If you don’t prepare yourself now, retirement may be some of the most boring and dull years of your life. To have a happy, fulfilling retirement, you need to start preparing right away.
The most obvious thing for people to do when they retire is to take up a hobby. The most important step to take before retiring, though, is to make sure that you actually have started some hobbies. Once you’re retired, unless you ‘ve already started a hobby, you’ll find it very hard to get into something new. Some hobbies aren’t for everyone. Think about what you enjoy doing and start participating on a casual basis now.
Another thing many people participate in is volunteering. Not only does volunteering give you something to do, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment(成就) and can add meaning to your life .Volunteering is also rewarding in other ways, too. There are hundreds of different types of volunteer services and you’ll always be able to meet new and interesting people. Also, don’t think that volunteering is always only about helping someone for free. Many companies pay their volunteers after they’ve had enough experience and prove themselves to be valuable workers.
There are plenty of other potions, as well. Going back to school is a great way to keep yourself feeling young. Taking a vacation around the world with your loved ones is another great way to spend your retirement.
Ultimately, though, the key to a happy retirement is simply keeping yourself busy and doing whatever you love. If there’s nothing you love doing now, then you’ll find that once you have a vast amount of free time, your life will be pretty empty. Now is the time to find out what you want to do when you retire.
【小题1】Why does the author suggest starting a hobby before retirement?

A．Because we are likely to have difficulty starting a hobby after retirement.

B．Because we are gong to have a vast amount of free time after retirement.

C．Because we will only have a limited choice of hobbies after retirement

D．Because not every one of us has already started some hobbies already.

【小题2】What can we learn about volunteering from the text?

A．We can make devoted friends through volunteering.

B．It can help companies find hard-working workers.

C．One can even make some money by volunteering.

D．Almost everyone is willing to help in some way.

【小题3】Which of the following can best explain “a happy retirement”?

A．Travelling around the world every year.

B．Going back to university for further study.

C．Having plenty of free time for one’s hobbies.

D．Living a busy life and doing what one enjoys doing

Mother’s Day is coming. It is a time to let Mom know she’s special to you. Finding the right for Mom on that day is not always easy. We often want something personal and thoughtful. But how can we make it? These following ideas may help you.

Gift of Time

Moms just want to spend time with their children so make it a Mother-Daughter/Son day. Spend the whole day with her. Do the things she likes doing with her.

Home Video

Take your family videos and make them a short home video. She can enjoy it whenever she misses you. Although it may take a lot of time, the process(过程) can be great fun and the result is often priceless(无价).

Mom Mix

Make a CD for her. It’s a collection of all the songs that remindher of you and your growing up.

Write a Letter

Write a letter instead of a simple card. Write about all the good memories you have with her and all the things she has done for you.

Flowers

People send carnations(康乃馨) on Mother’s Day. You can easily spend a lot of money on them. If you have flowers in your garden, or can handpick them, it can be a great gift.

Dinner

Make a dinner and invite her over. You can also take it over to her house and surprise her. Just don’t’ forget to wash the dishes after the dinner.

1.Why is it not easy to find a right gift on Mother’s day?

A．Because we want to save money

B．Because mothers don’t like gifts.

C．Because we always want to get something special

D．Because mothers are very difficult to deal with

2.Making a home video may be _______.

A．fun              B．boring            C．easy             D．nothing

3.What does the underlined word “remind” mean in Chinese?

A．使……防范       B．使……想起        C．使……经过        D．使….. 痛苦

4.How many kinds of ideas have been mentioned here for Mother’s Day?

A．4                B．5                C．6                D．7

5.From the passage we know _________.

A．you can buy a big cake for your mom on Mother’s day

B．writing a letter is better than sending a simple card to your mom on Mother’s Day.

C．inviting your mom to eat in a restaurant is a good gift for her.

D．buying carnations for her is a good way.

