1、一 My wife has watched me write, blog and make speeches for a few years now. Ive encouraged her to do her own video blog (vlog), too, because she is always watching them, but she hasnt been interested in the spotlight. Now that enough time has passed, she is ready to go for it! Angelika is a great co
2、ok, so she is going to do a cooking show where she doesnt have to be on camera. I am just thrilled that she has found a passion to pursue in a way that works for her. Im smart enough to step back and let her go at her own pace (节奏). I know that being there for emotional support or however she needs
3、me is important. Now that my wife will have a studio worthy of her talents and personality, she will only make the kitchen look better. Part of me hopes that I will spend the rest of my life watching and tasting her creations. When you start to express your creative drive, it can be a wonderful ride
4、, a bit of a roller coaster at times, but worth the price of admission. When the love of your life takes the ride with you, and starts to drive, its a pretty cool way to travel through life. I am at my best when being creative, whether in front of a keyboard or a live audience. I have always encoura
5、ged creative answers to life. There is always more than one right way to do something. Yes, public attention in our social media world has become a marker of success, but it means way more when you are sending a positive message. Helping people enjoy their lives a little more is a big deal. This pro
6、ject will not just make her happy but make us closer. I am aware that this is her project, not mine. I will answer any questions she asks but be careful about offering unwanted advice. What she doesnt know she will learn. You never want to take that process away from anyone. Summary writing 概要写作概要写作
7、 Please write a summary of the article in about 60 words. 参考答案： I encouraged my wife to do a vlog. She decided to do a cooking show, which made me happy for her because she found a passion to pursue. This will deepen our bond. Expressing ones creative drive is so cool that I not only do it myself bu
8、t also encourage other people to do so. 二 The older I get, the more I learn that our quality of life isnt dependent on what weve been given. Rather, our quality of life is dependent on what we choose to create. Every day, we are creating our life. We are choosing how to spend our time, what words to
9、 say out loud and how to care for ourselves. And with all these choices, we are creating our life. Creating a good life requires you to choose how you spend your time well. You should be doing things that give you pleasure or satisfaction. But first, you have to figure out what it is that you enjoy
10、doing. For instance, I enjoy reading, writing and ballroom dancing. On days when Im able to do at least one of those activities, I feel quite good. However, if my free time gets taken up by serving other peoples interests, I feel frustrated. That is why you have to guard your free time. We all have
11、parts of our day that are spent doing things that we have to do, such as our job or schoolwork. So, our limited free time is precious indeed. But our free time is where we have the opportunity to create our life. As a result, the questions you should be asking yourself every day are these: What kind
12、 of day am I creating today? Will I spend my time arguing with others and feeling frustrated? Or, will I do something with my time that I truly enjoy, such as reading a book or going dancing with my friends? We have so many beautiful choices when it comes to spending our free time. The bottom line i
13、s this: We choose what kind of life we will live. How we choose to spend our free time is in our hands. Whether we spend our time with kind or unkind people is in our hands. And the choices that we make determine the kind of life that we live. This week, consider whether youre making the right choic
14、es so that you can create a better life for yourself. Make sure you plan your free time carefully. A good life doesnt just happen its something that we must create. Summary writing 概要写作 Please write a summary of the article in about 60 words. 参考答案： The quality of our life isnt dependent on what weve
15、 been given but what we choose to create. By making the right choices and spending our time well, we can create a better life for ourselves. 三 My neighbor Stu is a car guy. He toys with (摆弄) details and drives his new Range Rover (路 虎揽胜) with such pride; its like a member of the family. On most days
16、, rain or shine, you can find him working on his car. Its his thing, and I appreciate it, but it kind of makes me look bad because our SUV has seen much better days. That being said, Im not a car guy anymore. Still, when Stu looks over his baby, Ive often been tempted to say, “Next time youre doing
17、your car, let me know, and Ill bring mine over.” Well, recently, there was Stu out front next to his Rover. He said, “Lets do it now,” so I pulled my classic into his driveway, and we started going at it like it was the first car either of us ever owned. Stu got out the blower (鼓风机), and I followed
18、him with a rag (抹布) and cleaning and conditioning (保养) stuff that Ive had in the garage. It took us a couple of hours, but the result was a great gift for my wife. Plus, I was now friends with my neighbor. Weve always had a neighborly relationship. As we talked about cars, music and boats, we bonded
19、. I get him: He likes things that go fast, and I appreciate the rush because I once chased it myself. Finding things in common makes for good relationships, and from that, you can build a friendship. That couple of hours was a great connecting experience. Ive dropped off a thank-you note because I w
