I cry easily. I cried when a boy in the film suffered from an incurable disease. I cried when an athlete broke a world record.

 One night my wife and I were going to dinner at a friend ' s.As we went towards the house, I noticed a car pulling out from the sidewalk.Just ahead, another car was waiting to back into the parking space.But before he could do so a yellow car came up from behind and sneaked into the space.

While my wife went ahead into our friend' s house, I stepped into the street.

“Hey,” I said, “this parking space belongs to that guy.” I gestured towards the man ahead, who was looking back angrily.At that moment I was feeling pretty manly.

 “ Mind your own business!” the driver told me.

 “No,” I said.“You don' t understand.That fellow was waiting to back into this space.”

 Things quickly heated up, until finally he jumped out of the car.My God, he was extremely large.He grabbed me and shook his rock of a fist at me.I tasted blood.I was terrified.

Almost in a panic, I ran to my friend ' s front door.As a former Marine (海军) , as a man, I felt absolutely embarrassed as my wife and friends asked me what had happened.All I could say was that I had had an argument about a parking space.They were sensitive and let it go at that.

Perhaps half an hour later, the doorbell rang.For some reason I was sure that the huge man had returned for me.My blood ran cold.My hostess got up to answer it, but I stopped her.I knew I had to face up to my fear.

I opened the door.There he stood.“I came back to apologize,” he said in a low voice.“I am ashamed of myself.The Brooklyn Navy Yard where I've worked for ten years is closing.Today I got laid off.I' m not myself.I hope you’ ll accept my apology.”

 I remembered that after I closed the door, I stood there for a few minutes alone with tears in my eyes.

1.What did the author do when a yellow car drove into the parking space?

 A.He beat the driver.

 B.He blamed the driver.

 C.He asked the driver to apologize.

 D.He ran to his friend' s house for help.

2.What do we know about the yellow car' s driver?

 A.He was rude and liked fighting.

 B.He was famous for his bad temper.

 C.He lost his job and felt terrible that day.

 D.He tried to get the author' s parking space.

3.What does the underlined sentence mean?

 A.I became quite calm.

 B.I felt extremely frightened.

 C.I couldn't move with cold.

 D.I was too angry to say anything.

4.What kind of person is the author?

 A.Direct and serious.           B.Humorous and open - minded.

 C.Honest and ambitious.         D.Warm - hearted and understanding

 

  When you are at odds with someone close to you, the One-Minute Drill can show you how to express your feelings effectively – and how to listen more skillfully. All it requires is two individuals who are committed to improving their relationship.

Set aside at least ten minutes, and then sit facing each other. Decide who will be the Talker and who will be the Listener. It makes no difference, because later you will change roles.

How to perform the One-Minute Drill

For approximately 30 seconds, the Talker can say anything he or she wants. Your job will be to express your thoughts and feelings. You can discuss problems you've had a hard time talking about. Remember to limit yourself to about 30 seconds. When the Talker finishes, the Listener will summarize what the Talker just said, as well as how the Talker was feeling inside, as accurately as possible.

The Talker now gives the Listener a grade between 0 and 100 per cent to indicate how accurate the summary was. If the rating is 95 per cent or more, you can change roles; the new Talker can continue with the same topic or move on to something entirely new.

However, if the grade is below 95 per cent, the Talker should point out what the Listener missed or got wrong, and repeat the process until the overall rating is 95 per cent or more. Then you can change roles and repeat the exercise for as long as you both like.

How it works

Thirty seconds of emotionally charged information is sufficiently challenging for anyone. Express your feelings in strong, clear, direct language, but as your partner will be listening attentively, you won't need to shout, exaggerate or put your partner down.

The Listener should sit and listen respectfully without interrupting. Look into your partner's eyes, but avoid using negative body language. If you like, take a few notes.

So the Talker might say: "When I come home from work, I feel tired and I need some quiet time. But you tell me I'm supposed to spend time with the kids. This makes me feel frustrated. I work hard and I'm exhausted at the end of the day. I feel like I deserve a little time to relax, not listen to more demands."

