My color television has given me nothing but a headache.I was able to buy it a little over a year ago because I had my relatives give me money for my birthday instead of a lot of clothes that wouldn’t fit.I let a salesclerk fool me into buying a discontinued model,I realized this a day late,when I saw newspaper advertisements for the set at seventy-five dollars less than I had paid,The set worked so beautifully when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night,Fortunately, I didn’t got any channels showing all-night movies or I would never have gotten to bed.
Then I started developing a problem with the set that involved static (静电) noise. For some reason,when certain shows switched into a commercial, a loud noise would sound for a few seconds. Gradually,this noise began to appear during a show, and to get rid of it,I had to change to another channel and then change it back.Sometimes this technique would not work,and I had to pick up the set and shake it to remove the sound. I actually began to build up my arm muscles(肌肉) shaking my set.
When neither of these methods removed the static noise ,I would sit helplessly and wait for the noise to go away.At last I ended up hitting the set with my fist,and it stopped working altogether .My trip to the repair shop cost me $62, and the set is working well now,but I keep expecting more trouble.
You probably know who Marie Curie was,but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below,who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams(1860-1935)
Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community(社区)by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931,Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson(1907-1964)
If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O’Connor(1930-present)
When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952,she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator(参议员) and ,in 1981, the first woman to join the U. S. Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks(1913-2005)
On December 1,1955,in Montgomery,Alabama,Rasa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.
______ the beef being cooked on the stove,the mother pictured the whole family having meals together.(look)
看着炉子上炖着的牛肉,妈妈想象着一家人在一起吃饭的画面。
Questions (1) through (3) are based on the following passage.
Life can be so wonderful, full of adventure and joy. It can also be full of challenges, setbacks and heartbreaks. Whatever our circumstances, we generally still have dreams, hopes and desires—that little something more we want for ourselves and our loved ones. Yet knowing we can have more can also create a problem, because when we go to change the way we do things, up come the old patterns and pitfalls that stopped us from seeking what we wanted in the first place.
This tension between what we feel we can have and "what we're seemingly able to have is the niggling suffering, the anxiety we feel. This is where we usually think it's easier to just give up. But we're never meant to let go of the part of us that knows we can have more. The intelligence behind that knowing is us—the real us. It's the part that believes in life and its possibilities. If you drop that, you begin to feel a little "dead" inside because you're dropping "you".
So, if we have this capability but somehow life seems to keep us stuck, how do we break these patterns?
Decide on a new course and make one decision at a time. This is good advice for a new adventure or just getting through today's challenges.
While, deep down, we know we can do it, our mind—or the minds of those close to us—usually says we can't.
That isn't a reason to stop, it's just the mind, that little man or woman on your shoulder, trying to talk you out of something again. It has done it many times before. It's all about starting simple and doing it now.
Decide and act before overthinking. When you do this you may feel a little, or large, release from the jail of your mind and you'll be on your way.
A Welcome Gift
Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them (1) ______ side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud (2) ______ filled the room and made them feel very happy.
The next morning,(3) ______ , their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a (4) ______ under their door during the night. One of their neighbor had written to complain(抱怨) about the sound of the piano. Dario’s mother asked the building superintendent(管理员) if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all (5) ______ people and he couldn’t imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their (6) ______ and apologize for their playing.
“Maybe we could go and (7) ______ everyone in person.” his mother said.
“What if we invited them to come here for a (8) ______ instead? Dario asked.
They both loved the (9) ______. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts (10) ______ their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers(彩带) and party lights.
Finally, the day of the party (11) ______. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to (12) ______. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert, (13) ______ Dario’s mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.
“I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I (14) ______ that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don’t think I disliked the playing.”
Dario’s mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we (15) ______ you an apology.” she said. “I didn’t (16) ______ how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.
“You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not such (17) ______ music.”
“These songs are beautiful music.” Dario’s mother said. “We will be (18) ______ to play them in the evening.”
“And we won’t play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to (19) ______ the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother’s face. It gave him a feeling of (20) ______ and made him feel that they were home at last.