A new TV series in England，Away from it all，has surprised everyone by becoming a huge success with young people across the country．Its success is surprising because the series is about the relaxing lifestyles of people who live in the country．There is none of the action that we usually see on TV today．There are also no stressful moments，busy offices or crowded cities．Away from it all is set in the peaceful English countryside and tells simple stories about people’s kindness．
The director of the TV series says that its success is a sign of teenagers suffering from stress．They say that watching Away from it all helps teenagers forget about the pressures(压力)of exams and homework，and the troubles that fill the world today．They also say that it’s a good sign of today’s young people switching to(转到)happier TV series as it shows they would like a happier and healthier world．
Although the series’success might have a good side，many teachers and parents are worried，however．They say that some of their students and children are becoming couch potatoes(终日泡在电视机前的人)and are using Away from it all as an excuse for not completing homework．Some children have even refused to learn for exams because they say that they can only achieve personal happiness by avoiding(避免)stressful situations completely．
And what do the experts(专家)say? Paula Ray，a doctor of education，says that TV can influence children’s lifestyles．But she says that if a child reacts strongly，it’s likely that there are other reasons for his change in behaviour．She says that there is nothing wrong with watching Away from it all but suggests that parents should make sure their children know TV is not the same as real life，The success of the new TV series is surprising because________．
| A．it is different from other successful TV series |
| B．it is the same as other successful TV series |
| C．it is about the English countryside |
| D．it is about life in busy offices |
The director of Away from it all believes that the series helps young people deal with______．
| A．simple stories |
| B．stress |
| C．couch potatoes |
| D．exams |
The success of the series shows that young people would like________．
| A．a world with no homework |
| B．English TV series |
| C．relaxing jobs |
| D．a happier and healthier world |
Who are worried about the effects of the series?
| A．Experts and teenagers． |
| B．Teachers and experts． |
| C．Teachers and parents． |
| D．Young people and parents． |
The mystery stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are famous all over the world.
The detective in his stories is called Sherlock Holmes. He solves mysteries in a most surprising way. His assistant, Dr Watson, watches with admiration and then writes up the story of the mystery afterwards.
This is a useful story writing skill. Because Watson is not very clever, the story remains a mystery until the end. The readers can sometimes pick up some clues before he does! Then, to make Watson understand the mystery, Holmes has to explain it all, step by step. So we, the readers, get to see it step by step too. Watson is almost as good a character in the story as Sherlock Holmes!
The very first time they meet, Holmes greatly surprises Watson. When they are first introduced, Holmes says to Watson, ‘How do you do? I see you have been to Afghanistan(阿富汗).’
Watson is too amazed by this to ask Holmes how he knows this. Watson has, indeed, been to Afghanistan. Later, he asks Holmes about it. Holmes explains that there is nothing magical about what he does. He gets to know it all by very, very careful observation(观察).
Observation One
Watson was introduced to Holmes as a doctor. Yet Holmes thought that the way he stood and walked made him seem like a soldier. So, this meant he was probably an army doctor.
Observation Two
Watson's face was quite dark skinned. But his wrists were pale. So his dark face was probably sun burnt. This meant that he had been to a hot, sunny country.
Observation Three
At the time, the British army had soldiers at bases in many parts of the world. So there were still a lot of places to choose from. However, Holmes saw that Watson looked very tired and he was always holding his left arm, as if it was painful. So, he had probably been with the army to a place where they were fighting. There was only one place where the British army was fighting at that time: Afghanistan.The writer most probably created the character, Dr Watson, to ______.
| A．give Holmes help when solving mysteries |
| B．show Holmes' careful observation |
| C．help readers pick up some clues about the mystery |
| D．get readers to see the mystery step by step |
The first time they meet, ______.
| A．Holmes explains how he knows Watson has been to Afghanistan |
| B．Holmes surprises Watson by telling that he has been to Afghanistan |
| C．Watson tells Holmes he has been to Afghanistan |
| D．Watson asks Holmes how he knows he has been to Afghanistan |
From the passage we know that the British army ______ at that time.
| A．only had soldiers in Afghanistan |
| B．had many army doctors at bases in many parts of the world |
| C．was fighting with several countries |
| D．was fighting with Afghanistan |
Town Lake Animal Center is the largest animal shelter in Central Texas, providing shelter for more than 23,000 animals each year and animal control services for all of Austin and Travis County. In the shelter, no animal will be turned away.（拒绝）
Hours of Working:
Shelter
Monday - Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed on City Holidays
Homeless or unwanted animals can be safely dropped off at the shelter.
Animal Protection and Control
Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
City Holidays, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Officers on-call overnight to react to emergencies
Administrative Offices
Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed on City Holidays
Location: 1156 W. Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78703
Mailing address: Town Lake Animal Centre, PO Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767
What’s New:
Animal Cruelty(虐待) Prevention Classes
Purpose: To teach people how to recognize(辨认) and report animal cruelty.
Who: All citizens are encouraged to take this class.
