In a touching story, a family was shocked to find that a stranger had secretly paid for more than half of their Christmas gifts.

When Ayers went to make a payment toward the $283 balance for her family’s Christmas gifts at Walmart, her money was refused. According to a Walmart employee, a woman had paid a part of Ayers’ bill after seeing her shopping in the store. The unknown woman also left Ayers a touching note, which left the mother of two in tears.

Ayers, whose sons are 11 and 3, says the stranger’s great generosity came at the perfect time for her family. Before the anonymous payment was made, Ayers had worried she would not be able to get her kids’ toys in time for Christmas.

Ayers is still looking for the woman who helped pay for their Christmas gifts for her kids. She took a picture of her receipt with the headline: This stranger paid 4 gifts for us. I wish I could thank her for helping give our kids a Merry Christmas!

For thousands of families like Ayers’, feeling this financial pressure around Christmastime is nothing new. These families who still have a roof over their heads and food on their tables often slip through the cracks — they can afford all the necessities, but the “extras” are harder to come by. Considering that Americans are estimated to spend $882 on Christmas gifts this year, it makes sense that a family with a few financial problems would have a hard time filling the stockings for their kids.

Realizing how common this Christmas problem really is makes Ayers’ story even more special. These random acts of kindness around the holidays, often from nameless strangers, can determine what a family’s Christmas looks like. Christmas may not be all about the material stuff, but for families, and especially for kids, it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference.

1.Why did the Walmart employee refuse Ayers’ money?

A. She was too poor to afford it.

B. Her money was not enough.

C. Someone had paid for her.

D. The charismas gifts were free.

2.Why is Ayers still looking for the nameless woman?

A. To say thanks to her.

B. To pay her money back.

C. To praise her online.

D. To make friends with her.

3. Which of the following best describes families like Ayers’?

A. They value Christmas very much.

B. They try their best to buy kids gifts.

C. They hate to spend Christmas.

D. They live from hand to mouth.

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards the acts of kindness?

A. Praiseful. B. Helpful.

C. Troublesome. D. Useless.

1. The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough

Another must-read for history fans, McCullough tells the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the brothers who taught the world how to fly. Drawing on all types of historical data — from personal diaries and scrapbooks, to thousands of private letters of family letters — we get a close look at the actual personalities behind one of the most influential moments in history.

2. The Wonder Garden, by Lauren Acampora

This novel is really a collection of several interwoven(交织)stories of people living in the rich Connecticut suburbs. From tales of an elderly artist to a young mother to a woman whose husband just behaves carelessly, The Wonder Garden gives us an unforgettable reminder that there’s often so much we don’t know about what happens with our neighbors behind closed doors.

3. Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, by Mary Norris

Does someone mistaking who for whom make your blood boil? Do you want to throw a dictionary at someone for mistaking sit for cite? Enter Between You & Me. Mary Norris brings her experience working in The New Yorker’s copy department to eager grammar fans in this laugh-out-loud book that looks at some of the most common spelling, punctuation, and usage problems in the English language.

4. My Struggle: Book Four, by Karl Ove Knausgaard

My Struggle is a six-volume autobiographical novel that follows the life of Karl Ove Knausgaard, a Norwegian father of three. In Book Four, he writes of his decision at the age of 18 to move to a fisherman’s village in the far north of the Arctic circle to work as a school teacher. It’s there that he struggles with love, alcoholism, and becoming loved by one of his students.

1. What does the book The Wright brothers focus on?

A. Invention of airplanes.

B. Nature of the characters.

C. History of airplanes.

D. Ordinary life of the characters.

2.Who describes his or her real life experiences in the novel?

A. David McCullough.

B. Lauren Acampora.

C. Karl Ove Knausgaard.

D. Mary Norris.

3.Which of the following books might make you burst into laughter?

A. My Struggle. B. The Wonder Garden.

C. The Wright brothers. D. Between You & Me.

NASA on September 28, 2015 announced the strongest evidence yet for liquid water on the red planet, increasing the possibility that astronauts journeying to Mars could someday rely on the planet's own water for their drinking needs.

