It was Sunday yesterday and my son and I walked a couple of miles in the morning. We got hungry so we decided to stop for a meal in a restaurant. While we were waiting in a line, a woman came in. She was very angry and talking about a beggar who had asked her for money. In her opinion, those people had the ability to earn their bread and butter.

I was feeling uncomfortable with the situation and wondering what I should say to my son later. I had told him that we should help those who were in need of help. At that time the lady said, "Today is my birthday, and nobody can bother me."

I knew this was my chance to help her change her thinking and to help her feel cared for on her birthday. I asked the waitress for help, telling her I wanted to pay for the woman's meal.

The waitress looked at me in surprise. I paid for our meal and that of the woman. When the woman finished eating her food, the waitress told her that it was I who had paid for her meal. Then the woman came to our table and tried to force her money on us. She even said, "I can't take your money, because I didn't help the person who asked me for money for food!"

I just smiled and said, "I just hope you have a very nice birthday."

She ended up sitting near us and talked with us. It turned out that she was crazy about animals. Hearing our stories of pet adoptions really cheered her up. "You are a nice father," she said.

She left, seeming to be happier and more thoughtful about all that had happened. I'd say it was worth the price.

1. The author and his son stopped walking that morning because _______.

A. they were too tired to walk any farther       B. the author felt sick and had to return home

C. they were hungry and needed to eat something    D. a woman stopped them and asked for some money

2. What did the author do to show his care for the woman?

A. He paid for the woman's meal.                           B. He gave the woman some money.

C. He bought a birthday gift for the woman.     D. He talked with the woman about pet adoptions.

3. By "I' d say it was worth the price", the author meant _______.

A. the restaurant gave him a big discount B. one should' be generous with his money

C. what he did for the woman was meaningful   D. the price he paid for the meal was reasonable

       On Tuesday, the White House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) set new limits on advertising food and drinks in schools.

The rules ban (禁止) advertisements for unhealthy foods in schools. The ad ban includes sugary drinks that account for more than 90% of unhealthy ads. An ad for Coca-Cola, for example, will be removed from a scoreboard (记分牌) at a high school football game. However, ads for Diet Coke and Dasani water, owned by the same company, are allowed to display.

The new rules are part of the First Lady's "Let's Move" campaign to fight childhood obesity (肥胖). Her goal is to get kids to eat healthier food. The marketing limits came after new USDA regulations that put a limit on the calorie, fat and sugar in most school food items. "The idea is simple --- our classrooms should be healthy places," the First Lady Michelle Obama said. "Because when parents are working hard to teach their kids healthy habits at home, their work shouldn't be destroyed by unhealthy messages in schools." However, the healthier food rules are criticized by people who think the government should not control what kids eat and by some students who don't like the healthier foods.

It is reported that food companies spend $149 million a year on marketing foods to kids, and many big companies are supporting the new rules. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have started to advertise healthier products. For schools, junk food ads like the Coca-Cola scoreboard will be taken down.

"The new limits ensure that schools remain safe places where kids can learn and eat healthy food," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak said. The rules will help guide schools on ways to create standards (标准) for foods and physical activities. They will require parents and the community to be involved in the campaign.

4. What's the main idea of the text?

A. Having a balanced diet in schools is' important.

B. It's Michelle's duty to make sure schools are safe places.

C. New limits on advertising foods in schools have been set.

D. Banning advertisements for Coca-Cola in schools is necessary.

5. The "Let's Move" campaign aims to _______.

A. keep American children healthy                        B. let children keep away from sugar

C warn children of the danger of obesity                D. instruct parents to cook healthy food at home

6. What's Coca-Cola's attitude towards the new limits?

A. Doubtful.        B. Uninterested.   C. Supportive.                   D. Disappointed.

7. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. All advertisements for Coca-Cola in schools will be removed.

B. All people approve of banning advertisements for unhealthy food.

C The new limits will have a negative effect on all food companies.

D. Schools play an important role in forming children's healthy habits.

       It's well-known that meditation (冥想) has many benefits, but do you know how to practice it for a beginner?

Set a proper scene

Find a space for meditation. It should be private and quiet. Make sure the temperature is comfortable. Sit on a cushion (垫子) if the floor is uncomfortable. You may play soft music if you like.

______________

Take a moment to loosen up. Remember that the goal of meditation is to relax. Loosen your clothing, remove your shoes and have a good stretch. Do your best to ease any muscle tension that might keep you from achieving relaxation. Make an effort to relax your facial muscles.

Focus on your breath

Sit down in the space you've prepared. Close your eyes and breathe. Each time you breathe in, count "one". Each time you breathe out, count "one". The idea is to strengthen being in the moment - the last breath doesn't matter, and the next one doesn't matter; only this one matters

Feel your breath inflate (胀大) your lungs and push on your diaphragm (隔膜). Feel how sweet it is to inhale the fresh air. As you do this, your body will gradually begin to relax and all of your attention will be centered within your mind.

