One of Britain's favorite pastimes, gardening is to be celebrated during the Olympics. Last week, the Olympics minister Tessa Jowell announced a public competition to design a typical British garden within London's new Olympic park.
Jowell said the idea behind the competition was to show off to the world one of the nation's favorite hobbies. It's likely the government also hopes that the competition will inspire more Brits to take an interest in the Olympics. It's a good plan, as the British love gardens almost as much as they love tea.
Gardening is an iconic activity in Britain. In many ways it defines Brits, perhaps because they are some of the world's keenest gardeners. The garden is seen as a private retreat (清净的场所) in the UK. Most Brits would far rather sit in their garden for instance than visit a park. They see their garden as an extension of their house outdoors, which is why so many Brits are as garden-proud as they are houseproud. There also seems to be something about the nourishing (滋养的) act of gardening that appeals tothe nation's gentle temperament (气质).
Interestingly, gardening has never been as widely enjoyed as it is today in Britain. Its growing popularity is no doubt due to people's increased awareness of the environment and the success of several popular gardening programs.
Historically, Brits are also skillful gardeners. As Jowell noted when she made her announcement, if gardening were an Olympic sport then green-fingered Brits "would win gold, silver and bronze".
Of course, the irony of Brits' passion for gardening is that their climate is so wet that there are very few months in the year they can sit outside and enjoy their gardens. In fact, it may be the very precious-ness of these few warm months that make gardens so prized and valued by Brits.What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Brits' favorite tea. |
| B．Brits' favorite pastime in the garden. |
| C．A public competition. |
| D．A typical British garden. |
The purpose of the competition is __________.
| A．to support the 2012 London Olympics |
| B．to require participants to design a typical British garden in their backyard |
| C．to attract foreign visitors |
| D．to show off one of the favorite hobbies |
The underlined word "iconic" in the third paragraph means __________.
| A．有代表性的 |
| B．活跃的 |
| C．积极的 |
| D．受欢迎的 |
Which of the following sentences does NOT contribute to people's love for gardens in Britain?
| A．Brits think of their gardens as an extension of their house outdoors. |
| B．Brits value the short warm months when they get to enjoy their gardens. |
| C．Brits do not have many public parks to relax themselves in. |
| D．Brits' gentle temperament makes them enjoy something like gardening. |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．Brits love their gardens more than they love their houses. |
| B．Brits enjoy sitting in their gardens as much as sitting in a park. |
| C．Brits don't adore gardening as much as before. |
| D．Brits are known to love gardening as much as they love tea. |
G
I'm usually fairly doubtful about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children aged 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.
Why are America's kids so stressed? According to the report there are two main causes: increasing loneliness ─ brought on by high divorce rates and little communication with society, among other things ─ and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation handle such difficulties. At the top of the list is giving children a better appreciation of the limits of individualism (个人主义). No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.
Limit the amount of virtual violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news. Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you deal with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.
1. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research comparing people's state of mind today with people’s state of mind in the past are______.
A. surprising B. confusing C. interesting D. questionable
2. What does the author mean when he says, “we can't turn the clock back” (Paragraph 3)?
A. It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.
B. The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
C. Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
D. It's impossible to forget the past.
3. According to the analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago____.
A. had little communication with friends
B. were probably less self-centered
C. probably suffered less from anxiety
D. were considered less individualistic
4. The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ____.
A. to provide the children with a safer environment
B. to lower their expectations for the children
C. to get the children more active socially
D. to set an example for the children to follow
5. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
A. Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be dealt with.
B. Children's anxiety has been taken too seriously.
C. Children's anxiety can disappear with more parental care.
D. Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.
F
It was a quarter past nine as Marie hurried into the office building where she would be working. Her bus had inched along through heavy morning traffic, making her a few minutes late for her very first job. She decided she would start out half an hour earlier the next day. Once inside the building, she had to stand at the lifts and wait several minutes before one arrived. When she finally reached the office marked "King Enterprises," she knocked at the door nervously and waited. There was no answer. She tapped on the door again, but still there was no reply. From inside the next office, she could hear the sound of voices, so she opened the door and went in. Although she was sure it was the same office she had been in two weeks before when she had had the interview with Mr. King, it looked quite different now. In fact, it hardly looked like an office at all. The employees were just standing around chatting and smoking. At the far end of the room, somebody must have just told a good joke, she thought, because there was a loud burst of laughter as she came in. For a moment she had thought they were laughing at her. Then one of the men looked at his watch, clapped his hands and said something to the others. Quickly they all went to their desks and, in a matter of seconds, everyone was hard at work. No one paid any mind to Marie. Finally she went up to the man who was sitting at the desk nearest to the door and explained that this was her first day in the office. Hardly looking up from his work, he told her to have a seat and wait for Mr. King, who would arrive at any moment. Then Marie realized that the day's work in the office began just before Mr. King arrived. Later she found out that he lived in Connecticut and came into Manhattan on the same train every morning, arriving in the office at 9:35, so that his staff knew exactly when to start working.
1. Marie felt nervous when she knocked at the door because _______.
A. she had never met the boss once before
B. she was a little bit late for work
C. she was afraid that she had gone to the wrong place
D. there was no answer from inside the office
2. Marie could hardly recognize the office she went into as _______.
A. she had been there only once
B. Mr. King was not in the office
C. nobody was doing any work
D. the office had a new appearance
3. The people in the office suddenly started working because _______.
A. they saw a stranger in the office
B. they had finished their morning break
C. no one wanted to talk to Marie
D. the boss was about to arrive
4. We can infer from the passage that the employees of the enterprise
_______.
A. would start their work day by listening to a joke
B. were considerate to newcomers
C. were always punctual for work
D. lacked devotion to the company
5 . What is probably the best title for the passage?
