Countless people long to make a difference this holiday season, yet they don’t realize that opportunities to make a difference are everywhere. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Organize a blank drive

It is cold outside, but imagine how thousands of homeless people may feel without a home of their own, or even a blanket to keep them from the cold. Organize a blank drive for your local homeless, and ask around for donations!

Practice random acts of kindness

I’ll never forget the time when I went to pay for my Dr. Pepper, but the server resisted, saying my bill was paid by an anonymous (匿名的) guest. It’s this random act of kindness that restores my faith in humanity. Bless someone by paying for their drink at Starbucks, or praising them! If you live somewhere where it snows, shovel your neighbor’s snow out of their driveway for them! Whether it is as simple as praise or as complex as paying the bill, you’ll never know how far your impact will reach.

Say thank you

Just a simple thank-you can make somebody’s day, especially if they feel like their work is never noticed. Cultivate(培养)a smile on their face by being sincere and grateful for all that they do.

Use your talents to help the community

The best way to show your appreciation for people is by using the talents and skills you have to bless others. For me, I love to coordinate(协调)events and write , and so my way of reaching out to the community is through writing articles and creating awareness about problems we face today. If you can bake, make some delicious cookies for people to enjoy! If you can knit, put your talents to use by making clothes for children in foster care. Any talent can be used to help the community in meaningful ways.

Wish you a happy, healthy and helpful holiday season.

1.If you join a blank drive, you can _________.

A. collect donations for the homeless people

B. bring a blanket to go on a trip

C. buy a home for homeless people

D. keep yourself from the cold

2.How did the author restore his faith in humanity?

A. He helps others B. He often blessed others

C. He got help from others D. He got praised by others

3.The underlined phrase “make somebody’s day” is to_________.

A. make someone feel grateful all day

B. do something unnoticed by people

C. make someone feel good all day

D. help someone to solve problems

4.What is the author’s talent?

A. Sewing B. Writing

C. Baking D. Knitting

5.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Make a Difference in Your Holiday Season

B. Make the Best of Talent

C. Enjoy Your Holiday Season

D. Help Others in Need

“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar (雷达).” Due to our strong attachment to electronic equipment it is a wonder that more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.

Some people prefer to do almost everything over the Internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary (进化的) step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so making calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous (匿名的) rude messages by email.

However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.

We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be better if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.

1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?

A. People can tell good behavior from bad behavior.

B. Radar is able to observe human behavior.

C. People care little about their behavior.

D. Radar can be used to predict human behavior.

2. Some people are less willing to deal with humans because _________.

A. they are becoming less patient

B. they are growing too independent

C. they have to handle many important messages

D. they have to follow an evolutionary step backward

3. The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is _________.

A. ridiculous B. disgusting

C. acceptable D. reasonable

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. We should applaud good behavior.

B. Technology can never be blamed.

C. We should keep pointing out mistakes.

D .Technology will take over our lives one day.

完形填空

阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

Late one night, a thief crept(爬) into a wealthy merchant ’s house. He was a young thief, without experience. In fact, this was his first professional(职业的专业的) . So he had ________ everything carefully.

All went quite well at first. He found, as he ________ , an unlocked window and got into the room easily. But, stepping his way through the ________ room, he stubbed (碰到) his ________ against a table leg. Choking (抑制) back a cry of pain, afraid of waking the merchant, he hit ________ on the forehead and called himself a fool. He had________ to bring a light.

In the darkness, ________ , he was able to see an oil lamp on the table, and lit it, then he gave a ________ of relief. As he ________ the lamp, a small spider came out from under its ________ .

“Thank you for saving my life,” said the spider. “Before he went to bed, the merchant set this lamp down on top of me so I couldn’t escape. If you hadn’t come along, I wouldn’t have ________ the night; ________ , I’ve had such an uncomfortable situation for a long time.”

“You have saved a life and shown compassion (同情),” the spider went on,

________ the impatient thief said he had not ________ to do so. “ ________ yet, you have done so without the ________ thought or hope of reward. You have gained more merits (优点) than you could possibly imagine.”

“But you’re only a spider,” said the thief.

“And you’re only a man.” said the spider. “My dear thief, when you understand that ________ is life, whether on eight legs or ________ , you will have understood much. Your deed, ________ , has got rid of the bad things from your heart. Go from here with a fresh spirit. And good luck to you.”

The thief did so and never thought to steal again.

1.A. job B. finding C. mistake D. appearance

2.A. planned B. imagined C. managed D. explained

3.A. remembered B. expected C. reminded D. meant

4.A. dull B. dark C. sitting D. terrible

5.A. head B. shoulder C. toe D. hand

6.A.it B. him C. himself D. itself

7.A. remembered B. forgo tten C. avoid D. happened

8.A. however B. but C. so D. therefore

9.A. cry B. applause C. sigh D. laugh

10.A. set down B. turned over C. woke up D. picked up

11.A. base B. cap C. cover D. foot

12.A. wasted B. lasted C. hated D. worried

13.A. however B. anyhow C. indeed D. entirely

14.A. although B. so C. as if D. so that

15.A. said B. led C. cared D. meant

16.A. Better B. Worse C. Natural D. Lucky

17.A. hopeful B. least C. most D. ordinary

18.A. man B. spider C. chance D. life

19.A. two B. three C. a dozen D. a hundred

20.A. in return B. at last C. in any case D. at once

Modern smart phones are fast becoming the must-have item. But what’s in store for the next generation of smart phones?

