“We started as a group of friends with the same problem: difficulty in our personal life to manage our time, being always in a hurry.” This thought was recently offered by Bruno to explain the origin of The Art of Living Slowly, an organization that he founded two years ago, with his wife, Ella.
Bruno and Ella said they decided to draw more people’s attention to the overlooked idea that “time is wealth.” On February 19th last year, they created a new holiday, the first Global Day of Slow Living. Despite its ambitious name, the event was limited almost entirely to Italy, where the couple arranged a number of events: a reverse bicycle race in which the last rider was declared the winner; an afternoon of grandfathers reading poetry to children etc.
One Monday in late February, 2008, the couple staged a New York version (版本) of the Day of Slow Living. “It has to be a Monday, the worst day to try to slow down.” Bruno explained. Bruno was wearing a police cap, mirrored sunglasses, and a sandwich board stating, “Watch out! Speed-walking camera is in action!” He flagged down passers-by and handed them postcards printed with fourteen “slowmandments.” For example, No. 4: Write your text message on your cell phone with no symbols and get in the habit of starting with “Dear …” No 7: Avoid being so busy that you don’t have time for yourself. Bruno told the passers-by to read them once a day and keep the doctor away.
Many said, “I can’t do this. New York is too fast.” Bruno admitted. But many stopped, they read and said. “This one is good for me, because trying to slow down is like trying to stop smoking.”
When asked about their plans for the future. Bruno and Ella looked at each other and chanted the name of the city they have chosen for next year’s Global Day of Slow Living, “Tokyo!”
68. The Art of Living Slowly was founded to help people .
A．understand the truth of life. B．know the difficulty in managing time
C．avoid being in a hurry all the time D．make friends with the same problem
69. What did Bruno do in New York?
A．He advertised his idea on a sandwich board.
B．He stopped passers-by and delivered postcards.
C．He served as a policeman to prevent accidents.
D．He took photos for the people who walked fast.
70. Which statement may be included in the fourteen “slowmandments” in paragraph 3?
A．Wake up five minutes earlier. B．Do two things at the same time.
C．Make a habit of writing letters. D．Don’t work on weekends and relax.
71. What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The new holiday is usually celebrated on a fixed day.
B．Italian grandfathers enjoy reading poetry to children.
C．The couple tend to choose busy cities to promote the idea.
D．New Yorkers have a negative attitude towards slow living.
The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles. It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn’t see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother’s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn’t stop looking at this painting! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.The aim of the mother’s plan was to _______.
| A．take them to visit the museum |
| B．introduce them to the world of art |
| C．ask them to read about artists |
| D．show them different painting styles |
What was the writer’s experience in the museum before the last visit?
| A．She came to feel her mother’ s love. |
| B．She liked many paintings. |
| C．She hardly enjoyed herself. |
| D．She could understand the pictures of fat babies. |
What made the writer go through a change that summer?
| A．One of Mary’s paintings. |
| B．A strange way of painting. |
| C．Artists in the Middle Ages. |
| D．Her mother’s instruction. |
From the text, we can see_______.
| A．the importance of curiosity |
| B．the effect of art |
| C．the value of learning |
| D．the power of family education |
A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some exquisite and expensive—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided for us.”
God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. "[Z
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?
| A．To give his students many more choices. |
| B．To teach his students how to enjoy coffee. |
| C．To show the students his collection of cups. |
| D．To tell his students the right attitude to life. |
According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____.
| A．get the best type of coffee cups |
| B．make the best of what they have |
| C．have a wide range of coffee cups |
| D．care about social status and wealth |
The best title for the passage would be _____.
| A．God's Coffee | B．The Pressure of Life |
| C．The Happiest People | D．Professor's Coffee Cups |
No one has enough, but everyone has all there is. We each have just twenty-four hours in a day. Time is not our problems, but what we do with the limited time we have is the issue. Many people spend their days on dozens of activities, but achieve very little because they aren’t concentrating on right things. The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80:20 Rule shows us that typically eighty percent of unfocused effort generates only twenty percent of the results. The remaining eighty percent of the results are achieved with only twenty percent of the effort. To effectively manage your time, you need to change where you are spending your time. We all have the same amount of time every day. How you spend your time is how you spend your life. Here are time management strategies, which may be helpful.
Learn to say no
Politely say no should become a habit. Saying no frees up time for the things that are most important.
Make a “to-do” list
List the tasks that need to be done in order of their importance. Save other less important things for when you have time.
Minimize interruption(打扰)
Plan ahead. Think through projects. Look for ways to “block” interruptions. For example, close your door, don’t answer the phone or work in a different space.
