One day Mr. Brown sees a young woman in the street with children. He is very surprised because all the children are wearing the same clothes. White caps, blue coats and yellow trousers.
“Are all these children yours?” he asks the woman.
“Yes, they are.” she answers.
“Do you always dress them in the same clothes ?” asks Mr. Brown.
“Yes,” answers the mother. “When we have four children, we dress them in the same clothes because we don’t want to lose any of them. It is easy to see our children among other children because they are all wearing the same clothes.
And now we have ten, we dress them like this because we don't want to take other children home by mistake. When there are other children among ours, it is easy to see them because their clothes are different.How many people does Mr. Brown see in the street one day? He sees ____in all.
| A．twelve | B．eleven | C．four | D．ten children |
Why is Mr. Brown surprised? Because ________ .
| A．all the children are boys |
| B．all the children are in the same clothes |
| C．all the children are lovely |
| D．all the children are wearing the same trousers |
Why does the woman dress her children in the same clothes? Because ___________.
| A．she has so many children |
| B．she loves her children |
| C．she doesn't want to take her children home |
| D．she wants to see her children easily among others |
Festivals play an important role in a culture’s identity. I can’t think of a better way of appreciating a new culture than by taking part in one of its festivals. Here are some special festivals around the world.
★Boryeong Mud Festival--Boryeong, South Korea
For two weeks in July, millions gather in Boryeong to experience the grey pools and slides. What began as a way of promoting the region’s mineral-rich mud has turned into a festive party , complete with music and fireworks. While the mud is usually only available in cosmetic products, here you can cake yourself in grey as you want.
★Holi--lndia
Holi, the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu celebration full of joy and one of India’s most important holidays. During the day of the last full moon of the lunar month, usually late February or early March, the air is full of bright colored powder. The festival is celebrated differently throughout the country, but the cheerful spirit is common throughout Hindu communities around the world.
★Koninginnedag--The Netherlands
Although their current Queen’s birthday is really during the winter, the Queen still celebrates it on April 30th,the country’s official “Queen’s Day” since 1949. Orange is the national color, and the streets become a sea of feather boas（长围巾）and body paint as crowds gather in the plazas（广场）. Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, with many live music acts, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day.
★National Elephant Day in Thailand
In Thailand, March 13 is regarded as National Elephant Day to show that the Thai elephant plays an important role in the Thai history. Thai Elephant Day has been held on an annual basis since the idea was first approved by the Thai government in 1998. Special events are held at a number of venues in northern Thailand. At the Mae Sa Elephant Camp, it has become a tradition on March 13 for the dozens of elephants there to be treated to a huge feast of fruits and sugarcane.What we can learn from the passage is that ________.
| A．Boryeong Mud Festival was originally held to advertise for their mineral resources |
| B．people around the world celebrate Holi differently to promote their religions |
| C．Koninginnedag--The Netherlands was celebrated on their current Queen’s birthday |
| D．it is an international custom for the Thai elephant to eat all kinds of fruits and sugarcane |
What is the purpose of the festival held on March 13 in Thailand?
| A．To call on people to protect these endangered elephants. |
| B．To give the Thai elephant a chance to eat fruits and sugarcane. |
| C．To stress the importance of the elephant in the Thai history. |
| D．To help people relax themselves by feeding the Thai elephant. |
You can experience the Festival of Colors in _______.
| A．South Korea | B．Thailand | C．the Netherlands | D．India |
What is the main purpose of the text?
| A．To tell people how to enjoy and relax themselves. |
| B．To introduce some unique festivals around the world. |
| C．To get people to celebrate different kinds of customs. |
| D．To show the importance of celebrating different festivals. |
Another day begins with the call of the phone’s alarm, Where are you? Open your eyes. Turn the alarm off and you will start working out on your apps（应用软件）.
First stop, weather: Sunny day. Look outside the window. Oh, no, it isn’t. Second stop, Air Quality Index: 344, dangerous, Level 6 Severely Polluted. Mental recheck required: It really is a sunny day and the weather app isn’t lying or in need of being replaced, it’s just that you can’t see the sun through the thick fog. Note to self: Cycling to work is out, face mask is in.
