Four Simple Keys to Transform Your Life
The Power of Choice．Every one of us makes countless choices every day．Every choice we make has an impact on our lives．Even insignificant choices can affect what we experience and how we feel．When hunger strikes, we can reach for a healthy, nutritious snack, or we can choose the sugar high of junk food．The more important the decision, the greater its effect．For instance, how do I act towards that person who treated me badly? Do I generally choose to be passive, or do I actively set clear intentions and create what I want in my life? Every choice we make, however big or small, affects us in some way．
How Do You Make Choices? If you are interested in living a richer, fuller life, there is a foundation upon which you can base all of your decisions which can make life better not only for you, but also for those around you．This foundation is to choose based on what's best for all．Imagine a world where every parent, spouse（配偶）, friend, teacher, business person, and politician truly did their best to choose what's best for all involved in every decision they made. We would certainly live in a more caring, supportive world．
It's the Intention．"But how do I know what is really best?" you might ask．The answer is simple．It doesn't matter．What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention beind your choice．What matters is that whatever decision you make, you are clear in your intention of choosing based on what's best for all．If it later turns out that you made what appears to have been a bad choice, there's no need for guilt．Knowing that you did your best to choose with a sincere desire for what's best for all, your conscience stays clear and open．This then allows you to more easily learn from your mistakes, and to live with a clear heart and mind．
What's Best for Me, Too! Choosing what's best does not mean you have to always sacrifice yourself for others．An overly(过度的) exhausted mother can lose her temper easily．Some time off for this mother might seem selfish, yet in the long run, it can help her to be a better mother to her children．So as we move through each day of our lives, let us remember to include ourselves as we do our best to choose what's best for all．Which of the following is FALSE?
| A．Whenever hunger strikes, we will reach for a junk snack |
| B．Every choice, however big or small, has an influence on us． |
| C．Even small choices affect how we feel．． |
| D．We make choices every day． |
How should we make choices?
| A．To be interested in a richer, fuller life． |
| B．To make life better for ourselves． |
| C．To imagine a world where everyone did their best． |
| D．To choose based on what's best for all． |
Why does the author say, "What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention behind your choice．"?
| A．Because the choice you make is not important． |
| B．Because you may have made a bad choice． |
| C．Because this allows you to stay clear and improve． |
| D．Because there is no need for guilt． |
How to choose what is best for us?
| A．We need to devote all our life to others． |
| B．We need to put away some time for ourselves． |
| C．We need to sacrifice ourselves for others． |
| D．We need to be selfless every minute． |
An Experiment
Materials: Newspaper, ‘ACE’ hardware ruler (1/8 “think”), a flat table.
Purposes: We’ll show that there is air pressure pushing on us, from every direction while we’re on this Earth.
|
Procedure:
First put a thin ruler on a flat table with a littleless than half of it hanging off the edge of the table
(see the drawing below). Next place a sheet of newspaper
over the ruler flat against the table. Make sure to have
as little air as possible under the paper so that the fold line of the newspaper is at the ruler. Then quickly strike the end of the ruler hanging off the edge of the table. If you strike it quick enough, the ruler will break near the table edge.
What’s going on?
The Earth is covered in a layer of air that is nearly 80 miles thick and at sea level (the bottom) exerts or ‘pushes’ hard almost 15 pounds of pressure per square inch. That means that a full sheet of newspaper laid out flat has nearly 9,300 pounds of air above it.
When you break the ruler above, you are able to break it because of the 'heavy' air pushing down on the paper while you quickly strike the ruler. At first the table is pushing back on the paper, and if you move the ruler quick enough, other air around the edges of the paper can't get under the paper fast enough, so you are trying to lift that 9,300 pounds with the ruler! Some air gets under the paper, but not enough, so the ruler breaks.
1．By doing the experiment, we may realize .
A．that air exits everywhere
B．why there are directions
C．that we live with air pressure
D．how air helps on the earth
2．How many steps are there in this experiment? .
A．2 B．3 C．4 D．5
3．The underlined word “exert” probably means .
A．cover completely B．advocate actively
C．influence gradually D．press heavily
4．The ruler breaks under a quick strike mainly because of .
A．the air pressure on the newspaper B．the heavy weight of the newspaper
C．the heavy weight of the flat table D．the strong power used on the ruler
On December 18, 1620, passengers on the British ship Mayflower came on shore at modern – day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony.
