There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care .To water his flowers, he used two buckets(水桶) .One was a shiny and new bucket. The other was a very old and dilapidated one,which had seen many years of service, but was now past its best.

Every morning, the gardener would fill up the two buckets. Then he would carry them along the path, one on each side, to the flowerbeds. The new bucket was very proud of itself. It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled (溢出). The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds, much water had leaked (漏出) along the path.

Sometimes the new bucket would say,“ See how capable I am ! How good it is that the gardener has me to water the flowers every day! I don't know why he still bothers with you. What a waste of space you are!”

And all that the old bucket could say was. “ I know I am not very useful, but I can only do my best. I am happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me, at least.”

One day, the gardener heard that kind of conversation .After watering the flowers as usual, he said , “You both have done your work very well .Now I am going to carry you back .I want you to look carefully along the path.”

Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed, on the side where the new bucket was carried, there was just bare(光秃秃的)earth; on the other side where the old bucket was carried, there was a joyous row of wild flowers, leading all the way to the garden.

1.What was the old bucket ashamed of?

A. His past. B. His aging.

C. His manner. D. His leaking.

2.What does the underlined word “dilapidated” probably mean?

A. dirty B. dark

C. worn-out D. ordinary-looking.

3.The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to _________.

A. take pity on the old one

B. laugh at the old one

C. show off its beautiful looks

D. praise the gardener’s kindness

4.Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?

A. Because it was used to keep a balance

B. Because it stayed in its best condition

C. Because it had its own function

D. Because it was taken as a treasure

The old man walked with a cane (拐杖) slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket, patched (打补丁的) trousers, and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd.

He walked toward a table by the window. A young waitress watched him and ran over to him, saying, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.”

Without a word, he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Supporting him with one arm, she helped him move in front of the chair, and get comfortably seated. Then she pushed the table up close to him, and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it.

In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss.”

“You’re welcome, Sir.” She replied. “My name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment. If you need anything, just wave at me.”

After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change, helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir!”

He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile, “You are very kind!”

When Mary went to clean his table, she was shocked. Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin, under which was a $ 100 bill.

The note on the napkin read, “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you.”

The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees, had seen him in person.

1.Mary ran over to the old man because _____.

A.the old man was the boss of the restaurant

B.she was worried that the old man might cause trouble to the restaurant

C.she saw the old man had some difficulty moving and taking a seat

D.the old man had asked her to wait on him

2.The man came to the restaurant ______.

A.to have breakfast

B.to see his employees

C.to find out how his restaurant was working

D.to see how Mary served customers

3.The words the man left on the napkin suggested that _____.

A.respecting others means respecting oneself

B.serving others is a respectable job

C.Mary would get a rise as a result of her kindness

D.Mary’s kind service would bring in more money for her

4.Which of the following titles goes best with the story?

A.A kind- hearted Girl

B.Shining Kindness

C.Kindness Means Opportunities

D.A Special Customer

Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.

Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. She studied in her mother’s school, and finished her high school education at the College of Sevigne in Paris.

Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene developed X-ray equipment in military(军事) hospitals in France and Belgium to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military Medal by the French government.

In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and got married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.

Like her mother, Irene combined family and work. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity(辐射能). Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.

1.Irene Curie was awarded a Military Medal because she _____________.

A. won the Nobel Prize with Frederic

B. received a degree in mathematics

C. contributed to saving the wounded

D. worked as a helper to her mother

2.Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?

A. At the College of Sevigne.

B. At the Curie Institute.

C. At the University of Paris.

D. At a military hospital.

3.The underlined word “leukemia” probably refers to a __________.

A. habit B. research

C. machine D. disease

Escape from FoMO

Here’s a test you might enjoy: rate these situations on a number scale, ranging from 1 for mild discomfort to 7 for unbearable distress.

Situation 1: you’re visiting New York City and realize there’s no way you’ll be able to get to all the exhibits, see all the recommended plays or take in even part of the “musts”. How do you feel now? Something like 5?

Situation 2: you’re at dinner with friends, and you’ve all agreed to make it a strictly phone-free evening. But your smartphone won’t stop keeping Twitter and text alerts. Something is obviously up in your social network, but you can’t check. Even 7 wouldn’t match the stress you’re feeling now.

Welcome to FoMO (Fear of Missing Out), the latest mental disorder caused by social media connections sharing updates that leaves individuals feeling that they are missing out on something more exciting, important, or interesting going on somewhere else. It is an outcome of technological advancement and booming social information. According to a recent study, 56 per cent of those who use social networks suffer this.

It is not uncommon that at night when you’ve sworn again to put the phone aside or turn off the computer, you cast one last glance at the screen on your way to bed in case you miss some titbit (趣闻)supplied by mere acquaintances or even strangers’ requesting your “friendship”.

We all know the studies showing that end-of-life regrets centre on what we didn’t do, rather than on what we did. If so, constantly watching others doing things that we are not is rich ground for a future of looking back in sorrow. Attractive online images—so charming from afar—make FoMO more destructive. Technology has become the major construct through which we define intimacy (亲密).You may look on in wonder as someone taps out an endless text message instead of actually talking to the person they’re with. Being connected to everyone, all the time, is a new human experience; we’re just not equipped to cope with it yet.

Researchers say our dependence on technology can be reduced if we manage to separate ourselves, even for short periods of time, from our gadgets. However, the problem can only be settled when we grasp that our brains and our humanity—not our technologies—enable this addiction. We cannot seek solutions without honestly asking ourselves why we are so afraid of missing out. Researchers find FoMO occurs mostly in people with unfulfilled psychological needs in fields such as love, respect and security. FoMO levels are highest in young people, in particular young men.

What, then, can we do about something so damaging to our quality of life? The best way to cope with FoMO is to recognize that, at our fast-paced life, we are sometimes bound to miss out. Instead of trying to maximize our benefits, we seek a merely “good enough” result. If you still doubt that“good enough” is the best cure for FoMO, the words of the American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson might strike the right chord,“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.”

Escape from FoMO

Main Points

Details

Concept of FoMO

FoMO, constantly 1.

our peace of mind, refers to the unease of feeling that we are not part of social connection.

Examples of FoMO

• When having dinner with friends, we feel extremely depressed when

2. to check our social network.

• Determined as we are to put aside phones, we can’t shift our (73) from them until we go to bed.

3. behind FoMO

• Technology develops and social information explodes.

• Images of online friends 4. more to us, compared to our real world friends.

• Some of us attempt to feel5.A fulfilled on social network.

Bad effects of FoMO

• We are constantly6. for things that we didn’t do.

• Communicating with friends in the virtual world gives7. to the decline of important relationships with friends and family.

Suggestions on avoiding

FoMo

• Get (8. from the modern technology.

• Recognize that missing out is part of our life.

• Accept that9.can sometimes be “a blessing in disguise”.

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