Has the world stopped turning? News app merely confirms that it’s business as usual. Another government has fallen, your soccer team has lost again, and China’s economy is still increasing steadily.
Diary app informs you of all the things you failed to do the previous day and loads you up with another half-dozen tasks. Next, browse a couple of social networking apps to determine the status updates of friends.
Another sound from the phone, it’s a message from your significant friend who is already at work, saying the Taobao. com order for Italian cheese is about to arrive.
Apps have become part of our “every-moment” lives. Apps provide so much information. But the dark side to all this connectivity would be lack of privacy, being a slave to the app. The only real problem is that once you lose your smartphone, you lose your life.
Some friends and family do not have smartphones, but prefer the old-fashioned Nokia that merely makes phone calls and sends instant messages. While I respect their purity and desire to be free of the control of technology, it’s obvious they are outsiders, and their lives are loaded up with paper and old devices. They’re still buying books at stores, complaining the lack of CDs on the market, watching TV and missing out on complete news cycles. Though I would add, they have lives that aren’t spent inside small screens.
My phone is a palm-sized one-stop shop and about the only thing it doesn’t do is teleport（心灵运输）. What’s not to like?The functions of apps mentioned in the passage can be listed as follows EXCEPT that _______.
| A．the apps can show you weather forecast |
| B．the apps can tell you how to work directly |
| C．the apps can inform you the latest news |
| D．the apps can tell you what you failed to do |
According to the passage, the author thinks that _______.
| A．people’s life is governed by apps |
| B．people feel bored about the use of apps |
| C．people can’t live without apps |
| D．people hate apps with powerful functions |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph but one that _______.
| A．more and more people like Nokia more than apps |
| B．using Nokia can be free of the control of technology |
| C．all people don’t like the advanced smartphones |
| D．ordinary people don’t like shopping online |
Which comes first, happiness or money? Are richer people happier? And if so, how do people get much richer? A recent study could tell you the answer.
The study looked into thousands of teenagers and found that those who felt better about life as young adults tended to have higher incomes by the time they turned 29. Those who were happiest earned an average of $8,000 more than those who were the most depressed.
The researchers, from University College London and the University of Warwick, say that very gloomy teens, no matter how tall or smart they were, earned 10% less than their peers, while the happier ones earned up to 30% more.
Happier teenagers have an easier time getting through school, college and a job interview, chiefly because they always feel better about life. It may also be true that happier people find it easier to make friends, who are often the key to homework help or networking.
A report in June suggested that professional respect was more important than dollars in terms of workplace happiness. In August scientists announced that they had found the gene for happiness in women, Alas （the same gene doesn’t appear to have the same effect on men）. And in October researchers in the UK and in the US announced that people who eat seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day report being the happiest.
The big question is: if it really is true that happier kids end up being wealthier kids, is it necessary for parents to get their kids to do the homework? The fact is that no homework will make kids happy but surely hurt their grades. Studies do show, after all, that more education leads to better-paid jobs, which may give us a deep thought.
“These findings show that the teenagers’ happiness is important to their future success,” one of the report’s authors writes. “But what is the most important is that we should find a way to help children gain more satisfaction from doing schoolwork.”What conclusion can the researchers draw from the recent study?
| A．Happy teenagers grow up to be wealthier. |
| B．Money can make people become happier. |
| C．Wealth has nothing to do with happiness at all. |
| D．Schoolwork can help teens achieve success. |
The main reason why happier people have more chances to succeed is that ________.
| A．they are easy to communicate with others |
| B．they are good at doing their schoolwork |
| C．they are hopeful and optimistic about their life |
| D．they eat much more fruit and vegetables a day |
The underlined word “gloomy” in Paragraph 3 probably means “________”.
| A．upset | B．glorious | C．happy | D．wealthy |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．The way to educate kids. | B．The source of happiness. |
| C．How to achieve your goal. | D．The secret of being wealthier. |
ANCHORAGE, Alaska--The 2004 winner of Alaska’s famous 1,000-mile sled-dog race, the Iditarod, won again at age 53 to become the oldest champion in 2013, a year after his son became the youngest winner.
