It’s easy to see how to help others, but what about those whose needs aren’t so obvious? This story may have happened a while back, but it was a lesson which has stayed with me and helped me ever since.
It was Thanksgiving and I was volunteering with my parents at a shelter for the poor. We stood behind the counter dishing out hot food to whoever came in. Most of our dinners looked like they had been having hard times, their clothes old, worn and dry. In short, they looked poor!
Then, a man came in, who looked anything but poor. He was well dressed, wearing an expensive suit. I wondered what he was doing there and my jaw dropped in amazement when he joined the line for food. The closer he came to my service station, the more I muttered. What was this man doing? I wanted to know. Surely he wasn’t going to take food.
Then my mother quietly took me to one side. She said, “ You have assumed that the needs of the people who come here must be purely physical: hunger, inadequate shelter and needs are emotional? What if he needs comfort, friends, or just to be among other human beings?” Her words hit me like a ton of bricks! About a week later the shelter received a large donation from an anonymous source. I can’t help but wonder if it came from that man. I felt like I should apologize to the man, but I didn’t.
Now, whenever I meet others, I remember my mother’s words and try to send kindness and blessings to them, regardless of how they look. Needs aren’t always visible. But kindness always makes a difference.The task of the author at the shelter was to_______.
| A．decide whether dinners looked poor |
| B．learn life experience there |
| C．serve hot food to the poor |
| D．help parents order dishes |
When the man waited in line, how did the author feel?
| A．Surprised | B．Pitiful | C．Excited | D．Angry |
The author felt he should apologize to the man, because he_______.
| A．was asked to do so by his mother |
| B．gave the man food much less than others |
| C．realized something was wrong with the man |
| D．knew later that the man might go there to donate |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．We should show others kindness whatever their needs are |
| B．Some needs can’t be known clearly at times |
| C．Needs can always be met by kindness |
| D．We should find out others’ needs |
If you get into the forest with your friends, stay with them always. If you don’t, you may get lost. If you really get lost, this is what you should do. Sit down and stay where you are. Don’t try to find your friends—let them find you by staying in one place.
There is another way to help your friends or other nearby people to find you. Give them a signal (信号) by shouting or whistling (吹口哨) three times. Any signal given three times is a call for help.
Keep up shouting or whistling always three times together. When people hear you, they will know that you are not just making noise for fun. They will let you know that they have heard your signal. They give you two shouts, two whistles, or two gun-shots (枪声). When someone gives you a signal, it is an answer to a call for help.
If you don’t think that you will get help before night comes, try to make a little house---cover up to the holes with branches (树枝) with lots of leaves. Make yourself a soft bed with leaves and grass.
What should you do if you get hungry or need drinking water? You would have to leave your little house to look for a river. Don’t just walk away. Pick off small branches and drop them as you walk so that you can find your way back. The most important thing to do when you are lost is—stay in one place.If you are lost in the forest, you should _______.
| A．walk around the forest and shout so that your friends could hear you |
| B．try to find your friends as soon as possible |
| C．stay where you are and give signals three times |
| D．try to get out of the forest and shout for help |
If you want to let people believe that you are not just making noise for fun, you should _______.
| A．tell people that you are lost |
| B．shout or whistle three times |
| C．keep up shouting or whistling |
| D．shout at the top of your voice |
When you hear two shouts, or whistles, or gunshots, __________.
| A．it is an answer to your call for help |
| B．you can whistle three times |
| C．you should shout more loudly |
| D．you should try to run to them |
When you want to leave your place to get drinking water, you should ________.
| A．just go to the river |
| B．find some glasses or bottles before you go |
| C．make a fire so that you can have some tea |
| D．leave marks so that you can find your way back |
This passage mainly tells you __________.
| A．when you hear a signal always three times, it is a call for help |
| B．any signal given twice means an answer to a call for help |
| C．how you can live longer in a forest |
| D．What you should do if you get lost in a forest |
More and more people are taking their iPads to bed with them to surf the web, check facebook or send e-mails before switching off the light. But researchers are warning that the blue light their screens give off can stop users getting a good night’s sleep. That is because this type of light is similar to daylight, convincing the brain that it is still daytime. Blue light prevents the production of a brain chemical called melatonin, which helps us fall asleep. By contrast, light which is more orange or red does not prevent melatonin production, perhaps because our brains recognize it as a cue that the day ends.
Scientists have known for years that staring at screens late in the evening can affect sleep ---- they are television screens, computer screens or mobile phone screens. However, because mobiles and iPads are by nature portable ---- not to say addictive ---- more people are taking them into the bedroom. Users also tend to hold them much closer to their eyes than a computer or television screen.
Researchers are warning that looking at iPad displays for more than two hours leads to lower natural melatonin levels as the devices give off blue light. They say, “Turning off the devices at night is the final solution. But if you have to use these devices at night, dim the display to cut down irritation of the eyes and limit the time you spend on them before bed.”
They wrote in the journal Applied Ergonomics(应用人类工程学) that iPad makers should adjust the spectral power distribution(光谱功率分布) of the devices so that they affect the sleep patterns of users less.
It is not just a good night’s sleep that could be harmed by too much late night screen time. Researchers know that long-term harm to sleep patterns can lead to an increased risk of obesity and even cancers.Blue light prevents iPad users from sleeping well because ____.
| A．it is the same as daylight which keeps people awake |
| B．it makes the brain more active |
| C．it is brighter than light that is more orange or red |
| D．it can help decrease the production of melatonin |
The underlined phrase “dim the display” means ____.
| A．keep away from the display |
| B．make the display less bright |
| C．clean the display carefully |
| D．turn off the display |
In the last paragraph, the author intends to ____.
| A．warn of the seriousness of long-term poor sleep |
| B．call on researchers to study sleep patterns |
| C．show the danger of obesity and cancers |
| D．show how sleep is harmed by using iPads too much |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Scientists are warning that blue light is bad for our health. |
| B．People should limit the use of electronic devices |
| C．Using iPads before bed can cause a poor night’s sleep. |
| D．Looking at screens of iPads increase chances of sleeplessness. |
When it comes to problem solving, many of us have heard of the skills of the crow (乌鸦) in Aesop’s Fables (《伊索寓言》).
