Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The next building was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her seated by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading.
After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself, “I wonder why that woman doesn't wash her window. It really looks terrible.”
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window on the inside.
Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible(可见的). Her window was clean!
Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing (批评) her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings?
Since then, whenever I wanted to judge someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?” I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly.
【小题1】“It dawned on me” in paragraph 5 probably means “________”.| A．I began to understand it | B．it cheered me up |
| C．I knew it grew light | D．it began to get dark |
| A．the writer had never met the woman before | B．the writer often washed the window |
| C．they both worked as cleaners | D．they lived in a small town |
| A．one shouldn’t criticize others very often |
| B．one should often make his windows clean |
| C．one must judge himself before he judges others |
| D．one must look at others through his dirty windows |
In American history, Benjamin Franklin was famous for his proverbs. Franklin lived in the 1700s. He was a leader of the American Revolution against British rule.
For many years, Franklin published a book called Poor Richard’s Almanack. He included many proverbs that he had heard or created.
Franklin is also remembered for other proverbs like, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”
Here are other examples of proverbs that Americans use. The first ones are about love. Some people say, “All is fair in love and war.” It means that anything you do in a relationship or in battle is acceptable.
Some people are only interested in having a relationship with someone who is very good-looking. You might tell them that “Beauty is only skin deep. “Your girlfriend may be lovely to look at, but she may also have some bad qualities.
Another proverb is true in love and war or other situations: “Actions speak louder than words.” It means that what you do is more important than what you say.
| A．Or the opposite may be true. |
| B．Some of them are still used today. |
| C．Another proverb says, “Love is blind.” |
| D．A proverb is a short well known saying. |
| E．He was also a scientist, inventor and writer. |
| F．This means that money should not be wasted. |
| G．Another proverb is, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” |
Quite often we get so caught up in day-to-day activities that we spare little time to think about and develop little positive habits that could make the difference between having an okay day and a positive day. Here are some simple ways to help you develop positive habits.
● Start the day with positive mind.
Upon getting up, promise yourself that you will face the day with a positive mind.
● Smile at someone.
When you walk through the office, down the street or are in a store, make it a point to smile at someone.
● Be a better listener.
Spend time listening to another’s point of view.
●Take some quiet time.
Give yourself a break. You need the time to regroup. Even a little 15- minute catnap (假寐)can be surprisingly refreshing.
●
Do something nice to make others happy every day. For example, help an elderly person lift or carry a heavy bag. Clear the table after a meal if it’s not your normal practice. Offer to take your neighbor’s kids to the park, or the show, along with yours.
| A．Perform a small act of kindness. |
| B．Smiling will make you both feel good |
| C．Ask advice from your family and friends. |
| D．You’ll wake up feeling like you can take on anything! |
| E．Sometimes you might not agree with what he/she is saying. |
| F．The same goes for bad habits like smoking or drinking too much. |
| G．Prepare yourself for the fact that everything will probably not go as planned. |
New York City is known as America’s economic and cultural capital. It’s a city where young people want to go, whether to take up a high-paying job on Wall Street, study, or struggle to pay rent while working in the arts.
It’s also the setting of some of America’s most popular TV shows and movies. The best known may be TV series “Sex and the City”. It features four women enjoying the comfortable life of chatting, shopping, clubbing and looking for their Mr. Right.
However, Dunham, 26, said TV shows only touch the surface. “TV shows never get how expensive things are in New York, Manhattan,” she said, adding that she knows a married couple who are in their 30s, have good jobs, and still share a couch because their apartment is so small.
To Dunham, reality in New York means getting a quick lunch at food stands, smelling the piles of rubbish every week on trash day and paying tolls to cross bridges and tunnels—things that TV series rarely show.
Elise Glick, 23, an artist living in Brooklyn, said that while New Yorkers can sometimes be unfriendly, it’s often because of their nature as driven, ambitious individuals. “People here are mostly young and single,” she said, “a lot of people are confident and know what they want.”
25-year-old legal(法律的) assistant Jin Jing agrees. During her three-month experience as a United Nations intern(实习生), Jin found New Yorkers to be friendly and helpful people. But she also learned that the TV show “Friends” were fantasy and unreal. “When I went to America, I realized that ‘Friends’ was not real life,” Jin said. “In New York, people have no time for friends. People have no time to hear you talk.” But she said she didn’t feel like a stranger, thanks to the diversity(多样性) all around her. “Most of the time, I forgot that I didn’t belong there, since there are people of different skin colors,” she said.
While Dunham admits that life in New York can be both good and bad, special moments help her fall in love with the city. She once paused to watch dancers and street musicians performing in a subway tunnel and found herself among many other busy New Yorkers attracted by their show. “People who were clearly in a rush to get home just stopped to watch because these guys were really good,” she said. “From businessmen to mothers—everyone was represented. In that moment we were all together before we went our separate ways.”
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following views doesn’t the writer agree with?| A．Life there is very busy. |
| B．New Yorkers sometimes are unfriendly because of their nature. |
| C．People find it impossible to make friends there. |
| D．The scenes in “Sex and the City” and “Friends” can hardly be found in New York. |
| A．tickets | B．money | C．fines | D．tax |
| A．People with different nationalities can be found in New York. |
| B．New York is a place where people can have a comfortable and relaxing life. |
| C．The living cost in New York is very low. |
| D．The street dancers and musicians are beggars, only asking money from passengers. |
| A．Unfriendly New Yorkers | B．Busy New Yorkers |
| C．New Yorkers’ Stories | D．New Yorkers’ True Life |
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