The 1900 house
The bowler family was one of more than 400 families who applied to 1900 house, a reality TV shout which took a typical family back a hundred years to se how people lived in the days before the internet, computer games and even electricity.
The bowler family spent three months in a London home without a telephone, computers, TV, or fast food. The bowlers wore clothes from 1900, are only food available in English at that time, and cooked their meals on a single stove. Paul bowler still went to work every day in a then uniform. The children changed their clothes on the way to and from school and their classmates didn’t know about then unusural home life. Joyce stayed at home, cooking and cleaning like a typical housewife of the time, though everything took three times as long.
So does Joyce think that people’s lives were better in the old days?
“I think people in the old days had just ad many troubles and worries,” Joyce said.
And I don’t think their life was better or worse, there were lots of things back then that
I’m happy I don’t have to deal with nowadays, but on the other hand life was simpler.” “We had a lot more time with our family, and it was hard being nice to each other all the time,” eleven-year-old Hilary said.
So what did the Bowler family miss most about modern life while living in the 1900 house?
Paul,39:” telephone and a hot shower”
Joyce,44:” a quick cup of tea from a kettle you could just turn on”
Hilary,11:” rock CD”
Joseph,9:” hamburger and computer games”
1.While the Bowler family was living in 1900 house,_____.
A the mother spent more time on housework
B the two children wore the then clothes for school
C they prepared their meals together on a stove
D they ate simple foods they had never seen
2. According to Paragraph 4, what’s Jovce’s opinion about life in 1900?
A There were fewer problems for the family
B Life was simpler but worse than it is now
C There were things she liked and disliked
D The family had more time to stay together
3.What would Hilary expect most from modern life in the three months?
A To play computer games B To make phone calls
C To listen to music D To chat on the Internet
The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So fishing boats went farther than ever.but If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.
Then fishing companies equipped their boats with freezers. They would freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish.
So fishing boats were equipped with fish tanks. They would stuff fish in the tanks（水槽）,fin（ 鱼翅）to fin .After a little thrashing(颠簸) around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.
Have you realized that some of us are also living in a tank but most of the time tired & dull, so we need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are regularly defeating those challenges, you are Conqueror. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You are alive! Here is some advice for you :
1. Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them and enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.
2. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter(笑) without sorrow, sun without rain, but he did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way.
3. Disappointments are like road blocks, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards. Don't stay on the bumps too long. Move on! Why did fishing companies equip their boats with freezers?
| A．to keep the fish taste fresh | B．to increase the price of the fish |
| C．to avoid challenges in the market | D．to keep the fish alive |
Which of the following is right?
| A．The Japanese don’t like sluggish fish, so the Japanese fishing companies won’t put the fish in the tanks |
| B．Since the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades, they have to go farther to catch fish. |
| C．Road blocks slow you down and stop you going on . |
| D．If your challenges are too large or too numerous, give it up first. |
The topic of the passage may be ___
| A．avoid challenges | B．keep your life active |
| C．ways to keep fish fresh | D．some advice for you |
“we need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving”means ____
| A．we need challenges of too large or too numerous to make us energized. |
| B．we have to accept being beaten by those challenges in life. |
| C．You are excited to try new solutions. |
| D．The society we live in is like the fish tank,we need some challenges to keep us energized. |
In Europe ,many people make friends between their countries through town twinning .Town or city twinning means two towns in different countries agree and decide to become “twins”with a sister relationship .
The people find pen friends in the twin town .They exchange newspapers and stamps .The school teachers discuss teaching methods with the teachers in the twin town .Officials visit the twin town for celebrations .Ordinary people travel to the twin town ,too,but not very often if it is far away .
Sometimes ,school even exchange their classes for two or three weeks !For example ,German middle school students study for a while at the school in their twin town in Britain ,staying with British families .A few months later ,their British friends come to study in Germany .
Many British towns are so pleased with the results of the twinning that they set out to find more than one twin town !
Tonbridge ,a small town in Kent ,for example ,has twin towns in both Germany and France .Richmond near London has relationships with Germany ,France and even a town in a Balkan country .
Town twinning can help make friends .It helps students improve their language skills ,and also helps people to understand the differences between nations .Which is the best title for the passage ?
| A．Town Twinning | B．Friendly Town |
| C．Exchanging Teachers and Students | D．Peace and Understanding |
Which of the following is Not mentioned in the passage ?
| A．Twin towns exchange newspapers and stamps . |
| B．Twin towns exchange business skills . |
| C．Schools in twin towns exchange classes for a period of time . |
| D．Ordinary people travel to the twin towns . |
Twin towns develop ______.
| A．between European countries and China |
| B．in the English-speaking countries only |
| C．in the same country |
| D．between different countries |
How many countries are mentioned in this passage ?
| A．7 | B．6 | C．3 | D．4 |
The secret of happiness
An old man walked slowly with a cane(手杖)into the restaurant .His old jacket, worn-out shoes and warm personality made him stand out from the usual crowd.
