Terri Bolton is a dab hand when it comes to DIY（do﹣it﹣yourself）.Skilled at putting up shelves and piecing together furniture ，she never pays someone else to do a job she can do herself.
She credits these skills to her late grandfather and builder Derek Lloyd.From the age of six ，Terri，now 26 ，accompanied Derek to work during her school holidays.A day's work was rewarded with£ 5 in pocket money.She says："I'm sure I wasn't much of a help to start with，painting the rooms and putting down the flooring throughout the house.It took weeks and it was backbreaking work ，but I know he was proud of my skills. "
Terri，who now rents a house with friends in Wandsworth，South West London，says DIY also saves her from losing any deposit when a tenancy（租期） comes to an end.She adds ：" I've moved house many times and I always like to personalize my room and put up pictures.So，it's been useful to know how to cover up holes and repaint a room to avoid any charges when I've moved out."
With millions of people likely to take on DIY projects over the coming weeks，new research shows that more than half of people are planning to make the most of the long，warm summer days to get jobs done.The average spend per project will be around £823.Two thirds of people aim to improve their comfort while at home.Two fifth wish to increase the value of their house.Though DIY has traditionally been seen as male hobby，the research shows it is women now leading the charge.
（1）Which is closest in meaning to" a dab hand" in paragraph 1？
| A． |
An artist. |
| B． |
A winner. |
| C． |
A specialist. |
| D． |
A pioneer. |
（2）Why did Terri's grandfather give her£ 5 a day？
| A． |
For a birthday gift. |
| B． |
As a treat for her work. |
| C． |
To support her DIY projects. |
| D． |
To encourage her to take up a hobby. |
（3）How did Terri avoid losing the deposit on the house she rented？
| A． |
By making it look like before. |
| B． |
By furnishing it herself. |
| C． |
By splitting the rent with a roommate. |
| D． |
By canceling the rental agreement. |
（4）What trend in DIY does the research show？
| A． |
It is becoming more costly. |
| B． |
It is getting more time﹣consuming. |
| C． |
It is turning into a seasonal industry. |
| D． |
It is gaining popularity among females. |
When we talk about stars ,especially women stars ,it seems that they are always young, pretty and own charming body shapes. But recently a Britain's Got Talent（英国达人）star Susan Boyle has changed our views absolutely.
Simon Cowell ,one of the judges of the talent show spoke of his shock over Ms Boyle's voice. "This lady camp up ,and I'm thinking, 'This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea'. That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed to Dream from Les Miserables. She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face through -it was one of my favorite moments," Cowell said.
The performance was posted on line and before long, the 47-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world.
Speaking from her home in Scotland, Ms Boyle said that she hasn't thought of changing her appearance. She said that her friend helped her with make-up. "I mean, that's hardly a makeover," she added.Ms Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her vocal talents, "I was kind of slow at school, so getting like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and thus it built my confidence."Susan Boyle is _________
| A．a judge | B．a reporter | C．a beautiful | D．a Scottish woman |
Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because______.
| A．she was confident of her singing |
| B．she was satisfied with the judges |
| C．she was pretty and in good shape |
| D．she sang the song I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables |
According to the passage, which is NOT true?
| A．It was the vocal talents that built Susan's confidence |
| B．Susan Boyle was not good at her lesson when at school. |
| C．Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance. |
| D．Simon Cowell didn't think Susan Boyle a good singer at the first sight. |
What can we learn from Susan Boyle's success
| A．It's never too old to learn. |
| B．It's easier to succeed at the age of 47. |
| C．If you have a dream, try to make it come true! |
| D．If you are not able to study well, to be a singer instead. |
Dear Daughter,
As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write to tell you all that is on my mind. First, I want to tell you how proud we are. Getting into Columbia is a real testament (证明) of what a great well-rounded student you are. You should be as proud of yourself as we are.
Your college years will be the most important of your life. It is in college that you will discover what learning is about. This will be the period when you go from teacher taught to master inspired, after which you must become a self-learner. So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn is of no practical use in real life, the learning skills you get will be something you will value forever.
