The British last an average of eight minutes and twenty-two seconds before they lose temper, according to new research.
The Internet has increased people’s service demands and it is destroying the classic British characteristic of patience. More than half of the British have admitted they lose their temper quicker than ever before. People have become so used to the speed and convenience of the Internet that more than seven in ten get angry if forced to wait longer than one minute for a web page to download.
Being kept on hold made the British see red more than anything else, with the average person reaching their impatience limit after five minutes and four seconds.
In today’s fast food culture, restaurant rage starts after only eight minutes and thirty-eight seconds, when the average diner will start to wonder whether the meal they have ordered will ever arrive.
People running late to meet a friend should not leave it any longer than ten minutes and one second if they do not want to face their anger.
Finally, when receiving a text or voicemail, be warned that the clock is ticking as the average Englishman expects a response within thirteen minutes and sixteen seconds.
Mark Schmid, of telecom giant TalkTalk, which conducted the research among 2,050 people, said that the speed of the online world is making us less prepared to wait for things to happen in the offline world. “This is causing people to reach the point of impatience earlier than ever before.”
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. More than half of the British get angry more easily than before.
B. Waiting for an Internet page to download will make half of the British angry.
C. Any Englishman may last 8 minutes and 22 seconds before they lose temper.
D. Waiting for friends to show up within 10 minutes and 1 second will not be acceptable.
2. The underlined word “rage” in the passage can be replaced by ___________.
A. disappointment B. sadness C. annoyance D. worry
3. According to the passage, the following things may make people impatient EXCEPT ___________.
A. the response to a text massage B. the food service in a restaurant
C. the speed of the Internet D. the business trade
4. The passage is mainly about ___________.
A. how long the British can keep their temper
B. when people lose temper easily
C. what makes the British lose temper quicker
D. why the Internet influences people’s life
How hard we have all prayed(祈祷) to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the happy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have.
At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you “young lady”. You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you-this young lady-heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered.
But there is always something that troubles you a lot. You say; “Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already.”
“No”, they say, “your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won’t do you any good.” Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket.
Another time you tell your grandma, “Grandma, see, I am a grown-up now.”
“Good, now, you can sit here and knit (编织) this for me while I go and have a rest.” To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, “Such a big girl can’t do such easy work.” You wish then you were a child again.
But the fact is, you are growing up, and you can’t help it. That’s the way it goes!
| A．a growing-up boy’s | B．an old woman’s |
| C．a teenage girl’s | D．a grown-up’s |
| A．She is no longer a kid. |
| B．People begin to call her teenager. |
| C．She can join women in all kinds of activities. |
| D．People treat her as a young lady. |
| A．they still regard her as a child |
| B．they don’t believe she is already a teenager |
| C．it’s dangerous for a girl to spend money |
| D．they love her more than before |
| A．she has to lie in bed, doing nothing |
| B．she wishes she were not growing up |
| C．she knows she has already worked the whole afternoon |
| D．she finds it isn’t her turn to do knitting |
Travelling can be a way to gain life experiences，especially during Spring Break—a week long school vacation in the United States.But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip? Don’t worry.Here are some useful suggestions.
Save：This probably is the most important preparation for travelling.Cut expenses to fatten_your_wallet so you will have more choices about where to go and how to get there.
Plan ahead：Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip.Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice.Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security and savings.
Do your homework：No matter where you go，research the places you will visit.Decide what to see.Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.
Plan sensibly：Write down what you expect to spend for food and hotels.Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.
Travel in groups：Find someone who is interested in visiting the same place.By travelling with others you can share costs and experiences.
Work as you go：Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.
Go off the beaten path：Tourist cities may be expensive.You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser－known area.Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.
Pack necessary things：The most important things to take are not always clothes.Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant.
Use the Internet：The Net can help to save money.Some useful websites include www.Travelocity.com，www.bargains－lowestfare.com and www.economictravel.com.
By planning sensibly，even students can enjoy the travel.Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.
| A．how to travel with enough money |
| B．how to plan your travel |
| C．how to make your travel interesting |
| D．how to get life experiences |
| A．make your wallet larger |
| B．put some fat in your wallet |
| C．put some choices in your wallet |
| D．save some money |
| A．you can gain valuable life experiences |
| B．you need more shoes than clothes |
| C．you shouldn’t look for work all the way |
| D．you should forget to do your homework |
| A．to give some advice on travelling |
| B．to encourage the students to have a trip |
| C．to introduce some websites about travelling |
| D．to teach the students how to save money during their trip |
My wife and I used to feel that it was impossible to be a true friend to someone whose name we didn’t know. How wrong we were! Years of Sunday-morning bus trips through the city with the same group of “nameless” people have changed our thinking.
