Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind. They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.
Some kidults collect toys they once played with. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory.(配件)
Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!
"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults
who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韩国外国语大学). He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.
Tim Greenhalgh,a professor,explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood. We can infer from the article that _________.
| A．Kidults miss their childhood so much that they can't give up their toys |
| B．Bloomsbury knows some kidults don't want people to know that they are kidults |
C．Kidults  like to have vitamins very much |
| D．Some toys are so interesting that even adults like them very much |
According to the author, being a kidult is good in some way EXCEPT that _______.
| A．it can improve the relationship between parents and their kids |
| B．it can help kidults feel relaxed |
| C．it is helpful to solve some social problems |
| D．it can make people loyal to one's parents |
According to the writer, _______.
| A．being a kidult is nothing wrong | B．kidults have mental problems |
| C．our society is very dull | D．some people can never grow up |
Handshaking, though a European practice is often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed(无武器的) hands to each other as a sign of friendship. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other's hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. "Let's shake (hands) on it" sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or-her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly. There is generally a misunderstanding(误解) among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved(保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries are more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.In the old days in Europe, people put out their unarmed hands to each other ______.
| A．to make a deal | B．to greet each other |
| C．to show friendliness | D．to reach an agreement |
The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．where handshaking was first practised |
| B．how handshaking came about |
| C．about the relationship between handshaking and trade |
| D．about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China |
According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese. |
| B．Westerners are unwilling to shake hands. |
| C．We should make a judgement before shaking hands. |
| D．We shouldn't shake hands with European women. |
The main purpose of the text is ______.
| A．to tell us some differences between the East and the West |
| B．to offer us some important facts about handshaking |
| C．to introduce us to some different customs in the West |
| D．to give us some advice before we travel abroad |
| Honey Sweet Cake(Prep. Time: 12 mins.) Ingredients Strawberries in syrup(糖浆), 1 package(unfrozen) Heavy cream, 1 cup Corn flour, 2 tablespoons Process Mix the strawberries, cream and corn flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 8～10 minutes, while constantly mixing until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and refrigerate for two hours. Fill the frozen mixture in cake, and serve. |
| Rosy Cake(Prep. Time: 10 mins.) Ingredients Sugar, cup Water, 1 cup Corn flour, 3 tablespoons Strawberries, 2～3 cups Process Take a large saucepan and mix all the ingredients. Cook until the mixture thickens over medium heat. Let it cool naturally and completely. Fill up your cake with the mixture, and serve. |
| Triangle Sweet(Prep. Time: 15 mins.) Ingredients Sugar, cup Whipping cream, cup Unflavoured gelatin(明胶), 1 tablespoon Cold water, 2 tablespoons Boiled water, 3 tablespoons Strawberries crushed, 2 cups Process Add sugar to the crushed strawberries and set them aside. In cold water, soften gelatin, and once it is softened, add boiling water. Stir(搅动) until the gelatin dissolves(溶解)．Add the dissolved gelatin mixture to the strawberries and let it cool. Now whip(搅打) the cream till it becomes stiff. When the strawberry mixture is of syrup thickness, add the whipped cream to it. Refrigerate until it sets. Fill it into your cake, and serve. |
| Flaming Maple(Prep. Time: 10 mins.) Ingredients Fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoons Honey, 2 tablespoons Maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Strawberries, ripe, 2 pints Process Make a fruit butter of half of the strawberries. Add honey, lemon juice, and maple syrup until it forms a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries. Fill the mixture in the cake, and serve. |
Which of the following ingredients (is) are used in all the recipes?
| A．Heavy cream. | B．Sugar syrup. |
| C．Corn flour. | D．Strawberries. |
Chefs needn't freeze the ingredients when preparing ________．
① Honey Sweet Cake② Rosy Cake③Triangle Sweet ④Flaming Maple
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．①④ | D．②④ |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Triangle Sweet takes the longest time to prepare. |
| B．Strawberries used in the recipes aren't all fresh. |
| C．Most strawberries are used when making a Rosy Cake. |
| D．Honey Sweet Cake is the best choice for busy mothers. |
In how many recipes should chefs thicken the mixture by heating?
| A．Only one. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
Jayne Fisher watched anxiously as her 17-year-old daughter Katie pulled her lamb（羊羔） into the Madison County Junior Livestock for sale.
Katie was battling cancer. This was her first chance in months to be outdoors having fun, away from hospitals and treatments, and she had come with high hopes for earning some money for her treatment. She had wavered a little on her decision to part with the lamb, but with lamb averaging two dollars a pound, Katie was looking forward to it. So the bidding（出价began.