In response, the Listener might summarize like this: "You just told me that you feel exhausted when you come home at night because you've been working hard all day. When I tell you I want you to spend time with the kids, you feel frustrated and ticked off because you're tired and you need time to relax. You see me as very demanding, and you're probably feeling like I don't appreciate you."

The first time you attempt the One-Minute Drill, you may get a low score. Don't worry, because you'll get up to speed quickly. Once you've tried this exercise a few times, you'll find that you can nearly always get ratings of 95 per cent or better on the first or second try.

1. Who is the One-Minute Drill intended for?

A.Those who are to act some roles in a certain play for the first time in their life.

B.Those who are preparing for the interview in order to make a good first impression.

C.Those who have difficulty communicating with their colleagues or family members.

D.Those who have troubled relationships with their friends or family members and try to improve them.

2.Which of the following is NOT true?

A.In the One-Minute Drill, the Talker and the Listener change roles in the process.

B.The Talker should talk about his / her thoughts and feelings in a brief way.

C.The Listener should listen carefully, respectfully and later summarize accurately.

D.After the Talker finishes talking, the Listener is to give him / her a grade.

3.From the example given in “How it works,” we can guess that the talk might be between _____.

A.husband and wife

B.father and son

C.mother and daughter

D.sister and brother

4.What does the underlined part “ticked off” probably mean in this reading?

A.fast asleep

B.very angry

C.burst into tears

D.marked with a symbol

 

1) Your teens don’t want you to be their friends. What they need is for you to be a reliable responsible role model worthy of their respect, and not some overgrown child who wears too tight jeans or T-shirts with slogans advocating the good points of 100 proof liquor.

2) Don’t debate the teen ever. If she wants to debate, suggest she sign up for the Debate Club. If you buy into their teen logic (which is basically illogic, the product of an immature brain and every extreme of emotion known to mankind) your mouth will go dry. Teens need to know that no means no. Remember when your teen was two years old and he said “no” a lot? Well now it’s your turn, particularly when your teen wants to engage in behaviors that are dangerous.

3) Don’t buy your teen a car. If you do, he will total it in record time. Guaranteed. The teen should earn the car, or at least a portion of it (and by that I don’t mean one of the tires). You know how you take much better care of an item of clothing you spent a fortune on compared to one you bought in a bargain basement? It’s the same thing, only a car can do serious damage.

4) Encourage sports participation even if your teen has two left feet. In some sports, two left feet won’t knock him out of the box, so to speak. Sports participation develops perseverance and cheerfully functioning as a team member. You also will know where your child is every day after school (on the field, that is, or at a rival school). Just make sure you root for the right team, okay? Been there, done that.

5) Let the school know you in a good way so that school personnel do not dive under the desk when you approach. If you are asked to speak at the school, your teen will feel mighty proud. If you make something for the bake sale, try to make it taste edible and if you can’t see it through, do yourself and your child a favor and buy something at the local bakery or supermarket.

6) To know your teens’ friends is to know your teens. Teens have a secret life, and a parent’s goal is to find out secrecy that is sometimes thicker than the CIA and the KGB combined. If you really want to know what your kid is up to, get to know their friends. How? By being warm and kind, and by asking questions that don’t sound like an interrogation(审讯), but serve that purpose without their knowing it.

1. When your kids are doing something that might negatively affect their future, you should _____.

A. have your kids express their opinions fully and then discuss with them

B. think about how you can be their close friends

C. report that to their school immediately

D. say no and tell them that they must stop

2. According to the passage, as a parent, you should encourage your kids __________.

A. to wear too tight jeans              B. to sign up for the Debate Club

C. to be greatly involved in sports       D. to make as many friends as they can

3. The underlined word “total” in the third paragraph probably means ________.

     A. damage     B. add      C. buy      D. earn

4. The passage mainly wants you to know that __________.

     A. kids have their secrecy and freedom

B. Raising Teenagers calls for certain parenting skills

     C. your teen needs some house rules         

D. the family is changing

 

 

A thief entered the bedroom of the 30th President of the United States, who met him and helped him escape punishment.

