
C. guide users to make right choices users to make right choices
D. help students finish their homework
2.Faced with problems caused by social media, some companies ________.
A. take legal action against the attackers
B. avoid posting embarrassing information
C. refuse to hire potential addicted employees
D. forbid the use of social networks during work time
3.The main purpose of this passage is to _________.
A. remind people to wisely use social media
B. share experiences in using social media
C. provide some advice on social problems
D. raise public awareness of social problems
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点) C：Conclusion
难度: 中等查看答案及解析