Looking over the top of the book, I glanced across at the new girl named Rochelle. She only joined our class at the beginning of the week. It must be hard starting a new school in the middle of the year.
At last, the bell went for the end of the day. I spotted Rochelle running towards a tall woman who must be her mum. Then I saw a surprising thing. Rochelle’s mum was waving her arms round and making shapes with her fingers, and Rochelle was doing the same with hers. It was like they were talking to each other with their hands. Oh, could her mother be deaf? My mind was filled with questions.
The next day, I was reading this week’s words when I felt a tap (轻拍) on my shoulder. I looked up and Rochelle was standing in front of me. “Shall we test each other?” she asked, pointing to my spelling book.
“Yes, of course,” I replied. But I was still wondering how to ask the questions that had been tumbling (翻腾) around in my head since yesterday.
“So, um, that hand thing you did with your mum…”
“Signing.”
“Yeah, signing. Is it because she’s, um, deaf?”
“Yes, both my parents are deaf, so I communicate with them through sign.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. That must be really difficult.” I could tell by the frown on Rochelle’s face that I’d said something wrong, but I didn’t know what. “So, did your parents need someone to help them look after you when you were a baby?”
“Of course not,” Rochelle got annoyed. “Why would being deaf mean they can’t look after me? Being deaf doesn’t mean they’re stupid,” she was almost shouting. “In fact, they’re much cleverer than most people I know.” Hearing that, I got bet all over. I didn’t say her parents were stupid. But before I could explain, the bell went and she strode (阔步行走) out of the classroom. I hurried after her, but when I tried to speak to her, she kept her back to me as if I were her enemy.
After school, I saw Rochelle and her mother moving their hands quickly.
All of a sudden, Rochelle was coming over to me, with her eyes watery and red.
Surviving Hurricane Sandy (飓风桑迪)
Natalie Doan, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,” she says.
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie’s family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city’s bridge closed.
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie’s friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie’s school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.
In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.
“My mom tells me that I can’t control what happens to me,” Natalie says. “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”
Natalie’s choice was to help.
She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick’s collection was replaced.
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.
Today, the scars (创痕) of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can’t imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Natalie declares. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”
1．When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane, she found ______.| A．some friends had lost their lives. |
| B．her neighborhood was destroyed. |
| C．her school had moved to Brooklyn. |
| D．the elderly were free from suffering. |
| A．The people helping Rockaway rebuild. |
| B．The people trapped in high-rise building. |
| C．The volunteers donating money to survivors. |
| D．Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people. |
| A．She gave her toys to the kids. |
| B．She took care of younger children. |
| C．She called on the White House to help. |
| D．She built an information sharing platform. |
| A．Little people can make a big difference. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．East or West, home is best. |
| D．Technology is power. |
Surrounded by the sea off the coast in Mid-Norway, lies an island called Myken. This small island has about ten permanent residents, and for more than 50 years has been supplied with electricity via a 32-kilometer undersea cable (电缆). A break that appeared in the cable last autumn resulted in two months without power, so the island community started looking into a better way of sourcing their electricity.
“Myken is far out at sea, so as far as possible it should be taking care of things itself,” says Kyrre Sundseth, who is a hydrogen (氢) researcher in Norway and also the project manager for Myken’s energy project. “This is why we want Myken to become entirely self-sufficient in energy. It is also important to take the environment into consideration,” he says.
Much points to the idea that the solution may lie in a Hydrogen plant, specifically tailored for small islands. The “raw materials” for hydrogen production come from nature itself in the form of the sun and wind. Researchers have calculated that energy costs will be lower by using hydrogen production than the undersea cable option. And it is possible to store energy in the form of hydrogen for longer periods. This means that supplies will not have to rely on a lot of expensive batteries or external energy sources, even during periods when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing.
The Myken project has attracted several technology companies. They are currently working on a pilot project. The pilot involves experiments on the feasibility (可行性) of the hydrogen system in which electricity is generated from solar and wind sources. The electricity can be used immediately, but during periods when all the energy generated is not required, the spare energy can be used to split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can be stored in a tank, and used later to generate electricity. The pilot will help researchers know more about how effectively the system will work in the hydrogen plant. Since the island has a distillery (酿酒厂), where the distillation (蒸馏) process relies on energy, a hydrogen plant on Myken offers an even greater environmental benefit. Spare heat from the hydrogen system can also be used for the heating part in the distillation process.
“In Norway alone there are about 300 island inhabited all year round by small populations,” says Kyrre Sundseth. “All of these islands may be candidates for using this technology. In global terms we’re talking about 10,000 similar islands.”
1．Why is a hydrogen plant suitable for Myken?| A．It is perfect in size for small islands. |
| B．It can send electricity to faraway places. |
| C．It will restore local natural environment. |
| D．It provides green and sustainable energy. |
| A．The study on the energy storage. |
| B．The test on the hydrogen system. |
| C．The experiment on the raw materials. |
| D．The research on the innovation of the pilot. |
| A．produce purified seawater |
| B．prove more technically reliable |
| C．contribute in more than one way |
| D．benefit from the distillation process |
| A．Promising. |
| B．Systematic. |
| C．Irreplaceable. |
| D．Time saving. |
I grew up in Michigan and have loved boats since I was young. I’d go out on my dad’s fishing boat, and every birthday I’d get a miniature boat with a viewing window. In Michigan, we’re
Three years ago, I
One weekend this year, I met a
We made sure to keep the paper safe. Before leaving the harbor, I posted a picture on my Facebook page and didn’t expect what followed.
