I may not be the wisest person on this planet．but I will tell you a little secret to happiness：Help other，，and live life．It is that simple．Just help a friend study for a test，or volunteer at a nursing home ．I learned this after a long，hard search．
I was feeling really down because my long4ime friend had died．Then I started a six-week volunteering at a nursing home all day every Saturday．My routine was to serve the meal and clean up．After that，I would wait for the head nurse to tell me what to do．
One day I was told to go to Room 117 to make sure the patient was all right．In the room I found a boy of eight sitting in his bed watching a movie．I was shocked to see a child in this seemingly forgotten nursing home for the old．He was so small and weak that you had to look closely to find him．He motioned for me to sit down．I grabbed his medical chart from which later I found out he had a terminal illness．
We started to talk，and I found out that his family rarely visited，and all he did ever7 day was watch TV．I wanted to cry for him，and for my lost friend．As we talked，he had a smile on his face，and I asked him why．
"The entire two hours I've been here you've never lost that smile．With this horrible disease，how do you still manage to stay happy？"
He thought for a moment，and then said that too many people are dead even before they die．
They walk around feeling that God has cursed (诅咒) them and that they have nothing to live for．
The boy said that he would not be like that．He wakes every morning thankful to see another sunrise．He keeps his window open so that he can smell the flowers and feel the heat of the sun．He also said that he has hope．
"Too many people haven't seen much of that around here，" he said，" Life is full of hope and we need to live life before it is gone．"
I don’t know what happened to him．I assume he passed away，but his lesson lives on．I now wake up and live each day to the fullest．The key to life is not money or fame，but the lessons we learn from it．The nursing home in the passage is mainly for_______
| A．the elderly | B．the homeless |
| C．the disabled | D．the abandoned |
The boy stayed happy mainly due to_______．
| A．wonderful TV programs |
| B．his positive attitude |
| C．good medical condition |
| D．others' encouragement |
The writer participated in the volunteering job in order to_______．
| A．find out the secret |
| B．search for help |
| C．enrich experiences |
| D．get out of sadness |
What would be the best title for the passage？
| A．A Lesson in Hope |
| B．The Life of a Sick Boy |
| C．A Voluntary Job |
| D．The Meaning of Life |
It can be hard to meet people from another culture. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal（信号）. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize （强调）the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in “small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries--like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment（多元文化环境）will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to ________.
| A．keep each other company | B．share the same Culture |
| C．get to know each other | D．develop closer relations |
The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that _________.
| A．even talk and silence can be culturally different |
| B．too many words are of no use |
| C．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature |
| D．the English prefer to make long speeches |
According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?
| A．By sharing different ways of life. |
| B．By recognizing different values. |
| C．By accepting different habits. |
| D．By speaking each other’s languages. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Multicultural Environment. |
| B．How to Understand Each Other. |
| C．Cross-Cultural Differences. |
| D．How to Build Up a Relationship. |
Erica and Steve Lineberry have been rock climbing since 2005. They were first introduced to it while visiting a family in Montana. Now they are at climbing centers, like Inner Peaks in Charlotte, three times a week, and on weekends they climb outdoors.
Steve said they first started climbing as part of their exercise. Years later, he lost 60 pounds. But as the couple’s interest in the sport grew, they consulted some mentors and started climbing outdoors.
Then Erica got pregnant. "Most people think that rock climbing and pregnancy don’t go very well together," Erica said. But with lots of places to go, Erica kept climbing through her pregnancy. Then her son, Canaan, was born. She says the baby immediately started participating in the family sport. "He went to the gym the first time with us at four weeks old, and then we took our first outdoor trip, just a day trip, at six weeks old with him."
Now Canaan is three-year-old, and Erica is once again pregnant: 7 months along. During her first pregnancy, she blogged about climbing while pregnant. Now her Cragmama.com website is a top resource for families who rock climb. Erica said, "I think a lot of people will say, they’ll wait a few years until they get into an easier age or an easier life phase with their kids. And I think if they wait for that they’re going to wait forever." Her message to women is to quickly climb back into the things you love; and that your life is not over once you are a mother.
Cragmama.com website is quickly becoming the face of mommy rock climbing. She contributes to a handful of climbing magazines. Outdoor equipment companies ask her to wear and use their gear(设备). And her website is a popular resource for families who are not only interested in climbing with their children, but also interested in taking on other adventures too.What does the author intend to tell in the passage?
| A．A family who love rock climbing. |
| B．A couple who learn how to climb. |
| C．A woman who is brave to climb. |
| D．A story about a pregnant woman. |
Which can replace the underlined word "mentors"?
| A．Friends. | B．Students. |
| C．Teachers. | D．Leaders. |
It can be inferred from the third paragraph that .
| A．Erica never cared about her unborn baby |
| B．rock climbing does good to pregnant women |
| C．Canaan fell in love with climbing at four weeks |
| D．Erica is really a courageous and fearless woman |
Who will visit Cragmama.com website?
| A．The women who expect to have babies. |
| B．The families who have brought up a child. |
| C．The women who have sympathy for Erica. |
| D．The families who take interest in rock climbing. |
If you come across the news of the death of Mr. Bean (actor Rowan Atkinson) on your Facebook account and you are curious to know more by opening a link, then think twice. Because the news is fake, a message about his suicide.
