I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn't be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries. A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date.
We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile -warm and reassuring-and I returned her gift by smiling back.
"Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers," she said.
"Yes, she's special," I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out.
"It's only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she's 'the one'. Jokingly, I added, "The only problem is that I can't figure out why she'd want to date a guy like me."
"Well, I think she's very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her," the woman said." "My husband used to bring me flowers every week -even when times were tough and we didn't have much money. Those were incredible days; he was very romantic and - of course - I miss him since he's passed away."
I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said, "You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a very special lady." I handed her the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.
It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased. "You have a wonderful evening," I said. I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.
I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her -that was the night that I won her heart.
| 1． |
Why was the writer in a hurry that day?
|
| 2． |
What does the underlined phrase "her gift"(Paragraph 2) refer to?
|
| 3． |
Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?
|
| 4． |
What is the message conveyed in the story?
|
In every British town, large and small, you will find shops that sell second-hand goods. Sometimes such shops deal mostly in furniture, sometimes in books, sometimes in ornaments and household goods, sometimes even in clothes.
The furniture may often be “antique”, and it may well have changed hands many times. It may also be very valuable, although the most valuable piece will usually go to the London salerooms, where one piece might well be sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. As you look around these shops and see the polished wood of chests and tables, you cannot help thinking of those long-dead hands which polished that wood, of those now-closed eyes which once looked at these pieces with love.
The books, too, may be antique and very precious; some may be rare first printings. Often when someone dies or has to move house, his books may all be sold, so that sometimes you may find whole libraries in one shop. On the border between England and Wales, there is a town which has become a huge bookshop as well.Even the cinema and castle have been taken over, and now books have replaced sheep as the town’s main trsde.
There are also much more humble shops, sometimes simply called “junk shops”, where you can buy small household pieces very cheaply. Sometimes the profits from these shops go to charity. Even these pieces, though, can make you feel sad; you think of those people who once treasured them, but who have moved on, to another country or to death.
Although the British do not worship their ancestors, they do treasure the past and the things of the past. This is true of houses as well. These days no one knocks them down; they are restored until they are often better than new. In Britain, people do not buy something just because it is new. Old things are treasured for their proven worth; new things have to prove themselves before they are accepted.Books found in second-hand book shops may _____.
| A．be copies of the earliest printing | B．be on sale for the first time |
| C．never be worth very much | D．never be rare |
Second-hand goods sometimes fill you with sadness because_____.
| A．they are too expensive for average buyers |
| B．they remind you of the original owner |
| C．they are now neglected |
| D．they are sold for charity |
Which of the following word can best take the place of the word “antique” in the second paragraph?
| A．invention | B．possession | C．material | D．relic |
According to the passage, the British people_____.
| A．do not respect old things because they are not fashionable |
| B．like to build new houses simply because it is fashionable to do so |
| C．like to buy new things because they are fashionable |
| D．do not like to buy things simply because they are fashionable |
Dogs can know the meaning of a human perspective, say researchers.
Dogs are more capable of understanding situations from a human's point of view than has previously been recognized, according to researchers.
They found dogs were four times more likely to steal food they had been forbidden, when lights were turned off so humans in the room could not see.
This suggested the dogs were able to alter their behavior when they knew their owners' perspective had changed.
The study, published in Animal Cognition, conducted tests on eighty-four dogs.
The experiments had been trying to find whether dogs could make their behavior suitable to react to the changed circumstances of their human owners. It wanted to see if dogs had a "flexible understanding" that could show they understood the viewpoint of a human.
It found that when the lights were turned off, dogs in a room with their human owners were much more likely to disobey and steal forbidden food.
The study says it is "unlikely that the dogs simply forgot that the human was in the room" when there was no light. Instead it seems as though the dogs were able to differentiate between when the human was unable or able to see them.
Juliane Kaminski carried out the research into how dogs are influenced by human circumstances.
Dr Juliane Kaminski, from the University of Portsmouth's psychology department, said the study was "incredible because it implies dogs understand the human can't see them, meaning they might understand the human perspective".
