May the first is an important date in the college admission process in the United States. This is the last day for high school seniors to accept or reject offers of admission in the fall. But according to a recent report, there is a great change. Acceptance rates at the top colleges this year were lower than ever.
These days, college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier. On the other hand, deciding students for top colleges to accept can be difficult because it takes much time. Students may not like being put on waiting lists. Also, common colleges work more to get the students they accept to accept them. Some colleges hold visiting days that offer a chance to attend classes and stay overnight. Some universities send gifts.
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For many families, the most important thing colleges can do is to show them the money, especially this year; the weak economy makes parents nervous. . The recent problems that spread from the housing market to credit markets have even affected student’s loans. So lately, top schools have to spare lots of money to increase their financial aid for students.
. The Education Department expects the number of high school graduates to start to go down. This will happen as the last of the children of the baby boom generation finishes high school. The number is not expected to start rising again until 2015.
| A．Besides, top colleges are facing changes in the population. |
| B．What contributes to it? |
| C．But a mistake can be costly if it happens. |
| D．But top colleges ignore them. |
E. They have international students who know English.
F. It can mean several acceptances to choose from.
G. They cannot afford college as planned.
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。
A. Goods for auction (拍卖) sales
B. Definition of bidding
C. Way to sell more goods by auction
D. Auction sales in history
E. Brief introduction to auctions
F. Making a larger profit as an auctioneer______
Auctions are public sales of goods, conducted by an officially approved auctioneer. He asks the crowd assembled in the auction-room to make offers, or “bids”, for the various items on sale. He encourages buyers to bid higher figures, and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called “knocking down” the goods, for the bidding ends when the auctioneer strikes a small hammer on a table at which he stands. ______
The ancient Roman probably invented sales by auction, and the English word comes from the Latin auction, meaning “increasing”. The Romans usually sold in this way the goods taken in war. In England in the eighteenth centuries, goods were often sold “by the candle”: a short candle was lit by the auctioneer, and bids could be made while it stayed alight. ______
Practically all goods whose qualities vary are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, skins, wool, tea, furs, silk and wines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property, furniture, pictures, rare books, old china and similar works of art. ______
An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by potential buyers. If the advertisement cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a “lot”, is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in the order of numbers: he may wait until he notices the fact that certain buyers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in. ______
The auctioneer’s services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible. He will not waste time by starting the bidding too low. He will also play on the opponents among his buyers and succeed in getting a high price by encouraging two business competitors to bid against each other.
根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项多余项。（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）
—Where shall we take our children this weekend？
—We could take them to Water World or to Oldfield Adventure Park.
—Well，how far away are they？I don’t want to spend all day in the car.
— But Old-field Adventure Park will take about two and a half hours if we’re lucky.
—
—Water World has a huge fun swimming pool．
—I really don’t like zoos. I hate seeing animals in cages．
—Well，there aren’t any animals at Water World.
—If we are going there，I’m going to take a picnic basket．I know they have got restaurants but they are always expensive.
—That’s a good idea. I’ll tell the children.
—OK．
根据短文内容，从下框的A-F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项。
| A．Focus on your relationships． B．Think about what to do next step． C．Take good care of your body． D．Try to avoid over thinking． E．Set up a proper goal for yourself． F．Practice acts of kindness． |
Five Happiness Secrets For Tough Times
Sonja Lyubomirsky, an author, has researched the science of happiness for years．
Here are her tips to help you cope with a bad economy, and increase your bursts of happiness throughout the day．________
“You could spend a lot of time thinking deeply,” says Lyubomirsky．“But that just makes you feel even more pessimistic, more out of control, and affects your self esteem．Your relationships will suffer and your job performance will suffer．”
Get rid of pessimism．One of the most effective ways to cope when things are difficult is to adopt a positive thinking strategy．“What can I learn from this? Times are tough, I’ve been furloughed at work, but I can spend more time with the kids, adopt a new hobby, or learn a new set of skills．”________
Now more than ever we need each other to survive．Lyubomirsky found that doing good things for friends, family, or strangers can make you happier．Think of practical, everyday gestures that can make someone’s life a little bit easier．For example, Lyubomirsky says, “Maybe now many of us can’t afford to take a cab to the airport, so offer to give a friend a ride．”________
You don’t need an expert to tell you that relationships are critical to happiness．
Not being the bread-winner anymore or not being able to fulfill your kid’s needs can weigh down hard on your family life．But the trick is to stop feeling guilty and focus on caring for your loved ones．
“I was at a psychology conference where an expert was talking about the effects of this economy on families and how parents can’t afford to buy their kids luxuries like toys anymore,” says Lyubomirsky．“But what they don’t realize is that kids don’t care about toys — what they care about is parents being grumpy and taking it out on them．”________
“If you find a happy person you will find a project,” says Lyubomirsky．“Happy people all have goals they care about．”
Commit yourself to a project – whether it is a business you want to start or a dance you want to learn．But it’s also important to remember to be flexible in these times．
Don’t get frustrated if circumstances are stopping you from meeting your goals．Adopt and change!