The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded people in England built their own church, which was separate from the state – supported Church of England. Because of this, they were forced to leave the country and settle in Netherlands. After 12 years of struggling to adapt and make a hard living, the group sought financial backing from some London merchants to set up a colony in America.
On Septmeber 6,1620, one hundred and two passengers – called Pilgrims (朝圣者) by William Bradford, a passenger who would become the first governor of Plymouth Colony – crowded on the Mayflower to begin the long, hard journey to a new life in the New World. On November 11,1620, the Mayflower landed at Provincetown Harbor. Before going on shore, 41 male passengers – heads of families, single men and three male servants – signed the famous Mayflower contract, agreeing to form a government chosen by common election and to obey all laws made for the good of the colony.
Over the next month, several small leading teams were sent on shore to collect firewood and hunt for a good place to build a settlement. Around December 10, one of these groups found a harbor they liked on the western side of Cape Cod Bay. They returned to the Mayflower to tell the other passengers, but bad weather prevented then reaching the harbor until December 16. Two days later, the first group of Pilgrims went on shore. After exploring the region, the settlers chose a cleared area once controlled by members of a local Native American tribe (部落). The tribe had abandoned the village several years earlier, after an outbreak of European disease.
That winter of 1620 – 1621 was really hard, as the Pilgrims struggled to build their settlement, find food and take care of the sick. By spring, 50 of the original 102 Mayflower passengers were dead. The remaining settlers made contact with returning members of the Native American tribe and in March they signed a peace treaty (条约) with the tribe chief. In the spring time, helped by the locals, the Pilgrims were able to plant crops – especially corn and beans – that were necessary to their survival.
On April 5,1621, the Mayflower and its crew left Plymouth to return to England. Over the next several decades, more and more settlers made the voyage across the Atlantic to Plymouth, which gradually grew into a successful shipbuilding and fishing center.
1．A group of English were forced to leave their country in 1606 because .
A．their belief was different from the official Church
B．they built their own churches in a foreign country
C．they lacked financial support from the government
D．they were ambitious to build the colony in America
2．How many days did the sea journey to Provincetown Harbor last? .
A．103 B．96 C．66 D．35
3．Several leading teams were sent in order to .
A．hunt for food for the passengers B．control local Native Americans
C．build a settlement for the passengers D．explore the region for their settlement
4．From the passage we know that between 1620 – 1621.
A．52 Mayflower passengers died of some illnesses
B．Pilgrims had a good relationship with the locals
C．Plymouth turned a main center for shipbuilding
D．Pilgrims tried to plant corns and beans in winter
A lonely and sad pug (哈巴狗) was photographed as he waited for his owner by the side of the road has been considered as the world’s saddest dog. Pictures of the pet taken by a passer-by have become an internet foucus after being posted on the photo-sharing website Flickr. The dog which is nicknamed Mr Newman looks terribly upset as he sits on the pavement tied to a lamp-post with a rope.
The photograph was taken outside a café in the Californian city of San Francisco, which may go some way to explaining why he is dressed in a stylish grey and purple sweater.
"He was hanging around looking for somebody to love him. I tried to cheer him up – he seemed happy to see me," said the photographer Chris Michael.
One of the four photos of the pug on Flickr is titled "Tough day for Mr Newman" and with some other words as follows: "Despite his cool clothes, the girls just aren't interested in him any more."
Dozens of people on the site said they had been touched by the dog's pitiful expressions gaze. "I come back to see this photo every now and then because it's too cute, so does my daughter. In fact, my family all are touched," wrote one of the pedestrians who had seen the photo. Another viewer said that she had been moved as to buy a pug of her own after seeing the photos.
Mr Newman may have won the hearts of internet users but he is unlikely to be more famous than a cat competitor Keyboard Cat, the musical pet who has become a star on YouTube.
1．The little pug waited by the road probably because .
A．it was abandoned by its owner B．it was left behind by his owner
C．it was trapped by a passer – by D．it couldn’t find the way home
2．We can infer from the passage that the photographer Chris Michael .
A．knew much about the owner of the dog
B．helped to find the owner of the pug
C．took great interest in its colorful sweater
D．tried to amuse the pug in some ways
3．The writer used the underlined sentence from the website to .
A．add some humor to the passage
B．describe the pug’s loveliness
C．help the god owner recognize it
D．inform girls to adopt the dog
4．What would be discussed next according to the text? .
A．Description of another dog
B．The pug’s recent situation
C．Some details about the keyboard cat
D．Pet owners’ responsibility
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Until quite recently, I knew only three things about my father: I knew his name, David S. Johnson, Jr. I knew he was an only child, and I’d been told he was killed on April 12, 1945, somewhere in Germany.