In the story, a thirsty crow comes across a bottle of water, but the water level (水平面) is out of its reach. The bird then drops small stones into it until the water level rises enough for the bird to drink.
“Oh, it’s just a fable,” you may think. After all, it’s hard to imagine birds knowing about “problem solving”.
But new research has found that crows’ brains may sometimes be better than those of 6-year-old children.
In a recent experiment, US scientist Corina Logan and her team caught six crows to test them. There were two tubes (试管) of water, one wide and the other narrow (窄的). Each crow was given four stones, enough to help them get the water in the narrow tube, but not the wide one.
Surprisingly, the crows dropped all or most of the stones into the narrower tube and got the food reward! They had found out the cause-and-effect relationship.Using such brains, crows are making their lives easier. For example, some crows in cities have learned to use road traffic for breaking nuts, National Geographic News reported.
But how are their wits (智力) compared to humans’? Logan’s team did another experiment, this time on both crows and children.
Here, the crows and children had to choose between two sets of tubes.
With the red set, when they dropped a stone into a wide tube, the water level raised in a connected narrow tube that contained food.
The blue set of tubes, however, had no connection between them. So dropping a stone in the wide tube did not cause the water level to rise in the narrow tube.
Children aged 7 to 10 were able to learn the rule. Children aged 4 to 6, however, failed.
Five of the six crows failed the test. But Kitty, a 6-month-old crow, passed it. She put all or most of the stones into the red tube.
So, could a bird be more clever than a kindergartner? Don’t be too quick to say no.Why is Aesop’s Fables mentioned in the beginning of the article?
| A．To introduce the idea that crows are smart. |
| B．To show that fables about crows are wrong. |
| C．To explain why crows can solve problems. |
| D．To prove that crows can be better than babies at problem solving. |
What have Logan’s team found out from their recent experiments?
| A．Crows prefer to get their food reward from wider tubes. |
| B．Crows are able to understand or learn cause and effect relationships. |
| C．Crows can easily recognize the tubes with a food reward inside. |
| D．Some crows even make use of road traffic to help them break nuts. |
What can we learn from the experiment on crows and children?
| A．Five of the six crows threw stones into the red tube. |
| B．Children aged 6 did better than children aged 4. |
| C．One crow passed the test while the younger children didn’t. |
| D．Some crows proved to be more clever than children aged 10. |
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened.
I got in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane (车道) when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver used his brakes (车闸), the tires made a loud noise, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch (英寸) from the back of the other car.
I couldn’t believe it. But then I couldn’t believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, turned his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. I couldn’t believe it!
And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call: “The Law of the Garbage Truck (垃圾车).” He said: But then here’s what really blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. So, I said: “Why did you just do that? This guy could have killed us!
“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and
full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump (倾倒) it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you.“So one day when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be happier.”
So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the street? It was then that I said: “I don’t want their garbage and I’m not going to spread it anymore.”
I began to see Garbage Trucks. I see the load people are carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don’t take it personally. I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.What happened to the author on his way to Grand Central Station?
| A．He was caught in a traffic jam. |
| B．He had a fight with his taxi driver. |
| C．His taxi almost ran into another car. |
| D．His taxi suddenly got a flat tire (爆胎). |
When the author saw his taxi driver smile and wave at the driver of the black car, he _____.
| A．was deeply impressed |
| B．got very angry |
| C．felt quite disappointed |
| D．complimented him on his good manners |
What can we infer from Paragraph 6？
| A．The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks． |
| B．The author used to be a good manager． |
| C．The author used to have a lot of money． |
| D．The author used to complain a lot． |
How did the author learn to deal with Garbage Trucks?
| A．Fight back immediately. |
| B．Smile and move on. |
| C．Call the police for help. |
| D．Dump it on someone else |
One day a few years ago, a very funny thing happened to a neighbor of mine. He is a teacher at one of London’s medical schools. He had finished his teaching for the summer term and was at the airport on his way to Russia to give a lecture. He had put a few clothes and his lecture notes in his shoulder bag, but he had put Rupert, the skeleton(人体骨骼) to be used in his lecture, in a large brown suitcase(箱子). At the airport desk, he suddenly thought that he had forgotten to buy a newspaper. He left his suitcase near the desk and went over to the shop.
When he got back he discovered that someone had taken his suitcase by mistake. He often wonders what they said when they got home and found Rupert.Who wrote the story?
| A．The teacher’s neighbor |
| B．The neighbor’s teacher |
| C．A medical school teacher |
| D．Rupert’s teacher |
Why did the teacher put a skeleton in his suitcase?
| A．he needed it for the summer term in London |
| B．he wanted to take it home as he had finished his teaching |
| C．he wanted to take it to Russia for medical research |
| D．he needed it for the lecture he was going to give |
What happened at the airport?
| A．the teacher forgot his suitcase |
| B．The skeleton was stolen |
| C．the skeleton went missing |
| D．the teacher took the wrong suitcase |
Which of the following might have happened afterwards?
| A．the teacher got back Rupert but not the suitcase |
| B．the teacher got back neither the suitcase nor Rupert |
| C．the teacher got back the suitcase but not Rupert |
| D．the teacher got back both the suitcase and Rupert |
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