George, when your big brother and your little dog and I walked you up to schools today, you had no idea how I was feeling.
You were so excited. You had packed and unpacked your pencils and safety scissors in your backpack a dozen times. I am really going to miss those lazy mornings when we waved your brother and sister off to school.
Because you are my youngest, I had learned a few things by the time you came along. I found out that the seemingly endless days of babyhood are gone like lightning. I blinked(眨眼), and your older siblings were setting off for school as eagerly as you did this morning, I was one of the lucky ones; I could choose whether to work or not. By the time it was your turn, the shining prizes of career advancement and a double income had lost their brightness. A splash(溅水) in the pool with you in your bright red boots or "just one more" rereading of your favorite book, Frog and Toad Are Friends, meant more. You didn’t go to preschool and I hope that doesn’t hold you back. You learned numbers by helping me count the soda cans we returned to the store.
I have to admit that in my mind’s eye, an image of myself while you’re in school has developed, I see myself updating all the photo albums and starting that novel I always wanted to write. As the summer wound down and more frequent quarrels erupted between you and your siblings, I was looking forward to today. And then this morning, I walked you up the steep hill to your classroom. You found the coat hook with your name above it right away, and you gave me one of your characteristically fierce, too-tight hugs. This time you were ready to let go before I was.
Maybe someday you will deliver a kindergartner to the first day of school. When you turn at the door to wave good-bye, he or she will be too deep in conversation with a new friend to notice. Even as you smile, you’ll feel something warm on your cheek.
And then, you’ll know…What does the author mean by the underlined sentence?
A.She gave up the job with a big salary and prizes. |
B.She could only recall her good job at home now. |
C.Many good jobs with better pay attracted her but she didn’t take them. |
D.Compared with bringing up the baby, work seemed to fade to her. |
Which statement is NOT TRUE about George’s family according to the letter?
A.George’s parents gave birth to three children |
B.The Georges is a double income family. |
C.The children had more arguments during the summer. |
D.They recyled soda cans. |
The passage tries to show us .
A.how excited a child will be on his first day to school |
B.how deeply a mother loves her child |
C.how many efforts a mother has made to raise a child |
D.how a mother plans her future life after her children go to school |
Multitasking
What is the first thing you nitice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed (展示) at the entrance? Or the soft background music?
But have you ever notice the smell? Unless it is bad, the answer is likely to be no. But while a shop’s scent may not be outstanding compared with sightsand sounds, it is certainly there. And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase.
A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance, via scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air. One sports goods company once reported that when it first introduced scent into its stores, customers’ intension to purchase increased by 80 percent.
When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs, scent is just as important to a brand’s success as the quality of its window displays and goods on slaes. That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be.
Some years ago,the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistants’ disproving attitude and don’t-touch-what-you-can’t-afford displays. Now the rise of electronic commerce (e-commerce) has opened up famous brands to a wider audience. But while e-shops can use sights and sounds, only bricks-and-mortar stores (实体店) can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave. Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop, but rather a destination. And scent is just one way to achieve this.
Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department, and coconut (椰子) scent in the swimsuit section. A department store has even opened a new lab, inviting customers on a journey into the store’s windows to smell books, pots and drawers, in search of their perfect scent.According to the passage, what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand store?
A.Friendly assistant. | B.Unique scents. |
C.Soft background music | D.attractive window display. |
E-shops are mentioned in the passage to _______ .
A.ashow the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores |
B.urge shop assistants to change their attitude |
C.push stores to use sights and sounds |
D.introduce the rise of e-commerce |
The underlined word “destination” in Paragraph 5 means _______ .
A.a platform that exhibts goods |
B.a spot where travelers like to stay |
C.a place where customers love to go |
D.a target that a store expects to meet |
The main purpose of the passage is to ______ .
A.compare and evaluate | B.examine and assess |
C.argue and discuss | D.inform and explain |
Choosing the Right Resolution (决定)
Millions of Americans began 2014 with the same resolution they started 2013 with, a goal of losing weight. However, setting weight loss as a goal is a mistake.
To reach our goal of losing weight --- the output, we need to control what we eat --- the input ( 输入). That is, we tend to care about the output but not to control the input. This is a bad way to construce goals. The alternative is to focus your resolution on the input. Instead of resolving to lose weight, try an actionable resolution: "I'll stop having desert for lunch," or "I'll walk every day for 20 minutes." Creating a goal that focuses on a well-specified input will likely be more effective than concentrating on the outcome.
Recently a new science behind incentives (激励) , including in education, has been discussed. For example, researcher Roland Fryer wanted to see what works best in motivating children to do better in school. In some cases, he gave students incentives based on input, like reading certain books, while in others, the incentives were based on output, like results on exams. His main finding was that incentives increased achievement when based on input but had no effect on output. Fryer's conclusion was that the intensives for inputs might be more effective because do not knoe how to do better on exam, aside from general rules like "study harder." Reading certain books, on the other hand, is a well-set task over which they have much more control.