The event happened in the early morning hours in one of the first days when Calvin Coolidge came into power, late in August, 1923. He and his family were living in the same third-floor suite(套房) at the Willard Hotel in Washington that had occupied several years before. The former President’s wife was still living in the White House.

Coolidge awoke to see a stranger go through his clothes, remove a wallet and a watch chain.

Coolidge spoke, “ I wish you wouldn’t take that.”

The thief, gaining his voice, said, “ Why?”

“ I don’t mean the watch and chain, only the charm(表坠). Take it near the window and read what is impressed on its back,” the president said.

The thief read, “ Presented to Calvin Coolidge.”

“ Are you President Coolidge?” he asked.

The president answered, “ Yes, and the House of Representatives(众议院)gave me the watch charm. I’m fond of it. It would do you no good. You want money. Let’s talk this over.”

Holding up the wallet, the young man said in a low voice, “ I’ll take this and leave everything else.”

Coolidge, knowing there was 80 dollars in it, persuaded the young man to sit down and talk. He told the President he and his college roommate had overspent during their holiday and did not have enough money to pay their hotel bill.

Coolidge added up the roommate and two rail tickets back to the college. Then he counted out 32 dollars and said it was a loan(借款).

He then told the young man, “ There is a guard in the corridor.” The young man nodded and left through the same window as he had entered.

1.What caused the thief to meet the President

A. He knew the president had lots of money.  B. He knew the president lived in the suite.

C. He wanted to be a rich businessman.      D. He wanted to steal some money.

2.Why did Calvin Coolidge live at the Willard Hotel in those days?

A. Because the former president was still in the White House.

B. Because the former First Lady hadn’t left the White House.

C. Because the First lady liked to live there.

D. Because he liked there.

3. Coolidge counted out 32 dollars______.

A. in order not to be killed by the thief

B. in order to be out of danger

C. so as to help the young student overcome his difficulty.

D. because he had no more money.

4.The young man’s roommate went back to college _____.

A. by air           B. by water         C. by bus           D. by train

5.Which of the following might happen afterwards?

A. The young man repaid the 32 dollars.

B. The thief was put into prison.

C. The President told many reporters the thief’s name.

D. The President ordered the young man to repay the money.

 

A young woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness(不治之症)and given three months to live. So as she was getting her things “in order”, she asked her pastor(牧师)to come to her house to discuss her final wishes. With everything in order, the pastor was ready to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

“What’s that?” asked the pastor.

“I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”

The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing what to say.

“That surprises you, doesn’t it?” the young woman asked.

“Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,” said the pastor.

The young woman explained, “In all my years of going to church meetings and dinners, I remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would always lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming, like chocolate cake or apple pie,some dessert like that. Something wonderful! I just want people to see me there in that casket(棺材)with a fork so that when they ask you why I have a fork, you can tell them: ‘Keep your fork—the best is yet to come.’”

The pastor hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman’s casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question “Why does she have a fork?” And over and over again he smiled.

So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it reminded you of this young woman gently. Send the message to everyone you consider a friend even if it means sending it back to the person who sent it to you.

And, keep your fork!!

1.In the author’s opinion, the woman in this passage is _______.

A.bored

B.optimistic

C.pessimistic

D.crazy

2.When enjoying a Western dinner, in the later part you have to “Keep your fork.” This usually mean “____________”

A.Watch out for your fork.

B.I wish you good luck with the fork

C.Prepare your fork so that you can enjoy the dessert

D.You can not take away your fork

3.Which of the following is WRONG about the young woman?

A.She is optimistic about life and diseases.

B.She loves sweet food.

C.She wants her friends to remember her forever.

D.She is a regular church-goer.

4.According to the passage, “Keep your fork”, the message may mean “__________”

A.Don’t be discouraged. Everything will be better.

B.What is the matter? I am worried.

C.Have you heard the story of a young woman?

D.Enjoy your dinner.

 

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