20、ant him to know that he has made a difference in my life. My day was better because he extended himself to me. I look forward to seeing how our friendship evolves. We have been there for each other in a couple of neighborhood emergencies, but now there is a deeper connection. You always want to know
21、 your neighbors. Its nice when you can count on others to do the neighborly thing and be there for you when necessary. Knowing that just makes your life a little bit nicer, kind of like my car. Summary writing 概要写作 Please write a summary of the article in about 60 words. 参考答案： My neighbor Stu and I
22、have built a friendship by doing things together. Recently, we worked on our cars together and also had a pleasant talk. It was a great connecting experience, through which we got to know each other better. We have helped each other in several neighborhood emergencies. Its nice to know that there is
23、 someone you can count on when necessary. 四 A dear friend sent me a letter and handmade card in the mail today. On the outside of the card was a cutout (剪下来的图形) picture of a hummingbird (蜂鸟) in mid-flight. With its wings, it flew deep into a flower. Below it was a quote (引述) by Russian writer Fyodor
24、 Dostoyevsky: “The world will be saved by beauty.” I smiled with both my face and heart when I saw it. Looking at it reminded me of all the beauty in this world. I thought about the beautiful, green forested mountains of my home. I thought of the fields of summer wildflowers blessing (祝福) the world
25、with their colors. I thought of the blue oceans that stretched from horizon (地平线) to horizon. I thought of the sunsets in the desert with their deep, rich reds and glorious (灿烂的) golds. I thought of the endless variety of animals: green hummingbirds, white polar bears, red birds, gray wolves and bli
26、nking lightning bugs. I thought of the silver moon smiling down from the sky surrounded by a sea of stars. Yet, I knew that it wasnt the beauty of any of these things that would save the world. It was instead the beauty of human souls filled with light and love. It was these souls so full of love fo
27、r each other and for this world that would save our planet. It was this love working through people that would make this world the place it was truly meant to be in the end. My friend who sent me the card is one of these people. She, her husband and her family are going through so many struggles rig
28、ht now. Still, she continues to share her love and make this world a better place every single day. She continues to work to save our home by giving it the beauty of her soul. She continues to shine her light with her life. May we all do the same. Summary writing 概要写作 Please write a summary of the a
29、rticle in about 60 words. 参考答案 The quote in the handmade card from my friend reminded me of the beauty of the world. It not only reminded me of the natural beauty of the world but also the beautiful human souls filled with love. I think kindness and love among people will save the world and make it
30、a better place. 五 Paws walk across my keyboard, and my cat Monty nests himself on my lap, unaware of the world beyond our garden fence (栅栏). In these uncertain times of the pandemic, the company of animals is needed more than ever. To the delight of our cats, dogs and all pets in between, staying at
31、 home is an opportunity to give them our undivided (一心一意的) attention. In return, they provide us with a much-needed source of joy. Pet ownership (饲养宠物) is well known to help settle anxiety, reduce loneliness and lift moods. Even as we spend an unprecedented (空前的) amount of time in isolation, pets ar
32、e still acting as gateways (渠道) to building a sense of community as people share pictures of their beloved companions (伙伴) online in an effort to raise spirits. It is in such times that we realize just how much our pets matter as part of the family. As a long-term cat lady, I have never questioned t
33、hat a pet is a cherished (珍爱的) member of the household. Our pets can be as valuable as our human family members in teaching us about ourselves and how to approach the world. In short, our animals love and loyalty are unique. As such, the death of a pet can feel as sad as that of a close friend or fa
34、mily member. The grief that accompanies it remains something frequently seen as shameful, and many admit to requesting time off work without being honest about why. However, with the loss of a pet comes an emptiness where their unconditional devotion once was, and moments in the day once dedicated t
35、o their care become suddenly unoccupied. It is a very real feeling that only provides further proof to their status as family. Vet (兽医) and author James Herriot wrote, “If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty and gratitude, animals are better off than a lot of humans.” Pets are an ad
36、ditional member of the family, and now more than ever, they can serve as models for the kind of basic humanity we ought to be extending to a destabilized (不稳定的) world. Summary writing 概要写作 Please write a summary of the article in about 60 words. 参考答案： Pets and their owners mutually need each other.
37、Pets long for their owners attention while their owners enjoy their company. Raising a pet has many benefits, particularly during tough times. Pets lift peoples spirits and make them feel good. Their love and loyalty to their owners make them as important as family members. They show us the humanity that ought to be extended to the world.