Previous studies have suggested that although humans might think that they can recognize different expressions on their dogs' faces, this is often inaccurate and a projection of human emotions.
“Humans constantly attribute(归属) certain qualities and emotions to other living things. We know that our own dog is clever or sensitive, but that's us thinking, not them,” said Dr Kaminski.
“These results suggest humans might be right, where dogs are concerned, but we still can't be completely sure if the results mean dogs have a truly flexible understanding of the mind and others' minds. It has always been assumed only humans had this ability. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The researchers made the test on dogs in eighty-four countries. |
| B．Dogs always obey and don’t steal forbidden food. |
| C．Dogs may adapt their behavior in response to the changed circumstances. |
| D．The research is carried out to find out how dogs are influenced by light. |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．Dogs---Our Loyal Companions Understand Us Most. |
| B．Dogs Are Our Best Friends. |
| C．Dogs Can Understand Us In a Way, Researchers Say. |
| D．Dogs Have Certain Qualities and Emotions of Human Beings, Researchers Say. |
Where can we probably read this kind of articles?
| A．Textbooks. | B．Advertisements. | C．Instructions. | D．Magazines. |
This passage can be classified as .
| A．an argumentative writing | B．a feature story |
| C．a dog show review | D．a research result |
“I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face”. A charming way of saying “Keep off the grass”. But could you figure it out? Or this: “Wash Clothing Store” for laundry.
They are both typical Chinglish, a combination of English vocabulary and Chinese grammar. Expressions such as “people mountain people sea”, means extremely crowded, and “give you some color to see”, meaning a punishment, are widely known and recognized.
Chinglish has been attracting global attention in recent years as China grows rapidly in status on the world stage, attracting both fans and detractors(批评者).
The Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Programme and English First China Company, a language trainer known as EF Education, jointly launched a campaign to root out poor grammar and misused vocabulary in downtown Beijing. They argue Chinglish is an embarrassment that we should let it die out at all costs.
“It is meaningful to allow the capital to show its most beautiful historical and cultural heritage to the world." Michael Lu, vice-president of EF Education said, “since the launching of the campaign, foreign teachers and students had been very keen to volunteer participation.”He believed signs were very important in public services. "The signs in some old buildings confused foreign visitors.
Chinglish, although the target of much criticism, has also won supporters who regard it as an interesting way for foreigners to learn how Chinese people think and express themselves.
“Many Chinglish logos carry Chinese elements and they will enrich the English language,” 32-year-old Oliver Radtke said. He had even published a book “Chinglish: Found in Translation,” on the subject. About 50,000 copies of the book have been sold since it was published in 2007.
Some Chinese university experts also side with Chinglish. "English has absorbed elements from other languages such as French and Spanish in its growth, and the emergence of Chinglish again testifies(说明) to the language’s vitality and inclusiveness," said Shi Anbin, an associate professor of Tsinghua University.How did Chinglish come into being?
| A．Chinese people misunderstood the meaning of the new words. |
| B．Chinese people combined English vocabulary with Chinese grammar. |
| C．Chinese people based their English on the native English speakers. |
| D．Chinese people make wide use of English vocabulary with bad spelling. |
What Shi Anbin said means .
| A．there are many French and Spanish words in English |
| B．English is the language with vitality and inclusiveness |
| C．Chinglish enriches English and shouldn’t be got rid of |
| D．Chinglish has greater effect on English than French and Spanish |
According to Oliver Radtke, Chinglish .
| A．shows how Chinese people think |
| B．does damage to the English language |
| C．shows the great humor of Chinese people |
| D．should be sold to all over the world |
Once again, I was in a new school. So was a girl in my class named Paris. That's where the similarities ended.
I was tall and she was small. My thick, black hair had been recently cut short. Her natural blonde hair flowed to her waist and looked great. I was awkward and shy. She wasn't. I couldn't stand her. I considered her my enemy. She liked me. She wanted to be friends.
One day, she invited me over and I said yes — I was too shocked to answer any other way. No one had invited me over to play. But this girl who wore the latest fashions wanted me to go home with her after school.
