July 27st, 2010 was a typical English summer’s day – it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I left work at 5pm, however, the road into our village was flooded. Our house had never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of water greeted me. Thank God the kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs.
At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home, so we camped upstairs. We put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we moved to a wooden house in a park. The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community(社区). We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbours, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that.
Although our situation was very had, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought, “We didn’t have a straw but(茅草房)that who swept away, and our house is still standing. We’re lucky.”
We moved back home in August. With December coming, there’s still reconstruction work to be done, so it’s difficult to prepare for Christmas, But I can’t wait-I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year, I won’t need any gifts-living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions. Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush-we have our home back, and that’s the main thing. What does the underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph mean?
A.Wrong | B.Missing | C.Right | D.Difficult |
Why does the author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph?
A.Because they were able to move to a new place. |
B.Because many other places were flooded. |
C.Because their straw hut was not swept away. |
D.Because some others suffered even more. |
It can be inferred from the text that the author .
A.was sick of staying upstairs |
B.cared much about her children |
C.could not stand living in a wooden house |
D.did not deal well with her family affairs during the flood |
What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?
A.She valued human feelings more than before. |
B.She realized she almost didn’t need possessions. |
C.She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed. |
D.She thought her own home was the most important. |
Whether you’re headed to another country for business or pleasure, it is likely that you need to keep in touch with family or business partners in the United States. But if you plan to do that using your cellphone, you could have an unwelcome surprise—U.S. cellphones don’t work abroad. U.S. companies use different forms of technology, not like most of the international community, including Europe.
However, there is an easy, cost-effective solution to staying in touch while you’re traveling. You can rent a phone that is guarante
ed(保证)to work in the countries you’re visiting. Roadpost offers a 30-day cellphone rental plan that includes free incoming calls, free voicemail and call waiting services.
The service is convenient and simple. You can place your order online and yourphone will be shipped to arrive on the date you want. If an unexpected business trip comes up, Roadpost can provide next-day delivery for
most cities. In addition to the phone, Roadpost provides a spare battery, travel charger and a leather carrying case.
When your phone is shipped from Roadpost, you receive an e-mail confirmation(确认)that contains your international cellphone number so you can leave it with family members and business partners; Roadpost even provides business cards preprinted with your international phone number.
Those who don’t want to be without e-mail while traveling can rent an international BlackBerry. It can be hard to stay in touch by e-mail when traveling. With an international BlackBerry, you can e-mail as much as you like, without worrying about an expensive bill. If you’re traveling to very remote areas, you may want to consider renting a satellite phone, because it receives its signals from satellites, this phone works anywhere on the planet, including oceans and mountains. When you return, simply ship the phone or BlackBerry back to Roadpost using the return kit the company provides.
The first paragraph mainly tells us that_________.
A.Americans need to change their cellphones |
B.European form of technology is different from America’s |
C.U.S. cellphones don’t work abroad |
D.Americans who go abroad will meet an unwelcome surprise |
According to the text,it can be inferred that__________.
A.an international BlackBerry is only used to send e-mail |
B.Roadpost can offer cellphones using in different areas |
C.you should select a bag used to send your cellphone |
D.Roadpost sells the best cellphones |
Which of the free services can you get from Roadpost?
A.Voicemail. | B.Sending e-mail. |
C.Shipping the phone back. | D.Call waiting services. |
Which of the following will help you a lot in mountainous areas?
