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Mom's Recipe for Life
I have a lot of Mom's recipes in a blue box where all my special ones were put，like the
pumpkin pie she made during my growing up years. Even so，the recipe I treasure most is not on any index card， nor did she send it to me in a letter. Instead，she lived this recipe all of her life.
My mother grew up in a small coal mining town in southwest Iowa. My grandfather once told me that she knew no stranger;she considered everyone in that community her friend. That attitude
continued wherever she lived for the rest of her life.
As a teen，I was embarrassed(尴尬的 )every time my mother talked to strangers and offered a smile to everyone in the store or on the city bus. Almost all of them responded(回 应 )with a bright smile of their own. Some spoke，others nodded their heads at this elderly woman who brought a little light into their day.
What really sold me on Mom's approach to life was her experience on the senior bus. The weeks I could not be there， she used this low cost transportation to the grocery store. After her first trip， I asked her how it went.
“ Ha!”she said，“ I got on that bus and what did I see?Thirteen little old ladies and one old
man，and not one word was spoken.”
I wondered how long it would be until the silence on that bus would change. On my next visit，Mom mentioned the 13 little old ladies on the bus and something one of them had told her.
“ Oh，are you talking with them now?”I asked.
“ Of course，”she said. “ One day I climbed up the steps of the bus and before I looked for a
seat，I gave them a big smile and I said，‘ Isn't it a wonderful day? I noticed a few shy smiles.”
Mom didn't give up. She greeted them all each time she got on the bus and before long，the
whole group was laughing and talking to one another. The bus became more than just transportation.
When we went to the various stores，I watched as she smiled and chatted with perfect strangers. Some of them looked like the poorest person you'd ever met，but once Mom smiled at them and started a conversation， most responded favorably. My mother didn't embarrass me any longer. I found myself admiring her.
She's been gone for ten years but I've carried on her recipe for life. It was me who had done the
smiling first and all those people had responded. My mother didn't lecture but taught me by example. She'd given me a recipe for life.
1.Where did the writer's mom grow up?
2.Did the people talk on the bus on Mom's first trip?
3.What did Mom do to make the bus more than transportation?
4.How did the writer feel about Mom in the end?
5.What is Mom's recipe for life?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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P. I. C. K. the Right Books for You
The secret to learn how to choose the right book is simple. It’s one word you can depend on when you’re in a library or a bookstore. All you need to remember is “ P. I. C. K. “ P. I. C. K. ” stands for Purpose, Interest，Comprehend, and Know the Words.
P= Purpose. Why are you looking for a book——reading for pleasure or trying to learn something? Reading silently for yourself or reading out loud for someone else? Most often, your purpose for reading can be found with a quick answer.
I = Interest. With the many millions of books on shelves today, there must be something out there for everyone. If you are interested in cars，consider books about history of racing, race car drivers, or car design. Even if you havea short amount of time to choose books, you can determine interest by looking at the front cover， flipping through(快速翻阅）the pages to have a quick look at photos or illustrations, or reading the back cover or the chapter titles.
C = Comprehend. It’s important to choose a book right for your level or ability. How to choose such a book? If you read books at Level A, for example, you’d better not choose a book at Level D. If the book isn’t labeled(贴标签）with a level, you can open the book and choose a page——then you can decide whether the book is at a right level for you by asking yourself：
Did I understand what I just read?
Do I remember what I read?
Was I able to read most of the words?
This brings us to our final letter；
K=Know the Words. Readers should be able to understand most of the words on the page. The key is the ‘‘Five Finger Rule” ： Choose a book you would like to read， look at a page in the middle and put one finger down for every word you don’t understand. The “Five Finger Rule” shows a general idea of the relationship between the number of unknown words and the difficulty
level of a book；
0 — 1 unknown word = too easy
2 — 3 unknown words=just right
4~5 unknown words = too difficult
You want to know how to choose books right for you一books that are enjoyable， fun and exciting. P. I. C. K. is all about giving you the tools to be a strong and confident reader.