 

Girls can easily get sad. If your friend is feeling blue and calls you, what will you do? Here are some tips on how you can make her smile again.
Listen to her. When people feel sad, they often have the feeling of needing to be heard. So, listen carefully to what she is saying and do nothing else. Your friend will surely thank you for being the shoulder she can cry on.
Once you are done with listening, you can offer some advice or remain silent and let her feel everything and let it all out by crying. As a friend, you might think you should give her some advice. But if you have no idea about what to say, just remain silent and be there for her.
In order to be able to help your friend in need, don’t be sad for yourself. How can you help your friend when you are also feeling down?
A hug can make a difference in the word. It makes you feel warm and special. A hug makes you feel safe. So give your friend a hug when she needs it the most.
Spend more time with your friend who wants to be happy. Do things together like washing dishes, cleaning, or going out for fun. The more time you spend together, the stronger your friendship will become.
Sometimes, it is much better that you avoid a crying friend in your life. But by doing so, you are also keeping your friend at a distance and will make her wonder if you are her true friend. If you are there when she needs you, your friendship will be much stronger.
【小题1】The writer wrote this passage mainly to tell us_______.

A．why girls can easily get sad.

B．what to do when we are sad.

C．how to make new friends with girls.

D．how to make a sad female friend happy again.

【小题2】According to Paragraph 2, when a female friend is sad, what should we do?

A．We should ask her why she feels sad.

B．We should say something nice to her.

C．We should spend time listening to her.

D．We should give her some good advice.

【小题3】We can learn from the passage that______.
E.       Hugging a sad friend can make you feel warm and special.
F.       Your sad friend may feel much better if you also sad.
G.      It’s not a good idea to be silent facing a sad friend.
H.      Giving a hug to a sad friend is very helpful.
【小题4】In paragraph 6, the writer mainly suggests that we_____.
I.         spend more time with your friend.
J.        help our friends with their housework
K.      spend time with our friends everyday
L.       ask our friends to take part in activities

   In this modern world, we rush around all day, doing things, talking, emailing, sending and reading messages. We are always on, always connected, always thinking, always talking. There is no  1  for stillness.

    And when we are  2  to be still because we're in line for something, or waiting at a doctor's appointment, or on a bus or train,  we often  3  something to do. Some will play with mobile devices, others will read something. Being still isn't something we're  4  .

   This comes at a  5  : we lose that time for  6  , for observing and listening. We lose peace.

    And  7  yet: sometimes too much action is worse than no action at all. You can run around crazily, but get  8  done.

    Take a moment to think about   9   you spend your days．Are you constantly rushing around? Are you constantly reading and answering  10   , checking on the news and the latest stream of information? Are you always  11  through your schedule?

    Is this how you want to spend your  12  ? If so, peace be with you. If not, take a moment to be   13  . Don't think about what you have to do, or what you've done already.___14____be in the moment.

    Then after a minute or two of doing that, consider your life, and how you'd  15   it to be. See your life with less movement, less doing, less rushing. See it with more stillness, more consideration; more  16   . Then be that vision.

    It's pretty simple: all you have to do is sit still for a little bit each day  17  you've gotten used to that, try doing less each day Breathe when you feel yourself moving too  18  . Slow down. Be present. Find happiness now, in this moment, instead of  19  for it.    20  the stillness. It's a treasure，and it's available to us, always.

1. A. place    B. chance           C. freedom .     D. time

2. A. forced    B. ordered          C. invited     D. told

3. A. have      B. find           C. buy         D. get

4. A. familiar with  B. curious about   C. used to   D. interested in

5. A. cost            B. risk   C. loss      D. danger

6. A. play            B. food   C. sleep     D. consideration

7.  A. further         B. worse           C. farther  D.  deeper

8. A. everything       B. anything        C. nothing   D．something

9. A. how             B. where             C. why      D. whether

10. A. questions       B. problems        C. phones    D. messages

11. A. walking        B. rushing         C. stepping    D. going

12. A. school          B. youth   C. work       D. life

13. A. silent          B. patient    C. still        D. quiet

14. A. Nearly          B. Ever            C. Just    D. Already

15. A. like            8. decide          C. choose     D. need

16. A. activity        B. research   C. study     D. peace

17. A. Because         B. Until      C. Once       D. Unless

18. A. frequently     B. slowly          C. fast     D. quickly

19. A. asking      B. sending         C. calling   D. waiting

20. A. Value       B. Miss            C. Owe       D. Hold