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While growing up in Jersey in the 1960s, I always seemed to be building things. One summer I build a model car with my father. It was a simple affair, and as a capable 12-year-old, I could have easily done it alone. But my father spent the time together with me, and before I knew it, we were both out in the garage, working away.
I wish I had thought about this when I was raising my first son. We never built anything together. Oh, we had a lot of fun, for sure. But we never undertook a common work of our hands.
A few years ago, when Anton, my second son, asked if we could build a treehouse in the big silver maple behind our house, his suggestion immediately reminded me of the memory. Yes, I thought. Of course. My second chance. And so, one day while Anton was in school and I had some free time, I bought some wood. But one thing led to another and we got only as far as the ladder and a simple platform. His vision for the treehouse was not fulfilled that summer, and the three following summers saw me involved with other things. In the middle of our quiet supper last night, I looked at Anton, a high school student now and asked, “Anton, are you still interested in finishing the treehouse?” “Sure, Dad,” he said, and within that “sure” was contained, perhaps, his own self-awareness of a childhood to which he was still attached.
We continued where we had left off. I was surprised at how good a worker Anton had become. Where four years ago all he could really do with confidence was hammer nails, now he was measuring and cutting. In one moment that took my breath away, he attempted to center a support beam(支撑梁)while looking to me for direction. “Is it centered, Dad?” I waved him a little to the right. Then a little more. Then I said. “Perfect.”
And it was perfect. As was this second chance, I finally realized that my father hadn't had to help me build that model car in 1966. He wanted to. And that made all the difference.Not having built anything together with his first son, the author felt _____.
| A．disappointed | B．satisfied |
| C．regretful | D．relieved |
Why didn't they finish building the treehouse at first?
| A．It was too hot those summers. |
| B．Anton wasn't confident enough. |
| C．They gradually lost interest in it. |
| D．They were both occupied with other things. |
From the fourth paragraph, we can see that the father _____.
| A．was proud of his son |
| B．missed the last chance |
| C．felt content with the treehouse |
| D．hoped to finish the work perfectly |
It can be inferred that the author realized _____.
| A．the quiet passing of childhood |
| B．the difficulty in raising children |
| C．the children's dependence on their father |
| D．the significance of undertaking a common work with children |
Growing strawberries in pots
·The best way to start growing strawberries is to buy pot-grown strawberry plants in spring：5 plants are plenty for a hanging basket and 10 for the average 13 inch-sized pot．
·Plant them immediately in soil-based compost（混合肥料） and they will produce a modest crop in their first year．The second year should see a bumper（特大的）crop，followed by a slightly lower yield（产量）the third summer．Then start again with fresh stock ．
·Careful watering and feeding are essential If you are to harvest a good crop，you must never let the compost dry out, particularly when the fruit is forming and ripening；if you do．most of your crop will drop off血e bush almost immediately．
·Water well then leave the pots for up to 3 weeks，until they reach the point of drying out be careful not to overwater them during the winter months．
Pruning apple trees
·A one-year-old tree is known as a “maiden”．It has a single stem when purchased．Immediately after planting, cut it back by about half to leave 4 good buds at the base of the stem．This will force growth from the base or the plant during the summer．
·In the second year ,prune in winter by cutting all side branches back by about one-third, Make sure each cut is made cleanly just above an outward-facing bud．In the third and fourth years, new side branches will have emerged from the previous year’s growth．Cut back all these new side branches by a third, pruning to an outward-facing bud．
·By the fifth year the tree should have a well-balanced shape．From then on ,cut back all new branches by one-third in winter．Remove any diseased wood and broken branches, and ensure the centre is open to air circulationThe two pieces of advice probably appear in_________
| A．a scientific repot | B．a gardening guide |
| C．a book review | D．a fashion column |
A good crop of strawberries mainly depends on_________
| A．the size of a pot |
| B．the season of harvesting |
| C．the number of plants in a pot |
| D．careful watering and feeding |
Cutting back all side branches by a third is to__________
| A．remove the diseased and broken branches |
| B．keep the whole tree open to air circulation |
| C．force the apple tree to grow from the base in winter |
| D．help the apple tree to form a well-balanced shape |
The two pieces of advice suggest that planting is closely related to_______
| A．season | B．water | C．compost | D．cutting |
The breaking news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday evening soon aroused public curiosity of the 57yearold Chinese writer: Why was it him that was favored by the Swedish Academy?
