A year ago, August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but it was hard for Dave to find work, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at the risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—$7,000, a legacy(遗产) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were meeting difficulty.” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by what the Hatches had done. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They preferred comparison shopping and would go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camps when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches gave away their farmland. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents—should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors—that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.According to the text, the Fusses ________.
| A．were employed by a truck company | B．led a difficult life |
| C．worked in a school cafeteria | D．lost their home |
What can we learn about the Hatches?
| A．They had their children during the Great Depression. |
| B．They left the old house to live on their family farm. |
| C．They gave away their possessions（财产）to their neighbors. |
| D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs. |
What Sandy Van Weelden said mainly tells us that the Hatches were _________.
| A．understanding | B．kind | C．childlike | D．wealthy |
We all know that theme parks are places to have fun and amuse ourselves, but among so many exciting rides there are also some dangers, Make sure you know what the safety standards are for all the attractions at the park. If you do that , you will be safe and have fun.
Drink water. Believe it or not , dehydration-- when your body doesn’t have enough water--is the commonest cause of injuries at theme parks. Drinking water while you are at the park is not enough.You must make sure that you drink enough water before your visit.
Use your “common sense”. There are lots of people around , so make sure where your friends or family are .Also ,if you are walking and want to stop , make sure nobody is walking behind you. First step aside,then look behind and if you aren’t in anybody’s way,then stop.It might sound exaggerated(夸张的),but crashes between people can cause accidents.
Follow the instructions. The majority of theme parks have instructions for each ride. Some rides only allow people of a certain height. So make sure you are not too tall or too short before boarding any ride. Also, people with certain diseases or conditions are advised not to go on some rides. Do remember : If you are told not to go on a ride, then DON’T.
Do not ride with a bad atomach or if you’ve just eaten. Rides can make you ill because of their violent changes of direction and your lunch may end up on someone else’s head: surely not a very pleasant experience.
Have fun, relax, and be a little brave!
Some rides might look scary but theme parks are very safe places.What is the leading reason for injuries at theme parks?
| A．Snow | B．Dehydration | C．Fire | D．Crashes |
According to the author,____.
| A．it doesn’t pay to go to theme parks |
| B．people can have lots of fun in theme parks |
| C．men are more interested in theme parks than women |
| D．shy people should not go to theme parks |
Which of the following will the author accept?
| A．Children should notplay in theme parks. |
| B．One shouldn’t eat anything before riding. |
| C．One must always stay with his friends or family in theme parks. |
| D．One must read the instructions before playing in theme parks. |
Everyone may all have the experience of feeling anxious and stressed when having a rough day or having some troubles. Different people may choose different ways to deal with it, and for most people a break for a 10-minute walk may be quite useful.
Anyway, here is another way around: to get a piece of chewing gum, and chew it. According to a Swinburne University of Technology study, gum-chewing has been found to “relieve anxiety, improve alertness(机敏性) and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.”
Some may argue that a laboratory is not the same as an office. But check out the conditions of the study: individuals were monitored while performing “a group of ‘multi-tasking’ activities.” Doesn’t it sound like the situation in the office?
Here’s a summary of some of the study’s findings:
Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in appropriate stress.
Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.
Improved Performance: Chewing gum resulted in a big improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities.
Although these aren’t major improvements, every little bit works and chewing a piece of gum is a lot quicker and easier than slipping outside for a 10-minute walk. So, how does gum work this magic? In part it does so by lowering the level of cortisol(皮质醇)—a steroid(类固醇) hormone that is released in response to stress in your system.
A few words of advice before you reach for the gum: don’t crack your gum, and be sure to chew it with your mouth closed. In fact, I’d say keep the gum out of meetings, because it really looks impolite to others around you.From the study in the text we know that_________________.
| A．gum chewers may lack alertness |
| B．gum chewers tend to be less stressed |
| C．gum chewers can finish many jobs perfectly |
| D．gum chewers can reduce their anxiety and anger easily |
How does gum work to reduce stress according to the text?
| A．It works by improving alertness. |
| B．It works by allowing a 10-minute walk. |
| C．It works by reducing one’s level of cortisol. |
| D．It works by being chewed in a laboratory setting. |
Which one may the author probably agree with?
| A．People should chew gum with their mouths closed in a meeting. |
| B．It is impolite to chew gum in a meeting with people around you. |
| C．People can crack gum freely when meeting friends. |
| D．People should be careful when chewing gum at home. |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．How to chew gum. | B．How to relieve stress. |
| C．Why people love chewing gum. | D．Chewing gum can relieve stress. |
Instead of a normal court hearing, the trial on Wednesday appeared more like a prepared drama. Hundreds of reporters waited outside the court, in the hope of learning “shocking” information about the case, which includes well-known military singer Li Shuangjiang’s son, who gang-raped a woman with another four men on February.
The case was not a public hearing because it includes teenagers, whose privacy must be protected under law, but many details had been exposed by the lawyers before the trial.
Lawyers of all five suspects and the woman’s lawyer made a lot of debate on the Internet before the trial, making the case more confused.
Wu Ming’an, a law professor from the China University of Political Science and Law, said it was a pity to see such a “performance” by the lawyers.
“It can be understood that the two parties freely spoke their opinions, but it’s not professional or wise to see lawyers do the same,” Wu said. “Instead, the lawyers should guide and persuade their clients(当事人) to calm down, especially for such a non-public and sensitive case.”
China has no clear rule to manage lawyers’ behavior before trials, “but it should be general knowledge that the lawyers of the two sides cannot leak too many details, particularly in a case that includes teenagers”, Wu added.