A young waitress watched him move toward a table by the window. She ran over to him, and said: “Here, sir……let me help you with that chair.”
Without saying a word, he smiled and nodded(点头)a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table and helped him sit. Then she put his came against the table.
“Thank you, miss.”he said, kindly.
“You’re welcome, sir.”she said.
After he had finished his breakfast, the waitress brought him the change(零钱)from his bill. He left it on the table. She helped him up and walked with him to the front door.
When she went to clean his table, she found a business card under his plate and note on a napkin(纸巾). Under the napkin was a 100-dollar bill.
The note on the napkin read: “Dear miss, I respect you very much and I can see you respect yourself, too. It shows by the way you treat others. (3)You have found the secret of happiness. Your kindness will shine through to all those who meet you.”
The man she had waited on was the owner of the restaurant where she worked. This was the first time that she or any of the other workers had ever seen him in person.
By Steve BrunkhorstThe old man left﹩100 under the napkin because he
| A．had a habit of giving tips to waitresses |
| B．thought the meal was delicious |
| C．wanted to thank the waitress for her good attitude |
| D．learned the secret of happiness from the waitress |
What do we know about the waitress and the old man?
| A．The waitress knew who the old man was from the note. |
| B．The waitress knew the old man before she served him. |
| C．The old man wanted to have the waitress as his secretary. |
| D．It was the first time that the waitress had ever seen her boss. |
We can tell from the story that the old man went to the restaurant to .
| A．have a good meal |
| B．enjoy good service |
| C．see the restaurant for himself |
| D．show his love for common people |
The underlined phrase“waited on”means .
| A．looked at | B．served | C．waited for | D．Found |
Bicycle tour(旅行)and race
A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27(Sat. & Sum. ). At 5:30am, the riders will leave Tian'anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometers as a training leg. Then the next 55 kilometres leg, from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive(竞争性的)part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be taken from Jixian to Changli.
The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaibe, covering a distance of 20 kilometres. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.
Cost:200 yuan Telephone:4675027
Brazilian footballers
The Brazilian Football Club will play Beijing Guo'an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26. The club has four national team players . Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Romario who has promised to play for at least 45 minutes.
Ticket prices:60,100,150 yuan
Time/Date:4:30 pm, August 26(Sat. ) Telephone:5012372
Rock climbing
The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26-27 at the Huairou Mountain-climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators(观众).
Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou.
Time/Dates:9-12 am, August 26 and 27
Telephone:7143177, 7144850, Wang ZhenghuaThe main purpose of announcing the above events is to give information about .
| A．visiting teams |
| B．famous players |
| C．things to do for the weekend |
| D．prices to pay for the sports events |
If you take part in the bike tour, you will ride for .
| A．35 kilometres | B．55 kilometres |
| C．75 kilometres | D．110 kilometres |
the underlined word "leg" in "Bicycle tour and race" probably means .
| A．race | B．practice |
| C．part of the training | D．part of the tour |
What is special about the rock climbing competition?
A foreign team takes part in it.
B. You can watch it without paying.
C. You don't have to be a sportsman to take part.
D. The bus trip to the place of the competition is free. If you want to find something to do for Saturday afternoon, which telephone number will you call?
| A．4675027 | B．7143177 | C．5012372 | D．7144850 |
Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth.” wise people say. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor. The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.
Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story. An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat with pleasure, drink with pleasure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day. A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.“ But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”The writer thinks that_____.
| A．health is more important than wealth |
| B．work is as important as studies |
| C．medicine is more important than pleasure |
| D．nothing is more important than money |
The doctor usually tells his patient what to do______.
| A．without examining the patient | B．after he has examined the patient |
| C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine | D．unless the patient feels pain |
The underlined part means “______”.
| A．he was feeling better than ever | B．he wasn’t a healthy man |
| C．he was feeling worse than before | D．he will be well again |
From the last sentence of the passage, we learn the man_______ before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.
| A．was a heavy smoker | B．didn’t smoke so much |
| C．didn’t smoke | D．began to learn to smoke |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The doctor usually tests his/her blood pressure when a person is ill. |
| B．The man told the doctor he couldn’t remember things. |
| C．The man thanked the doctor. |
| D．The man didn’t follow the doctor’s advice. |