题目内容
23. You must arrange a _____ time and place for our alumna get-together this year.
A. fit B. suit C. well D. convenient
D
A
The choice to adopt and hold gratefulness is the one that is different from those who suffer misfortune and those who enjoy a full life.
My mother died when I was 24. It was a very difficult time in my life — everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my job, and then my utilities were turned off. I had to take cold showers for six months. A neighbor who knew about my situation came to my house and made me an offer. I took care of her children as a job, and I no longer went hungry. I was surprised that someone would trust me — a young woman with her children. And it was with the very confidence that before long I began taking care of other people’s children, too. I have since moved 300 miles from Boise, Idaho. For more than 23 years I have made every effort to reach out to all the kind-hearted people who helped me when I was down and out. Without their trust, I don’t know what I would have done. I am very involved in my community and volunteer at the local food bank, and I help out whenever I can. I’d like to owe what I am to whoever has offered me generosity.
If you are grateful for what you already have, the world will work together to give you more to be grateful for. Otherwise, the world will give you more to complain about.
Moreover, the true master learns to be grateful, in advance, for the things that are desired, because, being grateful in advance for some attainment or accomplishment does two very important things: one…it tricks your subconscious into believing that the goal is certain and two…it convinces other people, with whom you must interact to achieve your desires, that you know what you are about, that you are a winner, not a whiner (哀诉者).
【小题1】The underlined word “utilities” refers to __________ in the passage.
| A．water and gas supplies | B．gas and electricity supplies |
| C．shower equipment and water supply | D．heating and TV signals |
| A．his neighbor’s donation | B．his community |
| C．having got the job | D．others’ trust |
| A．to be grateful will get you nowhere but away from home |
| B．a grateful person is most likely to be successful |
| C．we need to be grateful to be helpful and useful |
| D．the fragrance (芳香) stays in the hand that gives the rose |
| A．A Thank-You Note to Trusting Neighbor |
| B．You Are a Winner, Not a Whiner |
| C．Be Grateful to Life in Advance |
| D．Gratefulness Brings a Great Fullness to Life |
In England, afternoon tea is the most informal (非正式) meal of a day. It is taken between four and five. If you are a friend of the family, you may come for tea at any time. Very often it is not taken at a table. The members of the family and visitors take the tea in the sitting room. Each person has a cup and saucer (茶盘), a spoon (调羹) and a small plate for bread and butter (黄油) and cakes. By the way, do not help yourself to cakes first, bread and butter first, and then cake. Do remember: Though you can eat as much as you want, do not put more than（超过） one piece of bread or cake on your plate each time.
【小题1】In England, afternoon tea is usually taken
A. between breakfast and lunch B. in the middle of a day
C. early in the afternoon D late in the afternoon
【小题2】A real English afternoon tea has .
| A．tea only | B．both tea and food |
| C．tea, food and vegetables | D．the same things as other meals |
| A．you must send a message before you go |
| B．you must take food with you |
| C．you must go only when he asks you to |
| D．you may put only one piece of bread or cake on your plate each time |
| A．cakes first | B．bread and butter first |
| C．either bread first or cake first | D．only one piece of bread or cakes . |
| A．People don't use the same spoon for afternoon tea. |
| B．Afternoon tea is often taken in the sitting room. |
| C．For afternoon tea, people use cups only. |
| D．Afternoon tea is often taken with bread and cakes. |
When I lived in Spain, some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car. Before they left, they asked me for advice about how to find accommodation (住所). I suggested that they should stay at ‘bed and breakfast’ houses, because this kind of accommodation gives foreign visitors a good chance to speak English with the family. My friends listened to my advice, but they came back with some funny stories.
“We didn’t stay at ‘B&B’ (bed and breakfast) houses,” they said, “because we found that most families were away on holiday.”
I thought this was strange. Finally I understood what had happened. My friends spoke little English, and they thought “VACANCIES” meant “holidays”, because the Spanish word for “holidays” is “vacaciones”. So they did not go to house where the sign outside said “VACANCIES”, which in English means there are free rooms. Then my friends went to house where the sign said “NO VACANCIES”, because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday. But they found that these houses were all full. As a result, they stayed at hotels!
We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs. In Spanish, the word “DIVERSION” means fun. In English, it means that workmen are repairing the road, and that you must take a different road. When my friends saw the word “DIVERSION” on a road sign, they thought they were going to have fun. Instead, their car was soon stopped.
English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages. Once in Paris, when someone offered me some more coffee, I said “Thank you” in French. I meant that I would like some more. However , to my surprise the coffee pot was taken away! Later I found out that “Thank you” in French means “No, thank you”.
【小题1】My Spanish friends wanted advice about ______.
| A．learning English in England |
| B．finding places to stay in England |
| C．driving their car on English roads |
| D．going to England to have fun |
| A．it would be available for them to practice English |
| B．it would be much cheaper than staying in hotels |
| C．it would be convenient for them to have dinner |
| D．it would be easy to find accommodation there |
| A．no free rooms | B．with free rooms | C．not away on holiday | D．no holidays at all |
| A．get held by the traffic policemen |
| B．have a lot of fun and enjoy yourself |
| C．find the road is blocked by people |
| D．have to take another different road |
| A．didn’t really want any more coffee |
| B．wanted the coffee pot taken away |
| C．really wanted some more coffee |
| D．wanted to express my politeness |
In 1971 a young man who grew up very poor was travelling across the country, trying to make a new start for himself.Along the way he had completely run out of（用光） money and was forced to spend the night in his car.This continued until one morning, after a week of sleeping in his car, he walked nervously into a restaurant and ordered a big breakfast.
After eating his first good meal in weeks, he found himself lying to the waiter, telling him he had lost his wallet.The waiter, who was also the owner, walked behind the chair where the young man had been sitting.He bent down, and came up with a $20 bill that looked as if it had fallen on the floor and said, “Son, you must have dropped this,” the owner said.The young man couldn’t believe his luck! He quickly paid for the breakfast, left a tip, bought gas with the change, and headed West.
On the way out of town, he began to understand what the owner did.Maybe nobody dropped the money at all.“Maybe that fellow just knew I was in trouble and he helped me in a way that didn’t embarrass(使尴尬)me.So I just made a promise to help other people if I can.”
Later, he worked very hard and became a rich man.Now he lives near Kansas City.Each year he gives away thousands of dollars.He is known as the “Secret Santa” because at Christmas time each year, he personally hands money out to those on the street and at restaurants.Last year, he gave more than $50,000 away in Kansas City.
【小题1】The young man was travelling cross the country in 1971 to______.
| A．look for a good restaurant | B．improve his life |
| C．show his new car to others | D．hand out dollars |
| A．it was vey lucky of him to get his lost money back |
| B．it was very honest of the owner to return his money |
| C．the owner helped him in a way that didn’t hurt his feelings |
| D．another person who had breakfast in the restaurant lost the money |
| A．the man did carry out his promise |
| B．the man was not successful in the end |
| C．the owner was paid back the money |
| D．Santa gives the man money each year |
| A．One good turn deserves another |
| B．Where there is a will there is a way |
| C．He who travels far knows much |
| D．Give love wings (翅膀) and it may fly higher |
ppens around you. And if you are also well educated --- that is, if you understand basic science, mathematics, music, art, literature, history and so on --- you will find it much easier to make good decisions throughout your life. Over the long run, this leads to a sense of control over your destiny and a much better life than otherwise.
raining in body and mind