“If your spouse has lost their job you might have to change your goal,” says Lyubomirsky．“Or you might have to learn a whole new skill for a new job．”________
When times are tough, it’s easy to get skip your regular workouts in favor of moping in front of the TV and eating a bag of chips．Your thinking is “I have more important things to worry about right now than looking good．”
But carve out a small part of your day to give your body some TLC．It will go a long way in boosting your happiness．“Even if you can’t afford to go to the gym,”
Lyubomirsky says, “take time out to exercise at home．”
情景对话(共5小题,每小题1分,满分5分)
根据对话情景和内容,从对话后所给的选项中选出能填入每一空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑.选项中有两个为多余选项
---Where shall we take our children this weekend?
---We could take them to Water World or to Old–field Adventure Park．
---Well, how far away are they? I don’t want to spend all day in the car．
--- But Old–field Adventure Park will take about two and a half hours if we’re lucky．
---
---Water World has a huge fun swimming pool．
---I really don’t like zoos．I hate seeing animals in cages．
---Well, there aren’t any animals at Water World．
---If we are going there, I’m going to take a picnic basket．I know they have got restaurants but they always expensive．
---That’s a good idea．I’ll tell the children．
---Ok．
| A．Our children love animals very much． |
| B．Do they have swimming pools? |
| C．I’d rather eat in restaurants． |
| D．They love that sort of thing．Which one do you prefer? |
E．The Old-field Adventure Park hasn’t got a pool, but it’s got a small zoo．
F．Well, Water World is pretty close---about one hour away．
G．I’d rather take our own food and drinks．
任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。(每空格不得超过1个单词)
Manners in every country are different. What is polite in China may not be polite in the United States. These basic rules will help you enjoy Western food with your American friends.
Always put the napkin (餐巾 ) on your lap first. Before you leave the table, fold your napkin and put it beside your plate.
Wait until everyone has been served to begin eating. Everyone begins to eat at the same time. The host or hostess may invite you to start eating before everyone is served. Some foods may be cold if you wait until everyone is served. If invited to begin before others are served, wait until three or four people have been served before starting to eat,
When eating something in a bowl, do not leave the spoon in the bowl. Put it on the plate under the bowl. Do not slurp (出声地喝) the soup. Do not overfill the spoon. Do not pick the bowl up to hold it closer to your mouth. When you have finished your meal, place your knife and fork side by side on the plate. This signals that you have finished eating.
Sit up straight at the table. Bring the food up to your mouth. Do not bend down to your plate.
Cut large pieces of meat, potatoes and vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Eat the pieces one at a time.
When eating noodles, wind (缠) the noodles up on your fork. You may use your spoon to help wind the noodles around your fork. The noodles on your fork should be eaten in one bite（一口）. It is very impolite to eat half your noodles and allow the other half to fall back on your plate.
Do not lean on your arm while eating. You may rest your hand on the edge of the table.
Some of the rules mentioned here may be somewhat relaxed in informal settings.
The best way to learn good manners is to watch others. Observe the way your American friends eat. In this way, you won’t make mistakes when you are unsure of what to do.
| Title |
American table |
| Introduction |
There are many |
| |
● Always put the napkin on your lap, and put the folded napkin beside the plate before ● Eat together. If someone invites you to begin before others are served, you should still ● Put the spoon on the plate under the bowl ● When you have finished your meal, place your knife and fork side by side on the plate, which ● Sit up straight at the table. Never ● It is ● Do not lean on your arm while eating. |
| The best way to learn table manners |
Observe how your American friends behave when they eat. In this way, you won’t make mistakes when you are not |
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