Once upon a time, there was a lovely vegetable field, on which grew a very thick tree. Both the vegetables and the tree gave the place a wonderful appearance, which was the joy of the garden’s owner. What no one knew was that the vegetables in the field and the tree couldn’t stand each other. The vegetables hated the tree’s shadow, because it left them only just enough light to survive. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water before it could get to him, leaving him with just enough to survive.
The situation became so extreme that the vegetables got totally fed up and decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would dry up. The tree answered back by refusing to give the vegetables shadow from the hot midday sun, so they both began to dry up. Before long, the vegetables were really thin and the tree’s branches were drying up.
Neither of them thought that the gardener, on seeing his vegetable field becoming worse, would stop watering it. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables really learned what thirst was. There seemed to be no solution, but one of the vegetables, a small courgette（小胡瓜）, understood what was going on, and decided to deal with it. Despite the little water and the unbearable heat, the little courgette did all he could to grow, grow... He managed to grow so big that the gardener started watering the field again. The gardener wanted to enter that beautiful big courgette in some gardening contest.
They should really learn how to live in harmony（和谐）with those around them, doing the best they could. So they decided to work together, and help each other instead of fighting, using both the shadow and the water in the best combination to grow good vegetables. Seeing how well they were doing, the gardener now gave the best of care to his vegetable field, watering it better than any other field for miles around.From the passage, we can learn____.
| A．the gardener was very lazy |
| B．the tree and vegetables grew very well at first |
| C．the tree and vegetables got along well with each other at first |
| D．the gardener was satisfied with his work on the garden |
The vegetables and the tree fought for____.
| A．living space | B．the gardener’s attention |
| C．attending the contest | D．their own good |
What drew the garden’s owner’s attention to the field again?
| A．Some gardening contests. |
| B．The fight between plants. |
| C．The big and beautiful courgette. |
| D．The wonderful appearance in the garden. |
What was out of the expectation of the tree and vegetables?
| A．That the gardener stopped watering them. |
| B．That the courgette understood what was happening. |
| C．That they could live together. |
| D．That they could take part in the contest. |
How can one live in harmony with others according to the passage?
| A．By working together and helping each other. |
| B．By learning to be thankful. |
| C．By respecting others and oneself. |
| D．By learning to stop being angry with others. |
12-year-old John Thomas Robertson is a born train fan. “I’ve liked trains probably from the day I was born,” he told Good Morning America. “When I was very little,” he said, “my grandpa got me a train model. I would just watch it go round for hours and hours.”
When Robertson finally had the opportunity to ride on a train, he felt great. His journey was so mind-blowing that he couldn’t keep it to himself: he decided to take all his classmates to go on a ride with him. When he found that some of his classmates couldn’t pay the fares, he spent money he had saved by collecting cans（罐子）and bottles and raised more than ＄1,000 for them.
That train was such a happy one that he made it yearly action. “It never gets boring for some reason; it’s just very fun,” he said. “It really lets people get away from their busy life and have fun.”
Every October, Robertson takes a new group of disabled children to ride the train — but now, he has a problem. Several disabled children were refused because the train was not accessible（可用的）to disabled people. “He was angry to think that children of his own age couldn’t ride a train,” his mother said.
But he wouldn’t say no: he recently sent a letter to the train office for help. To his surprise, the leader, Ty Pennington, took the letter seriously. He said that he and his workers would work on making a train accessible to disabled people.The first time John Thomas Robertson took a train, he_______
| A．felt extremely happy. | B．was frightened by it. |
| C．watched it for hours. | D．acted as a driver. |
John Thomas Robertson is a born train fan, because he _______.
| A．was taken on a train the day he was born. |
| B．his grandpa once worked on the train. |
| C．took a group of disabled children on board a train. |
| D．was greatly attracted to trains since early childhood. |
The underlined word “mind-blowing” can be replaced by “_______”.
| A．exciting | B．frightening |
| C．surprising | D．disappointing |
The disabled children were refused to get on the train because _______.