A.BlackBerry. | B.The return kit. | C.E-mail. | D.Satellite phones. |
Bayfield Shopping Coupons (赠券)
1. Six Hours Free Parking If you spend $100 or more in our stores you will receive six hours of free parking. When you have spent $100 or more, just take this coupon and your receipts to the customer service desk on level 4. They will stamp your parking ticket to allow 6 hours of free parking. Offer until November 14. |
2. Win a $1,000 CD Collection Win your choice of $1,000 worth of CDs from JB Music Store. Just buy any two CDs and your name will go into the competition. Select your own prize from our wide variety of rock, pop, jazz, and classical music. Competition ends ![]() Check store for more information. |
3. Buy One, Get One Free Buy one shirt or tie at Daniel’s Menswear, and get a ![]() Choose from any of our dress shirts and we will give you another one at no cost. Hurry! Offer ends November 14. Offer limited to one per customer. |
4. 10% Off Present this coupon at The Book Store to get a 10%discount on any books you buy. We have lots of books to choose from, including children’s books, novels, travel guides, and science works. You are sure to find something that you will enjoy. Shop now for Christmas. We have plenty of toys as gifts for you and avoid the rush. Offer here until November 14. |
5. Half-price Movie Tickets Buy any full-price movie ticket on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and you can buy a second ticket for a friend for only half price. The latest movies are here, showing in one of our five theaters at Bayfield Shopping Center. Offer good through December 1. Limit one per customer. |
6. Free Soft Drink Buy any meal for at least $6 at Mike’s Café, and receive a free soft drink. We serve the best fast food in the Shopping Centre. Come in and try our delicious meals and our excellent service. You won’t be disappointed! Free soft drink offer ends November 14. |
. What are these ads for?
A.Food you can order for delivery. | B.Places to go on vacation. |
C.Special offers at a shopping center. | D.Things on sale in a big store. |
. Which of the following is true according to the ads?
A.Spending $ 50 means 3 hours of free parking. |
B.One person can buy 4 tickets for the price of three. |
C.After buying two CDs, you can get another two CDs for free. |
D.At Mike’s Cafe, people can get a free drink after spending $![]() |
.. We can know from this passage_________.
A.there are more than one theatre in the center |
B.if you buy a book there, you may pay less than half the price |
C.you may get a free one if you buy a shirt, or a tie, or a pair of shoes |
D.you won’t get a free soft drink unless you spend more than 10 dollars on the meal |
Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101. Mr. John Evans had never found the
time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest Fach, near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all – expenses – paid birthday treat to the capital he just could not refuse.
He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. “It’s very exciting. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.
Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. “But I’ve been on the seas to that faraway land called Ilfracombe 21 miles from home,” he joked.
Mr. Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. “There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings return from Swansea – too much I thought. All my money went to the family then,” he said.
During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament organized by his MP, Mr. Gareth Wardell.
The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair – people will think I am getting old,” he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized – no wine, no tobacco and no anger.
Before setting off from Swansea with his 76 – year – old son, Amwell, he said jokingly, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket.”
. The very reason that Mr. Evans didn’t go to see the world is that_______.
A.he had already been on the seas to Ilfracombe |
B.he was too busy to go too far away from home |
C.he couldn’t afford both the time and the money |
D.he believed “East or west, home is the best” |
. Mr. Evans didn’t like the wheelchair simply because_______.
A.he was not used to traveling in it |
B.the wheelchair was of poor quality and not easy to operate |
C.he actually preferred walking to sitting in it at home |
D.he thought he was still young enough to manage the trip |
. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Mr. Evans had to work hard to raise his family when young. |
B.The trip to London excited Mr. Evans very much. |
C.Mr. Evans could not really enj![]() |
D.Humor was one of Mr. Evans’ characters. |
. The probable explanation to Mr. Evans’ long life lies in_______.
A.his good living habits | B.his hard working for the family |
C.his sticking to his hometown | D.his living conditions near the Swansea |
Sublet.com is not just for sublets (转租,分租) and subleases(转租入,转租出)! If you are searching for a place to live or just need temporary rental housing, you will find the rental you need at Sublet.com. Sublet.com is a full service rental website where landlords(房东), tenants(房客) and roommates come together to rent apartments, houses and rooms.
At sublet.com tenants can search and find every type of rental housing. Sublet.com landlords rent and sublet apartments, houses, townhouses, rooms, hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, mobile homes, vacation rentals and dormitory rooms. Sublet.com rentals and sublets meet every demand: pet friendly rentals and subleases, furnished or unfurnished rentals, short term or long term rentals, roommates, rentals and sublets for tenants with bad credit and obviously rentals for tenants with good credit. At Sublet.com tenants can search for rentals in many different ways. Search rentals by location neighborhood, by zip code(区号), by specific rental needs like doorman, pets, high speed internet, no smokers and more.
