For shopoholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing ---- sales! Across the country, prices are reducing sharply on clothing, electronics and home furniture, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains.
The sales start on Boxing Day — 26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors. In Oxford Street queues formed outside shops ahead of before-dawn openings for the start of their sales. At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3.30 am for the ‘Next’ clothing store’s sale which began at 4 am. Some eager individuals even camped outside the shops to be first in the line.
Consumers who hit the shops were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80% as department stores joined the bargain sales. The shops are very crowded as the sales reached the boiling-point, with more than half a million people gathering on London’s West End.
Famous sales include the biggest, most popular shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis. Department stores are always a good bet — you’re likely to find everything you need under one roof, including much-needed food and drinks!
It’s a good time to stock up on cheap small tools, and there’s no better time to invest in some designer clothes.
Some people are taking their partners shopping with them, and buying their Christmas presents in the sale----a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want. For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online sellers are also getting in on the act with January sales of their own.
The most organized of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales! In the sales, people can buy, at a very low price, all of the following except ______.
| A．fashionable clothing | B．bestseller | C．TV sets | D．bookcases |
We can learn from the passage that the sales ______.
| A．actually start before the end of December | B．generally last for two months |
| C．basically benefit none of the people | D．are a time to buy Christmas gifts in a romantic way |
“Hit the shops” in the third paragraph means to ______.
| A．attack the shops | B．arrive at the shops |
| C．affect the shops | D．find the shops |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．January Sales | B．Sales in London at Christmas |
| C．Practical but Unromantic Shopping | D．Shopping under One Roof |
Welcome to Adventureland!
Everyone loves Adventureland! The Parks and Exhibitions were built for you to explore, enjoy, and admire their wonders. Every visit will be an unforgettable experience. You will go away enriched, longing to come back. What are you going to do this time?
The Travel Pavilion
Explore places you have never been to before, and experience different ways of life.
Visit the Amazon jungle village, the Turkish market, the Tai floating market, the Berber mountain house and others. Talk to the people there who will tell you about their lives, and things they make. You can try making a carpet, making nets, fishing…
The Future Tower
This exhibition shows how progress will touch our lives. It allows us to look into the future and explore the cities of the next century and the way we’ll be living then. Spend some time in our space station and climb into our simulator(模拟装置)for the Journey to Mars!
The Nature Park
This is not really one park but several.
In the Safari Park you can drive among African animals in one of our Range Cruisers: see lions, giraffes, elephants in the wild. Move on to the Ocean Park to watch the dolphins and whales. And then there is still the Aviary to see…
The Pyramid
This is the center of Adventureland. Run out of film, need some postcards and stamps? For all these things and many more, visit our underground shopping center. Come here for information and ideas too.The Travel Pavilion is built to help visitors _______.
| A．realize the importance of travelling |
| B．become familiar with mountain countries |
| C．learn how to make things such as fishing nets |
| D．learn something about different places in the world |
If you are interested in knowing about what people’s life will be, you may visit _______.
| A．the Travel Pavilion | B．the Future Tower |
| C．the Safari Park | D．the Pyramid |
If you want to get a toy lion to take home, where will you most likely go?
| A．The Pyramid. | B．The Nature Park. |
| C．The Future Tower. | D．The Travel Parvilion. |
It is normal for parents to question their children's hairstyle or the clothes they wear. But today teenagers and their parents argue over something else: money.
Children are spending lots of it. Parents used to say to their children, "You're wearing that?" Now they say, "You paid how much for that?"
Children in the US today spend five times more money than their parents did when they were young.
So what are all these children buying? The list is long: ipods trainers(训练鞋), cellphones and jeans are typical items that children "have to" buy. And they will do anything to get them. They ask their parents over and over until they buy them.
But parents also need to take the blame for spending so much money. They want their children to have the best stuff. They end up competing with other parents over what their children have.
So no wonder children find it hard to learn the importance of saving money rather than spending it all the time.
And it's hard to save when companies use advertising and clever slogans to encourage young people to buy their products. They even encourage children to keep asking their parents for something until they get it.
Today, you don't even need to have money in order to buy something. Banks give out credit cards and loans all the time so people are saving less and less. We are used to there being lots of money around. And if you don't have much you can always borrow some.
But this hasn't always been the case. When our grandparents were young there was very little money and everyone had to save hard for things they bought. They only bought things they needed, not things they just wanted.
The older generation made the wise expression, "Money doesn’t grow on trees." This is as true now as it was 50 years ago. They give money a great deal of value. And we all have a lot to learn from them.The text mainly tells us ________.
| A．divisions between teenagers and their parents |
| B．children's high consumption (消费) of products |
| C．what is popular among children at the moment |
| D．how to spend money wisely |
Parents are to blame for children's spending a lot of money because ________.
| A．they encourage children to care about the latest fashion |
| B．their consumption habits set a bad example for children |
| C．they always give children too much pocket money |
| D．they do nothing to help children establish healthy consumption habits |
Nowadays people find it hard to save money because of all of the following reasons EXCEPT that ________.
| A．banks provide credit cards and loans |
| B．advertisements draw people’s attention to new products |
| C．people have more money than in the past and saving is out of date |
| D．people's living standard has improved and they can buy what they want |
The saying "Money doesn't grow on trees." in the last paragraph is intended to tell us that ________.
| A．the older generation understood how to teach children to save |
| B．in the past, people attached more importance to saving money |
| C．money has a great deal of value |
| D．money is not easily earned and people should be careful spending it |
Key West, Florida is a wonderful place to spend a vacation. It is a truly charming and fun city for the whole family. And of course you will get the good weather of Florida, with which you have plenty of time to enjoy the outdoor activities.
