Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine’s Day. One legend(story) dates as far back as the days of Roman Empire. According to the story. Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of the army. He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join the army; therefore, he made a rule that no young men could marry until he had served in the army for a number of years.
A priest(man working in church) named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great number of young people. Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.
After his death, Valentine was made a saint(perfect man in public opinion) and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine’s Day----which is a time for people to send one another their greeting of many kinds.
February 14, Valentine’s Day, is sweetheart’s day, on which people in love with each other express their tender emotions(soft feelings).
People sometimes put their
love message in a heart shaped box of chocolate or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons(silk). Words of letters may be written on the flower covered card, or something else. Whatever the form may be, the message is almost the same “Will you be my Valentine?”
46. According to the rule_______.
A. no young men could get married unless they were old enough.
B. Young men could get married if they had served the army for a number of years.
no one could get married without the emperor’s permission
young men could get married only in the army.
47.The passage mainly tells us about_______.
A. How Valentine died B. The emperor of Rome
C. How Valentine’s Day is celebrated D. The origin of Valentine’s Day
48. February 14 is chosen as Valentine’s Day because_______.
A. people want to remember Valentine
lovers express their tender emotions on this day
people send one another greeting of many kinds on this day
people want to fix a date for lovers to express their emotion
49. Valentine was put in prison for ________.
A. he helped the couples who were not supposed to get married B. he got married C. he fell in love with more than one woman.
D. he broke the emperor’s rule on purpose
50. When a boy asks a neighbor girl to be his Valentine, he is probably asking her to _________.
A. spend the festival with him B. be his date
C. forgive him D. not to break his heart
Last year I ruined my summer vacation by bringing along a modern convenience that was too convenient for my own good: the iPad. Instead of looking at nature, I checked my e-mail. Instead of paddling a small boat, I followed my Twitter feed（推特简讯）. Instead of reading great novels, I stuck to reading four newspapers each morning. I was behaving as if I were still in the office. My body was on vacation, but my head wasn’t.
So this year I made up my mind to try something different: withdrawal（退出）from the Internet. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, since I’m bad at self-control. But I was determined. I started by giving the iPad to my wife.
The cellphone signal at our house was worse than in the past, making my attempts at cheating an experience in frustration （沮丧）. I was trapped, forced to go through with my plan. Largely cut off from e-mail, Twitter and my favorite newspaper websites, I had few ways to connect to the world except for the radio—and how much radio can one listen to, really? I had to do what I had planned to do all along: read books.
This experience has had a happy ending. With determination and the strong support of my wife, I won in my vacation straggle against the Internet, realizing finally that it was I, not the iPad, that was the problem. I knew I had won when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi. “I don’t need it,” I said.
However, as we return to post-vacation life, a harder test begins: Can I continue when I’m back at work?
There are times when the need to know what’s being said right now is great. I have no intention of giving up my convenience completely. But I hope to resist the temptation （诱惑）to check my e-mail every five minutes, which leads to checking my Twitter feed and a website ortwo.
I think a vacation is supposed to help you reset your brain to become more productive. Here I hope this one worked.What do we know about the author’s last summer vacation?
| A．He was determined to enjoy the beautiful view. |
| B．His iPad ruined his plan of finishing a great novel. |
| C．He felt satisfied that he had stuck to his usual timetable. |
| D．He hated himself for acting as if he were working on vacation. |
What did the author do to keep away from the Internet this year?
| A．He handed his iPad to his wife. |
| B．He cut off his cellphone signal. |
| C．He refused to cheat in his house. |
| D．He listened to the radio most of the time. |
When back at work, the author will probably choose to ________.
| A．stay away from the Internet for ever |
| B．continue to road more and more books |
| C．keep control of when and how to use the Internet |
| D．stop checking what is being said right now completely |
What is the author’s opinion of a great vacation in the passage?
| A．A vacation is having nothing to do but read all day. |
| B．A vacation proves that a life of pleasure is overvalued. |
| C．A vacation is a period of time to do whatever one wishes to. |
| D．A vacation means a change of pace to make one more creative. |
Philip’s Complete Road Atlas Britain and Ireland
Voted Britain's clearest and most detailed road atlas（地图集）in a consumer survey, the 2016 edition of Philip’s Complete Road Atlas Britain and Ireland contains 160 pages of road maps and clearly marked service areas. It also includes 10 big city approach maps and 64 extra-detailed town and city plans.