Cause: Usually animal cruelty is relation to (涉及到) family cruelty.People who hurt animals often move on to hurt human beings.If you’re able to recognize and report animal cruelty,you can help prevent cruelty from spreading throughout your area.What is Town Lake Animal Center?
A. It is the largest animal shelter in the USA.
B. It offers many services to animals.
C. It is a place to kill homeless animals.
D. It is a place to raise animals for food.If you meet a badly hurt pet dog at night, which is the best choice according to the passage?
| A．Send it to Shelter immediately. |
| B．Send it to Administrative Offices at once. |
| C．Send it to Animal Protection and Control at once. |
| D．Call Animal Protection and Control quickly. |
Animal Cruelty Prevention Classes is held to _________.
| A．protect and save more animals |
| B．collect as many animals as possible |
| C．earn money for Town Lake Animal Center |
| D．attract more volunteers to Town Lake Animal Center |
If you have dinner with people in the west, I think you must pay more attention to the table manners. Here are some good table manners for you.
When you eat something, try not to make a noise or burp (打嗝) at the table. Because people think that is not polite. People will say “Excuse me” when they want to burp.
Talking with food in the mouth is very rude. So you must eat the food quietly and slowly. If you eat too fast, people think you are rude too. Do not talk with others when you have food in your mouth.
It is good to eat all the food on your plate. This means you like the food very much. Remember to say the food is nice. And this can make the host very happy. When you finish eating, you can place your knife and fork together.The topic of this passage isin the west.
| A．how to burp | B．what to eat | C．school rules | D．table manners |
Which of the following is NOT good manners?
| A．To eat all the food on your plate. |
| B．To eat the food quietly and slowly. |
| C．To talk with others when you have food in your mouth. |
| D．To place your knife and fork together after finishing eating. |
According to the passage, which of the following is good?
| A．To eat the food on the plate quickly. |
| B．To tell the host that the food is not tasty. |
| C．To say “Excuse me” when you want to burp. |
| D．To talk with people loudly when you have food in your mouth. |
It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why.
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things. It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing. If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you make yourself stronger? The simple answer is “You can’t.” Look around you. With very few exceptions(例外), either everything you see in your world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new．
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning．Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work．
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success. Why? Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some numbers of things before you succeed．Every time you make a mistake, you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer. But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences(后果) of a mistake. However, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits（限度） so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a normal place to try again．
We all have limited time and money so don’t blow them all on one problem. Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and deal with these resources(资源) properly so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again．If you accept and use your mistakes in this way ,you can make great progress in your business and your career．
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough.”
So go ahead and make mistakes. And learn. And grow. And succeed．From the second paragraph, we can know that _______．
| A．mistakes are unnecessary for development |
| B．we are afraid of trying new thing |
| C．it’s common for people to make mistakes |
| D．mistakes are better than not trying |
The underlined word “eliminate” means _______．
| A．study | B．remove | C．accept | D．solve |
According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is_____．
| A．not making the same mistakes |
| B．accepting the punishment willingly |
| C．taking consequences into consideration |
| D．trying things out one by one |
What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?
| A．Never mind, I can always try again． |
| B．I’d better stay out of trouble． |
| C．Ok! Now I can learn something． |
| D．Look at this mess. Anyone would be sad． |
Although I didn’t have any interest in being a school bus driver, I became one. Many years later, I was still working on the school bus. There are so many good reasons. Firstly, the talk brought me different kinds of information. I also got to hear all the family secrets of the newcomers. I have a toy bear who was a great comforter(安慰者) for the little ones. The kids got to look after him on the trip to school and he waited patiently for them to get on for the trip home.
Our bus would often pass a place where we could see some alpacas (羊驼) in front of a farm house. Little Michael would cry excitedly from the seat, “Look, Miss! Look at the camels!” He used to put his head out of the bus window. When I warned him that a little insect would come into his nose if he wasn’t careful, he smartly gave up the habit.
I remember a little girl got on the bus one morning 5 years ago and sobbed(抽泣) all the way to school. We arrived at the school gate. As she waited to get down the bus, she threw her arms around my neck and cried that her grandfather had died the night before.
A school bus driver needs to keep one eye on the road and the other on the mirror to watch what the little ones are doing down the back.
Now, it’s important to think how many lives I’ve been responsible(负责的) for, and how many kilometers I’ve driven in order to get my passengers home safely during the 20 years. I’ve enjoyed it, but it’s time to rest and park my school bus.What does the underlined word “them” in the first paragraph refer to (所指)?
| A．toy bears | B．kids |
| C．school buses | D．secrets |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Children didn’t like the driver. |
| B．The driver likes the job all the time. |
| C．The little girl was excited at seeing the camels. |
| D．Children sometimes talked about their family secrets on the bus. |
The writer didn’t give up her job because.
| A．driving was her hobby |
| B．children made her valuable |
| C．drivers were paid well |
| D．children loved her toy bear |