Yi Shenghua, a lawyer who has been following the case, said it does more harm than good to both parties for such detailed information to be exposed before the trial.
“It’s OK for lawyers to speak, but what is said must be reasonable and legal. Although judgments should not be affected by public opinion, it’s hard for them not to be,” he said, suggesting judicial authorities should speak out if the case goes wrongly.
Trials must be conducted based on evidence, while lawyers should protect their clients’ rights instead of adding fuel to the flames, Yi said.
In my eyes, the most important aspect of the case, lies in how to make lawyers do their work more professionally and reasonably. Why was the case not a public hearing?
| A．Because it included the well-known military singer Li Shuangjiang’s son. |
| B．Because the victim was a woman. |
| C．Because teenagers’ privacy must be protected under law. |
| D．Because many details had already been exposed before the trial. |
What is Wu ming’an’s attitude towards the lawyers’ behavior of making a lot of debate on the internet before the trial?
| A．approval | B．critical | C．neutral | D．indifferent |
The underlined part “leak” in para. 6 refers to_________.
| A．give away | B．squeeze out | C．break down | D．sweep up |
From Yi Shenghua, we know that _______________.
| A．The lawyers’ behavior before trials hasn’t been ruled. |
| B．It doesn’t matter whether the detailed information is exposed before the trial. |
| C．What lawyers say must be reasonable and legal. |
| D．It is hard for judgments to be affected by public opinion. |
When was the last time you were late and expected someone to understand? How about the time you left your dishes on the table for someone else to clean up? Or perhaps you left the lid on the peanut butter jar loose, and the person after you opened the jar to find it dry and not fresh.
Often, we are eager to ignore our own faults. But we have higher standards when it comes to our expectations of someone else who has the same expectations. We need to as equally understand the weaknesses of others and excuse them just as we excuse ourselves.
Two of my strengths are punctuality(准时) and organization. I like to meet deadlines when they are due and keep the space around my computer neat and orderly. But sometimes things happen, and I slip from being perfect. When this happens, I show myself mercy and lower the standard for myself. However, if someone else makes a mess around my computer, I might not show them as much mercy as I show myself. If it can happen to me, then I should be willing to realize that it can happen to someone else as well.
I am not suggesting that we should not work on improving our faults, or that it should be right to be late or leave a mess behind us. Although we should always be working towards self-improvement, we shouldn’t have a double standard that says we are excused from our own mistakes but we cannot excuse someone else. If we are not 100-percent perfect, we shouldn’t expect others to be.
Mercy shows an understanding heart. If we are blind to our own faults, we will not be very merciful towards others. Showing a little mercy goes a long way when life’s little mistakes take place. When the tables are turned, showing mercy towards someone’s shortcomings could cause us to receive some in return.From the first paragraph we can learn that________________.
| A．we all make a mess sometimes |
| B．we all need private space |
| C．we should accept others’ help with gratitude |
| D．we should not open the lid on the peanut butter jar |
How does the author develop the third paragraph?
| A．By raising questions. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By analyzing opinions. | D．By showing research findings |
The underlined part, “When the tables are turned” in the last paragraph, can be best replaced by____________.
| A．“When good luck comes” | B．“When benefits increase” |
| C．“When our mistakes happen” | D．“When the situation is changed” |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Changing Bad Daily Habits | B．Excusing Our Own Faults |
| C．Being Merciful Toward Others | D．Working Toward Self-improvement |
I spend a lot of time backpacking and hiking the outdoors and there are two pieces of equipment that are with me on each trip: an Adventure Medical Kits Weekender and an Adventure Medical Kits Suture Syringe Kit. Both proved very helpful on my most recent adventures to the Wrangell in Alaska.
On that day, we were “blessed” with rain, making our water crossing on the Dixie Pass very difficult. Our party of 12 had almost reached our destination when I slipped, severely gashing(划伤) my knee open in the process. While I could not see the wound at first because of the rain pants I was wearing, I knew it was severe.
Blood was running freely and I made those standing nearby aware of the damage. They quickly came over to assist, pulled my pack off and removed the Weekender First Aid Kit and Suture Kit from it. Fortunately, one of my partners is a doctor called William, who has often performed this type of work in the operating room, not out in the wild.
I seriously think he was more nervous about all this than me! I, of course, was more than happy that I did not have to stitch(缝合) myself up. As a marine, I’ve had to do it before. Fortunately, the sky had cleared up about two hours before, so we had great sunlight to work with. The doctor worked quickly with the assistance of another fellow camper acting as a nurse and placed seven stitches into my knee once the wound had been cleaned up.
Later that evening we used a syringe(注射器) we set aside loaded with Iodine(抗炎药) to clean the wound and then bandaged it again. The doctor was very impressed with the kits contents!
I’ve already ordered another Suture Syringe Kit. I have to say the kits are worth their weight in gold! Thanks for the contents in the kits!What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 probably refer to?
| A．the wound | B．the rain | C．the kit | D．the knee |
Why did the author think that William was more nervous while performing the first aid than himself?
| A．Because William didn’t know how to use the kits. |
| B．Because the author didn’t trust William. |
| C．Because the author hurt himself severely. |
| D．Because William had no experience of doing it in the wild. |
From the passage, we can infer that the kits are__________.
| A．useless | B．extremely useful | C．troublesome | D．not essential |
What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．How first aid kits saved a backpacker in Alaska. |
| B．How a doctor did the operation in the wild. |
| C．How the author with 12 fellow campers hike the outdoors. |
| D．How the author hurt himself. |
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