Key West is the most southern city in the continental USA. That is why their sunsets are so amazing. The sun is brighter there at sunset than anywhere else. It’s so beautiful that everyone gathers every evening at Mallory Dock to watch it. And there you will see jugglers (玩杂耍的人) and musicians entertaining in the streets.
The houses surrounded by trees and flowers are lovely in Key West, and many are restored and absolutely charming. There are too many hotels, inns, guest houses and restaurants to talk about. They all look great and their prices change according to seasons, and you can find something to suit every pocketbook and every taste.
At the seaport you will see various boats. It’s very interesting. The city is rich in history and was home to Ernest Hemingway. Harry Truman chose it for his winter White House. There are so many public transportation—taxis, tour trains, trolleys, bikes—and you can even walk if you choose. There are beautiful coral reefs. The deep reefs are farther off shore and are best visited with an experienced guide. However, there are shallow reefs close in where snorkelers (潜水者) can explore to their heart’s content. At Key West Marine Park you can do some good snorkeling. In Key West you can go diving, fishing and do all sorts of water sports.
The problem with Key West is that no one ever wants to leave. Be sure to take your camera with you because you will want to snap (拍摄) everything you see. And whatever you do, be sure to take in the sunset because it is nothing like anything you have ever seen.What will certainly happen when visitors come to Key West?
| A．They are sure to have trouble finding a suitable restaurant. |
| B．They are sure to watch the sunset in the evening. |
| C．They are sure to take your trains. |
| D．They are sure to come across storms. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Key West lies in the north of the continental USA.
B. Private cars can be seen here and there in Key West.
C. Visitors can do all kinds of water sports in Key West.
D. The environment of Key West is very beautiful.From the last paragraph we know that __________.
| A．there are many problems in travelling in Key West. |
| B．everything in Key West is worth taking photos. |
| C．every traveler wants to leave Key West as soon as possible. |
| D．one can visit deep reefs alone in Key West. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Key West, Florida: A great vacation city |
| B．Key West, Florida: A charming and fun city |
| C．Key West, Florida: A beautiful sunset |
| D．Key West, Florida: A most southern city |
Do you want to be productive at work or at home? Here's what you should do.
1. Cut off television
I used to tell myself that I needed a break. So, when the kids slept I turned on the cable and watched whatever program that caught my fancy. Often, I found myself not watching, just channel-surfing. And I didn’t end up watching a full program. I decided one day to just give up on TV as it made me sleep late and woke up tired.
If you want to be productive, cut off TV. You are better off reading a book. Without TV, I have managed to finish many books which I have bought but never read.
2. Limit Internet use
The other big distraction that can make you sleep late is the Internet. Probably because you will be checking your emails, updating your blog, watching YouTube, etc. Try limiting the use of it at home, or switch it to the morning session.
Nowadays, I check all my personal emails early in the morning. When I get into work, I find myself less tempted to check personal emails.
3. Know your priorities(优先考虑的事)
Really, it is all about the choices you make and the priorities you have. If you know it is competitive out there in the world, how can you be a better worker than the person who is also aiming for the position above you?
4. Rest early, rise early
Do you want to be productive? Rise early, read more books, have more energy, be more focused and set standards for others to catch up. It’s as simple as that.The passage aims to give advice on how to ________.
| A．balance our work and energy well |
| B．take care of our kids at home |
| C．divide time between work and family |
| D．compete against others for a better position |
What does the author mainly use to support her theory?
| A．Ancient wisdom. | B．Internet information |
| C．Popular beliefs. | D．Personal experience |
The author used to be in the habit of _________.
| A．watching her favorite TV programs with her kids |
| B．checking all her personal emails in the morning |
| C．changing channels frequently when watching TV |
| D．reading the books immediately after she bought them |
In the author’s opinion, ___________.
| A．our top priority at work is to get the leader’s attention |
| B．reading at night helps to make us more productive |
| C．it’s a waste of time to update our blogs very often |
| D．knowing priorities makes us more competitive at work |
Have you ever suddenly felt that someone you knew was in trouble—and was he? Have you ever dreamed something that came true later? Maybe you have ESP (超感觉知觉).
ESP stands for Extra Sensory Perception. It may be called a sixth sense. It seems to let people know about events before they happen, or events that are happening some distance away.
Here's an example. A woman was ironing clothes. Suddenly she screamed, "My father is dead! I saw him sitting in the chair!" Just then, a telegram came. The woman's father died of a heart attack. He died sitting in a chair.
There are thousands of stories like this one on record. Scientists are studying them to find out what's behind these strange mental messages. Here's another example—one of hundreds of dreams that have come true:
A man dreamed he was walking along a road when a horse and carriage came by. The driver said, "There's room for one more." The man felt the driver seemed dead, so he ran away. The next day, when the man was getting on a crowded bus, the bus driver said, "There's room for one more."
Then the man saw that the driver's face was the same face he had seen in the dream. He wouldn't get on the bus. As the bus drove off, it crashed and burst into flames. Everyone was killed!
Some people say stories like these are coincidences. Others, including some scientists, say that ESP is real. From studies of ESP, we may someday learn more about the human mind.According to the passage, the author believes that the sixth sense is_________.
| A．in existence | B．imaginative | C．not real | D．impossible |
By studying ESP, scientists may get to_________.
| A．learn how people tell lies |
| B．know more about human dreams |
| C．know more about human mind |
| D．learn how strange things happen |
In the last paragraph the underlined word "coincidences" probably means ____.
| A．things that may not happen |
| B．things that happen in a dream |
| C．things that must happen |
| D．things that happen by accident |
This article is mainly about_________.
| A．the human dream | B．the sixth sense |
| C．the human mind | D．a crowded bus |