1.What does “P. I. C. K. ” stand for?
2.According to the passage, what is one possible purpose for reading?
3.What books does the writer advise you to read if you’re interested in cars?
4.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
5.If you put three fingers down when you’re reading a page, what’s the
difficulty level of the book?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Email helps workers to communicate at any time, from any place. Email is an important tool, but it can also lead to a waste of time. How can workers make sure that email is a tool and not a time-waster? Here are some simple tips to follow. They can help you use email more efficiently (高效地) at work.
First of all, turn off the sound in your computer that tells you that you have a new email message. That “You’ve got mail!” sound is like a telephone or a doorbell. It interrupts your work. When you hear it, you will want to check your messages. And it will take you at least a few minutes to get back to work after that. Can you imagine how much time you waste because of that little sound?
Second, limit how often you check your email. Try checking it only three times a day, for example, at 9:00, 12:00 and 16:00. Also, limit the time you spend reading and answering email each time. Fifteen minutes is usually long enough.
Third, use a separate email account for work and personal life. Do not give your work address to friends or family, and do not give your personal address to people at work. If you are working on several projects at one time, use a separate email account for each one. So you can focus on the most important project.
Fourth, you won’t have to read all the email messages every time you open your email. You can look quickly at the subject lines and then decide which messages to answer right away. You can read the others later.
Finally, do not always use “reply to all” to answer email. Only send the message to people who need to read your answer. That way, you won’t fill your workmates’ inboxes with messages that they don’t need. And they won’t waste time reading them.
If you follow these simple steps, you will be a more efficient worker. Best of all, you will be able to leave the office earlier.
1.Does email help workers to communicate at any time?
2.How long should you spend reading and answering email each time?
3.Why is it necessary to use a separate email account for each project?
4.How can you decide which messages to answer right away?
5.What is the passage mainly about?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Everyone speaks a language, but language is not just for talking. It is our most important communication tool. Through language, we can tell other people what we think, how we feel, and what we need. In fact, civilization (文明) itself depends on our ability to communicate.
In the long history of human, languages survive, grow, disappear, move from place to place, and change with time. Now, some languages are ancient, and others are new. There are about 6,000 different living languages around the world today, and there are many thousands more that are no longer in use. Languages might sound different, but they are thought to have come from a single ancient language. It would be quite interesting if we search for stories about the creation and disappearance of languages.
Nobody knows exactly when people first started using language. Some scientists say that people first spoke to one another about two million years ago.
Today, our sophisticated (复杂的) languages get fully used in the magazines, novels, science books, and movies that fill our libraries and bookstores. As human, it is important that we can tell the long stories, which separate us from the great apes (类人猿). Other animals may use various methods to communicate, but we humans send complicated messages through space and time.
Throughout history there were many languages that served as a lingua franca (通用语)— a common language that could serve as a bridge between people of different cultures. Today, English is the main language that plays that role around the world. Many people have some ability to use English. Most of these people have studied English as a second or third language.
Language helps people to work together, to share knowledge, feelings, and build up modern societies. The development of humanity’s many languages was an important process that helped humans move forward toward civilization.
1.Is language our most important communication tool?
2.How many living languages are there around the world today?
3.When did people start to speak to one another, according to some scientists？
4.What’s the main language around the world today?
5.What is the passage mainly about?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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We see them everywhere — on boxes of food, on packages and on CDs. They, of course, are bar codes. The invention of bar codes has changed the way we shop and how companies learn where their products are.
It was two university students from America, Bernard Silver and Norman Woodland, who first got theidea of bar codes. In 1948, they heard that the president of a food company was looking for a way to easily get information about what was being sold to customers. They tried to help by using a code system. They invented a large electronic reader to read the codes. However, computers couldn’t easily record the data that was read.