Before the bus takes off, we all join in a conversation: where’s the silent woman who sits up front and never responds to our cheery greetings? Here she comes. Her worn clothing suggests she doesn’t have much money to spare, but she always takes an extra cup of coffee for the driver.
We get smiles from a Mexican couple as they get on the bus hand in hand. When they get off, they’re still holding hands. The woman was pregnant late last year, and one day her change of shape confirmed that she’d delivered the child. We even felt a little pride at the thought of our extended family.
For many months, our only sadness lay in our inability to establish the same friendship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. Then, one evening, we went to a fish restaurant. We were shown to a table alongside someone sitting alone. It was the woman from the bus.
We greeted her with friendly familiarity we’d shown all year, but this time her face softened, then a shy smile. When she spoke, the words escaped awkwardly from her lips. All at once we realized why she hadn’t spoken to us before. Talking was hard for her.
Over dinner; we learned the stay of a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She missed him desperately, she explained.
“I love him… and he loves me, even though he doesn’t express it very well,” she murmured. “Lots of us have that problem, don’t we? We don’t say what we want to say, what we should be saying. And that’s not good enough.”
The candles flared on our tables. Our fish had never tasted better. But the atmosphere grew pleasant, and when we parted as friends—we shared names.
A.The Silent Woman on the Bus
B Friends of the Road
C. Going to Work by Bus
D. Different Kinds of Friendship
| A．poor | B．warm –hearted |
| C．cold | D．silent |
| A．keep | B．set up |
| C．discover | D．accept |
| A．they both disabled people |
| B．they both liked bus travel |
| C．they both brought interest to the passengers |
| D．they both had some difficulty in expressing |
We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. Then, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop（拖把）. She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.” “Yes, I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe (拖一下) of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book. After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining.
She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me “Grandma is fine. No fever(发烧）.”
“You saw her, Mum?”
“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It’s a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is not good. You need a brush.” When she took a mop from the small room what Mum really wanted to do was ______.
| A．to see a patient |
| B．to please the nurse |
| C．to clean the floor |
| D．to surprise the story-teller |
When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a ______.
| A．nurse | B．visitor |
| C．cleaner | D．patient |
After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital? ______
| A．It is a children’s hospital. |
| B．The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard. |
| C．The conditions there aren’t very good. |
| D．It has strict rules about visiting hours. |
Which of the following words best describes Mum? ______.
| A．Strange | B．Warm-hearted |
| C．Clever | D．Hardworking |
Whatever your level is, choosing to take French lessons in France is the best way to learn French. Place yourself in the local culture and practice your newly found skills in your free time.
You will be taught by native(本地的) French speakers who have a love for teaching and use excellent teaching techniques. Lessons are interesting and you will speak French both inside and outside the classroom.
Learners
·Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced(高级的)
·Over 18 years old
Class Schedule(课表)
·Classes start on Mondays and run throughout the summer.
·Please arrive at the school by 8:15 am on your first day for a short level test. It will help to place you in the right class.
·Classes run from Monday to Friday each week.
·Classes start at 8:45 am each day depending on your level.
·You will have 3 classes per day lasting 55 minutes each.
·You will have a short break between classes.
Free Time and Tours
·The school offers a lot of cultural activities throughout the week. These activities can include cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting, visit to Paris, cycling, movies and much more.
·You will have plenty of free time to explore(探索) the local area and practice your newly found language skills or just relax on this learning holiday with a difference.
Other Information
·You should bring a small dictionary, pens and paper with you.
Get more from your holiday, have fun, meet new people and take home a new language skill that will stay with you forever.What is special about the French courses?
| A．They are taught in small groups. |
| B．The teachers are young French speakers. |
| C．They will offer a wine tasting license. |
| D．People learn French in and out of class. |
On the first day, the students should _________.
| A．take a language test |
| B．pay for their study |
| C．do a survey |
| D．introduce themselves to the class |
How many lessons are there in a week?
| A．21 | B．15 | C．30 | D．12 |
We can learn from the text that the course _________.
| A．is not suitable for old people |
| B．has a short game between classes |
| C．provides dictionary for students |
| D．offer cooking classes as well |