An American shopper, Emma Mumford, who was named “the Coupon(优惠券) Queen” has spent just £350 on a luxury(奢侈) Christmas for her and her family—but got £2,500 worth of food, drink and presents thanks to coupons and offers.
Ms Mumford is a so-called “extreme coupon ” and spends hours hunting out the best deals and bargains. She has been preparing for this Christmas since the end of the last one. Ms Mumford made the huge savings by checking price comparison websites and as a result collected more presents than she needed for Christmas. After sorting out gifts for all of her family, she has even been able to donate £1,000 worth of presents to her local hospital.
“It has been so nice to have Christmas sorted and not having to worry about breaking the bank. I wanted to get high quality presents for my family and show that you can do it without spending a fortune. There is a misunderstanding that everyone who does couponing only gets value products but through my careful shopping I have managed to purchase designer perfumes(香水), a high-end coffee machine .”she explained.
She said “What started as a hobby to help me save money has turned into my life and I am able to run a business helping people save money. I know what it feels like to struggle as my ex-partner had a lot of debt which I took on for him. We were in a poor situation where every penny counted. That’s what really inspired me.”
She has now turned her bargain-hunting addiction into a business where she searches for the best deals and offer tips to the general public through video blogging and her Facebook Page.
“I try and show people that it is just a little bit of work in the beginning but it will eventually pay off. One of the best things to do is just to be a bit forward thinking and save throughout the year.”
How did Emma make the huge savings?
| A．She compared prices through websites. |
| B．She hunted out bargains in real shops. |
| C．She used coupons and offers worth £2,500. |
| D．She collected more Christmas presents than needed. |
What does “breaking the bank” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Buying presents of low quality. |
| B．Spending more money than you have. |
| C．Breaking into the bank. |
| D．Taking out money from the bank. |
What really inspired Emma to help people save money?
| A．Her addiction to bargain-hunting. |
| B．The financial difficulties she shared with her ex-partner. |
| C．The poor situation people around her were going through. |
| D．Her experience of running an unsuccessful business. |
Which of the following can best describe Emma?
| A．Ambitious and stubborn. |
| B．Sensitive and determined. |
| C．Brave and lucky. |
| D．Careful and caring. |
That cold January night, it seemed I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
| A．Cold and sick | B．ucky and hopeful |
| C．Satisfied and cheerful | D．Disappointed and helpless |
In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?
| A．Someone offered to take her back home. |
| B．A red-haired man came to see her. |
| C．She heard someone call her name. |
| D．Her wallet was found in a garbage truck. |
From the text, we can infer that the writer ________.
| A．would stop working at night |
| B．would stay on in San Francisco |
| C．would make friends with cleaners |
| D．would give up her job at the bank |
The text is developed ________.
| A．by contrast | B．by space |
| C．by example | D．by time |
There is a saying “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” What one individual considers beautiful may not be beautiful to another. When we talk about beauty in people, we often refer to their physical attractiveness. Of course, a beautiful or handsome face is pleasant to look at. But to me, beauty is not only something that pleases the eyes, but also pleases the other senses and the mind. I think true beauty makes you see beyond the lovely sight. It will give you insight or realization of something interesting beyond just the outward appearance.
The most memorable “beautiful people” are those who have attractive personalities behind the pretty faces. In one of my previous classes, there were two beautiful girls, Sue and Lin. Both had almost perfect faces and slender figures. But Lin was used to getting her way. She felt that her looks could help her get anything she wanted, especially among the boys. Sue, on the other hand, treated her beauty in a matter-of-fact way and she was nice to everyone. She was also a member of the debating team. Her personality was mostly accepted by others and it made her a more outstanding beauty than Lin.
Inner beauty is another kind of beauty that attracts people greatly. People who have this kind of beauty have attained (达到) inner peace. They care about their fellow-men, and try to right the injustices in this world. Two well-known personalities who exemplify (以…为典型) this are Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa. Mandela is willing to sacrifice his life and freedom to obtain equal right for the blacks in South Africa. Mother Theresa’s mission (使命) is to help the poorest of the world’s poor. This inner look makes the world a better place. When we talk about beauty in people, we often only refer to __________.
| A．“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” |
| B．something beyond the lovely sight |
| C．their attractive appearance |
| D．the other senses |
According to the passage, why did the author think Sue was more beautiful than Lin?
| A．Because Sue had perfect face. |
| B．Because Sue was highly thought of by others. |
| C．Because Sue had slender figure. |
| D．Because Lin treated her beauty in a matter-of-fact way. |
What’s the author’s opinion on beauty?
