Once in a village, the villagers built a new church building and people came from far and wide to see it. They admired its beauty! They said it was the most beautiful building in the world. Up on the roof, a little nail heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure - except the nail! No one even knew he was there, and he became very angry and sad. "If I am not important, nobody will miss me if I quit!" So the nail then released its hold, got down from the roof, and fell into the mud. That night it rained and rained. Soon, the board that had no nail was blown away, and the roof began to leak . The water flowed down along the walls and over the beautiful pictures on the walls. The plaster began to fall, the floor was ruined, and the Biblewas also ruined by water. All this was because a little nail decided to quit! But what of the nail? While holding the board, it was not known by others but it was useful. Buried in the mud now, it was useless and would soon be eaten up by rust! What the story wants to say is that every member is important to a whole group! You may, like the nail, feel not important at times, but just like the nail, your absence is felt. A big building might fall to pieces. You are important to a group even if you are small. Why did the nail decide to quit? A) Because he was not able to hold on any longer. B) Because he was angry and sad without people's praising him. C) Because he knew a big nail would replace him. D) Because he had finished his task successfully.
B
Well, it's time for Words and Their Stories. We present more expressions about food from Elenir Scardueli, a listener in Brazil. My mother believes you are what you eat. Then she'd always give us nutritious food. She likes serving us meat and potatoes, which can also mean the most important part of something. Here's another expression about meat: one man's meat is another man's poison--one might like something very much while another person might hate it. My father's a good and honest person. People say he's the salt of the earth. He'd never pour salt on a wound, or make someone feel worse about something. However, sometimes he tells us a story that seems bigger than life. So we have to take it with a grain of salt. My husband makes enough money to support our family. So we say he brings home the bacon. He can cut the mustard, or do what is expected of him at work. Besides, he stands almost two meters tall, so it's easy to find my husband in a crowd. He is a tall drink of water. I take the train to work. It is not a pleasant ride because the train is so crowded that we are packed like sardines. When we fail to see problems at work, my boss tells us to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to pay more attention and fix the problem. I once made a big mistake at the office and felt foolish. I had egg on my face. Over the weekend, my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is not my cup of tea. We hope this has given you food for thought and stay with us next time. Thank you. When you doubt something, you might _ . A) wake up and smell the coffee B) take it with a grain of salt C) bring home the bacon D) have egg on your face
B
Q: A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three or four maps presents continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasters are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts to determine whether an individual pressure aroa is deepening or becoming shallow and whether a front is increasing or decreasing in intensity .They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is moving. Thus, a most significant function of the map is to reveal a summary picture of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time. All students of geography should be able to interpret a weather map accurately.Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a large geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States Weather Bureau issues information about approaching storms, floods, frosts and all climatic conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30-day"outlook" which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These 30-day outlooks are based upon an anaiysis of the upper air levels which often set the stage for development of air masses, fronts and storms. Considerable effort is being exerted today to achieve more accurate weather predictions, with identifying and tracking storms over regions which have but few meteorological stations. Extensive experiments are also in progress for weathef modification studies. A weather map is a summary because it _ A) sums up a great deal of information B) appears daily C) shows changing fronts D) is a science book
A: A
(Q).
A lot of people today are used to working, going on holiday, and having money---but many of them aren't happy. Yet other people seem to be really happy , even if they are poor. Why? Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, from the University of Chicago, has interviewed thousands of people who have a happy life to find out how they do it. "I've been studying happiness for over 30 years," he says. "My interest in the subject came from my own experience as a child during World War II , when I saw many adults destroyed by the terrible events. But there were always a few who kept their courage, helped others, and were able to give a sense of purpose and meaning to their lives. I wanted to find out how a person could build a fulfilling and enjoyable life." In general, his research showed that people were unhappy doing nothing. The professor stresses that happy people didn't waste time, either at work or when they are free. "Many people feel that the time they spend at work or at school is wasted. But often their free time is also wasted. Many people are used to doing passive things----watching television, for example----without using any skills. As a result, life goes past in a series of boring experiences." But it doesn't have to be this way. The professor has found that people are happy when get into something he calls "flow". When people get very involved in a task that they have chosen, and which is well-defined and challenging , they experience "flow", a state where they don't notice time passing. They also experience enjoyment. Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, makes a contrast between enjoyment and pleasure. "I used to think they were the same thing---- but they're not! Pleasure is a big bowl of ice cream, or taking a hot bath on a cold day ---nothing bad at all! But enjoyment is about doing something and achieving something. It isn't really important what we do, it's more important to do something, and feel positive about it, and to try to do it well." People who are... When a person is in a "flow" state, he/she _ . A) is guilty about wasting time B) feels stressed doing challenging jobs C) easily forgets what time it is D) has a strong desire to finish a boring task
(A).
C