| A．they couldn’t afford the train tickets |
| B．Robertson had not saved enough money for tickets |
| C．the train didn’t have special services for them |
| D．the workers there would not allow them to do so |
According to the passage, we can see that Robertson is a（n）_______ child.
| A．honest and crazy | B．kind and helpful |
| C．clever but boring | D．lazy but kind |
The word advertising refers to any kind of public announcement that brings products and services to the attention of people. Throughout history, advertising has been an effective way to promote（促进）the trading and selling of goods. In the Middle Ages, merchants employed town criers to the public messages aloud to promote their goods. When printing was invented in the fifteenth century, pages of advertisements（ads）could be printed easily and were either hung in public places or put in books.
By the end of the seventeenth century, when newspapers were beginning to be read by more people, printed materials became an important way to promote products and services. The London Gazette was the first newspaper to set aside a place just for advertising. This was so successful that by the end of the century several companies started businesses for the purpose of making newspaper ads for merchants.
Advertising spread quickly throughout the eighteenth century. Ad writers were starting to pay more attention to the design of the ad text. Everything, from clothes to drinks, was promoted with clever methods such as reception of the firm's name or product words organized in eye-catching patterns, the use of pretty pictures and expressions easy to remember.
Near the end of the nineteenth century, companies that were devoted to the production of ads came to be known as "advertising agencies（广告商）." The agencies developed new ways to get people to think of themselves as members of a group. Throughout the twentieth century, advertising agencies promoted consumerism（消费主义 as a way of life. Spreading the belief that people could be happy only if they bought the "right" products.What was advertising like in the Middle Ages?
| A．Merchants were employed to promote products. |
| B．Ad messages were shouted out in public places. |
| C．Product information was included in books. |
| D．Ad signs were put up in towns. |
What does the word "This" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．Advertising in newspapers. | B．Including pictures in ads. |
| C．selling goods in markets. | D．Working with ad agencies. |
The 18th century advertising was special in its ________.
| A．growing spending | B．printing materials |
| C．advertising companies | D．attractive designs |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
| A．The Story of Advertising |
| B．The Value of Advertising Designs |
| C．The Role of Newspaper Advertising |
| D．The Development of Printing for Advertising |
which of the following statements about the London Gazette is true?
| A．It was a newspaper for advertising |
| B．It was the first newspaper in London |
| C．It was successful in promoting products and services |
| D．It was the most popular newspaper in London |
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and moved to New York City when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters asking for admission（录取）to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. She was so determined that she taught school and gave music lessons to get money for the cost of schooling.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school. she decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon（外科医师）, but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea.
Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital , she also set up the first medical school for women.Why couldn’t Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon?
| A．She couldn’t get admitted to medical school |
| B．She decided to further her education in Paris |
| C．A serious eye problem stopped her |
| D．It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States |
What main obstacle（障碍） almost destroyed Elizabeth’s chances for becoming for a doctor?
| A．She was a woman. |
| B．She wrote too many letters. |
| C．She couldn’t graduate from medical school. |
| D．She couldn’t set up her hospital. |
How many years passed between her graduation from medical school and the opening of her hospital?
| A．Eight years | B．Ten years |
| C．Nineteen years | D．Thirty-six years |
According to the passage, all of the following are “firsts” in the life of Elizabeth Blacekwell, except that she ______.
| A．became the first woman physician |
| B．was the first woman doctor |
| C．and several other women founded the first hospital for women and children |
| D．set up the first medical school for women |
Eilzabeth Blackwell spent most of her life in _______.
| A．England | B．Paris |
| C．the United States | D．New York City |
The Evergreen Teen Book Club invites you to join us and take full advantage of our limited-time introductory offer.
If you join our club, you will receive a certificate for 3 free books. These are yours to keep, even if you decide to cancel your membership. However, if you decide to purchase just one book at the regular club price, you will receive a certificate for an additional 3 free selections after your first order is placed.
As our member, you can benefit from all of our super sales and our Bonus(奖励) Program. You accumulate 2 bonus points with each cash purchase of one book. Every 6 bonus points will earn you a certificate for one free book!