You may feel like you've heard about the hunt for liquid water on Mars before—and the researchers involved know it may seem played out. But science has yet to truly prove that water flows on Mars once and for all, and doing so could completely change the way we view the planet. This new data is a big step in the right direction.

"Liquid water is an attractive topic, and we like the thousandth time someone has discovered water on Mars," Lujendra Ojha, the Georgia Tech PhD candidate who led the research announced Monday, told The Post. But there's a good reason that liquid water is so "attractive": Mars is now the only planet in our solar system to show evidence of the stuff on its surface, other than our own. Other worlds have it in subsurface oceans, or scattered around as vapor in the atmosphere. But Mars is the only place where we have solid evidence for liquid that sits right there in the open air. While it would be a major leap to suggest that Mars might harbor life—even microbial life—liquid water at least makes it possible that parts of the planet are habitable.

The study builds on research from April, when scientists using data from the Curiosity rover noted that the planet had the seasonal potential for liquid water. We know that because of the extremely low pressure on Mars, water has a boiling point of just a few degrees Celsius, after which it evaporates. The April study noted the presence of perchlorates (高氯酸盐) —a kind of salt—which could make the boiling point of Mars' water much higher, theoretically allowing it to remain liquid. They affirmed that the planet's temperature would be right for liquid, perchlorate-filled water to form every day during winter and spring.

1.What does the Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A. The significance of the discovery.

B. The doubt of the discovery.

C. The difficulty of the discovery.

D. The expense of the discovery.

2.The underlined words "our own" in Paragraph 3 refer to ________.

A. Mars

B. the earth

C. liquid water

D. the solar system

3. What plays an important role in making Mars' water in the state of liquid?

A. The thick atmosphere around Mars.

B. The physical structure of Mars.

C. The extremely low pressure on Mars.

D. Perchlorates in Mar's water.

4. The best title for the passage can be "________".

A. Water on Mars could be used for dringking

B. There might be some kinds of life on Mars

C. NASA would send astronauts to journey to Mars

D. NASA confirms the best-ever evidence for water on Mars

Soft winds blew throughout the Windy City today. We welcomed the winds, as it was another hot day in Chicago. The wind blew, bringing us some coolness and making the weather not that hot. But it was a beautiful summer day with a blue sky.

Chicago is a great city for eating, and we have enjoyed tasting the different foods. Last night, we tried one of the city's most famous foods: deep-dish pizza. Chicago claims credit for the rich and cheesy thick-crust pizza, covered with a sweet tomato sauce. We topped it with olives and green peppers.

We were touring the city, mainly looking for delicious local foods. Today, we enjoyed a Polish specialty at lunch: Pierogis, an Eastern European dumpling-like dish, filled with foods like potatoes, cheese, mushrooms, cabbage and meat. Polish immigrants started settling in Chicago in the 1850s, and the city has one of the largest Polish communities in the U.S.

We took a break from exploring the city to talk with some of you! Ashley and Caty logged onto the Internet for an on-the-road version of TALK2US. We spoke to an English teacher in Tokyo, Japan, and a graduate student in India.

Meanwhile, Adam searched for some locations around the city to shoot some video. He chose a spectacular spot: Navy Pier, Chicago's most-visited attraction. The winds from Lake Michigan keep visitors cool, and the view of the Chicago skyline never fails to impress. In fact, the view made all of us head over heels!

Our time in Chicago has come to an end. Tomorrow, the true journey begins, as we pass through Illinois and into Missouri via Route 66. Springfield, the home of Abe Lincoln, and St. Louis, the "gateway to the West," wait for us.

1.Why did the author and her companions like the soft winds?

A. It brought warmth to them.

B. It made them feel comfortable.

C. It improved the quality of the air.

D. It left the sky blue and beautiful.

2. What did the author and her companions mainly do in Chicago?

A. They explored for foreign customs.

B. They visited Polish communities.

C. They studied the history of the city.

D. They enjoyed famous local foods.

3.The author and her companions stayed online ________.

A. communicating with strangers abroad

B. asking for information on foreign foods

C. sharing their travel plan with strangers

D. learning about different cultures in the world

4.The underlined part “head over heels” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by ________.

