河南高考英语2017(as farm)

1、出自2017届高考英语一轮复习。

2、原文

As farm kids,my siblings(兄弟姐妹) and I were expected to work hard and do our jobs.We knew no better,so didn’t really question it—at least until we were young teenagers and wondered why our friends had so much more free time than us.

That ability to depend on myself has served me very well through life.The independence and self-reliance not only affected my physical abilities.It came to shape me emotionally too.However,it can,at times,also be a huge weight to bear.

As my physical strength has been affected by rheumatoid arthritis,a disease that causes pain and swelling in one or more joints of the body,there have been many lessons for me in learning how to receive help.My health is now much improved compared to what it was a couple of years ago,or even last year.Daily challenges do still exist,but I have learned that it is OK to ask for help.

The joy that others receive in lending a hand has made me realise that it is almost selfish to not ask for help!There is no need to deny others the pleasure of helping.If we are in need,it is more than OK to ask for assistance.Physical and emotional self-reliance are strengths,certainly,when used well.But the overuse of independence is unhealthy,unbalanced and unnecessary.

Since being a mum,too,I’ve been given lots of lessons on the need to connect,and to acknowledge that I’m vulnerable and need others to rely on.There are certainly times like this in all of our lives,whether a parent or not.Sometimes life does just get too much.

If we can loosen our need for independence,though,and grow into more interdependence,ease and space do grow.The braver we are to reach out and be open,the easier life is.It not only gives us emotional relief,but it brings joy and stronger connections in our relationships.

语篇导读本文是议论文。自立自强、不依靠他人的确非常重要,但是当我们遇到困难时,也没有必要硬撑。向他人求助不仅可以让我们的生活更加容易,也为他人带来了助人之乐。

Mark and a Seal

　马克和海豹

　Mark rented an accommodation with his pension near the shore. He paid annual visits there to enjoy the vivid beauty in the depths of the pure sea.

　Once, with his underwater telescope and flashlight, Mark dived along the boundary between the steep reef and the area of seaweed conservation. Suddenly, an awesome Antarctic seal with sharp teeth appeared opposite him. Every cell in his body was scared to death. But soon, he was aware that he wasn’t the target of an attack. With a neat wound in its lip caused by a shark, this grey seal was washed upside down by the tides time after time. But it tried to jog Mark as if to urge him to help it. So Mark abandoned fleeing away. With its teamwork, Mark used a net to drag the seal to the shallow water. Without pausing he helped it out after a simple operation and settled it in a narrow cave by the seaside. Every time he brought it tasty fish, it would yell and suck his hands happily. Witnesses said their anecdotes reflected a magic dimension of the relationship between humans and animals.

　马克用他的退休金在海岸边租了一间住所，每年都去那儿欣赏纯净的大海深处那生动的美丽。

　有一次，马克带着他的水下望远镜和手电筒，潜到陡峭的暗礁和海草保护区间的分界线。突然，一只长着尖利牙齿、使人畏惧的南极海豹出现在他对面。马克吓坏了，但是很快，他就意识到，他不是攻击的目标。这只灰色海豹的唇上有道鲨鱼咬出的整齐伤口，还时不时地被潮水冲得头上脚下。尽管如此，它却总是努力轻轻碰撞马克，似乎在催促他帮助它。于是马克放弃了逃跑。在这只海豹的合作下，马克用一张网把它拖到浅水区，并毫不停歇给它动了一个简单的手术，帮助它解决了问题，然后将它安置在海边一个狭窄的洞里。每次当马克给它带来鲜美可口的鱼时，它就会高兴地大声叫唤，还吮吸他的手。目击者都说他们的轶事映射出人与动物关系中奇妙的一个方面。