| A．Beauty is a perfect face. |
| B．Beauty is something that pleases the eyes. |
| C．Beauty is an attractive personality behind the pretty faces. |
| D．Inner beauty doesn’t attract people. |
If Confucius were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake，there would be a lot of candles．He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out．
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day，few people in the United States will give him a passing thought．It’s nothing personal．Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes．
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius．In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China．
In the past two decades，the Chinese study programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities．More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries．These schools teach both Chinese language and culture．The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art，history and philosophy．Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the old Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy．Students in the United States，at the same time，are racing to learn Chinese．So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States．Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers．
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well．
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．
As for the old thinker，he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West，even if his birthday is．The first paragraph is mainly intended to_________．
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| C．show great respect for the old thinker |
| D．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
The reason why few Americans remember Confucius on his birthday is probably that______．
| A．they don’t care about Confucius at all． |
| B．they consider their own national heroes more important． |
| C．he has become a bridge between foreigners and China. |
| D．they don’t pay much attention to the birthdays of famous people． |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students________．
| A．were not interested in Chinese studies before |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| D．hope to make money in China |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
If you haven’t already, you too should switch to the latest eco-friendly, energy-efficient, energy-saving LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting. As the world becomes more focused on green issues, everyone should do their part in practicing energy efficiency, recycling, cutting down their CO2 emissions and much, much more. One of the most successful campaigns that started in Australia is the now world-famous“Earth Hour”. 2.2 million of Sydney’s residents turned off their lights for an hour in a mass attempt to save energy. The following year, the same idea was adopted by a whole host of different cities.
This is a great example of a campaign to promote eco-friendly options and energy efficiency. But while it clearly raises awareness, it is not a long-term solution to energy saving across the developed world. A long-term solution can be found in the form of switching to LED lighting rather than the traditional halogen lights(卤光灯) found in a typical home.
Put simply, LED lighting is the future of lighting. LED lamps use up only a fraction of the energy compared to that of regular lamps. They also produce a quality flicker-free light, and will last longer than a regular light with 50,000 hours being realistic. Not only are they longer lasting and more energy-efficient with no sacrifice in light quality, but they may quickly become a possible substitute (替代物) for regular lamps that have been previously installed by homes and businesses.
An ordinary 50 watt low-voltage halogen light on for 4 hours a day would cost $ 25 per year to run. With a life span of around 3,000 hours it will typically stop working at the two-year mark. Compared with the regular one, an LED light of 50 watts operating for the same period will cost roughly $ 6 per year to run and last 50,000 hours. That means it won’t have to be replaced for 24 years! It really is a no brainer to switch to energy-saving LED lighting. Plus, you will be doing your bit for the environment by becoming more eco-friendly.“Earth Hour”is held in the world every year in order to .
| A．ask people to generate more energy for daily use |
| B．call on people to use less energy as much as possible |
| C．remind people to remember the days without lights |
| D．advise people to have a good rest after working hard |
How should we save energy according to the author?
| A．Raise public awareness. | B．Turn off the lights. |
| C．Hold“Earth Hour”. | D．Use LED lights. |
. It can be inferred from the third paragraph that LED lamps .
| A．are more expensive that regular ones |
| B．will take the place of regular lamps completely |
| C．might be used by more homes in the future |
| D．use up more energy and give out more light |
The underlined phrase in the last paragraph“no brainer”probably means a thing that .
| A．needs no consideration. | B．needs deep study |
| C．changes with others | D．connects with others |
When Peng Liyuan stepped off the plane in Moscow, the whole world wanted to know who dressed the elegant first lady．The reporter released the secret—Ma Ke．
Peng Liyuan has been wearing Ma Ke’s designs for more than a decade，a fact that was only highlighted recently when she was on her first state visit，accompanying her husband President Xi Jinping．The elegant and attractive Peng，formerly a popular singer, has been compared with the US’ first lady Michelle Obama and France’s Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, since stepping off the airplane in Moscow on March 22．Suddenly, everyone was curious to know more about the first lady’s wardrobe(衣橱)．
Even so，Ma prefers a low key approach．“If you eat a tasty egg why would you want to see the hen?” she says．
Ma’s relationship with Peng began 10 years ago after a concert in Guangzhou when a reporter told Peng she knew the designer behind the label Exception de Mixmind．Peng asked for an introduction because she was a fan of Ma’s designs and had been wearing them for years．
The two naturally became friends．Ma says：“The painting reflects the painter, and clothes reflect both the designer and the wearer．Someone desires fame and wealth，or love and sympathy；what you have in your heart is reflected in the design．Those who don’t share my philosophy won’t buy my clothes．Peng is a caring person，devoted to charity and environmental protection，which is exactly what I’m doing now．”
However, regardless of the brand，Peng’s support of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands．
“Instead she presented a vision of Chinese fashion，desiring to bring Chinese designers to the world stage，”says a western designer．
The first lady’s double-breasted coat and her black leather handbag aren’t available at any of Exception’s shops，though Exception’s physical stores do have seen a rising number of visitors． What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mean?
| A．opened | B．invented |
| C．forecast | D．hid |
In the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 Ma Ke mentioned “an egg and the hen” to show ______．
| A．it is hard to explain“ Which came first，the egg or the hen?” |
| B．the designer is more important than the design |
| C．paying such great attention to her was unnecessary |
| D．her satisfaction with the media attention on her dress |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A. First ladies compete with each other whenever they are together.
B. Peng’s suits can be bought in Ma Ke’s clothes stores
C Ma Ke’s opinions are totally different from Peng’s
D Peng had liked Ma’s designs long before they met each other.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Peng wears the dress designed by a Chinese designer probably to support Chinese brands. |
| B．Many citizens found Peng Liyuan’s choice quite unexpected. |
| C．Black leather handbags like Peng’s are widely sold in bag stores in big cities. |
| D．After Peng Liyuan’s visit to Moscow Ma Ke’s clothes became more popular |
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