A. boredB. relaxedC. FascinatedD. Disappointed

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

There's a huge power in knowing how to make adjustments in life. In fact, it's possible to turn failure into success by making the right adjustments. 1. And on the other hand we call people who refuse or neglect to make adjustments sad, frustrated or confused.

2. The 3 C's are changes, challenges and choices. The person who handles the 3 C's the best we call happy and well adjusted.

Here are 3 simple but powerful tips to help you make effective life adjustments when faced with the 3 C's or changes, challenges and choices.

Learn to think with your eyes and ears.

Most people see but few people know how to observe. The difference between seeing and observing is like the difference between reading and studying. The same goes with listening. It only requires ears to hear, but it often takes awareness and thought to listen. One factor in helping you to listen better is to hear not only what people say but what they don't say. 3. All these play an effective role in helping you to think with your eyes and ears.

4.

The people who learn to make the best life adjustments cultivate the habit of going with the flow. For example, they refuse to sweat the small stuff, they remain flexible to life changes. The best way to do that is to trust your instincts (直觉). The more you do that the more they will work for you. Be prepared for changes, challenges and choices.

If you can keep an attitude of preparation you'll have the best chance of making effective life adjustments. What kind? The kind that can see you through problems, setbacks and challenges. As the saying goes, “ 5. ”. That's the best advice for anyone who wants to make the best life adjustments and win!

A. Learn to go with the flow.

B. You shouldn't just listen to what pleases you.

C. If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready.

D. We call people who have the ability to make the best life adjustments happy.

E. Reading body language and voice inflection can help you listen between the lines.

F. The best you can do is make adjustments along the way in order to hit a moving target.

G. Whatever your stage in life, age or financial level, everyone will face what I call the 3 C's.

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,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

What can't be overlooked is that a mother's greatest gift is the smallest details of her child's life freely shared. Can you imagine that?

In the midst of my housework in the , I was surprised to find the front door was open. Julie, our oldest child, came in. She’d been married for three months. I was still trying to her living elsewhere. Much to my , Sometimes I even set her place at the table. Julie handed me a small bunch of daffodils (水仙花) and said, "Guess what!" as she opened the refrigerator to see what was inside. As I put the flowers in water, I answered , "What?"

She began telling me some small of her new life as she made a sandwich. We sat at the kitchen table, and I watched her eat, hanging on her every . It was a visit in fact Julie had to go to work. I thanked her for the flowers and for ; then I walked to the door with her and as she drove out of the driveway.

When coming back to the kitchen, I sat and looked at the daffodils. My daughter’s visit set me thinking a lot. It was as bright and as the early spring daffodils. Suddenly, I picked up the phone and my mother’s number. She lived a hundred miles away. When she , I said, "Guess what!"

"What?" she answered . Like Julie I didn’t have any big , just little details of the day. But I’d like to come to in the last hour how a small talk could be. Just before I hung up , my mother said, "You my day."

1. A. Study B. Kitchen C. bedroom D. balcony

2. A. get used to B. run out of C. put up with D. look up to

3.A. Gratitude B. Sadness C. Admiration D. excitement

4.A. Unfortunately B. Unwillingly C.Uninterestingly D. unconsciously

5.A. Confidently B. Frequently C. Happily D. patiently

6.A. Details B. Experiments C. Theories D. jokes

7.A. It B. Herself C. them D. him

8. A. Plan B. Hobby C. Word D. letter

9.A. Difficult B. practical C. Short D. boring

10.A. Unless B. While C. Though D. since

11.A. stopping by B. dropping out C. giving in D. getting across

12.A. Celebrated B. Waved C. Bothered D. searched

13. A. Clean B. Pure C. Mile D. dear

14.A. Dialed B. Copied C. Reserved D. obtained

15.A. Returned B. Complained C. Answered D. left

16.A. Peacefully B. Hopefully C. Generally D. formally

17. A. Achievements B. Customs C. News D. ambitions

18.A. Recommend B. Understand C. Explain D. declare

19. A. Precious B. Steady C. Familiar D. complex

20. A. Realize B. Treat C. Organize D. Make

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