I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, sh
e said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “ I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably means ______.
| A．Unintentionally | B．Independently |
| C．Impressively | D．Unconditionally |
From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ______.
| A．with his family | B．with Evelyn |
| C．alone | D．with his children |
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.
| A．he was determined to be a good husband |
| B．he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm |
| C．she looked lovely in her new clothes |
| D．the doctor said his wife was seriously ill |
The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What does “one thing” refer to?
| A．He praised her sweater, which puzzled her. |
| B．She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated. |
| C．He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her. |
| D．He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying. |
By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that ______.
| A．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life |
| B．he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband |
| C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
| D．he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before |
It’s five minutes before the exam and you are in a state of panic. You just have to pass it, but how? You didn’t even open the book the night before and you hear a voice in your head saying “Cheat, cheat ...” So what are you going to do, ignore it and fail or go for it? It’s a tough decision many students must make.
Most young people believe that cheating is wrong. However, they have cheated at least once in their high school years. So, why do they do it? Are they too lazy to study? Perhaps, it’s not as simple as that. According to some experts, one main reason why students cheat is that they see their friends get away with it. It’s an easy way out. They avoid embarrassment and their parents’ anger for not doing well in an exam. Another reason is that students think it’s OK to cheat if the subject isn’t important for their future career. What’s more, most students have to put up with the pressure of getting into university. They need to get good marks to carry on with their studies. This means that there will always be students who will do anything for a better mark.
It has never been easier to cheat than it is today. With all the technology available, students needn’t cheat by looking over their shoulders anymore. They use mobile phones to send answers to each other during a test. There is also the Internet. With hundreds of websites, students don’t have to worry because they can find lots of material which they can copy and use in projects. There are even tips on the art of cheating in exams.
Obviously, if you get caught cheating, you fail the exam or the subject. But it doesn’t really matter whether you get caught or not. What’s important is that it’s wrong. You mustn’t cheat because cheating is a lie. It deceives (欺骗) people into thinking you know more than you actually do. How can you be proud of something you have achieved through cheating? In the end, it’s not about deceiving your teachers and your parents, but about fooling yourself that you can do something you really can’t.The tough decision that many students have to make before an exam is .
| A．whether to cheat or not | B．what to do if they fail |
| C．how to cheat | D．how to keep calm |
According to the experts, why do some students cheat?
| A．The subjects are important for their future. | B．They are too lazy to study. |
| C．Cheating can help them please their parents. | D．Their friends ask them to cheat. |
The worst thing about cheating is that .
| A．you cheat others and yourself |
| B．you can get caught and fail |
| C．you give others a bad impression |
| D．your teacher will inform your parents |
Which sentence best summarizes the whole text?
| A．Cheating can be explained but not excused. |
| B．Technology has made cheating easier. |
| C．Students cheat to get into university. |
| D．Cheating is a social and psychological problem. |
I bought a Paul Smith shirt three months ago. For those who don’t know, Paul Smith is an English designer brand.
His shirts cost about 1,000 yuan and upwards. I paid 50 yuan for my colorful shirt from a street vendor in Beijing.
Of course my shirt was a knockoff, a cheap copy of the brand. After a few washes, little balls formed on the surface of the thin material.
Do I care? Not at all. You get what you pay for.
I have to admit I hate shopping. I don’t care enough about spending money on clothes. I have other priorities.
In You Are What You Wear, US writer Jennifer Baumgartner says people’s clothes tell a story about their personality.
She writes: “The clothes you choose to wear provide important information about you as a person: your approximate education level, your income, social status and even your level of self-esteem (自信).” When I started work as an undercover crime reporter, I had to shop for jeans and a hoodie (连帽衫) in order to fit in with a rough and ready (世故的) social group.
I bought the hoodie in a charity shop. My daughters were shocked. They thought I looked bad, but I knew my disguise was perfect.
Elizabeth L. Cline thinks she knows best when it comes to cheap clothes in her book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. She expresses sadness that clothing has been turned into a good that is thrown away after being used once or twice.
She looks down her nose at cheap fashion and longs for the good old days when department stores sold quality clothes at high prices.
I don’t agree. At least people now can choose what to wear without breaking the bank.The underlined sentence in the article meant that .
| A．I don’t mind spending money on clothes |
| B．there’s not much point spending money on clothes |
| C．it is too much trouble to spend money on clothes |
| D．I never spend money on clothes |
From the text we can infer that the author’s disguise .
| A．immediately won the admiration of his daughters |
| B．turned out unsuited to his plan |
| C．proved that clothes can’t show a person’s true personality |
| D．had something to do with his income |
The author mentions Elizabeth L. Cline’s book to .
| A．express his anger at the poor quality of clothes |
| B．show his disagreement with her idea |
| C．show his dislike for how people treat their clothes |
| D．support her attitude toward spending money on clothes |
Which of the following might be the best title for the story?
| A．The variety of clothes | B．You are what you wear |
| C．High cost of cheap fashion | D．You get what you pay for |
People often say that money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power.
Ask anyone in business. They will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because a jungle is filled with wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people.
People in business have to be careful if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that is not real.
Nobody is sure how the word got started. But it began to appear in American newspapers in the 1800s. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, said the word came from a criminal whose name was Borghese. Borghese wrote checks to people although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would disappear. So, people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed the criminal’s name Borghese to Bogus.
