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Still seeking a destination for your weekend break? There are some places which are probably a mere walk away from your college.
King's Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend sees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.
You could attend a class teaching you how to ‘learn from the masters’ or get more creative with paint—free of charge.
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.
The Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species；it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.
The multibranched Torch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above bluegreen leaves, and is not one to miss.
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.
The Garden is also a place for wildlife enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called ‘Hissing Sid’ is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.
Byron's Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron's time as a student of Cambridge University. Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of “mess and drunkenness”. However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I'm not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his rooms. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron's Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by beautiful circular paths around the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don't trust me, then perhaps you'll take it from Virginia Woolf—over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool.
1.According to the passage, there is a small charge for ______.
A.seeing an exhibition
B.learning life drawing
C.working with local artists
D.attending the masters' class
2.“Torch Aloe” and “Venus Flytrap” are ______.
A.common insects B.rarely seen snakes
C.impressive plants D.wildlife-enthusiasts
3.In the passage Byron's Pool is described as a lake ______.
A.owned by Lord Byron B.surrounded by fields
C.located in Grantchester D.discovered by Virginia Woolf
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Unknown stories of Cambridge University.
B.The colourful life in the countryside.
C.A way to become creative in art.
D.Some places for weekend break.
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One day, when I was working as a psychologist in England, an adolescent boy showed up in my office. It was David. He kept walking up and down restlessly, his face pale, and his hands shaking slightly. His head teacher had referred him to me. “This boy has lost his family,” he wrote, “He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others, and I’m very worried about him. Can you help?”
I looked at David and showed him to a chair. How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn’t have the answer to, and which no words can describe. Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically.
The first two times we met, David didn’t say a word. He sat there, only looking up to look at the children’s drawing on the wall behind me. I suggested we play a game of chess. He nodded. After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon-in complete silence and without looking at me. It’s not easy to cheat in chess, but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.
Usually, he arrived earlier than agreed, took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down. It seemed as if he enjoyed my company (陪伴). But why did he never look at me?
“Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with,” I thought, “Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering.” Some months later, when we were playing chess, he looked up at me suddenly.
“It’s your turn,” he said.
After that day, David started talking. He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club. He wrote to me a few times about his biking with some friends, and about his plan to get into university. Now he had really started to live his own life.
Maybe I gave David something. But I also learned that one, without any words, can reach out to another person. All it takes is a hug, a shoulder to cry on, a friendly touch, and an ear that listens.
1.When he first met the author, David ________.
A.looked a little nervous
B.felt a little excited
C.walked energetically
D.was accompanied by his teacher
2.What can we learn about the author from paragraph 2?
A.He was sure of handling David’s problem.
B.He was able to describe David’s problem.
C.He was skeptical about psychology.
D.He was ready to listen to David.
3.David enjoyed being with the author because he ________.
A.beat the author many times in the chess game
B.liked the children’s drawings in the office
C.needed to share sorrow with the author
D.wanted to ask the author for advice
4.What can be inferred about David?
A.He got friends in school before he met the author.
B.He went into university soon after starting to talk.
C.He liked biking before he lost his family.
D.He recovered after months of treatment.
5.What made David change?
A.The author’s friendship.
B.His teacher’s help.
C.His exchange of letters with the author.
D.The author's silent communication with him.
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Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘Dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘Cat’.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn how to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we previously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of the research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets ─ to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
1.The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.
A.early B.sweetly C.quickly D.smoothly
2.Some cats and dogs may fight when ________.
A.they are cold to each other B.they look away from each other
C.they misunderstood each other’s signals D.they are introduced at an early age
3.What is found surprising about cats and dogs?
A.They eat and sleep each other.
B.They observe each other’s behaviors.
C.They learn to speak each other’s language.
D.They know something from each other’s voices.
4.It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs ________.
A.have common interests B.are less different than was thought
C.have a common body language D.are less intelligent than was expected
5.What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?
A.We should learn to live in harmony.
B.We should know more about animals.
C.We should live in peace with animals.
D.We should learn more body languages.
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You are given many opportunities in life to choose to be a victim or creator. When you choose to be a victim, the world is a cold and difficult place. “They” did things to you which caused all of your pain and suffering. “They” are wrong and bad, and life is terrible as long as “they” are around. Or you may blame yourself for all your problems, thus internalizing (内化) your victimization. The truth is, your life is likely to stay that way as long as you feel a need to blame yourself or others.
Those who choose to be creators look at life quite differently. They know there are individuals who might like to control their lives, but they don’t let this get in the way. They know they have their weaknesses, yet they don’t blame themselves when they fail. Whatever happens, they have choice in the matter. They believe their dance with each sacred (神圣的) moment of life is a gift and that storms are a natural part of life which can bring the rain needed for emotional and spiritual growth.
Victims and creators live in the same physical world and deal with many of the same physical realities, yet their experience of life is worlds apart. Victims relish (沉溺) in anger, guilt, and other emotions that cause others — and even themselves — to feel like victims, too. Creators consciously choose love, inspiration, and other qualities which inspire not only themselves, but all around them. Both victims and creators always have choice to determine the direction of their lives.
In reality, all of us play the victim or the creator at various points in our lives. One person, on losing a job or a special relationship, may feel as if it is the end of the world and sink into terrible suffering for months, years, or even a lifetime. Another with the same experience may choose to first experience the grief, then accept the loss and soon move on to be a powerful creative force in his life.
In every moment and every circumstance, you can choose to have a fuller, richer life by setting a clear intention to transform the victim within, and by inviting into your life the powerful creator that you are.
1.What does the word “they” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?
A.People and things around you. B.Opportunities and problems.
C.Creators and their choices. D.Victims and their sufferings.
2.According to Paragraph 2, creators ________.
A.handle ups and downs of life wisely B.possess the ability to predict future life
C.seem willing to experience failures in life D.have potential to create something new
3.What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
A.Creators and victims are masters of their lives.
B.Victims can influence more people than creators.
C.Compared with victims, creators are more emotional.
D.Creators and victims face quite different things in life.
4.The examples mentioned in Paragraph 4 show that _________.
A.strong attachment to sufferings in life pulls people into victims
B.people need family support to deal with challenger in life
C.it takes creators quite a long time to get rid of their pains
D.one’s experiences determine his attitude toward life
5.The passage is organized by _______.
A.giving definitions B.making a contrast
C.giving examples D.telling stories
6.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A.To define victims and creators.
B.To evaluate victims against creators.
C.To explain the relationship between victims and creators.
D.To suggest the transformation from victims to creators.
