In Africa, listening is a guiding principle .It’s a principle that’ been lost in the constant chat of the Western world .From my own past experience , I noticed how much faster I had to answer a question during a TV interview .It is as if we have completely lost the ability to listen .We talk and talk , and we end up frightened by silence .

Everywhere, people on the African continent write and tell stories. Even the nomads(流浪者)who still live in the Kalahari Desert are said to tell one another stories on their daylong wanderings, during which they search for roots and animals to hunt.

A number of years ago I sat down on a stone bench outside the Teatro Avenida in Maputo, Mozambique, where I worked as an artistic consultant. It was a hot day, and we were taking a break, hoping that a cool gentle wind would move past. Two old African men were sitting on that bench, but there was room for me, too. In Africa people share more than just water. Even when it comes to shade, people are generous.

I heard the two men talking about a third old man who had recently died. One of them said, “I was visiting him at his home. He started to tell me an amazing story about something that had happened to him when he was young. But it was a long story. Night came, and I decided that I should come back the next day to hear the rest. But when I arrived, he was dead.”

The man fell silent. I decided not to leave that bench until I heard how the other man would respond to what he’d heard. Finally he, too, spoke. “That’s not a good way to die—before you’ve told the end of your story.”

What separates us from animals is the fact that we are storytelling creatures and we can listen to other people’s dreams, fears, joys, sorrows, desires and defeats—and they in turn can listen to ours.

Many people make the mistake of confusing information with knowledge. They are not the same thing. Knowledge involves the interpretation of information. Knowledge involves listening.

Many words will be written on the wind and the sand, or end up in store. But the storytelling will go on until the last human being stops listening. Then we can send the great record of human out into the endless universe.

Who knows? Maybe someone is out there, willing to listen…

1.From the very beginning of the passage, we can know Europeans ________.

A. actually lose the ability to listen

B. seldom chat constantly with each other

C. feel frightened when they are alone and silent

D. tend to talk more and listen less

2. It can be inferred from the passage that if you are in Africa, you will _______.

A. suffer hot weather and lack of water      

B. be certainly helped when in trouble

C. often hear the stories told by strangers    

D. have no choice but to listen during a talk

3.According to the last three paragraphs, we can know _________.

A. no one knows exactly why Africans are willing to listen

B. information is hard to understand without interpretation

C. listening makes the difference between information and knowledge

D. the existence of humans’ recordings totally depends on the way of storytelling

4.The passage mainly talks about __________.

A. the experience of the author         

B. the art of listening in Africa

C. the importance of storytelling        

D. the life styles of Africans

 

Do your spirits soar (猛增) on a sunny day? Do you relax at the sound of flowing water?

    Some scientists suggest that these contacts with nature are good for your health. In one study, hospital patients with a view of trees had shorter hospital stays and less need for pain medications. Another study indicated that prisoners with a view of the outdoors had fewer doctor visits.

    “Why do we desire nature? Maybe we’re programmed to need it, since our ancestors’ survival was so dependent on their connection with nature,” suggests biologist E.O. Wilson.

    Want to find out if contact with nature improves your outlook on life? Try a few of these ideas.

    Hang out a bird feeder and watch the birds that visit it.

    Sit down in the backyard or a nearby park. Close your eyes. What do you hear? Birds singing? The wind in the trees? Crickets (蟋蟀) chirping?

    Find an anthill. Sit down and watch the ants work.

    Take a walk right after a rainstorm. What looks different? Smells different?

    Go barefoot on a sandy beach.

    Open the curtains and the window, if the weather allows it.

    On a windy day, watch the trees.

    Go to a creek, river or park fountain. Listen to the sound of water in motion.

    Camp out in the backyard or at a nearby state park. Use a tent or sleep on the ground.

    Find a wide-open space to study the stars. Learn about the different constellations (星座).

    Raise a garden. Or plant some seeds in a flowerpot.

    Go hiking with your family. Talk about all of the colors you see in nature.