That’s when Roger Wilson, the auctioneer(拍卖师), had a sudden inspiration that brought some unexpected results. “We sort of let everybody here know that Katie had a situation that wasn’t too pleasant,” is how he tells it. He hoped that his introduction would push the bidding up, at least a little bit.
Well, the lamb sold for $11.50 a pound, but things didn’t stop there. The buyer paid up, then decided to give the lamb back so that it could be sold again.
That started a chain reaction, with families buying the animal and giving it back, over and over again. When local businesses started buying and returning, the earnings really began to pile up. The first sale is the only one Katie’s mom remembers. After that, she was crying too hard as the crowd kept shouting, “Resell! Resell! ”
Katie’s lamb was sold 36 times that day, and the last buyer gave it back for good. Katie ended up with more than $16,000 to pay her medical expenses——and she still got to keep her famous lamb.Katie sold her lamb in order to_______.
| A．earn an amount of money to cover her medical expenses |
| B．help her mother support their family and keep more lambs |
| C．show her lamb was a famous one and raise some money |
| D．get some unexpected results from a chain reaction |
Why did families buy Katie’s lamb and return it repeatedly?
| A．They had fun in reselling it. |
| B．The auctioneer ordered them to do so. |
| C．They wanted to help Katie from the heart |
| D．Katie’s mother cried for help. |
The word “waver” in the second paragraph probably means _______.
| A．agree | B．hesitate | C．refuse | D．focus |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Battling cancer | B．A warm-hearted auctioneer |
| C．Bidding from the heart | D．A wise lamb |
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose is to let children learn from experiences at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly.
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance.
In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money. At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this,they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget (预算). Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance. The object is to show young people that a budget demands a choice between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.
Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it.
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice. You have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance. A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest.
Compounding works by paying interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot, but over time it adds up. Parents give their children allowances in order to _____.
| A．show off their wealth of family |
| B．let them make more money |
| C．learn the value of money |
| D．help children manage family finance |
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．The time to give allowances. |
| B．The way to spend alloweances. |
| C．the amount of allowances given to children. |
| D．Considerations taken to give allowances. |
Why are parents adivsed to offer young children allowances strictly as planned?
| A．To help children learn to make a budget. |
| B．To have children save money for larger costs. |
| C．To let children make fewer mistakes. |
| D．To give them more allowances next time. |
What does the author intend to tel lthe readers?
| A．The methods of limiting allowances. |
| B．The advice on a better family budget. |
| C．Teaching children to use allowances wisely. |
| D．Offering allowances to children properly. |
The adderis the only poisonous snake nativeto Britain. Adders have the most highly developed poison injecting mechanism of all snakes, but they are not aggressive animals. Adders will only use their poison as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on. No one has died from adder bites in Britain for over 20 years. By far the most common smake in Britain is the adder. In Scotland, in fact, there are no other snakes at all. The adder is also the only British sanke with a poisonous bite. It can be found almost anywhere, but prefers sunny hillsides and rough open country, including high gournd. In Ireland there are no snakes at all.
Most people regard snake bites as a fatal misfortune, but not all bites are serious, and very few are fatal . Sometimes attempts at emergency treatment turn out to be more dangerous than the bite itself, with amateurs heroically, but mistakenly, trying do-it-yourself surgery and other unnecessary measures.
All snakes have small teeth, so it follows tha tall snakes can bite, but only te bite of the adder presents any danger. British snakes are shy animals and are far more frightened of you than you could possibly be of them. The adder will attack only if it feels threatened, as can happen if you take it by surprise and step on it accidentally, or if you try to catch it or pick it up, which it dislikes intensely. If it hears you coming, it will normally get out of the way as quickly as it can, but adders cannot move very rapidly and may attack before moving if you are very close.
The effect of a bite varies considerably. It depends upon severa things, one of which is the boidy-wight of the person bitten. The bigger the person, the less harmful the bite is likely to be, which is why children suffer far more seriously from snake bites in Britain ,and thought these bites can make some pepe very ill, there are probably just as many cases of bites having little or no effect, as there are of serious illness.What does the underlined phrase “ trodden on” probably mean?
| A．Found out | B．Heard from | C．Stepped on. | D．Robbed of. |
Where are adders to be found?
| A．In fertile fields in Scotland. |
| B．On wild land throughout Britain. |
| C．In many parts of Britain and Ireland. |
| D．Everywhere in Britian except Scotland |
What should you do if you are with someone who is bitten by an adder?
| A．Catch the biting adder at onece. |
| B．Don’t worry about the bitten person. |
| C．Don’t try to treat the bite by yourself. |
| D．Operate on the person as soon as possible. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Poisonous Snakes | B．Adders in Britain |
| C．Take Care oif Sake Bites | D．Protec Endangered Adders |