Combine several activities
Try to do several activities at one time. While going to school, listen to taped notes. This allows up to an hour or two a day of good study review. While showering, make a mental list of the things. Above all, be creative, and let it work for you.According to the Pareto Principle, we can know that _____. .
| A．people can’t achieve a lot even though they concentrate on right things |
| B．people should focus more effort on right and important things and finish them first |
| C．people are certain to succeed if they spend twenty percent of their time |
| D．eighty percent of effort spent on one matter is useless |
According to the passage, if you want to do several things on Sunday, you should _____.
| A．do them while listening to the music |
| B．do all of them at one time |
| C．do the most important one first |
| D．put some of them off till next Monday |
The underlined word “block” in the passage means “_____”.
| A．accept | B．prevent | C．arrange | D．defend |
What would be the best title of the passage？
| A．Time Management | B．The Pareto Principle |
| C．How to Make a “To-do” List | D．Time and Habits |
Are you a problem shopper? The answer is “Yes”, if you or someone else thinks that you sometimes get carried away with shopping. In other words, do you or does someone else think you are occupied in extreme shopping? If people have regrets later about their shopping, or have an “out-of-control” feeling about the quantities of what they buy or the amount of credit they use, they may be considered to be problem shoppers.
Extreme shopping can lead to a more serious problem—addictive shopping. Addictive shoppers feel driven by the desire to shop and spend money. They experience great tension which drives them to shop and spend money and they feel a “rush” during the time they are occupied with the shopping activity.
Extreme or addictive shopping may result from long-time unpleasant feelings, of which anxiety, pain and shame are common ones. When we feel bad inside, we often do something to make ourselves feel better. In this case, we often go shopping.
A few people shop to relieve their boredom or emptiness. For some people, the motivation is a desire for status, power, beauty or success. Some love to shop as it makes them feel valued in the eyes of the shop assistants. Others shop simply because it makes them forget, at least temporarily, tension, fear or unhappiness in their life.
Besides, shopping malls are designed to encourage continual shopping. For instance, there are some malls where you can’t see clocks displaying the time because they don’t want you to become too aware of the time you spend there. What’s more, food courts, coffee shops and restrooms are provided, so you don’t have to leave the mall because of your physical needs.
Therefore, once you become aware of how market forces work, you will certainly come to control your shopping behavior. For example, how much time you will spend and what areas you will visit can be decided before you enter the mall. Keep a written account of what items you will buy and how much money you will spend. Make a plan for what you are going to buy before you feel the urge to shop and then stick to it. That is vital for gaining self-control.Which of the following people may not be problem shoppers?
| A．Those who cannot control the amount of credit they use. |
| B．Those who just walk around the shopping malls. |
| C．Those who are occupied in too much shopping. |
| D．Those who feel sorry for their shopping. |
According to the passage, what may not result in addictive shopping?
| A．The awareness of how market forces work. |
| B．The desire for status, power, beauty or success. |
| C．Boredom, emptiness, tension, fear or unhappiness in people’s life. |
| D．Long-time bad feelings of anxiety, pain and shame. |
What does the author suggest to control our shopping behaviour?
| A．Never go to the shopping malls because there are many tricks. |
| B．Apply for a credit card before we go shopping. |
| C．Make the shopping time as short as possible. |
| D．Make a shopping list before we go shopping. |
The author writes this passage to _____.
| A．inform the shopping malls how to attract more shoppers |
| B．provide solutions to the problem shopping |
| C．scold the problem shoppers |
| D．tell a shopping story |
Have Fun with Funny Faces
Here is a great new toy just for you! It is called FUNNY FACES. It is small enough to fit in your hand, but you can do so many things with Funny Faces! 
With Funny Faces, you can shape a mouth into a happy smile, or you can make a sad face. If you want to show an angry face, you can make it appear to be fierce. The eyebrows (眉毛) move up and down, the eyes turn from side to side, and the ears move slightly.
It is lots of fun to play with Funny Faces, by yourself or with your friends, make up stories about the different faces, put on a Funny Faces show and invite your friends to watch it.
A Funny Faces toy costs only five dollars. It is a super toy that every child should have. Buy Funny Faces today! You will find it in many stores in your city or town.
And if you buy Funny Faces now, we will send you a FREE gift. It is a special case for your toy. You will not find this case in stores. Here is all you have to do:
Cut off the top of the Funny Faces box. It writes “A Great New Toy!”
Write your name and address on a piece of paper.
Mail both pieces to the Funny Faces address on the front of the box.
Act today! This offer is good only until June 30.According to the passage, what is Funny Faces?
| A．A kind of toy. | B．A box. | C．A special show. | D．A picture. |
With Funny Faces, we can _____.
| A．make our friends angry |
| B．write names and address |
| C．shape a mouth into a smile |
| D．turn our eyes from side to side |
Why does the author write this passage?
| A．To tell us how to get a free gift. |
| B．To encourage us to buy Funny Faces. |
| C．To show us how to enjoy Funny Faces. |
| D．To advise us to put on an interesting show. |
We can see the passage is _____.
| A．a story | B．a news report | C．a letter | D．an advertisement |
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