Tired of carrying around that heavy wallet? Soon you won’t need to! The next generation of smart phones will have NFC technology, which lets you pay for things with your smart phones. All you do is enter your credit card information into your phone. Then, when you are in a shop that allows NFC payments, you just wave your phone over a special instrument at the checkout. The purchase is instantly charged to your credit card.

Ever seen someone wearing something and wished you knew where to get it? Soon it will be easy with PicCommerce, new technology that uses image-recognition software. Here’s how it works. If you see something you like, simply take a photo of it with your smart phone. Then, your phone will send the image to a special server, which will respond with information about where you can buy it and how much it will cost.

Sick of your smart phone battery going flat? With so many applications draining (消耗) the battery, the latest phones need to be charged every day. But next generation smart phones will come with built-in chips that can connect to an antenna (天线) in your home. And as long as your phone is within range of the antenna, you will be able to charge your smartphone wirelessly, even if it is in your pocket.

Worried about getting your smart phones wet in the rain? A company called Hz0 has invented WaterBlock, new technology that makes your phone completely waterproof. And it’s so effective that your phone will even work underwater.

Fed up with carrying a heavy phone around? Soon, you will be able to get a PaperPhone! “Flexible phones are the future,” said scientist Roel Vertegaal. So, what are the benefits of flexible phones? Well, it means that instead of carrying your phone in your pocket, you could wear it wrapped around your wrist, for example.

Of course, there is just the problem: with so much new smart phone technology around, you will soon need to buy a new phone!

1.To pay with your smart phone, you need to ________.

A. go to a bank B. store money in the phone

C. have a credit card D. buy a special instrument

2.We can learn from the 4th paragraph that the next generation of smart phones ________.

A. will have chips instead of batteries

B. may consume less power

C. needn’t be charged frequently

D. will be charged easily

3.Which feature of future smart phones does Paragraph 6 show?

A. They will be easier to carry.

B. They will be cheaper.

C. They will be smaller.

D. They will be easier to operate.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A. Basic Functions of Smart phones

B. The Future of Smart phones

C. Advantages of Modern Smart phones

D. The Development of Phone Technology

Homework and stress are rarely reduced inside the classroom.Meanwhile,outside the classroom,the pressure is on to find scholarships for college.

According to Braintrack,a higher education database with worldwide reach,more than 3 billion US dollars (18 billion yuan) in private scholarships are awarded to college students annually.Average awards range from $2,000 to $3,000.

The scholarship application process is similar to the college application process: forms to be completed,test scores and transcripts to be sent,essays to be written and often interviews to be prepared for.

A few great places to start looking for scholarships are: www.fastweb. com,www.Finaid. org and www.collegexpress.com.Check out the annual scholarship guidebooks Scholarships,Grants & Prizes by Peterson’s and the Ultimate Scholarship Book: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships,Grants and Prizes by Gen Tanabe and Kelly Tanabe.

Be selective.Thoroughly research the qualifications required by each of the scholarships.Don’t waste your time applying for those that are need based if you can’t produce the appropriate documents.

Research past recipients (接受者).Check out the websites of the organizations sponsoring the scholarships.Many post the biographies of past recipients.You don’t need to have cured cancer,but if you don’t think your résumé (履历) measures up to the past winners’,you might be better served by moving onto the next scholarship on your list.Prepare for the interview.

You’ll want to dazzle them with your personality,but above all you’ll want to be prepareD. Find someone you trust to conduct a similar interview with you – someone who will be honest with you and provide valuable suggestions.

Let your personality shine through in your essays.The essays are the best way for students to share who they are,where they’ve come from,what they’ve overcome and so on.Tell your story in an interesting and persuasive way.And if you do have an interview,send a thank you note afterward.

By Lee Bierer

1.What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?

A. To explain where to find scholarships for US colleges.

B. To inform readers of the scholarship application process.

C. To introduce some typical scholarships offered by US colleges.

D. To give tips on applying for US college scholarships.

2.If you want to learn about past recipients of a scholarship,you can use ______.

A. www.collegexpress.com

B. the annual scholarship guidebooks published by Peterson’s

C. the websites of the organizations sponsoring the scholarships

D. The Ultimate Scholarship Book: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships,Grants and Prizes

3.The underlined word “dazzle” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ___.

A. influence B. impress C. guide D. present

4.To increase your chance of winning a scholarship,you are advised to ____.

A. apply for as many scholarships as you can

B. tell an interesting story in your essay

C. do a similar interview to help you prepare for the real one

D. have a talk with past recipients and try to talk like they do

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