    Take a camera and capture your nature experience.

From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ______.

A. prisoners don’t like to go to the doctor when ill   B. trees can be used as pain medications

C. prisoners should often get out of prison to come into contact with nature

D. contacts with nature are very helpful for hospital patients

According to E.O. Wilson, we desire nature probably because ______.

A. it can help us feel relaxed

B. we have inherited (继承) from our ancestors who were dependent on nature

C. people have lived with nature for thousands of years

D. contacts with nature can improve a person’s outlook on life

The author gives us many ideas in order to let us ______.

A. find out if contacts with nature improve our outlook on life

B. hear birds sing and watch ants work

C. talk about the colors we see in nature   D. capture our experience in nature

From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A. studying the constellations is important to everyone

B. you can know all the colors only by going hiking

C. nature is quite important to us    D. walking in a rainstorm can be very helpful

What is the best title of the passage?

A. Go hiking with your family.   B. Let nature nurture you.

C. Visit your doctor less.        D. Watch the trees more often.

Do your spirits soar (猛增) on a sunny day? Do you relax at the sound of flowing water?

    Some scientists suggest that these contacts with nature are good for your health. In one study, hospital patients with a view of trees had shorter hospital stays and less need for pain medications. Another study indicated that prisoners with a view of the outdoors had fewer doctor visits.

    “Why do we desire nature? Maybe we’re programmed to need it, since our ancestors’ survival was so dependent on their connection with nature,” suggests biologist E.O. Wilson.

    Want to find out if contact with nature improves your outlook on life? Try a few of these ideas.

    Hang out a bird feeder and watch the birds that visit it.

    Sit down in the backyard or a nearby park. Close your eyes. What do you hear? Birds singing? The wind in the trees? Crickets (蟋蟀) chirping?

    Find an anthill. Sit down and watch the ants work.

    Take a walk right after a rainstorm. What looks different? Smells different?

    Go barefoot on a sandy beach.

    Open the curtains and the window, if the weather allows it.

    On a windy day, watch the trees.

    Go to a creek, river or park fountain. Listen to the sound of water in motion.

    Camp out in the backyard or at a nearby state park. Use a tent or sleep on the ground.

    Find a wide-open space to study the stars. Learn about the different constellations (星座).

    Raise a garden. Or plant some seeds in a flowerpot.

    Go hiking with your family. Talk about all of the colors you see in nature.

    Take a camera and capture your nature experience.

1.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ______.

A. prisoners don’t like to go to the doctor when ill   B. trees can be used as pain medications

C. prisoners should often get out of prison to come into contact with nature

D. contacts with nature are very helpful for hospital patients

2.According to E.O. Wilson, we desire nature probably because ______.

A. it can help us feel relaxed

B. we have inherited (继承) from our ancestors who were dependent on nature

C. people have lived with nature for thousands of years

D. contacts with nature can improve a person’s outlook on life

3. From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A. studying the constellations is important to everyone

B. you can know all the colors only by going hiking

C. nature is quite important to us    D. walking in a rainstorm can be very helpful

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Go hiking with your familyB. Let nature nurture you.

C.Visit your doctor less.D.Watch the trees more often.

 

Do your spirits soar (猛增) on a sunny day? Do you relax at the sound of flowing water?

Some scientists suggest that these contacts with nature are good for your health. In one study, hospital patients with a view of trees had shorter hospital stays and less need for pain medications. Another study indicated that prisoners with a view of the outdoors had fewer doctor visits.

“Why do we desire nature? Maybe we’re programmed to need it, since our ancestors’ survival was so dependent on their connection with nature,” suggests biologist E.O. Wilson.

Want to find out if contact with nature improves your outlook on life? Try a few of these ideas.

Hang out a bird feeder and watch the birds that visit it.

Sit down in the backyard or a nearby park. Close your eyes. What do you hear? Birds singing? The wind in the trees? Crickets (蟋蟀) chirping?