Born in 1955 into a rural family，Mo dropped out of school and became a farmer when he was a teenager．He joined the military and devoted himself to writing after the Cultural Revolution （1966－1976）．
Less than half an hour after the announcement，Mo's works turned to soldout status at China's major online book sellers．One lucky buyer wrote in an online comment: “Rushed to purchase，but to my shame，I have not read any of his novels．”
Although Mo was entitled one of the top domestic literature awards before the Nobel Prize，he is not the most popular novelist in China，in either the book market or in reputation．
Mo's novel “Big Breasts & Wide Hips，” translated by Howard Goldblatt，tells a story of a mother who struggled and suffered hardship and intertwined fates with Chinese people in the 20th century．His more recent work “Frog” more directly criticized China's onechild family policy，which helped control the country's population explosion but also brought tragedies to rural residents in the past 60 years．
“I think the reason why I could win the prize is because my works present lives with unique Chinese characteristics，and they also tell stories from a viewpoint of common human beings，which is above differences of nations and races，” Mo said on Thursday evening to Chinese journalists．Mo also said many folk arts originated from his hometown，such as clay sculpture，paper cuts，traditional new yearpaintings，have inspired and influenced his novels．
With more Chinese writers like Mo，the world could learn a more real China．Perhaps，this is another reason for the Swedish Academy's choice．What can we conclude from the second paragraph?
| A．Mo's life experiences． | B．Mo's family life． |
| C．Mo devoted himself to writing． | D．Mo had a gift for writing． |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Mo didn't got any national awards before he won the Nobel Prize． |
| B．Mo was the top novelist in China before he won the Nobel Prize． |
| C．Mo's novels have attracted many people to read． |
| D．Mo's novels are all based on his daily life． |
Which of the following have no effect on Mo's novels according to the passage?
| A．Clay sculpture． | B．Paper cuts． |
| C．Folk arts． | D．Beijing opera． |
According to the passage，we know that________．
| A．Big Breasts & Wide Hips' leading role is one happy mother |
| B．Big Breasts & Wide Hips criticized China's onechild family policy |
| C．Frog came out earlier than Big Breasts & Wide Hips |
| D．Frog shows benefit as well as shortcoming of one China's policy |
The kindly “Chinese Fortune Grandpa” wearing Han Chinese clothing and holding a fortune bag debuted （亮相） at the Imperial Ancestral Shrine in Beijing on the day after Christmas．The final image of the Chinese gift-giver was selected through a global design competition against“Santa Claus”，according to a report by Guangming Daily．
Many Chinese cities have been filled with Christmas neon lights，Christmas songs，Christmas trees，and the images of “Santa Claus”in recent days．As a matter of fact，foreign festivals are becoming more popular than certain traditional Chinese festivals among the Chinese people，particularly the youth．“Certain traditional festivals have died out because people have forgotten their spiritual meanings，”said noted writer Feng Jicai．More and more Chinese people are beginning to exchange gifts on Valentine's Day and Christmas．However，many of them know nothing about Chinese New Year pictures or sugarcoated figurines（小糖人），and have never heard suona music．Certain folk customs on the Dragon Boat Festival，Tomb Sweeping Day，and other traditional festivals have gradually disappeared．Under such circumstances，even the “Chinese Fortune Grandpa” is unlikely to defeat “Santa Claus”．
However，it is not a bad thing to some extent．It constantly reminds people to restore the “true face” of traditional festivals．China has listed traditional Tomb Sweeping Day，Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival as legal holidays，which brings more paid leaves to the public，and helps to awake the public awareness of traditional festivals．
In modern society，festival is a carrier of culture and its meaning largelydepends on their understandings and usages by people．Compared with foreign festivals，traditional Chinese festivals are not inferior （次于） in cultural meanings，but lack of fashion sought by modern people．If people do not appreciate the historical culture contained by traditional festivals，and only take pleasure-seeking as the most important，the significance of traditional festivals will fade away and the inheritance （继承） of fine traditional culture will be cut off．
The second paragraph implies that______________________．
| A．traditional festivals should co-exist with foreign festivals |
| B．all the Chinese festivals are disappearing in the near future |
| C．western festivals are constantly impacting on our festivals |
| D．the Chinese people have the public awareness of traditional festivals |
We can learn from the passage that______________．
| A．an image designed by the Chinese people will be displayed |
| B．the Chinese gift-giver was intended to symbolize traditional culture |
| C．many foreigners know nothing about Chinese festivals |
| D．the Chinese are beginning to exchange gifts on the Mid-Autumn Festival |
Many Chinese youth dislike traditional festivals because they think______________．
| A．traditional festivals are out of fashion now |
| B．the historical culture is more difficult to understand |
| C．western festivals contain more cultural meanings |
| D．the inheritance will cut off their contact with western festivals |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Gone are Chinese Traditional Festivals |
| B．True Face of Chinese Traditional Culture |
| C．Foreign Festivals Popular with Chinese |
| D．Chinese Fortune Grandpa VS．Santa Claus |
On June 15th，2012，millions of people watched as 33yearold Nik Wallenda walked across one of the world's greatest waterfalls on a tightrope（钢丝）．What made the 25－minute walk that was televised live and watched by over 13 million people worldwide even more amazing，is that it was done over the Niagara Falls－An action that had never been attempted before．
Even though Nik was wearing a harness（保护带），a safety measure provided by ABC，the television network that broadcast the event，his action to keep his balance against the strong winds made for some heart－stopping（令人担忧的） moments for the audience．
Nik，however，never slowed down for even one moment．Wearing special shoes made by his mother，he remained totally focused on the job at hand．It was only when he got to the last stretch near Canada's Table Rock that he knelt down on one knee and finally broke into a smile．Waving and blowing kisses to the cheering audience，he knew he had accomplished a great task，which most people had thought impossible．
While he described the whole experience as peaceful and relaxing，Nik said his biggest challenges came from a totally unexpected source－his 40 pound balancing pole．The balancing pole was so heavy that he could hardly carry it on the tightrope．
One would think that now that Nik has realized his lifelong dream he would be ready to hang up his “balancing pole”．However，the adventurer who already has seven Guinness World Records under his belt，is just getting started－Next up? A 5，000－foot tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon．While the one across the Niagara Falls took years of planning because he had to convince the US and Canadian officials，this one should happen in the very near future．That's because，the Florida resident has already been granted（授予） a permit by the Canyon officials．Why did so many people fix their attention on the event?