The next morning, my phone
In autumn, Michele came to visit. She brought some of his writing and the handwriting matched. She
It now sits in a display case in my shop. That Facebook post now has 87,000
| A．surrounded | B．estimated | C．defended | D．integrated |
| A．even | B．somehow | C．merely | D．anyhow |
| A．exceptionally | B．entirely | C．gradually | D．successfully |
| A．call out | B．help with | C．help out | D．call up |
| A．history | B．significance | C．interest | D．entertainment |
| A．elegant | B．remote | C．reliable | D．potential |
| A．unfolded | B．opened | C．uncovered | D．exposed |
| A．presented | B．wrote | C．read | D．showed |
| A．poured out | B．blew up | C．broke out | D．set up |
| A．at first | B．above all | C．in turn | D．in return |
| A．stuffed | B．displayed | C．deserted | D．hid |
| A．spoke up | B．worked out | C．spoke out | D．worked up |
| A．insisted | B．convinced | C．appealed | D．anticipated |
| A．critics | B．fans | C．likes | D．inquiries |
| A．For | B．As | C．With | D．Alongside |
Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. It is the capital city of the Netherlands and often referred to as the “Venice of the North” because of its expansive system of bridges and canals. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.
Must-See Attractions
Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. You’ll also want to check out Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark. The top museums to visit there are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
If You Have Time
There are several other unique districts in Amsterdam, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today. The Plantage area has most of the city’s museums and the botanical gardens.
Money Saving Tips
●Unless you really want to see the tulips(郁金香) blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May. This is when hotel and flight prices rise.
●Look for accommodations in Amsterdam’s South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.
●Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
●Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They’re inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city.
Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights, hotels, and rental cars before you book.
1．What can be learned about Amsterdam from this passage?| A．The Van Gogh Museum lies in the South District. |
| B．The Canal Ring is a place to attract garden lovers. |
| C．The Old Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
| D．Amsterdam is called the “Venice of the North” because of its location. |
| A．arrange a guided tour | B．buy train tickets at the counter |
| C．reserve a hotel in the South District | D．book flights between mid-March and mid-May |
| A．A magazine. | B．An essay. | C．A report. | D．A website. |
Is Positive Thinking Powerful?
The $11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like “I never do anything right” into positive ones like “I can succeed”. But was the positive thinking advocate Norman Vincent Peale right? Is there power in positive thinking?
Researchers in Canada just published a study in Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply stress how unhappy they are. The study’s authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by using older research showing that when people get feedback (反馈) which they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tell your friend who is not very clever that he has the potential of an Einstein, you’re just underlining his faults. In the 1990s, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton conducted an experiment. The participants were asked to write essays opposing financial support for the disabled, expressing little sympathy for them. When these participants were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.
In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students’ self-respect. The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, “I am lovable” Those with low self-respect didn’t feel better after the forced self-approval. In fact, their feelings turned significantly worse than those of members of the control group, who weren’t urged to think positive thoughts.
The study provides support for newer forms for psychotherapy (心理治疗) that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. Meditation (静思) techniques, on the contrary, can teach people to realize their shortcomings from a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.
1．What is the finding of the Canadian researchers?| A．There can be no simple solutions to psychological problems. |
| B．Encouraging positive thinking may do harm to people. |
| C．The power of positive thinking is limited. |
| D．Unhappy people cannot think positively. |
| A．you are pointing out the mistakes he has made |
| B．you are not taking his mistakes seriously enough |
| C．you are stressing the fact that he is not intelligent |
| D．you are not trying to make him feel better about his faults |
| A．Self-approval can bring a positive change to one’s feelings. |
| B．People with low self-respect seldom write down their true feelings. |
| C．It is important for people to continually improve their self-respect. |
| D．Forcing people to think positive thoughts may lower their self-respect. |
| A．people can avoid making mistakes through meditation |
| B．different people tend to have different ways of thinking |
| C．meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy |
| D．the effects of positive thinking differ from person to person |
Our Fears Can Change the Reality of the Situation
At times, our worries and anxieties can defeat us. In addition, our worries can change our understanding of what is reality and what is not. Here is a brief list of techniques that you can use to help gain a better viewpoint on things during your anxious moments.
Remember that our fearful thoughts are made to seem worse and can make the problem worse.
Be smart in how you deal with your fears and anxieties. Do not try to deal with everything all at once. When facing a current or upcoming task that makes your anxious, break the task into a series of smaller steps.
Remember that all the worrying in the world will not change anything. Most of what we worry about never comes true.
It is not easy to deal with all of our fears and worries. When your fears and anxieties have the best of you, try to calm down and then get the facts of the situation. The key is to take it slow. All you can do is do your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it easy.
| A．Take it one step at a time and things will work out. |
| B．When feeling anxious, stop what you are doing and try to do something relaxing. |
| C．This will give you the confidence to manage your anxiety. |
| D．Instead of worrying about something that probably won’t happen, concentrate on what you are able to do. |
| E．The next time you feel depressed, review your list and think about the good things that you have in your life. |
| F．A good way to manage your worry is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. |
| G．Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success. |
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