I used to come to visit my Granny. “Daddy David and his two friends were out in the fields, making sure the way was safe for the others to follow,” she told me. “All of a sudden there was an explosion. All three of them were killed.” Granny was looking down, stroking one thin hand with the other. Then there were no words but silence.
I began my search and collection for information about my father as my 50th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his death drew near. I was told that the explosion had blown him to bits and I had great difficulty collecting anything I could find about him bit by bit. Bits of information about his began falling into my hands, my mind and my heart. Longing to know my father kept me connected to him. It was time to transform my longing into knowledge.
Once upon a time he was alive, and my mother and father were deeply in love. They were married, and they had a child, my brother David. Then my father left for the war.
I was born in January 1945. On February 15 my father wrote me a letter of welcome. The letter is kept in my baby book, “Dear Susan, you have a very good family. Your dad is sort of a less able person. Your mother is the most wonderful person I’ve ever known. I’ve always marveled at my great good fortune to have her and been loved by her. If you follow her words and examples, you may expect to meet life in the best possible way, and your path will always be the right one. Your father, Dave.”
Black on white paper, the words are from my father. From them I grow into a person of loyalty and love. How I long for stories that will bring him to life!
1．The writer got to know her father’s story of death from .
A．her father’s friends B．someone in Germany
C．her grandmother D．a little child
2．The author meet difficulty finding information about her father because .
A．it was too late for her to start the search
B．the explosion left little about her father
C．she only found pieces of hands and legs
D．she didn’t have enough knowledge to do it
3．Which of the following statements is TURE? .
A．Her parents had only one child B．Her father died before her birth
C．Her father was a disabled man D．The writer never saw her father
4．We know from the last paragraph that the author .
A．still hates her father for having left
B．is curious about her father’s death
C．shows much respect for her father
D．is sure that her father may survive
If Barack Obama's wife and kids thought they'd be getting his undivided attention during their long-awaited summer holiday, perhaps they should think again.
The US President kicked off his vacation by revealing that, in addition to endless games of tennis and golf, he plans to spend the week ploughing through five books, weighing in at an astonishing 2,300 pages. His summer reading list, unveiled(透露) by the White House, contains two heavyweight works of non–fiction and three novels.
On top of the president’s table is Hot, Flat and Crowded, by New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman. Subtitled "why we need a green revolution", it makes a leftish（左倾的） call to arms regarding the future of the planet.
Mr Obama's second choice is historian David McCullough's biography of John Adams, the often under-rated second US president, who was the subject of an award-winning HBO docu-drama（纪实剧）last year.
The novels include two crime thrillers: Richard Price's Lush Life, and The Way Home, a novel by George Pelecanos set in Washington, DC – which, much like Obama's best-selling autobiography（自传）, explores the relationship between a father and his son.
Completing the set is the novel Plainsong, by a little-known writer called Kent Haruf. Set in a small town on the Colorado plains, its existence on the reading list may reassure voters that Middle America has not been ignored by their commander-in-chief.
Publishers are keeping an eye on whether the famous "Obama bounce" – which has helped sales at the first family's favourite clothes stores, such as J Crew – will continue to apply to their troubled industry. The President's endorsement（认可） is said to have lifted sales of Joseph O'Neill's novel Netherland about cricket in Holland and New York last year.
Given that President Obama has already spent a portion of his week so far playing golf, beating Michelle at tennis, and visiting friends, questions will inevitably(不可避免地) be asked about his ability to put any dent（挫伤） at all in the ambitious reading list.
To finish all five books, he would have to manage more than 300 pages every day – quite an "ask" when a small portion of his time must also be spent running the country.
1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?
| A. To give an example. |
B. To introduce a topic. |
| C. To describe a hope. |
D. To offer an argument. |
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A. Some people doubted if the president could finish his books. |
| B. The Way Home is a book which explores the relationship between a father and his son. |
| C. Lush life, set in Washington, is a novel written by Richard Price. |
| D. Thanks to Obama, sales of Netherland have been lifted. |
3. Which of the following was NOT a book the President planned to read?
| A. John Adams. |
B. Netherland. |
| C. Hot, Flat and Crowded. |
D. Lush Life. |
4. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A. Obama’s Hobbies |
B. Obama’s Holiday Plan |
| C. Obama’s Holiday Life |
D. Obama’s Holiday Book List |
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