       Return to real life

Once you feel fully centered in your mind, allow yourself to gradually drift back to real life. Move your fingers and toes and slowly wake your body up. Open your eyes and remain there for a few minutes until your senses come back, and then slowly stand up.

Even if you can't make it fully into your mind, you still get some benefits from it. If you want to feel better, you just need to practice. Set about 10 minutes around the same time every day and repeat this exercise.

8. The text is about _______.

A. the best way to stay relaxed               B. tips on how to breathe slowly

C. the benefits of practicing meditation D. steps in practicing meditation for beginners

9. Which of the following can best fill in the blank?

A. Forget yourself.                                                    B. Avoid being disturbed.

C. Prepare yourself for it.                                      D. Pay attention to your-inner self

10. The underlined word "inhale" in the text can be replaced by "_______".

A. look for                        B. take in                    C. keep away                           D. think of

11. To gain greater benefits of meditation, beginners are advised to _______.

A. practice it in a daily basis                                         B. listen to some popular music

C. do some exercise in advance                                   D. spend a long time in practicing it

       As more and more books become movie adaptations (改编), I can't help but think how this will affect English classes in America. Thinking back to my years in middle and high school ---- ten years ago, I would be rewarded if I had read a number of classics. Today, a majority of those books are now also movies: Life of Pi, The Great Gatsby, Much Ado About Nothing and Anna Karenina, to name a few.

Even modern books such as The Hunger Games and Harry Potter have been adapted for the big screen. In discussion with my students, I often hear them say they are not going to read books because movies will come out soon, which makes me wonder what effect movie adaptations have on modern-day students. Will the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) (美国核心课程标准)encourage them to read books more carefully or to use movies to improve their understanding of the text?

WWW.ziyuanku.comThe CCSS requires students to provide text--based evidence when reading and discussing a book. By focusing on such evidence, teachers can pull specific details from a book that may have not made the final cut when the book was adapted for the big screen. For instance, after reading and watching The Hunger Games, there were a number of details from the book that were missing from the film--- many people were disappointed with Rue's meek (温顺的) movie role. A student who failed to read The Hunger Games would not quite understand Rue's impact on the games in the same way as someone who had read the book and remembered all the details that went into her death.

I am not saying the CCSS will stop students from cutting corners（走捷径）, but I believe if teachers use the support the CCSS provides, it can be a great roadway to ensure all students are digging deep into texts and not just hitting the play button.

12. Ten years ago, students in America were _______.

A. fond of reading all kinds of novels                     B. forbidden to discuss movies in class

Ziyuanku.comC. not allowed to watch movies in the cinema     D. encouraged to read many literature works

13. Which of the following might be the effect that movie adaptations have on modern-day students?

A. They spend less time in studying.                      B. They can't understand English texts.

C. They spend less time in reading.                 D. They discuss movies more frequently.

14. What can we learn from the third paragraph?

A. The Hunger Games is the worst movie adaptation.

资*源%库B. It is a waste of time reading and discussing a book in class.

C. Movie adaptations may bring trouble in understanding the books.

D. Rue's impact on the games is perfectly presented in the movie.

15. According to the text, it seems that the CCSS _______.

A. prevents students watching movies             B. provides students with well-known movies

C. encourages students to write novels    D. provides guidance on teaching and learning

       What do a person, a tree and a bird have in common? _16_ All living things must have water to survive, whether they get it from a water fountain, a rain cloud or a little bottle attached to the side of a cage. Water is especially important to us human beings.

_17_ Water makes up more than half of our body weight. A person can't survive for more than a few days without water. Why? Our bodies have lots of important jobs and they need water to do many of them. _18_ Without oxygen, those tiny cells would die and our bodies would stop working.

Water is also an important part in lymph (淋巴液), a fluid that is part of our immune system and helps us fight off illness. _19_ Water is needed for digestive juices, urine (小便) and crap (大便). And water is the main ingredient in sweat.

       Our bodies don't get water only from drinking water. Any fluid we drink contains water, but water and milk are the best choices. _20_ Fruit contains quite a lot of water, and we can tell that if we bite into a peach or a pear and feel the juice dripping down our chins! Vegetables, too, contain a lot of water --- think of cutting a fat tomato from the garden.

A. They all need water.

B. Nobody can deny the fact.

C. Lots of foods contain water, too.

D. How much we drink is important.

E. Without water, our bodies would stop working properly.

F. We need water to digest our food and get rid of waste, too.

G. For instance, our blood, which contains a lot of water, carries oxygen to all the cells of our bodies.