As long as you have direct control over your goal, you have a much higher chance of success. And it's easier to start again if you fail, because you know exactly what you need to do.
If you want to cut down on your spending, a good goal would be making morning coffee at home instead of going to a cafe, for example. This is a well-specified action-based goal for which you can measure your success easily. Spending less money isn't a goal because it's too general. Similarly, if you want to spend more time with your family, don't stop with this general wish. Think bout an actionable habit that you could adopt and stick to, like a family movie night every Wednesday.
In the long run, these new goals could become a habit.
1. |
The writer thinks that setting weight loss as a goal is a mistake because.
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2. |
In Roland Fryer's research, some students did better than the others because.
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3. |
According to the writer, which of the following statements is a good goal?
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4. |
The writer strongly believes that we should.
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The Brown Bear
My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly.
Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, "Dad! The bear is right behind us!" An agreesive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back---- the sign (迹象) of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger.
I held my camera tripod (三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.
Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.
The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.
Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five to six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling (扭打) with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back toward the forest, before returning for another attack----- The first time I felf panic.
Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I'm proud that my family reminded clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.
1. |
The brown bear approached the family in order to.
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2. |
The bear finally went away after it.
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3. |
The writer and his family survived mainly due to their.
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Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium (水族馆)
The all-new Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, situated in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, is one of Victoria’s leading visitor attractions and an unforgettable outing for the whole family. Having 12 amazing zones of discovery, Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is the very place that you cannot miss when you visit the city.
* Opening Times
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is open from 9:30 am until 6:00 pm every day of the year, including public holidays. Last admission is at 5:00 pm, one hour before closing.
* Location ( 位置)
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is located on the corner of Flinders Street and King Street, Melbourne. It is siyuated on the Yarra River, opposite Crown Entertainment Complex.
* Getting to Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium
Train
The Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium train stop is located on the free City Circle Tram route (公交线路) and also routes 70 and 75. City Circle trams run every 10 minutes in both directions.
Shuttle Bus
The Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is a free bus service, stopping at key tourist attractions in and around the City. Running daily, every 15 minutes from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Car Parking
While there is no public car parking at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, there are several public car parking lots available only a short walk away.
* Wheelchair Access
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium provides people in wheelchairs with full access to all 12 zones. Each floor also has wheelchair accessible toilets.
* Terms
Tickets will be emailed to you immediately after purchase or you can download and print your ticket once payment has been accepted. Please print out all tickets purchased and present at the front entrance of Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium. No ticket, no entry!Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium _________ .
A.is located at the center of the CBD in the city |
B.has 12 most attractive places in Melbourne |
C.admits visitors from 9:30 am untill 6:00 pm |
D.is beside Crown Entertainment Complex |
Getting to Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, visitors can take ________.
A.trains from southern Cross train station |
B.shuttle buses around the train station |
C.boats across the yarra River |
D.either tram route 70 or 75 |
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium offers visitors ________.
A.free car parking | B.wheelchair access |
C.Internet connection | D.transportation service |
Tickets to Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium ________ .
A.are free to all visitors | B.can be pursed by email |
C.rare checked at the entrance | D.can be printed at the ticket office |
WATCH CONTROL This is a watch that James Bond would be proud to wear! This is NOT a watch for ordinary people! Your electronic PENGO WATCH CONTROL Ø acts as a remote control for TVs and videos. Ø gives you a daily weather forecast. Ø reminds you when to hand in your homework. Ø sets off a silent warning alarm when parents or teachers are near. Besides, your PENGO WATCH CONTROL will always tell you the time accurately! Originally sold for $199 NOW ONLY $99 For further information, click here. |
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Personal Robot Make your parents and teachers happy ! Are you having problems finishing your homework on time? Do you avoid tidying your room until your mom shouts at you? You don’t need to worry if you buy a Mr. Helping Hand personal robot.Mr. H can be programmed to organize your homework.Your own personal robot will follow you around, putting away books and objects that you have left on the floor or bed. Mr. H also has these features (特点) ·weighs only 500 grams ·includes long-lasting batteries ·comes with a 5-year guarantee ·remembers simple instructions Originally (最初) sold for $499 NOW ONLY $299
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With help from a Mr.H, you can .
A.stop using batteries. |
B.finish your homework on time. |
C.remember your teacher’s instructions. |
D.get your room tidied on your way home. |
A PENGO WATCH CONTROL can help you to .
A.repair your TV | B.organize your homework |
C.be a James Bond | D.know what the weather is like |
You can get your Mr. H for .
A.$499 | B.$299 | C.$199 | D.$99 |
Where would you be most likely to find the two texts?
A.On a notice board | B.In a company brochure. |
C.On a teenage website | D.In a college newspaper. |