Then, in the 1960s, David Collins made important developments in bar codes. He developed a system for recognizing train carriages. In order to develop the recognition system for other kinds of businesses, Collins started his own company. In 1969, Collins’s company put a bar code reading system in a car factory, showing that bar codes could be useful.
Shortly after Collins started his company, an American electronic company called RCA also saw the potential (潜力) of bar codes to help businesses. RCA’s
system, which recorded how much of a product was sold, was not perfect. Since bar codes were not common, not all products had them and different companies used different codes. Then, Woodland helped develop the Universal Product Code (UPC), which gave every product a code that included information about the manufacturer and the kind of product being sold. This made bar codes much more practical.
In addition to shops, hospitals use bar codes to recognize patients by giving them cards with bar codes on them. Libraries use bar codes to record which books have been lent, and airports use them to find out where bags are going. Bar codes have made life much easier and simpler.
1.What changed the way we shop?
2.Who first got the idea of bar codes?
3.Why did Collins start his own company?
4.What do hospitals use bar codes to do?
5.What is the passage mainly about?
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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Football
Ancient Chinese, Roman and Egyptian writings help you know about games played by kicking a ball. We also know that in the twelfth century, in some English towns, on certain days of the year, hundreds of young men would kick a ball around the streets. Unluckily, fight often resulted. People were hurt and even killed. In 1314, such games were not allowed because they were too dangerous.
The game we now know as football developed in England in the early nineteenth century. Football was played in many schools and clubs as early as 1823. These schools and clubs often had different rules, but in 1863, the Football Association or FA was created, and standard rules were agreed for everyone to follow. These are the rules that many parts of the world use for football today. In 1871, a cup was given for the best English club, called the FA Cup. Football soon spread across the world.
In the United States and Canada, however, a different type of football game developed, where the football players could pick the ball up and carry it. The ball is also in a different shape. In American football there is also more violent contact (激烈交锋) between players, who have to wear special clothing to protect themselves.
Football is now certainly the most popular game on earth. Why is that? One reason may be that it’s a simple game. All we need is a ball, and a few things to mark the goals. It’s a more relaxed game which can be enjoyed by just a few people of any age, on any piece of ground or even in the street. Another reason may be that it allows people to show their special skills. Some footballers become very rich and famous, like David Beckham. For this reason, many young people dream of becoming football stars and getting very rich. Television too has made football more popular. Millions of people can watch international matches such as the World Cup, which is held every four years.
1.What helps you know about games played by kicking a ball?
2.Where did the football game develop in the early 19th century?
3.When were the football standard rules made for everyone to follow?
4.Why do American football players have to wear special clothing?
5.Why is football now the most popular game on earth?
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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The Silk Road is the name of different roads that connected Europe, Africa and Asia long ago. It was named by F. von Richthofen, who was a famous German geographer. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3,000 years ago. People reached these different places along these roads. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 7,000 kilometers. It went from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.
Businessmen travelled along the Silk Road to carry silk, of course. They also carried and traded other things like spices（香料）, cloth, jewels and gold.
Along and around these ancient paths（小路）, have come many fascinating and mysterious stories.
It is said that Roman soldiers who lost a war travelled through central Asia. They decided to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese villages. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the stories of the blondhaired, blueeyed tribes of China was started.
Some historians believe that the people of Kashmir were taken away from their country Israel. They were prisoners（俘虏） of war almost 2,800 years ago. People say that these people travelled along the Silk Road. They kept their Jewish way of life for a long time.
During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable things and new ideas. It included people and trading goods from different areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road, and they shared goods, stories, languages. and cultures.
In modern times, the old Silk Road routes（路线） are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35,000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.
1.Who gave the name "Silk Road" ?
2.How long was the Silk Road?
3.What did people trade along the "Silk Road" in the past?
4.Did people share languages and cultures along the Silk Road?
5.How does China protect the history of Silk Road?
难度: 困难查看答案及解析