People trying to earn money must be also aware of the risk of being ripped off. A writer for a magazine said he first saw the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign that a student carried during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt cheated.
To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks. This expression means to get to the bottom or the most important part of something. For example, a salesman may talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say, “it sounds good, but how much does it cost?”
Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the copper pieces that hold the ship together. So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck will help, too.Why do people say money talks?
| A．Because the rich tend to decide a thing. |
| B．Because money can tell us something. |
| C．Because it is hard to earn much money. |
| D．Because everyone loves to have money. |
My uncle is in a jungle out there, which means .
| A．he will fight against wild animals |
| B．he is interested to go through a jungle |
| C．he will face many difficulties soon |
| D．he is a success in his own business |
When you ask how much it cost, it means .
| A．you declare you won’t be cheated |
| B．you get down to the real issues |
| C．you care nothing about the quality |
| D．you are always caring about money |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．many English words have their interesting stories |
| B．brass is a necessary piece of equipment of a ship |
| C．many businessmen have been cheated in life |
| D．Charles Funk has created many interesting words |
Autumn blues? Let the sunshine in falling leaves, flowers, and cold winds. For many people late autumn can be a season of depression.
Those who suffer from “the autumn blue” are often extremely tired, lack energy, need more sleep, feel increased appetite and gain weight. “The exact cause of this condition, often called seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder（SAD）, is not known yet,” says Chen Jue, associate professor at Shanghai Mental Health Center. “But recent studies indicate that weather change is influential and strongly suggest that this condition is caused by changes in the availability（得到）of sunlight.”
One theory is that with decreased exposure to sunlight, the biological clock that regulates mood, sleep, and hormones is delayed, running more slowly in winter. Exposure to light may reset the biological clock. Another theory is that brain chemicals that transmit information between nerves, called neurotransmitters （for example, serotonin）, may be altered in individuals with SAD. It is believed that exposure to light can correct these imbalances. “It is a sad season, but you can try to make it happy. Remember, spring always lives in your heart ,” Chen says. “Going outdoors to get some sunlight may reduce the tension that brings you the low spirits. Relax at work. Stretch, breathe deeply. Take a tea break. Think of your next vacation. Color treatment also works in handling low mood. Music also plays a role in treating autumn blues.”Autumn blues is also called autumn _______.
| A．depression | B．sunshine | C．blue music | D．cold winds |
From the 3rd paragraph we know that there ________ that can help to deal with autumn blues.
| A．is no biological clock | B．is a real example |
| C．is no possibility | D．are some ways |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Autumn blues can be feelings of happiness. |
| B．The real cause for autumn blues is still unknown. |
| C．People feel tired in autumn. |
| D．Weather doesn’t change people. |
Which of the following CAN’T you do in order to deal with autumn blues?
| A．Eat more food very low in calories and sugar. |
| B．Reset the biological clock regulating mood, sleep and hormones. |
| C．Keep the balance of nerves that transmit information. |
| D．Take outdoor activities or sports. |
At first sight, you would think the collection of hundreds of colored shards（碎片）could be a work of abstract art. But the objects are the contents of the stomach of a sea turtle that lost its battle with plastic pollution.
Environmentalists examined the stomach of the turtle found off the coast of Argentina. What they found is the symptom of the increasing threat to sea turtles from a human addiction to plastic.
Sea turtles often mistake plastic items for jellyfish or other food. Ingesting（摄取）ocean pollution can cause a digestive blockage and internal cuts. The result can be dangerous, followed by death.
Humans produce 260 million tons of plastic a year. When those products are pulled into the sea’s currents, the plastics are just broken into smaller pieces which are consumed by marine life at the bottom of the food chain. An examination of a green turtle found off Florida discovered that, over the course of a month, the animal’s faeces（粪便）had contained 74 foreign objects, including “four types of balloons, different types of hard plastic, a piece of carpet--like material and two 2--4 mm tar balls.”
“The oceans have become a giant refuse bin for all manner of plastics. All sea turtle species may be seriously harmed, “according to the biologists Colette Wabnitz, from the University of British Columbia. ”The symptom of this growing crisis can be seen inside and on sea turtles as well as their oceanic and terrestrial habitats. It is urgently necessary to directly confront the source of plastic pollution, redesign packaging and rethink the very idea of ‘throwaway culture’.”
Almost all marine species, from plankton to whales, have ingested plastic. But, even in small quantities, plastic can kill sea turtles, the biologists said.
Fifty out of 92 turtles found dead, stranded on the shorelines of Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil, had ingested a “considerable amount of man-made debris”.What’s tile passage mainly about?
| A．How to prevent the sea turtle from plastic. |
| B．Why plastic is dangerous to the sea turtle. |
| C．Protecting the sea turtle from being polluted. |
| D．Sea turtles suffering from plastic pollution. |
The author mentions the “throwaway culture” probably in a（n） _________ tone.
| A．praising | B．positive | C．ironic | D．comedic |
The underlined word in the last paragraph probably means _________.
| A．a kind of food | B．a kind of fish |
| C．pieces of cloth | D．pieces of rubbish |
The paragraph following the last one will probably talk about ________.
| A．the way the biologists examined the sea turtle |
| B．some tips on how to make sea turtles avoid plastic |
| C．how to prevent plastic pollution |
| D．the reason why we should protect the sea turtle |