A British 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 couponer” 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 misconception 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 offers 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.”
What does “breaking the bank” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Buying presents of low quality. |
| B．Breaking into the bank. |
| C．Spending more money than you have. |
| 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 creative. |
| B．Sensitive and determined. |
| C．Brave and lucky. |
| D．Careful and caring. |
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 £3,500. |
| D．She collected more Christmas presents than needed. |
Singles' Day ---- the Chinese opposite of Valentine’s Day has turned into a massive online shopping event. It is a day when single people are supposed to buy themselves presents. But there are sociological reasons behind China's “celebration” of single life. And the imbalance could have big consequences for the country.
There were 34 million more men than women in China in 2011. Part of that is natural – usually there are 105 boys born for every 100 girls. But the Chinese gender ratio (性别比例) at birth is much more obvious. It was 116 boys to 100 girls in 2012. The one child policy is largely to blame. Brought in to limit population expansion, the policy allows only one child per family. But because male children are seen as more valuable, as well as more likely to support their parents in old age, some parents choose to have a son over a daughter. The result is that large numbers of men will likely never get married. In fact, one study has predicted that by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese men in their 30s will never have married, while another states that 94% of unmarried people in China are men.
Traditionally, China has seen high levels of marriage, usually among the young. Besides, the increased education and career opportunities for women have meant that marriages are happening later. It is also traditional that women often marry men of a higher socioeconomic status than themselves. So women at the top and men at the bottom find themselves alone. One study has even suggested a link between an imbalanced gender ratio and growth in violent crime in the country.
Singles ' Day can’t solve all the problems China’s singles face. Indeed, it is possible that it is causing even more problems, as men resort to increasingly risky lines of work to increase their chances of gaining money and thus a wife. I am worried that as money starts to overcome romance, there is evidence that China ' s marriage market is increasingly materialistic.
In 2012, if 50 girls were born, how many boys were probably born?
| A．50. | B．52. | C．58. | D．60. |
What made women in China get married late?
| A．Their support of the government’s late marriage policy. |
| B．Their higher education level and more work chances. |
| C．That they expect to enjoy their single time when young. |
| D．That there are too many excellent young men to choose from. |
What’s the writer’s attitude to the imbalance gender ratio in China?
| A．Optimistic | B．Concerned |
| C．Indifferent | D．Unknown |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．Singles' Day is celebrated all over the world. |
| B．by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese women in their 30s will be out of marriage. |
| C．an imbalanced gender ratio is related to the growth in violent crime. |
| D．Singles' Day will solve all the problems China’s singles face. |
The world's first hamburger doesn't come from where you think it comes from. It wasn't invented in the United States, and it didn't originate in Germany. No, the world's first hamburger comes from China.
If you're scratching your head right now, you're not alone. But Chinese hamburgers are very real and they definitely predate the hamburgers we call our own in the U.S. Known as rou jia mo, which translates to "meat burger" or "meat sandwich", they consist of chopped meat inside a pita-like bun, and they've been around since the Qin Dynasty, from about 221 BC to 207 BC. Despite the differences between this Chinese street food and our American-style burgers, the rou jia mo has been called the world's first hamburger.
The rou jia mo originated in the Shanxi Province of China, and is now eaten all over the country. It's typically prepared and eaten on the street. The dough for the bun, or mo, consists of a simple mixture of wheat flour, water and maybe yeast. Of course recipes may vary, but this basic equation makes for a chewy and subtle pillow for the delicious filling. While the mo is traditionally baked in a clay oven, today it's often fried in a pan. They may look a little like Chinese steamed buns or baozi, but the dough for those are, of course, steamed, not baked or fried.
The meat filling might consist of chopped pork, beef, lamb or chicken that has been stewed with a variety of spices, like ginger, cloves, coriander and star anise. You might also find herbs like cilantro or greens like lettuce garnishing the sandwich.What does the underlined word mean?
| A．noodle | B．food | C．bread | D．beverage |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The mo people eat today is baked in a clay oven. |
| B．The world's first hamburger which was originated in the Shanxi Province of China is popular around the world. |
| C．The rou jia mo has a history of more than 2200 years. |
| D．The rou jia mo and American-style burgers share a similar cooking process. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Delicious hamburger |
| B．How to cook hamburger |
| C．Chinese invented hamburger |
| D．History of hamburger |
Waiting anxiously to be reunited with the son he had not seen for 13 years, Phil Baker took a walk along the beach with his wife Lyn to relax himself. His boy Benji, 21, was finally back to Australia after living most of his life in the UK, half a world away from his dad.
As he looked out at the ocean, wondering how his son might have changed over the years, Phil saw some people on the kayaks (小艇) in trouble on the water. Without hesitation, he dived into the sea to help. And as he carried a stricken young man trembling and semi-conscious to the shore, he realized the young man was his long-lost son.
“I looked at his face, and something occurred to me,” says Phil. “Those brown eyes were very familiar.” Although Phil had seen just a few photos of his son since the boy was eight years old, he recognized him at once.
It would be reasonable to suppose it was a father’s instinct that incited Phil to help ---- but at the moment he dived into the water to go to the aid of the struggling group, he only thought he was helping a stranger in trouble.
He said, “Two people were desperately paddling on one of the kayaks and it seemed like someone fell into the water. I told Lyn, ‘Something is not right; I’m going to help.’ ”
“l took off my T-shirt and threw my keys on the sand. Diving into the water, I saw there were two instructors on board and a man lying in the water. He was shaking violently. Linking arms with one instructor, I helped to carry the man out of the water. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and his hands and feet were blue.”