The fake news created tense moments for the fans of Atkinson who were curious to know why the actor took the step. Apparently, rumours said that the 58-year-old actor took his life after a producer dropped him from Johnny English 3. Later, it was found that both the news were fake. Such rumours have their origins in social platforms, where it is not easy to track who made them.
Trishneet Arora, ethical hacker from the city, said: "Culprits are aware that Facebook does not store data on its servers, so the chances of getting tracked are less with such platforms. Many rumours have been spread using such platforms. Since one cannot stop the culprits, users should always cross-check the news with news websites, and only then believe these. On platforms like Facebook, one should resist clicking on any links, because it can pass on your login and password details to the hackers. Besides, one should forward news links only after checking out from reputed news websites."
So, if you click on his so-called "suicide video", you could unwittingly install malware(恶意软件)in your system through which the hacker can access your personal details like logins and passwords.
Ankit Aggarwal, a resident of Tagore Nagar, said: "I have also been a great fan of actor Rowan Atkinson, so the news of his death was quite shocking for me. The moment I read it, I shared the same on my wall. Later, through a friend, who had done her research well on the news, I got to know the news was false. So, I immediately removed the post from my wall and also asked my friends on Facebook not to forward the same news."
Many stars in the past, including Jackie Chan, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, and Miley Cyrus, have become victims to such death hoaxes(恶作剧). No police official was available for any comment.The news that Mr. Bean committed suicide .
| A．was to play a joke on Rowan Atkinson |
| B．disclosed the dark side of movies |
| C．made the fans of Atkinson worried |
| D．intended to destroy computer system |
According to the rumours we can know .
| A．Mr. Bean wasn’t satisfied with Johnny English 3 |
| B．the producer decided not to use Mr. Bean in a film |
| C．Mr. Bean failed to act well on the social platforms |
| D．the audiences liked making fun of the famous comedian |
When you open a link of fake news .
| A．you will feel disappointed at the news |
| B．you will be deeply hurt by the hackers |
| C．your computer system will be changed in no time |
| D．your personal information will be given away |
Ankit Aggarwal immediately removed the post .
| A．because he thought the news aimed to trick readers |
| B．as soon as he read the news on his Facebook account |
| C．after he had done a lot of research about the news |
| D．when he was told that the news was false |
Do you ever pull your phone out of your pocket, thinking it is vibrating （振动） , only to find that it isn't?
This phenomenon, which scientists call " phantom （幻觉的） phone vibration" , is very common.Around 80% of people surveyed say they have imagined their phones vibrating when they were actually still.
So, what leads to this universal behavior? According to the BBC, the explanation lies in your brain's ability to discover signals from the outside world.
When your phone is in your pocket, there are two possible states: it is either vibrating or not.Meanwhile, you also have two possible states of mind: the judgment that the phone is vibrating, or that it isn't.
Ideally, you match the four states correctly.However, sometimes your brain decides that the consequences of missing a call are more serious than a "false alarm".Therefore, you become more sensitive to vibrations so that you don't miss anything.
This is just like the fire alarm in your home --- it can be annoying when it goes off in response to just a tiny bit of smoke.But that's a small price to pay compared to a fire really breaking out because the alarm fails to alert you.
Now, you might still ask: why can't our brains just make every judgment correctly without being too sensitive to false signals?
The answer is that your brain bears a heavy burden every day.“You get a large amount of sensory information that's coming from your eyes, ears and skin, and you can't deal with all that information all the time," Michael Rothberg, a researcher at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, US, told Live Science.
For example, the rustling （ 沙沙声） of clothing or the growling （咕咕声） of your stomach may both lead your brain to believe that they come from the vibration of your phone -it is like trying to hear your name being called in a noisy room.
So, perhaps you should just check your phone whenever you think it's vibrating.It's not too much trouble to do that, is it?According to this passage, phantom phone vibration _____.
| A．is common among people with mental problems |
| B．can measure people's ability to collect information |
| C．happens when our brains react sensitively to false signals |
| D．helps our brains to make quick and accurate decisions |
According to Michael Rothberg, which is mainly responsible for phantom phone vibration?
| A．A noisy background. |
| B．A lack of much attention. |
| C．A heavy burden every day. |
| D．An overflow of sensory information. |
Why is the fire alarm used as an example in this passage?
| A．To help us understand the cause of phantom phone vibration better. |
| B．To show us the fire alarm is as sensitive as the phone vibration. |
| C．To tell us the phone vibration usually happens when a fire breaks out. |
| D．To convince us it's important to check our phones like checking a fire alarm. |
What does the author suggest we do about phantom phone vibration?
| A．We should always fully believe our own sense of listening. |
| B．We should just check our phones whenever we think they're vibrating. |
| C．We should ignore the vibration bothering when our phones are actually still. |
| D．We should think of the vibration carefully before we make correct judgments. |
Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!From paragraph 2 we know that __ .
| A．animals are as clever as human beings |
| B．dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees |
| C．chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills |
| D．dogs have similar 'learning abilities as 3-year-old children |
Both experiments show that .
| A．Rico is smart enough to get all commands right |
| B．Rico can recognize different things including toys |
| C．Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics |
| D．Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities. |
| B．Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training. |
| C．The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects. |
| D．Rico is born to understand its owner's commands. |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．To train your dog. |
| B．To talk to your dog. |
| C．To be friendly to your dog. |
| D．To be careful with your dog. |
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