Easy isn’t a word the disabled use very much. Nothing is easy when you’re in a wheelchair or when you’re blind. But Karen Mitchell knows legs aren’t needed to walk the waves. “I forget about my disability, ”Mitchell says about sailing. And Janice Bartleson doesn’t need eyes to see the wind.

     US Olympic gold medalist Magnus Liljedahl says sailing is one of the few sports where the disabled can leave their disability on the dock and be as good as anyone else. “The first half of my life, I was mainly concerned about myself, ” Liljedahl says. “But when we leave we can’t take anything with us, so it’s important to give back to the community. ”

    Working in partnership with Miami’s non-profit Shake-a-Leg Foundation, more than 3, 000 disabled people every year are getting a chance to forget their disabilities and feel spray (浪花)in their faces.

     Liljedahl believes the reward is in the journey. And for him, this journey has been a rich one. “I’ve really learned to appreciate life by seeing what they’ve got to deal with, ”he says. And he’s also become a better sailor. It’s a story you often hear from volunteers. Helping others often helps them more. It reawakens senses dulled over time because the able-bodied take those senses for granted.

    At the dock, all seem to enjoy the chance to get their feet wet. “It gives me a feeling of independence and freedom, ”Manuela Hoyos says, “I feel free from my wheelchair. ”

56. Which of the following is TRUE about Shake-a-Leg Foundation?

A. It helps the disabled make money.

B. It was established by Magnus Liljedahl.

C. It offers the disabled sailing chances.

D. It helps the disabled meet with Olympic champions.

57. By doing volunteer work, Liljedahl _______ .

A. forgets his disability completely

B. wins an Olympic gold medal

C. has a better understanding of life

D. finds many people with a talent for sailing

58. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refers to _______.

A. the disabled

B. the volunteers

C. US Olympic champions

D. Magnus Liljedahl and Manuela Hoyos

59. It can be inferred from the text that _______.

A. Mitchell has a disability with her legs

B. Janice Bartleson moves around in a wheelchair

C. Liljedahl won his first Olympic gold medal in Miami

D. Manuela Hoyos is a volunteer at the dock

Last night, I was waiting for a taxi. After 5 minutes, I was  36 . The driver seemed to be angry. I asked him what the   37  was. He said he had just come from the airport without a   38  , which was basically $70 in lost fare.

Over the course of the ride, the anger   39  died down. He mentioned he had read an article saying the   40  people are the ones that give, so he hoped he’d have more   41  to give in his life. I was starting to   42  being with him! We continued talking about why   43  is so beneficial both to the giver and the receiver and different ways to   44  it.

As we arrived at my destination,  I  45  my fare. But I pulled out an extra $20 and said, “Since we’ve been talking about this whole time, I wanted to share that   46  with you. I’ve already paid my fare, but here’s an extra little bit. You can   47  it, since you’re already down $70 from the airport. But if you want to experience the  48 of the gift, then tell the next passenger in this taxi that their ride is a gift from another and they can   49 their gratitude(感激) in whatever way.”

The man turned toward me, tears in his eyes, and said, “Sir, I have a better   50  . You give that $20 to a   51  person around here and I’ll treat the next passenger with a   52  ride myself.

Wow. This man was   53  10 minutes ago. I got out and walked around trying to   54 someone who needed help before heading to my destination.

It was an honor meeting that driver and    55   the lesson of how everyone is capable of giving.

1.                A．gotten off       B．put off          C．called up  D．picked up

 

2.                A．question        B．time           C．problem  D．cost

 

3.                A．friend          B．stranger        C．driver    D．customer

 

4.                A．never          B．even           C．slowly    D．quickly

 

5.                A．happiest        B．poorest         C．richest   D．strongest

 

6.                A．kindness        B．chances        C．suggestions    D．money

 

7.                A．mind           B．stop           C．allow D．enjoy

 

8.                A．collecting       B．giving          C．receiving D．existing

 

9.                A．practice        B．explain         C．watch    D．consider

 

10.               A．printed         B．recorded       C．paid  D．examined

 

11.               A．adventure      B．information     C．language  D．feeling

 

12.               A．refuse         B．raise           C．keep D．spend

 

13.               A．direction       B．power         C．weight    D．size

 

14.               A．share          B．earn           C．forget D．miss

 

15.               A．gift            B．idea           C．opinion   D．ride

 

16.               A．homeless       B．native          C．nice  D．brave

 

17.               A．long           B．comfortable     C．free  D．safe

 

18.               A．bored          B．tired           C．rude  D．angry

 

19.               A．save           B．find           C．protect    D．tell

 

20.               A．learning        B．preparing       C．finishing   D．providing

 

 

Say you meet with difficulty, what’s the first thing you do? Call your best friend and ask for help? It turns out that doing this may be better for you than you think. Researchers find that friendship has a big influence on your health, well-being and business.

One study from scientists recently found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22% less likely to die during a 10-year period than those with fewer friends. Other researchers discovered that having a strong social network could improve brain health as we age.

Even more interesting, feeling close to your friends may give you a different view on things. Researchers gathered 34 college students out side and asked them to estimate the steepness(估计陡峭程度) of a hill after climbing it. Those standing with friends gave lower estimates, and the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared.

What is the reason that friends can make obstacles seem less difficult? “People with stronger friendship networks feel that there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen A. Roberto, director of the center of the hospital at Virginia Tech. “Friendship is a valued resource (宝贵的资源).”