Mitch Seavey got his dogs to the finishing line first in 9 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes and 56 seconds. His son, Dallas Seavey, now 26, ended up ranking fourth, behind the older competitor, 43-year-old Aliy Zirkle, who followed four-time champion Jeff King, now 57.
Mitch Seavey, who lives in Seward, Alaska, operates a seasonal sled-dog touring business. The race was Mitch Seavey’s 20th Iditarod.
This year’s contest was marked by unusual conditions and unseasonable rain in the northern part of the trail, and conditions that Seavey said helped his team. “It seems like the tougher it is, the better we can do.”
He also thought highly of Zirkle, a New England immigrant（移民）who now lives in Two Rivers, Alaska. “She’s a great musher（赶狗拉雪橇的人）, and she’s going to win the Iditarod sometime, and probably more than once. We just had a little more energy, I think.” Zirkle, one of the most popular mushers, was greeted by shouts of “Aliy, Ally” from the fans as she drove her dog team approaching the finishing line on Nome’s Front Street. “I am pretty happy to be here,” she said. “I was going for it.”
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is one of the few major U. S. sports events in which men and women compete on an equal footing. The name “Iditarod” dates from a local Athabascan term meaning “a far, distant place”. Youthful mushers in the race may have some physical advantages--they can do some things more easily. But more importantly, winning the race needs the experience in dog race.
The year’s event started on Saturday, March 2 with a ceremonial nm in Anchorage. Of the 66 mushers who started the race, 10 had dropped out of competition as of Tuesday night. For his victory, Mitch Seavey will take home $50,400 and a new truck.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Mitch Seavey is the oldest competitor in the sled-dog race in 2013. |
| B．Mitch Seavey, who operates a touring business, is a New England immigrant. |
| C．Mitch Seavey won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 2004 and 2013. |
| D．Mitch Seavey managed to help his son become the youngest winner in 2012. |
On which day did Mitch Seavey probably win the champion in the 2013 Iditarod?
| A．On Saturday, March 2. | B．On Monday, March 11. |
| C．On Saturday, March 9. | D．On Tuesday, March 13. |
Who ranked the 2nd place in the 2013 Iditarod according to the passage?
| A．Aliy Zirkle. | B．Dallas Seavey. |
| C．Mitch Seavey. | D．Jeff King. |
According to the passage, we can learn that ________.
| A．the sled-dog race is the most important sports event in the US |
| B．experience also has a major influence on the result of the race besides age |
| C．men and women can’t compete in the sled-dog race together at the same time |
| D．all the athletes in the sled-dog race are limited by age to win the sled-dog race |
Everyone has talent, but not everyone succeeds with their talent. More factors than mere talent attribute to a greater personal success. Having talent or being talented is never enough to find success in life.
Dr. John Maxwell has written a new book to explain that there is more to success than just being talented. He says that the only way to find success in life is to apply good choices to talent and rise above the crowd. He believes that talented people need more than their gifts or abilities to succeed in life. There must be something more than just talent to become successful. A talent-plus person, a person who rises above the understanding of mere talent, is much more likely to find success than those with just talent alone.
People who have talent must be willing to make the right choices to maximize their talent. Wrong choices will minimize their talent, preventing them from rising to higher levels in life. Maximizing talent requires people to make good choices, but understanding that there are specific things in life requires no talent at all. Maxwell lists many different choices that people make to become a talent-plus persons including Belief lifts talent, Relationships influence talent, Responsibility strengthens talent, Teamwork multiplies talent, etc.
Following the simple principles found in the book can not only help people raise the level of their talent but also raise their level of living. When people combine the principles with their talents they can become a talent-plus person. The choice becomes one of willingness and personal change. Talent-plus people have the ability to change their life and the world.What’s the possible name of Maxwell’s new book?
(no more than 8 words)What should one do if he wants to become a talent-plus person?
(no more than 8 words)List three specific things which can maximize one’s talent according to Paragraph 3 ?
(no more than 5 words)What does the underlined word “maximize” in Paragraph 3 mean in English?
(no more than 8 words)Do you want to be a talent-plus person? Why or why not? Please give one or two reasons.
(No more than 25 words)
粤公网安备 44130202000953号