Then Phil looked into the boy's eyes and wept as he realized the stricken stranger was his own son. Phil recalled, “I asked the instructor, ‘what’s his name?' ” He replied, ‘Benji’. In an instant, I knew that stranger was my boy. I checked his breathing and pulse and said, “It's me, your dad. You're going to be OK.”
Benji tells how it felt to be saved by his long-lost dad. “All I remember was waking up on the beach and seeing my dad there,” he says, “And I recognized his face straight away.”What can we know about the Bakers?
| A．Phil and his wife lived in Australia. |
| B．Phil knew he was going to save his son. |
| C．Benji was going to see off his son on the beach. |
| D．Benji and Phil were separated because of Benji’s education. |
In Paragraph 4, the underlined word” incited" can be replaced by"__________"
| A．caused | B．reminded |
| C．forced | D．advised |
From the passage, it can be inferred that ____________.
| A．Phil is willing to help people in need |
| B．Benji drowned because he could not swim |
| C．Benji had the same brown eyes as his father |
| D．the instructors told Phil that Benji was his son |
Which of the following shows the right order of the story?
a. Phil and his wife waited for their son on the beach.
b. Benji left his father at the age of eight.
c. Phil saved a boy and recognized he was his own son.
d. Benji recognized his father Phil.
e. Phil saw some people were in trouble and decided to help.
| A．a, b, c, e, d | B．b, a, e, c, d |
| C．a, b, e, d, c | D．b, e, a, d, c |
If you could leave a farewell (告别) video for your loved ones that they’d see only if you died, would you do it? I think I would.
I read about an app (应用程序) that helps people create a video to be published on a social-networking site only after death. Of course you don’t need an app since it’s easy to make your own video with smartphones, laptops and computers. But how many people do you know who would actually go ahead and leave “If I die” footage (镜头)?
My father died unexpectedly on Christmas Eve three years ago and I’ve since longed for one more time to talk to him and hear his voice. Imagine if he had left such a video. I would see him again, hear his laughter and benefit from his parting words and advice.
I don’t think people, unless they have a terminal illness, go through life thinking they’d better leave a video in case of an untimely death. But it is an opportunity to say all the things you want to say before it’s too late.
Still, some say that such a video robs loved ones of their own memories of you. Any special images they have would be superimposed (叠加) by the video image you’ve created. Others think it’s scaring and might be tempting fate.
I expect my video would consist of reminders to my children: Be safe; be mindful of your surroundings; exercise good judgment; speak up; it never hurts to ask; don’t waste time and “call when you get there”. And in addition, I would repeat what I always tell them: I need to know where you are, every-step-of-the-way. That would make them laugh.
Readers, would you find comfort in knowing you’ve said your farewells and left something concrete for your loved ones? What messages would you leave for family and friends?
The writer mentions the app to show .
| A．the app is out of date now |
| B．smartphones are better tools to make videos |
| C．it is not convenient to make a video with the app |
| D．how he was inspired to get the idea of creating a video before death |
Some people against such a video argue that the image in the video .
| A．will be different from that of the real person |
| B．cannot convey the real intention of the dead |
| C．will replace our loved ones’ own memories of us |
| D．will stop the loved ones from missing the dead |
The purpose of mentioning his father’s unexpected death is to .
| A．show his deep love for his father |
| B．show the importance of keeping healthy |
| C．show thanks for the benefits he got from his father |
| D．show that it is necessary to leave a farewell video |
The underlined word “untimely” in Paragraph 4 probably means .
| A．happening at a suitable moment |
| B．happening too soon or sooner than expected |
| C．continuing to happen or exist without stopping |
| D．having a value that is not limited to a particular period |
DEAR AMY: We recently had to put our cat down. It came out of the blue. We had no idea that he had health problems, and we woke up early one morning to the cat crying out painfully. We immediately rushed him to the vet’s where the vet said that at best treatment might lengthen his life by two to three months. We did not want to see him suffer, so we chose to kill the cat in a painless way.
I am having a rough time! I cry when I am alone. I cry when I see pet commercials on television. I put away everything that reminds me of the cat. But the last sight of seeing the cat in pain plays over and over in my head. My kids seem alright with what has happened, but why am I struggling?
It has only been one week since his passing, so I hope things will get better. Do you have any suggestions?
Yours,
Sad
DEAR SAD: There is no loss quite like the loss of a pet; these animals keep us company through important life passages and are beloved witnesses to our human lives.
I understand your instinct to put away all of your cat’s things, but it may help you now to memorialize your pet by using these things. Each family member can write down favorite things about him or memories of him; read their memories aloud and put the papers inside his bowl. The idea is to replace those painful last memories with much more lively memories taking place over the most of the animal’s life.
Time will then do its job, which is to affect your feelings. And then, when you’re ready, I hope you will adopt another animal and give it the opportunity to share your life.
Yours,
Amy
Which of the following made the author’s family choose to kill the cat in a painless way?
| A．The cat had changed its color. |
| B．The vet himself had no way to save its life. |
| C．The family wouldn’t see it suffer in its later life. |
| D．The cat suffered so much that it could die at any time. |
The author cried when seeing pet commercials on television because .
| A．she was alone at home |
| B．she thought of her lovely cat |
| C．she didn’t like to see the things of the cat |
| D．her children showed no feeling over the cat’s death |
What does the underlined phrase mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．In the color of blue. | B．Very sadly. |
| C．All of a sudden. | D．With much pain. |
What do we know from the last paragraph of Amy’s letter?
| A．The longer it is, the less you will feel sad about your pet. |
| B．It is important to find a new pet as soon as possible. |
| C．As time goes on, you will feel more sorrow about your pet. |
| D．One can’t live a happy life without a pet around him. |
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