It is truly the fact. Friends make your life better. They provide support in hard times. They inspire you to make changes in your life, encourage you to set goals and cheer you on every step of the way until you reach them.

Want to find out more about the power of friendship? Read “Be a Better Friend”, “Make New Friends” and “Keep the Old”.

1. According to the author, if you’ve lost your job you should        .

A. turn to your best friend      B. ask for advice from your teacher

C. face it bravely by yourself    D. ask your parents for help

2. We can learn from the study in Paragraph 2 that        .

A. people with a lot of friends can stay away from illnesses

B. people with many friends may enjoy a longer life

C. 22% of the people who have fewer friends have a short life

D. those who have fewer friends may die 10 years earlier.

3. The underlined word “obstacles” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to some thing___________

A. that you are hoping to achieve by a plan

B. that happens to you when you are working

C. that makes it difficult for us to achieve something

D. that you have been trying to do

4. The fifth paragraph was written to tell us that        .

A. we should make many friends  B. true friendship lives long

C. friend ship has changed us     D. friendship should be valued

 

Did you know that there are gifts that will multiply your happiness when you give them away? Here are five of those gifts． Giving these gifts will allow you to share with others your most unique treasure: your real self． Each gift will return to you many times．

1． Share appreciation

Tell someone how much you appreciate the faith they've shown in you． Thank them sincerely for being part of your life． Tell them how much they are needed．

Feeling appreciated is one of the most important needs that people have． When you share with someone your appreciation and gratitude, they will not forget you． Appreciation will return to you many times．

2． Share time

Balance your time expenditures （耗费）so you can spend time with the people that you love． Support local organizations by sharing your special talents． Volunteer time for projects that benefit others in your community, country, and world．

When we slow down and observe our thoughts closely, we will sometimes uncover gifts and talents we didn't know we had． Sharing time and talents can result in discoveries that bring happiness beyond measure．

3． Share knowledge and ideas

Tell someone about a great book that you read so they can benefit from it too． Teach a new concept or idea that you've learned．

One of the best ways to strengthen new concepts in your mind is to share them with others． The more often you share what you've learned, the stronger that information will become in your memory． Sharing knowledge also provides solutions to problems． The more knowledge we share, the more knowledge we receive in return．

4． Share friendship

Acknowledge someone's strengths． Let them know that you are willing to be there when they need you． Visit someone you haven't seen for a long time． Telephone friends or relatives who live far away． Introduce two friends who don't know each other．

Bringing one individual into another's life can result in tremendous changes for both people, and for you． We succeed with the help of others． People grow by growing together． If you'd like to have many friends, then share friendship with others generously．

5． Share kindness

Perform a random act of kindness for someone: a smile, compliment, or a favor just for fun． These will multiply and spread very rapidly．

There is a powerful quote by Stephen Jay Gould who said, “The center of human nature is rooted in ten thousand ordinary acts of kindness that define our days．” Kindness is priceless． The love, kindnesses, and value we have given authentically to others will be our remaining treasures at the end of life．

Think about this statement by Norman MacEwan: “Happiness is not so much in having as sharing． We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give．”

What is the best title of this passage？

    A． We want to share．      B． Give your presents away． 

    C． We make a life by giving．      D． Don’t be mean to give．

What can we learn from Stephen Jay Gould’s words？

    A． We all come from a world which is in a harmonious atmosphere．

    B． Everybody’s deep heart is filled with kindness at first, which decides our present life．

    C． Kindness is the most important thing in our daily life．

    D． We need kindness all the time．

For those who are living a life on the go, what suggestion will the writer probably give to them?

    A． Tell the people around you how much you love them．

    B． No one is an isolated island． We succeed with the help of others

    C． The more knowledge we share, the more knowledge we receive in return．

    D． Slow down and enjoy the life, which may bring you a brand new world with happiness．

Where can you probably find this passage?

    A． Magazines       B． Newspapers C． Guide books     D． Scientific reports

How old is “old”?  The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago，you were old at 35.At the beginning of the 20 th century，the average life span（平均寿命）was 45. In 1950，70-year-olds were really old.Today，a healthy 70-year-old is still thought young.

So，how old is old? The answer is one you’ve heard many times，from all kinds of people.“You are as old（or young）as you feel.”Your age simply tells you how many years you have lived.Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.

“Nobody grows old by living a number of years.” wrote a writer.“People grow old when they don’t have their ideas.”

People shouldn’t have the wrong ideas about aging.Sometimes，older minds can be as bright as young minds.Alice Brophy once said，“It makes me unhappy when people say，‘You look young for your age。’ What does that mean?You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”

1.In 1950, the average life span was       .

A．35

B．45

C．50

D．70

2.People grow old when        according to a writer.

A．they don’t have their ideas.	B．they live many years.
C．They can’t live longer.	D．they have their ideas.

3.The meaning of the underlined word “aging” is “        ”

A．growing old	B．staying young
C．keeping healthy	D．feeling unhappy

4.Which question is NOT answered in the passage?

A．Can older people be as bright as young people?

B．What’s the wrong ideas about aging?

C．How old is “old”?

D．what is the average life span today?

5.The passage is mainly about __________ .

A．the average life span	B．aging
C．the 20th century	D．older people and young people