I got very surprised when she led me into an apartment building. She lived on the fourth floor in a two-room place with her mother, her stepfather, her two brothers and her sister.
When we got to the room she shared with her sister, she took out a big case of Barbies — which was my next surprise. I would have thought she'd outgrown them. I had never played with them. But we sat on the floor of a walk-in closet, laughing as we made up crazy stories about the Barbies. That's when we found out that we both wanted to be writers when we were older and we both had wild imaginations.
We had a great day that afternoon. Our jaws ached from smiling so much. She showed me her wardrobe, which had mostly come from a designer clothing store down the block. The woman who owned it used her as a model sometimes for her newspaper ads and gave her clothes in exchange.
Paris had the whole neighborhood charmed. The bookstore owners lent her fashion magazines, the movie theater gave her free passes and the pizza place let her have free slices. Soon I was included in her magic world. We slept over at each other's houses, spent every free moment together. My dark hair grew out and I learned to love being tall.
Paris, my first real friend since childhood, taught me an amazing and very surprising thing about making friends: that your worst enemy can turn out to be your best friend.The writer and Paris were similar in that .
| A．they were both new students |
| B．both of them were friendly |
| C．both of them were tall |
| D．they were both the youngest in class |
In the article the writer described Paris as a girl who was .
| A．awkward and shy | B．fashionable and proud |
| C．quiet and lonely | D．friendly and lovely |
What did the writer learn from Paris?
| A．How to make best use of her neighborhood. |
| B．How to dress and look fashionable. |
| C．How to become a good writer |
| D．How to make friends. |
From the article, we can see that through her friendship with Paris, the writer .
| A．found she and Paris had more similarities than differences |
| B．was able to fit in at her new school with Paris’ help |
| C．was not so awkward or shy as before |
| D．learned more about fashion herself |
Good nutrition (营养)and a balanced diet will help your children grow up healthily .No matter how old your kids are , you can take steps to improve nutrition and to encourage smart eating habits .Here are some suggestions.
Family Meals
Family meals are comforting for both parents and kids. Children like to guess what they are going to have and parents get the chance to introduce new food to children and to find out which food they like and which ones they don’t.
Teens may turn up their noses at your plan of a family meal. It is not surprising because they’re trying to establish independence. Yet studies find that teens still want their parents’ advice, so use the mealtime as a chance to reconnect.
Stocking up (储备) on healthy food
Kids, especially younger ones, will eat mostly what they can get at home. That’s why it’s important to control the supply lines — the food which you serve for meals and have on hand for snacks. You should have enough fruits, vegetables, lean meat and other good sources of protein, such as eggs and nuts, and healthy snacks, such as yogurt, peanut butter and whole-grain biscuits.
Being a good example
The best way for you to encourage healthy eating is to eat well yourself. Kids will follow the lead of the adults they see every day. By eating fruits and vegetables and avoiding fast food and sugary drinks, you’ll be sending the right message.
No conflicts over food
Parents might find themselves shouting at children to get them to have healthy food in front of them. This in fact can make children dislike what they are aske d to eat.
Get kids included
Most kids will enjoy making the decision about what to make for dinner. Talk to them about making choices and planning a balanced meal. It can help them make good decisions on their own about the food they want to eat.Family meals provide the chances for parents to do the following things EXCEPT ________.
| A．guessing what kids are going to have |
| B．finding what kids like and dislike |
| C．introducing new food to kids |
| D．reconnecting with kids |
What does the phrase “on hand” mean?
| A．Being dealt with. |
| B．Out of one’s reach. |
| C．Made by persons instead of machines. |
| D．Close by and ready when needed. |
According to the passage, which should NOT be done by parents?
| A．Form a healthful eating habit themselves. |
| B．Force kids to have vegetables. |
| C．Stock up on some fruits at home. |
| D．Make meal plans with kids. |
The best title for the article is “________”.
| A．Eat healthily |
| B．What is a healthy meal |
| C．Help kids form healthy eating habits |
| D．How to grow up healthily |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号