To join our club, fill in the brief application listing your name, address, and phone number on the postage-paid card at the bottom of this page. Then drop the card in the mail and our present catalogue will be immediately mailed out to you for your 3 free selections!
This catalogue offers a wide selection of over 500 books in every issue, including mysteries, adventures, biographies, cookbooks, sports, and many more. Our catalogue also contains interviews with your favorite authors, reviews of newly published novels, and a teen top-ten list for both fiction and nonfiction.
Once you are a member, you will receive our catalogue monthly, but you don’t need to purchase any selections. We send you only exactly what you order.
If you join before June 30th, we will also provide complimentary shipping (免费送货)，even if you choose to order nothing except your 3 free books.
You can build a great book collection!
Begin now by taking advantage of this great offer.If you join the Evergreen Teen Book Club, you can __________.
| A．buy books at cost price |
| B．get one free book for a cash purchase of 3 books |
| C．receive a gift after each order |
| D．expect 3 free books each month |
If Lily wants to get free delivery, she should __________.
| A．accumulate 6 bonus points |
| B．order at least 3 books |
| C．purchase the catalogue |
| D．join the club before June 30th |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to __________.
| A．join the club and order books |
| B．read different kinds of books |
| C．collect books for the club |
| D．learn from famous writers |
Minimalism(简约主义)is a term that describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is reduced to its most basic features．As for me, minimalism functions well not in art or design, but in my daily life．
When I was packing for university, I found it extremely difficult to let go of some of the things I owned．I knew I couldn’t take everything with me, but I kept asking myself “how could I possibly throw this away?”, “what if I need it one day?”, and “what about all of the memories?” Now that I’ve moved, and left that stuff behind, I don’t even miss it. Whether or not I got rid of it, it barely makes a bit of difference to me now．I’ve learned that over time people forget, or their need for a particular object eventually disappears. Either they store it away or they get rid of it．
You might think nostalgically（怀旧的）about the toys you cared about when you were a child, but what is making you smile now is not the thing itself but the memory of it. I’ve heard it a hundred times, “you don’t need things to make you happy.” It takes something life-changing like moving across the country to realize how true this is．
Speaking of which, for a lot of people, minimalism is about able to move．It’s about being able to go almost anywhere at any time because you don’t have many possessions to carry. When you keep things you don’t need, they become a burden that ties you to a place. Moving to university was a good time to let go of a lot of stuff．And when I visit for the holidays, I’ll probably get rid of even more, to lighten the burden．
Of course there are exceptions. There are some things that are irreplaceable, very rare or expensive or we simply love and cherish for some reason or another, since we are humans．But after we keep those, how much is left that we don’t really need?
Hence, minimalism．And why does minimalism bring happiness? That’s because what really makes me happy is freedom．And the key to freedom is minimalism because minimalism reduces our attachment to things．
Attachment to too many objects creates a great mess and can severely hold back our freedom to do whatever we want, while minimalism helps us start new projects, move, travel, learn new things, work, expand, be debt-free, be healthy – really living life to our full potential．
I left the nest to fly onwards and upwards. I can’t do it with old things weighing me down. And that is why I have adopted minimalism with open arms．In paragraph l, the writer gives the definition of minimalism to ________．
| A．introduce a topic | B．present his own idea |
| C．describe a scene | D．offer an argument |
Many people don’t want to let go of some of their belongings because ________．
| A．they haven’t had any life-changing experiences |
| B．they hope to live life to their full potential by storing things away |
| C．they fear their memories will be gone with the thrown-away stuff |
| D．they may have to change their lifestyle because of the loss of them |
Which of the following is NOT the reason why the writer favors “minimalism” in life?
| A．It takes the burden off her while she is moving． |
| B．It reduces her attachment to her personal things． |
| C．It enables her to gain the freedom that she desires． |
| D．It helps her to realize how true life is． |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Minimalism brings happiness． |
| B．Minimalism is applied in many fields． |
| C．Minimalism makes people think nostalgically． |
| D．Minimalism is about able to move． |
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