Find an anthill. Sit down and watch the ants work.

Take a walk right after a rainstorm. What looks different? Smells different?

Go barefoot on a sandy beach.

Open the curtains and the window, if the weather allows it.

On a windy day, watch the trees.

Go to a creek, river or park fountain. Listen to the sound of water in motion.

Camp out in the backyard or at a nearby state park. Use a tent or sleep on the ground.

Find a wide-open space to study the stars. Learn about the different constellations (星座).

Raise a garden. Or plant some seeds in a flowerpot.

Go hiking with your family. Talk about all of the colors you see in nature.

Take a camera and capture your nature experience.

1.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ______.

A．prisoners don’t like to go to the doctor when ill	B．trees can be used as pain medications
C．prisoners should often get out of prison to come into contact with nature
D．contacts with nature are very helpful for hospital patients

2.According to E.O. Wilson, we desire nature probably because ______.

A．it can help us feel relaxed

B．we have inherited (继承) from our ancestors who were dependent on nature

C．people have lived with nature for thousands of years

D．contacts with nature can improve a person’s outlook on life

3.The author gives us many ideas in order to let us ______.

A．find out if contacts with nature improve our outlook on life
B．hear birds sing and watch ants work
C．talk about the colors we see in nature	D．capture our experience in nature

4.From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A．studying the constellations is important to everyone
B．you can know all the colors only by going hiking
C．nature is quite important to us	D．walking in a rainstorm can be very helpful

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A．Go hiking with your family.	B．Let nature nurture you.
C．Visit your doctor less.	D．Watch the trees more often.

 

Do your spirits soar (猛增) on a sunny day? Do you relax at the sound of flowing water?

    Some scientists suggest that these contacts with nature are good for your health. In one study, hospital patients with a view of trees had shorter hospital stays and less need for pain medications. Another study indicated that prisoners with a view of the outdoors had fewer doctor visits.

    “Why do we desire nature? Maybe we’re programmed to need it, since our ancestors’ survival was so dependent on their connection with nature,” suggests biologist E.O. Wilson.

    Want to find out if contact with nature improves your outlook on life? Try a few of these ideas.

    Hang out a bird feeder and watch the birds that visit it.

    Sit down in the backyard or a nearby park. Close your eyes. What do you hear? Birds singing? The wind in the trees? Crickets (蟋蟀) chirping?

    Find an anthill. Sit down and watch the ants work.

    Take a walk right after a rainstorm. What looks different? Smells different?

    Go barefoot on a sandy beach.

    Open the curtains and the window, if the weather allows it.

    On a windy day, watch the trees.

    Go to a creek, river or park fountain. Listen to the sound of water in motion.

    Camp out in the backyard or at a nearby state park. Use a tent or sleep on the ground.

    Find a wide-open space to study the stars. Learn about the different constellations (星座).

    Raise a garden. Or plant some seeds in a flowerpot.

    Go hiking with your family. Talk about all of the colors you see in nature.

    Take a camera and capture your nature experience.

60. From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ______.

A. prisoners don’t like to go to the doctor when ill   B. trees can be used as pain medications

C. prisoners should often get out of prison to come into contact with nature

D. contacts with nature are very helpful for hospital patients

61. According to E.O. Wilson, we desire nature probably because ______.

A. it can help us feel relaxed

B. we have inherited (继承) from our ancestors who were dependent on nature

C. people have lived with nature for thousands of years

D. contacts with nature can improve a person’s outlook on life

62. The author gives us many ideas in order to let us ______.

A. find out if contacts with nature improve our outlook on life

B. hear birds sing and watch ants work

C. talk about the colors we see in nature   D. capture our experience in nature

63. From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A. studying the constellations is important to everyone

B. you can know all the colors only by going hiking

C. nature is quite important to us    D. walking in a rainstorm can be very helpful

64. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Go hiking with your family.   B. Let nature nurture you.  

C. Visit your doctor less.        D. Watch the trees more often.