Paperback, 248 pages.
￡9.99
Mary Berry Cooks the Perfect
The nation’s best-loved home cook invites you to share the secrets of her favorite dishes. Mary Berry Cooks the Perfect features an all-new collection of 100 mouth-watering, simple recipes for any occasion. From delicious dinners such as Slow-Roast Shoulder of Lamb or Cottage Pie with Dauphinoise Potato Topping to special summer lunches such as Fiery Red Rice Salad and Summer Pudding, this is the perfect kitchen companion.
Hardback, 320 pages.￡20.00￡16.99
Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary
Anne Bradford has been editing her Crossword Solver’s Dictionary since 1957, so this latest edition is based on over 50 years of crossword solving! Every word in this dictionary has appeared as a solution to a real crossword clue. With easy-to-read clear text design, this is an invaluable reference for both difficult and quick crosswords.
Paperback, 896 pages.
￡12.99￡9.99
Computing for Seniors
This leading computer guide explains in easy steps how to use the Internet, email, Skype and online shopping, plus how to manage your computer settings safely and securely. Updated for Windows 8 and Office 2013, it also sets out to make Tablet PCs, touchscreens and apps easier to be used, to give you confidence in your computing skills.
Paperback, 240 pages.
￡10.99￡9.99What can be expected from Mary Berry Cooks the Perfect?
| A．Easy cooking instructions. |
| B．How to make a perfect kitchen. |
| C．Tasty dishes from across the world. |
| D．How to cook a dinner in a secret way. |
What do Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary and Computing for Seniors have in common?
| A．They have similar pages. |
| B．They are in paperback. |
| C．They are the first editions. |
| D．They have the same discount. |
Which of the following can be a guide for travelers?
| A．Computing for Seniors. |
| B．Mary Berry Cooks the Perfect. |
| C．Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary. |
| D．Philip’s Complete Road Atlas Britain and Ireland. |
To pollute or not to pollute? That is the question. In order to survive, we all need to cause pollution. Factories that process the food we eat, clothes we wear, and cars we drive have to cause pollution. The environment has the ability to absorb our waste or the pollution, but its absorption ability has its limits. If the pollution level is higher than what the environment can cope with, then that's the time when pollution is bad.
If the pollution level becomes too high, human health can be affected badly. Then, the productivity level of the sick people is low and the economy suffers. The economy suffers not only because of the lost productivity of the people, but also because the government must pay for the damage the pollution has done to its people.
This is the reason why the government prefers taxation policy. Imposing（征收）a tax on firms that pollute the environment can be considered a good strategy, as long as the tax covers all the external costs or the cost of the damage the firm has created during production.
Taxation, if enforced（执行）really well, can make firms create a technology that may reduce pollution, if they find out that it will be cheaper than continuously paying the tax. The disadvantage of this policy, however, lies in the possibility that some big firms will find the tax cheap and then they will just produce more and pollute the environment more. If other small firms find the tax expensive, thus closing down, their production will be eaten up by those firms which can afford the tax.
Therefore, it is important that lawmakers in each country, when deciding to impose a tax on pollutant emissions, first review and analyze very carefully the real cost of the damage. We can infer from the first paragraph that
| A．for human beings pollution is unavoidable |
| B．it's not easy to figure out how bad pollution is |
| C．humans should reduce the use of everyday products |
| D．we can survive without causing pollution. |
The underlined word "absorb" here refers to”____”．
| A．reduce | B．fit in |
| C．avoid | D．deal with |
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．The effects of pollution on human health. |
| B．The relationship between people and their government. |
| C．The effects of pollution on economic development. |
| D．The relationship between human health and economic development. |
Which of the following can be the result of imposing a higher tax according to Paragraph 3 ？
| A．Firms may reduce the prices of their products. |
| B．Firms may develop some environmental technology. |
| C．A big firm will be broken up into small firms. |
| D．A small firm will try to pass the tax on to consumers. |
Do you drink water that's been left sitting out overnight or even for another day? Have you noticed it tastes different?
