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When I lived in France last year, my friends and I decided to have a "friends giving" in November because we were so far away from our families. We decided to have the dinner at my friend Brigitte's apartment in Paris. There was only one problem. It was difficult to get a turkey because French people don't celebrate Thanksgiving. The day before our "friends giving" dinner, Brigitte and I went to four different markets to look for a turkey. It took us five hours, but we finally found one. We were so excited!
The next day, everyone brought different foods from their home country to share. There was Moroccan (摩洛哥的) food, Italian food, German food, and of course French food. While we waited for the turkey to cook, we played cards and told stories. That's when we heard a loud BANG! We all ran to the kitchen. There was water everywhere. The water pipes under Brigitte's kitchen sink were broken. The kitchen was filling with water very fast.
"Jack, you all grab the food and run to the roof (屋顶)!" Brigitte yelled. We took all the food, plates, drinks and silverware and ran to the roof. Brigitte ran outside to turn off the water. That's when we realized the turkey was still in the oven. We ran to the flooded kitchen, grabbed some gloves, and pulled the turkey out of the oven.
In the end, we all had an amazing "friends giving" dinner on a Parisian rooftop with all of our good friends. The turkey was a little darker and "crispy" but still delicious.
1.Jack decided to have ________ in France in November last year.
A.a party B.a picnic C.a friends giving D.a Thanksgiving
2.In order to find a turkey, it took them ________ to look for it in four different markets.
A.five hours B.forty minutes C.two days D.a week
3.What happened when they heard a loud BANG?
A.The friends shared different foods. B.They played cars and told stories happily.
C.Jack and Brigitte cooked the turkey. D.The water pipes were suddenly broken.
4.What did they do to save the turkey in the oven?
A.Run to the roof with all the food. B.Run outside with all of the things.
C.Turn off the water with the gloves. D.Pull the turkey out with the gloves.
5.How did Jack and his friends feel in the end?
A.Amazing turkey, delicious dinner. B.A little afraid, pretty amazed.
C.A little darker but still delicious. D.Just amazed, totally afraid.
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In a common-place environment, at a not right hour, do we notice beauty? If so, do we stop to enjoy it? Do we know talent in an unexpected situation?
In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, the man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, about 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
A middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried off. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. A young man leaned against (斜靠) the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother pulled him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pulled him hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent—without exception—forced their children to move quickly.
Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour, the musician finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. No one knew the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate (复杂的) pieces, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story about a social experiment (实验). If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music, with one of the most beautiful instruments. How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?
1.According to the passage, you may read the questions in Paragraph 1 in ________.
A.a novel B.a film C.a poem D.a test
2.Which of the following is NOT true about the performance at the station?
A.Most of people did not notice it. B.It lasted for almost 105 minutes.
C.Every kid past was interested in it. D.It got a total of $32 in the end.
3.Which of the following is the best meaning of "applauded" underlined in Paragraph 5?
A.组织 B.服务 C.喝彩 D.献花
4.What does Paragraph 5 mainly talk about?
A.Joshua Bell is the greatest musician in the world.
B.Bach's music is the most intricate for the violinists.
C.It's hard to enjoy Joshua Bell's concert in Boston.
D.It's a pity nobody enjoyed the station's performance.
5.What's the writer's purpose of writing the passage?
A.To speak highly of Joshua Bell's behavior. B.To show great interest in the music.
C.To call people to learn to enjoy beauty in life. D.To introduce a social experiment.
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You may have heard of the old story about the world's most whole-hearted fisherman. He had out-fished his friend all morning long. They used the same live bait (鱼饵), the same equipment and fished together in the same mountain stream. But he had almost caught a bucket of fish while his friend had yet to catch even one.
"What's your secret?" asked the friend. "I haven't even gotten any one!"
The successful fisherman emptied the bait of his mouth into a cupped hand and replied. "You have to keep your worms (鱼虫) warm."
Whether or not we fish or even eat fish, there is a lesson to be learned here. We are most likely to succeed when we fully put our hearts into a task. Especially if the task before us is difficult or there seems little probability of success. Whether we want to build a new business or write that first novel, we should see how willing we are to do what it takes-even if it means keeping the worms warm.
So I often ask myself. "How much do I want this?" when some people fish, if they don't catch, they don't eat. Some things are too important for me to risk failure. So how much do I want to succeed at this career (事业) or this dream? And how hard am I willing to work? If "success" only comes before "work" in the dictionary, I may have to work harder than I've ever worked before. But if I want it enough, the hard work will be worth it.
"Always bear in mind," said Abraham Lincoln, "that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."
And that is where it always begins: with a whole-hearted resolution to succeed—in a task, in a career, in a life. How much do you want this? And, how hard are you willing to work? Start there, and great things can happen.
1.Paragraph 1 is mainly about the old story of ________.
A.two friends B.Abraham Lincoln C.some baits D.a fisherman
2.The lesson we learned is to ________ from Paragraphs 2-4.
A.only keep the worms warm B.write the first novel soon
C.put our hearts into any task D.be willing to do nothing
3.Why does the writer often ask himself the two questions?
A.See if he has been whole-hearted. B.Be able to risk failure anytime.
C.Find out if the hard work is worth it. D.Work less harder than before.
4.What does the word "it" in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A.Career. B.Dream. C.Success. D.Work.
5.What does the writer want to tell us according to the last two paragraphs?
A.Own your resolution is the most important.
B.Do as Abraham Lincoln says, you'll succeed.
C.To succeed begins with a whole-hearted resolution.
D.Start anywhere, and great things can always happen.
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