A．Because it was done by Nik Wallenda．
B．Because nobody had done it there before．
C．Because it was broadcast live by ABC．
D．Because it was impossible to do the event．What made the audience hold their breath during Nik's performance?
| A．How Nik managed to cross the Niagara Falls with safety measure． |
| B．What Nik would do when he lost his balance on the tightrope． |
| C．How Nik kept his balance against the strong winds． |
| D．How long Nik will take to finish the event． |
What was the greatest difficulty for him to face in Nik view?
| A．The supplied tightrope． | B．The safety belt． |
| C．The balancing pole． | D．The audience's noise． |
What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Nik will go on with his dream． |
| B．Nik's life dream is changing． |
| C．Permission of governments is important． |
| D．The Grand Canyon is a dream for Nik． |
Its often interesting to take a look at some of the lists that arrive toward the end of the year such as top devices, best gadgets, most desirable high-tech gift and more. Apart from cell phones and tablets, and Apple and Samsung products, this year many other gadgets made it on the most wanted list from Yahoo Tech and the most searched list from Bing. com. Read on to find out what they are.
Wireless headphone
Portable Bluetooth headphones represent the next evolution in headphone technology. If you have a compatible smartphone with Bluetooth, the obvious benefit is that you can get rid of the wires snaking from your backpack or pocket. Many of the wireless headphones in the market also have a built-in microphone for taking calls hands-free.
Product to buy: Beats Studio Wireless
Features: Signature look, and powerful audio performance with intense bass and high-mid boosting, plus plenty of accessories.
Price: 1898 yuan
Smartwatch
The primary advantage of a smartwatch over traditional watches is that they reduce how often you have to pull your phone out of your pocket. With it, the information on your smartphone goes straight to your wrist, and you can decide first if they are worth dealing with.
Product to buy: Pebble smartwatch
Features: Understated design, with easy setup and instant information, and customizable watch faces, plus synes（同步）with Android or IOS.
Price: $99 (about 612 yuan)
Portable Bluetooth speaker
Bluetooth speakers are steadily growing in popularity because they let you take the party anywhere. They can be paired with your music device, and they are able to withstand incidental bumps. Though small in size, Bluetooth speakers provide a steady soundtrack for even the lengthiest bacchanalia (狂欢)。
Product to buy: Logitech UE Boom
Features: Water and stain resistant, 360-degree sound, 15 hour battery life, with a variety of color patterns.
Price: 1499 yuan
Fitness band
Basically, fitness bands are smartwatches without the watch. They keep track of your exercise progress and, at the same time, allow you to monitor vitals such as your heart rate, calories burned and amount of time spent exercising. Some even monitor your sleep patterns.
Product to buy: Fitbit Flex
Features: Long battery life (five days), with silent vibrating alarm, and wireless syncing to smartphones.
Price: 898 yuanAccording to the first paragraph, a smartphone that __________ is a compatible one.
| A．goes with other devices |
| B．has a large capacity |
| C．represents technological evolution |
| D．has signature look |
How much money is he likely to spend on some of the products if a man is an enthusiastic musical fan?
| A．3397 yuan | B．1510 yuan |
| C．2397 yuan | D．2510 yuan |
Which of the following words can best summarize the common feature of the above products?
| A．Wearable | B．Cheap |
| C．Android | D．Wireless |
Which of the following statements is Not True according to the passage?
| A．Smartwatch and Fitness band are similar products to some extent. |
| B．Beats Studio Wireless features plenty of accessories. |
| C．All the products can sync with Android or iOS |
| D．Tablets are on the most wanted list of high-tech products of this year |
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