The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special.

　 The origin of Father’s Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father’s Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.

The president of the Chicago branch (分部) of the Lions’ Club, Harry Meek, is said to have celebrated the first Father’s Day with his organization in 1915; and the day that they chose was the third Sunday in June, the closest date to Meek’s own birthday!

Regardless of when the first true Father’s Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Mrs. Dodd felt that she had an outstanding father. He was a veteran of the Civil War. His wife had died young, and he had raised six children without their mother.

In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father’s birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart.

States and organizations began lobbying (游说) Congress to declare an annual Father’s Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 that President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to “establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations.” Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June.

When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental. Most greeting cards are whimsical (奇形怪状的，异想天开的) so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.

1. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Most countries in the world celebrated the Father’s Day.

B. Father’s Day began with a church service in West Virginia.

C. In America, Father’s Day is on the third Sunday in June.

D. President Calvin Coolidge made Father’s Day a national event in 1916.

2. Fathers are shown respect for on Father’s day except for ____________?

A. gifts　　　 B. dinners　　　 C. get-together　　　　 D. lobbies

3. Which is the right order that Father’s day came into being？

a. President Woodrow approved of the festival idea.

b. Mrs. Bruce John acted as a promoter.

c. Father’s Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.

d. States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father’s Day.

e. President Calvin Coolidge made Father’s Day a national event.

A. c b d a e 　 　 B. c d e a b　　　　　　 C. b e d a c　　　　 D. e a d c b

4. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph 6?

A. remote　　　 　 B. close　　　　　　 C. private　　　　 　 D. detailed

5. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Father’s day is celebrated all over the world.

B. Mrs. Dodd made Father’s Day an official day.

C. How Father’s Day came into being.

D. The origin of Father’s Day is not clear.

 

Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four,  has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．

Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．

Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．

It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．

Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear,  and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment  door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．

Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions .

1.The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．

A．the writer's cats disturb her neighbor frequently

B．the writer didn't thank her for calling the firefighters

C．the writer never apologized to her for her misbehaviors

D．the writer had an unpleasant experience with the neighbor long ago

2. From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author_____.

A．was afraid of being rejected again by her neighbor

B．didn't know how to get along with her neighbor

C．didn't admit it was her fault in the last incident

D．refused to forgive her neighbor's rude behavior

3. After the writer said "Feel the fear, and do it anyway!", she decided to_____.

A．do an act of kindness

B．leave her neighbor be

C．apologize to her neighbor once more

D．do something to let her neighbor down

4.What can we learn about the writer?

A．She was a professional dancer．

B．She often had quarrels with her neighbor．

C．She had a bias against her neighbor sometimes．

D．She had an unpleasant experience at Christmas this year．

5. What does the author try to tell us?

A．Don't punish yourself because of other's mistakes．

B．We should be kind to others, regardless of their behavior．

C．We must keep a good relationship with our neighbors．

D．When we make a mistake, we should have the courage to admit it．

 

The Town of Pressure and the Town of Pleasure were neighbors but had nothing in common. Residents built walls to      influence from the other town.

In Pressure,      struggled to be the very best. When women gave birth, they would      to have the baby with the loudest cry. There was violent competition in every aspect of life. Because     was the index (指数) of success, people were     busy making money, with     for relaxation. Some young people couldn’t bear the intensity and resorted to drink or drugs to escape.

_  , over in Pleasure, the motto was “As long as you like it, do it.” People grew up without      and     do anything they liked. Children played computer games day and night. At school, teachers didn’t _   whether students showed up or not. Workers might sit around the office      sipping coffee and doing nothing.      the lack of regulations, nobody worried about losing their jobs. It was      that mattered. No one had the      thought of moving forward, either for themselves or for the town. The computers they used were      models from Pressure.