Follow your passion in college. Take courses you think you will enjoy, don't be bothered by what others think or say, but make up your own mind. Most importantly, make true friends and be happy. Don't worry about their hobbies, grades, looks, or even personalities.
Start planning early what you'd like to do. Where would you like to live? What would you like to learn? I think your plan to study fashion is good, and you should decide where you want to be, and get onto the right courses. I will always be there for you, but the time has come for you to be in the driver's seat-this is your life, and you need to be in control. Being in control feels great. Try it, and you'll love it!
So please treasure your college years - make the best use of your free time, become an independent thinker in control of your destiny, and learn through your successes and challenges.
May your years at Columbia be the happiest of your life, and may you grow into just what you dream to be.
Love
Dad & MomWe can read between the lines that ________.
| A．Dad has a strong love for his daughter |
| B．Dad is very strict with his daughter |
| C．Dad always worries about his daughter |
| D．Dad is much concerned about his daughter's health |
The underlined word "destiny" in the passage is the closest in meaning to "_______".
| A．weight | B．life | C．position | D．time |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Plan things before you do them. |
| B．Self－learning is very important in college. |
| C．Follow your passion and what other people say. |
| D．Leading a life is just like driving a car. |
The purpose of the author in writing the letter is to tell his daughter to ________.
| A．smile to her trouble in life |
| B．fight till she succeeds |
| C．be confident and happy |
| D．make the most of her college |
Today’s children are the “result” of the modern society. Our parents have jobs that keep them busy almost all day long. They only have a free day in a week. This doesn’t allow them to keep an eye on their children.
On the other hand, the modern society gives more freedom to the children than they could “handle”. As a child, you don’t know how to grow up by yourself until you reach a certain age. That is why you need school and parents to be by your side all the time. If you don’t have either of them you may make a lot of mistakes. The social system of the modern society is very lenient especially with the children.
Most of the children today are rebels (判逆者). They are rude. They are given too much freedom by their families. This is their parent’s mistake. They ought to know that the freedom they give to their children is misunderstood.
For example it is a bad thing for a 17 – year – old child to go out in the evening on weekends. Parents are also guilty of the way their children show up in the street or at school. The same guilt belongs to the teaching system as well. Pupils shouldn’t be allowed to dress like they were on a fashion presentation at school.
Another important fact we can think of regarding the freedom of children is their free will of spending money. Parents shouldn’t allow their children to spend money on whatever they want.
I think children are given too much freedom not only by their parents, but also by the society. The latter is more to be blamed!The writer implies that parents’ busy lifestyle .
| A．makes their children become independent |
| B．may lead to a tense parent – child relationship |
| C．is harmful to their children’s health |
| D．is likely to create a troubled generation |
What does the underlined word “lenient” (in Para 2) mean?
| A．Not responsible | B．Not strict. | C．Unkind. | D．Unfair. |
It seems that the writer agrees that students .
| A．should stay at home on weekends |
| B．can wear trendy clothes at school |
| C．had better wear school uniform at school |
| D．can be allowed to go out in the evenings |
According to the writer, which of the following takes the primary responsibility for children’s problems?
| A．The social environment. | B．The educational system. |
| C．Each family. | D．The school. |
The following are the results of the tests done by “Family and Home Magazine” on some Pocket Tape-Recorders on the market now.