Tap water that has been left to sit out slowly begins to acquire an off taste. Many people think that this is because of microorganisms(微生物). But that's not what makes old water taste not fresh. For that we can thank carbon dioxide. After about 12 hours, tap water starts to go flat as carbon dioxide in the air starts to mix with the water in the glass, lowering its pH and giving it an off taste. But it's most likely safe to drink.
However, back to those microorganisms. If you use a dirty glass day after day, there is more of a chance of bacteria making themselves known; a risk that increases if you share the glass with another mouth as well. But assuming you use a fresh glass every few days, you probably won't have a problem unless the glass has been touched by dirty fingers, and especially if those dirty fingers went unwashed after using the bathroom.
As for plastic water bottles that have been left out in the sun or in the car, step away from the bottle, warns Dr. Kellogg Schwab, director of the Johns Hopkins University Water Institute. "A chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA, along with other things used to make plastic can leach(过滤) into your water if the bottle heats up or sits in the sun," he explains. BPA, as you probably know, has been linked to everything from heart disease to cancer.Schwab also adds that plastic used for commercial bottled water isn't meant to be washed or refilled, so use only one time and recycle. Or don't buy them at all; use refillable water bottles instead.Tap water begin to acquire an off taste because of .
| A．BPA | B．the glass |
| C．the microorganism | D．carbon dioxide |
According to Paragragh 2 , tap water that's been left sitting out for 12 hours____.
| A．tastes better | B．is still safe to drink |
| C．contains few microorganisms | D．is most likely undrinkable |
What should we do with plastic water bottles that have been left out in the sun or in the car?
| A．Throw them away. | B．Refill them with fresh water. |
| C．Use them after they cool down. | D．Clean them and use them again. |
Which of the following is true about BPA?
| A．It is safe for people to use. |
| B．It is a kind of new material. |
| C．It can cause great harm to people. |
| D．It is the main material to make plastic. |
In October 2013, Davion Only made an appeal on the Internet. He had learned that his biological mothr had died not long before. ”My name is Davion and I've been in foster care (寄养照管) since I was born," he said, “but I'm not giving up hope. "
The heartbreaking appeal spread quickly, and Only's foster agency received calls from more than 10,000 people. Only ended up travelling to Ohio to live with a family. But after Only got into a physical fight with one of his elder would-be brothers, the family changed their minds.
Back in Florida, Only passed through four different temporary homes over the following year, until he called Connie Going, his adoption case worker, to make a special request. Only had known Going for nearly ten years, and had asked every year if she would adopt him, but she always hesitated. “I always believed there was a better family than us out there," Going said in an interview. But last July, when Only called and asked again if she might adopt him, Going said something felt different. "When he asked me, my heart felt this ache and I just
knew he was my son," she said.
So Going, 52, invited Only to start spending time with the rest of her family-her two daughters, Sydney, 21, and Carly 17, and a son Taylor, 14, who she also adopted out of foster care. Eventually, after seeing how well the arrangement was working, Going, who had rented a bigger home, started adopting Only. Only moved in with her family last December.He officially joined Going's family on April 22, 2015 when the adoption papers went through.
"Today, I feel blessed and honored to have been chosen to be the parent of all my children," Going said.By making the appeal, Davion Only hoped that
| A．service in his foster agency would improve |
| B．his biological mother would come to him |
| C．a foster agency would accept him |
| D．he would be adopted by a family |
Davion Only didn't live with the family in Ohio because
| A．he hated living with them |
| B．they finally refused to accept him |
| C．he has received another invitation |
| D．he often fought with his would-be brothers |
What do we know from Paragraph 3?
| A．Davion Only had fun living in different homes. |
| B．Connie Going had cared about Davion Only for over ten years. |
| C．Davion Only had a strong desire to be adopted by Connie Going. |
| D．Connie Going believed she would give Davion Only what he wanted. |
After Davion Only joined Connie Going's family,
| A．Connie Going bought a bigger house |
| B．the four kids often had physical fights |
| C．Connie Going didn't regret her decision |
| D．another three kids were later adopted as well |