Some of the young were addicted to      because of the meaninglessness of their lives. Then, people in the two towns began asking themselves, “What is     for?” But, just before life in the two towns completely     , there came a saint – Mr. Reason. He went from door to door, talking with people and giving advice. People in Pressure learnt to be      with what they had, while people in Pleasure began to make plans. They     the walls between them and built a road to connect the two. The towns’ people came to realize the truth—there is no space between Pressure and Pleasure if they don’t go to extremes.

1.A. connect                        B. keep                                 C. keep out                         D. prevent

2.A. everyone           B. anyone                    C. nobody                   D. somebody

3.A. have                     B. like                                    C. compete                          D. try

4.A. health                           B. joy                                     C. children                           D. wealth

5.A. seldom                          B. always                    C. hardly                               D. sometimes

6.A. much time          B. no reason                        C. many reasons                  D. no time

7.A. Meanwhile                  B. At the same time            C. Therefore                        D. Virtually

8.A. pleasure                       B. pressure                         C. work                                 D. happiness

9.A. must                     B. need                                 C. could                               D. dared

10.A. know                           B. find                                   C. recognize                         D. care

11.A. in the morning B. in the evening                 C. all day long            D. in the afternoon

12.A. Thanks to                  B. Regardless of                  C. Owe to                    D. According to

13.A. money                        B. time                                  C. pleasure                          D. pressure

14.A. strongest          B. slightest                           C. most                                  D. smallest

15.A. the old             B. the new                            C. the best                            D. the same

16.A. books                          B. work                                 C. money                              D. drugs

17.A. pressure           B. life                                    C. pleasure                           D. money

18.A. improved                   B. failed                               C. succeeded                       D. lived

19.A. content            B. surprised                         C. patient                              D. angry

20.A. built                            B. put down                         C. pulled down                   D. set up

 

 On a trip to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man, with a      beard and dirty hair, jumped up from a bench outside the restaurant and opened the door for us．Regardless of his      , he greeted us in a friendly way.

Once inside, my daughters whispered, "Mom, he     . " After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look      the dirt. We then watched other customers approach the restaurant but many      him. Seeing this rudeness truly upset me. The day I became a mother, I had determined to set a good      to my children. Yet sometimes when things didn't go right, being a good example was      . When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills in the truck．With the windiest trip ahead, the kids needed them, so I    myself from the meal and went to get them.

    Just then, the "doorman" was opening the door for a couple. They rushed past him without even acknowledging his      . Letting them in first, I said a loud "thank you" to him as I      .When I returned, we talked a bit. He said he was not allowed inside      he purchased food . I went back and told my family his     .Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich.

The kids looked      as we had already eaten, but when I said the order was for the "doorman" , they smiled. When it was time to      our trip, I found the "doorman" enjoying his meal. Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily. He then     out his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted. I suddenly     the tears in his eyes—tears of gratitude (感激) .What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the " doorman" a    _ . He pulled away, with tears      down his face.

Back in truck, I fell into deep thought．While we can't choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude．I said thanks to a man who had      held open a door for me, and also said thanks for that      to teach my children by example.

1.A．messy B．clean C．pretty D．bright

2.A．service B．state C．appearance D．attitude

3.A．smokes B．smells C．sighs D．smiles

4.A．around B．over C．beyond D．into

5.A．ignored B．hated C．missed D．refused

6.A．target B．rule C．record D．example

7.A．stressful B．accessible C．awkward D．tough

8.A．excused B．refreshed C．prevented D．forgave

9.A．company B．presence C．challenge D．attack

10.A．quitted B．marched C．exited D．approached

11.A．before B．unless C．though D．since

12.A．story B．deed C．desire D．demand

13.A．concerned B．puzzled C．excited D．bored

14.A．make B．start C．continue D．take

15.A．waved B．washed C．raised D．reached

16.A．watched B．inspected C．witnessed D．noticed

17.A．hug B．nod C．lift D．strike

18.A．slipping B．rushing C．rolling D．breaking

19.A．firmly B．simply C．constantly D．politely

20.A．journey B. wisdom C. community D．opportunity