A. Punctual Like a Clock
B. A Cold Welcome
C. An Unpunctual Manager
D. Better Late Than Never
E
When New York City was not very big, there was a market on the East River. On market day all the farmers came there to sell their vegetable, butter and eggs, and fruit. They laughed and talked together, so no one could hear the river that ran beside them.
But Hans ,the butterman , sat without a smile. He sold pounds of butter from a table beside him. Many people said that his butter wasn’t the right weight. They said that his rolls of butter didn’t weigh as much as a pound.
Once the weighmaster came walking down the road. He was looking for people who did not sell the full weight. Someone told him, ”Watch Hans, the butterman.”
Hans had good eyes. He saw the weighmaster and quickly put the piece of gold into the first roll of butter, between the butter and its cover.
A captain was standing beside Hans’s table, and he had seen Hans put the piece of gold into the roll. He stood at Hans’s side when the weighmaster came up to him.
“Good morning,” said the weighmaster.
“Good morning,” said Hans. “I think that you are looking for farmers who trick the people of our town.
“I’m,” said the weighmaster. “Someone told me that your rolls of butter don’t weigh a full pound.”
“Oh yes, they do. Here, Weighmaster. Here is a roll of butter. Weigh it yourself,” said Hans.
Hans took the first roll of butter and gave it to the weighmaster.
The weighmaster took his scales and put the butter onto it. The roll weighed more than a pound.
“I’ve made a mistake,” said the weighmaster. “You are an honest man. There is enough butter in this roll.”
Then the captain stood in front of Hans’s table. “You are an honest man, so I want to buy some of your butter,” he said. Before Hans could speak, the captain picked up the roll of butter with the piece of gold in it. “I’ll take this one.”
Hans’s heart began beating more quickly. “No, not that one. I’ve sold that one to a friend of mine. Take another one.”
“No, I want this one,” said the captain.
“I won’t sell it to you. I told you that I’ve sold it to a friend,” said Hans.
“Don’t make me angry. The weighmaster weighed this roll. Give your friend another one.”
“But I want to give him this one,” said Hans, who was now very uncomfortable.
“I ask you, good Weighmaster,” said the captain angrily, “don’t I have the right to choose the piece of butter that I want? I will pay good money for it.”
“Of course you have the right, Captain,” said the weighmaster. “What are you afraid of, Hans? Aren’t all the rolls of butter alike? Perhaps I have to weigh all of them.”
What could Hans say? What could he do? He had to smile and sell the butter to the captain. The captain gave Hans three cents for the butter.
The captain and the weighmaster walked away together.
“You punished the thief,” said the weighmaster.
“No, he punished himself,” said the captain, smile.
1. When Hans saw the weighmaster, he .
A. stood up at once B. said hello to the weighmaster
C. put a piece of gold into a roll of butter quickly
D. gave the weighmaster a piece
2. After the weighmaster weighed the roll of butter that Hans gave, he .
A. thought Hans was an honest man
B. wanted to weigh all the other rolls of butter
C. wanted to buy a roll of butter from Hans
D. thought Hans was foolish
3. The captain wanted to buy butter from Hans .
A. because he knew Hans was an honest man
B. because he wanted to punish Hans
C. to get the piece of gold in the butter
D. because the butter weighed more than a pound
4. Hans didn't want to sell that roll of butter to the captain because .
A. he had sold it to someone else
B. he didn't like the captain
C. he didn't want to lose the piece of gold in it
D. it weighed more than a pound
D
Language learning begins with listening. Individual children vary greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and late starters are often long listeners. Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word obey is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.
Any attempt to trace the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particularly indicative of delight, distress, sociability, and so on. But since these cannot be said to show the baby's intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new sounds to their repertoire (能发出的全部声音). This self-imitation leads on to deliberate (有意识的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.
1. By "... challenges explanation" Line 2, Para.1. the author means that ______.
A. no explanation is necessary for such an obvious phenomenon
B. no explanation has been made up to now
C. it's no easy job to provide an adequate explanation
D. it's high time that an explanation was provided
2. The third paragraph is mainly about _____.
A. the development of babies' early forms of language
B. the difficulties of babies in learning to speak
C. babies' strong desire to communicate
D. babies' intention to communicate
3. The author's purpose in writing the second paragraph is to show that children _______.
A. usually obey without asking questions
B. are passive in the process of learning to speak
C. are born cooperative D. learn to speak by listening
4. From the passage we learn that ______.
A. early starters can learn to speak within only six months
B. children show a strong desire to communicate by making noises
C. imitation plays an important role in learning to speak
D. children have various difficulties in learning to speak
5. The best title for this passage would be ______.
A. How Babies Learn to Speak B. Early Forms of Language
C. A Huge Task for Children D. Noise Making and language Learning
C
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1．The text is most likely to be found in ．
A．a scientific research report B．a travel magazine
C．a weekly newspaper D．a geography textbook
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A．Accountants． B．Students．
C．Investors． D．Professors．
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B．Marks&Spencer Financial Services reassure the investors that their interests will be well 1ooked after．
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D．Gmo Woolley will be looking for companies that can offer excellent growth chances.
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