If you are a landlord and you have an apartment, house, townhouse or room to rent, post it for free at Sublet.com. Post your apartment or house for a 1 year lease, for a one week rental or even for a 1 day rental. Whatever your rental goals are, sublet.com will help by sending quality rental leads(线索). Sublet.com also offers landlords a complete tenant screening service. At Sublet.com you can conveniently run credit reports, employment reports, criminal background checks to evaluate the quality of a tenant..
Sublet.com does not share personal information. Even email addresses are not accessible to landlords or tenants. Sublet.com does not save credit card information. Sublet.com posts a TRUSTED logo(专用标识) for landlords that have been screened and checked. And tenant reviews of landlords are posted with each listing to express the quality of a rental or a landlord. Since all landlords with tenant complaints are blocked, the length of time a landlord has been posting is shown to indicate the quality of the landlord. At Sublet.com, _________.
A.tenants with bad credit can not find their rentals |
B.tenants can not find the rentals which provide Bed and ![]() |
C.landlords can post a flat or a room to rent without paying any money |
D.landlords and tenants are informed of each other’s email addresses |
This passage is probably_________.
A.an ad for a housing rental website | B.a guide for people to rent houses |
C.a direction of making rental deals | D.a collection of rental information |
People can do all the following at Sublet.com EXCEPT_________.
A.buy a well-furnished apartment |
B.find a place to stay with their pets |
C.evaluate the quality of a tenant |
D.post their apartment or house for a short term or long term rental |
The purpose of the last paragraph is probably to_________.
A.attract ![]() |
B.prove that sublet.com is the best |
C.refuse people with bad credit |
D.convince landlords and tenants of their privacy and security |
With fears of a possible nuclear meltdown(核反应堆堆芯的熔毁) in Japan building up, evidence has come to light that the nation received warnings over the stability of its power plants from an international watchdog more than two years ago.
As the Telegraph is reporting, an official from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in December 2008 that safety rules were out of date, and strong earthquakes would cause a “serious problem” for the power stations.
A U.S. embassy document, by quoting(引用)an unnamed expert, states: “He (the IAEA official) explained that safety guides for earthquakes have only been updated three times in the last 35 years and that the IAEA is now re-examining them. Also, the presenter noted recent earthquakes in some cases have gone beyond the design basis for some nuclear plants, and that this is a serious problem that is now driving earthquake safety work.”
The Telegraph also reports that the government responded to the warnings by building an emergency response center at the Fukushima Daiichi plant designed to resist magnitude-7.0 earthquakes. Friday's earthquake, originally named a magnitude-8.9 shock, has since been upgraded to magnitude-9.0.
Other nuclear experts state IAEA officials had willingly ignored lessons from the Chernobyl disaster to protect the nuclear industry's expansion, reports Bloomberg. “After Chernobyl, all the force of the nuclear industry was directed to hide this event, for not creating damage to their reputation,”Russian nuclear accident specialist Iouli Andreyev tells Reuters, before noting that radiation from spent fuel rods(棒)stored close to reactors at Fukushima looked like an example of putting profit before safety. “The Japanese were very greedy, and they used every square inch of the space. But when you have a dense(密集的) placing of spent fuel in the basin, you have a high possibility of fire if the water is removed from the basin.” From the passage, we know that ____________.
A.people fear that the nuclear meltdown will possibly become more and more serious in Japan |
B.people are becoming more and more afraid of a![]() |
C.Japan made no response to the warnings over the safety of its power plants |
D.Iouli Andreyev warned Japan not to store spent fuel rods close to reactors |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Japan was warned of the stability of its power plants when they were built over 2 years ago. |
B.Safety guides for earthquakes should be updated three times in 35 years. |
C.The emergency response centre at the Fukushima Daiichi plant can not resist Friday’s earthquake. |
D.IAEA officials advised Japan to ignore lessons from the Chernobyl disaster. |
IAEA officials were willing to ignore lessons from the Chernobyl disaster because they want ________.
A.to put profit before safety. | B.the nuclear industry to develop |
C.to protect the reputation of Japan | D.every inch of land to be made good use of |
The writer develops this passage mainly by__________.
A.making comments | B.providing facts |
C.quoting what experts say | D.analysing what happened |