Pearlcorder S702 $64This simple model at the bottom of the Olympus range scored the most points for its excellent quality of recording. Background noise hardly affects the sound and recording from a pocket is perfectly possible, but it doesn’t turn off automatically.Tape length: 30minutes per side. Weight: 240g.Sony M9 $49.95Small and very good looking, Sony’s latest offering scored most for its appearance. Sounds clear, but there is slight machine noise. The big control buttons are a great improvement on some of the complicated little controls on other tape-recorders. It doesn’t switch off automatically, but a red light shows if the machine is still running.Tape length: 60minutes per side. Weight: 195g.Sony M400 $115Lots of little control buttons that make a noise are difficult to use. Recording is good but machine noise loses points. Tape counter and automatic switch-off when tape has finished recording or rewinding are useful.Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 230g.Imperial OEM MC7 $ 29.95Cheap and simple compared with the rest, but recording is good as long as there is no background noise. Use only its own-make of cassette. No light to show it is on; no fast-forward button and the record button makes a loud noise.Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 285g.Philips 585 $80Handsome and simple to use, but recording is very poor at more than the recommended distance of 5 cm-designed for dictation. No recording light.Tape length: 15 minutes per side. Weight: 220g.The machine that produces the best recording with the least unwanted noise is _____.
| A．Pearlcorder S 702 | B．Sony M9 |
C．Sony M400 | D．Imperial OEM MC7 |
If you want a machine which turns off automatically and weighs very little you should choose _____.
| A．Pearlcorder S 702 | B．Sony M9 |
C．Sony M400 | D．Philips 585 |
Which of the following allows you to record longest but costs you least?
| A．Philips 585 | B．Imperial OEM MC7 |
C．Sony M400 | D．Sony M9 |
What disadvantage does only the Imperial OEM MC7 have?
| A．No light shows when it is on. |
B．It requires a special cassette. |
C．It picks up background noise .  |
D．The record button makes a noise. |
I was doing some Christmas shopping in a toy store and decided to look at Barbie dolls for my nieces. A nicely dressed little girl was excitedly looking through the Barbie dolls as well. As she was looking, a little boy came to the Pokemon toys. He was dressed neatly, but his clothes were obviously old. He was with his father as well, and kept picking up the Pokemon video toys. Each time he picked one up and looked at his father, his father shook his head and said, “No.”
The little girl had chosen her Barbie. However, she stopped and was watching them. Rather dejectedly, the boy had to give up the Pokemon toys and choose something else. The little girl put her Barbie back on the shelf, and ran over to the Pokemon toys. She excitedly picked up one and raced towards the checkout. I picked up my purchases and got in line behind them. Then, much to the little girl’s delight, the little boy and his father got in line behind me. After the toy was paid for and bagged, the little girl handed it back to the cashier (收银员) and whispered something in her ear. The casher smiled and put the package under the counter.I paid for my purchases and was rearranging things when the little boy came up to the cashier. The cashier checked his purchases and said, “Congratulations, you are my hundredth customer today, and you win a prize!” With that, she handed the little boy the Pokemon toys, and he could only stare in surprise. It was exactly what he had wanted!The little girl and her father had been standing at the doorway during all of this. Then they walked out. As I walked back to my car, I heard the father ask his daughter why she had done that. I’ll never forget what she said to him. “Daddy, didn’t Grandparents want me to buy something that would make me happy?” He said, “Of course they did, honey.” To which the little girl replied, “Well, I just did!”I feel very shocked to have witnessed the true spirit of Christmas in that toy store, in the form of a little girl who understands more about the meaning of this festival than most adults I know.The underlined word “dejectedly” in the second paragraph probably means _____.
| A．delightedly | B．disappointedly | C．excitedly | D．unexpectedly |
How did the little boy get the Pokemon toys?
| A．His father bought him the Poknemon toys. |
B．Fortunately, he was the hundredth customer and won the Poknemon toys. |
C．The cashier felt sympathy for the little boy and gave him the Poknemon toys. |
D．The little girl bought the Poknemon toys for him. |
What did the little girl mean when saying “Daddy, didn’t Grandparents want me to buy something that would make me happy?”
| A．Her Grandparents wanted her to be happy. |
B．Making the little boy happy made her happy. |
C．The Poknemon toys made her happy. |
D．Her Grandparents hoped that she could help others. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．the story happened before Christmas. |
B．The little boy had not enough money to buy the Poknemon toys. |
C．Although the little girl liked the Poknemon toys very much, she gave them to the boy. |
D．The author was deeply moved by the behavior of the little girl. |
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