As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend in the US continues to grow.
“we needed furniture for our living room,” says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe-making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $520. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I have finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-youselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.We can learn from the text that many newly married people_______.
| A．find it hard to pay for what they need |
| B．have to learn to make their own furniture |
| C．take DIY courses run by the government |
| D．seldom go to a department store to buy things |
John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to ______.
| A．run a DIY shop | B．make or repair things |
| C．save time and money | D．improve the quality of life |
Jim decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when______
| A．his car repairs cost too much |
| B．the car repair class was not helpful |
| C．he could not possibly do two jobs |
| D．keeps house and looks after his children |
Well-known as gourmets（美食家），the French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world's rich nations，according to a study published on Monday.
The average French person sleeps almost 9 hours every night，more than an hour longer than Japanese and Korean，who sleep the least in a survey of 18 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development （OECD）. Despite their siesta（午睡）habit，Spanish rank only third after Americans, who sleep more than 8.5 hours. And while more and more French people prefer fast-food chains these days or wolf down a sandwich at their desk, they still spend more than two hour’s a day eating.
That means their meals are twice as long as those of the average Mexican, who spends just an hour a day on food，the OECD’s “Society at a Glance” report on work, health and leisure(休闲) in Asia, Europe and North and South America found. The Japanese manage to spend close to 2 hours a day eating and drinking, placing them third behind New Zealanders．
Despite the limited time, Americans spend eating each day---about an hour and a quarter---U.S．obesity(肥胖) rates are the highest in the 30 members of OECD. The Japanese like to spend their rare free time watching TV or listening to the radio. This takes up 47 percent of leisure time in Japan. Norwegians spend the most time at leisure，just over a quarter of their day，while at the low end，Mexicans spend just 16 percent of their time having fun．
The OECD has 30 members. The survey covers only the countries for which proper figures were available.As to eating time，the CORRECT order is______.
| A．The French > New Zealanders> Japanese> Mexicans |
| B．Mexicans> The Japanese > New Zealanders > The French |
| C．The French > The Japanese > New Zealanders > Mexicans |
| D．New Zealanders > The Japanese >Mexicans> The French |
In the 30 members of OECD，U.S ranks first at______
| A．sleeping time | B．leisure |
| C．eating time | D．obesity-rates |
The main purpose of the text is______．
| A．to show which country spends the least time on sleeping |
| B．to tell us the French is leisure-loving gourmets |
| C．to show a survey about the time of leisure，sleeping，eating in some countries |
| D．to make a comparison to find out the best living styles of OECD countries |
How does the author develop the whole text ?
| A．By analysing cause and effect. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By making predictions. |
| D．By following the time order. |
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Hotel Amenities：Parking，Heated Pool, Television with Cable, and Coffee Maker in Room．Which hotel gives a price promise?
| A．Baymont Inn Ft . Lauderdale． |
| B．Beach Plaza Hotel． |
| C．Baymont Inn Hotel． |
| D．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
In which hotel parking is the cheapest?
| A．Baymont Inn Ft . Lauderdale． |
| B．Beach Plaza Hotel． |
| C．Baymont Inn Hotel． |
| D．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
If you ______ , you will probably go to Beach Plaza Hotel．
| A．enjoy seeing films without leaving your hotel room |
| B．are fond of swimming in heated water |
| C．want to eat food cooked by yourself in the hotel |
| D．are a cigarette smoker |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the ads?
| A．All of the three hotels provide television with cable． |
| B．You can keep your money in the room safe in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
| C．In Beach Plaza Hotel a 24-hour maid is available． |
| D．While staying in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel, you can surf the Internet． |
Sharks have been swimming in the ocean for millions of years. They were on Earth even before dinosaurs! At the top of the world’s ocean’s food chain, sharks help keep the population of other ocean animals in balance. A large drop in the number of sharks can cause serious problems for all ocean animals. Saving sharks makes sense!
Many people are afraid of sharks. But most sharks are harmless. Only a small percentage of sharks are known to attack humans. It adapt(适应) well to new habitats and eat whatever is available. However, today, sharks are in trouble. Nearly one-third of the 400 shark species are in danger of extinction, largely due to over-fishing. Each year, tens of millions of sharks are caught and killed just for their fins(鳍). The fins are used to make shark fin soup.
Humane Society International (HSI) joined with the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program and Beijing Zoo to protect sharks. An exhibit at the zoo, “the Price Behind the Taste-----Protect Sharks. Don’t Eat Shark Fins”, was designed to tell people that shark finning is cruel and unnecessary. It’s hoped that the activity will help put an end to the practice.
Shark fin soup is also eaten in the United States. In fact, the numbers of some shark species in US waters have dropped 90 percent in the last 30 years. To slow the fall, laws against the sale of shark fins have been passed in several states, including Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and California.What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Ocean animals are at the top of the food chain. |
| B．Sharks play an important role in the ocean |
| C．Sharks are an old species in the ocean. |
| D．Sharks are being caught and killed. |
According to paragraph 2, sharks are in trouble because ______.
| A．they often attack humans. |
| B．their food is being polluted. |
| C．they are being caught for food. |
| D．their habitat is being destroyed. |
The underlined part “the practice” in Paragraph 3 refers to _______.
| A．shark finning | B．shark protection |
| C．the program of HIS | D．the exhibit at Beijing Zoo |
What do we know from the text?
| A．There are 400 shark species in the United States. |
| B．It’s illegal to eat shark fin soup in the United States. |
| C．Most sharks are not interested in a human for dinner. |
| D．Sharks are very particular about their habitats and food |
It is well known to us that friendship is very important to people and many teenagers also think that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.
We all know that it is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking on the phones. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something including their secrets. Generally speaking, these things are difficult to say to their family members.
However, some parents often try to choose friends for their children. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends or making friends. I think such parents are not right. I think parents shouldn’t prevent teenagers from making friends.
Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Do you have a few good friends or many good friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Do your parents often stop you from meeting your friends?
What do you do when your parents don’t let you make friends with others?
Your answers are welcome.When teenagers have something difficult to say to their parents, they usually______.
| A．stay alone at home |
| B．fight with their parents |
| C．discuss it with their friends |
| D．go to their brothers and sisters for help. |
The underlined sentence “Your answers are welcome.” in the last paragraph means “_________”.
| A．You are welcome to discuss the questions with us. |
| B．We’ve got no idea, so your answers are welcome. |
| C．Your answers are always right. |
| D．You can give us all the right answers. |
Which of the following is the writer’s opinion?
| A．Parents should choose friends for their children. |
| B．Children should choose everything they like. |
| C．Parents should understand their children better. |
| D．Teenagers should only go to their friends for help. |
Why is it important for teenagers to have some good friends? Because _______.
| A．they have no friends at home. |
| B．the friends can help each other when they are beaten. |
| C．they are easy to have a talk together. |
| D．the parents don’t like to communicate with them. |
My day began on a decidedly sour note when I saw my six-year-old wrestling with a limb of my azalea bush. By the time I got outside, he'd broken it. "Can I take this to school today?" he asked. With a wave of my hand, I sent him off. I turned my back so he wouldn't see the tears gathering in my eyes. I loved that azalea bush. I touched the broken limb as if to say silently, "I'm sorry."
I wished I could have said that to my husband earlier, but I'd been angry. The washing machine had leaked on my brand-new linoleum. If he'd just taken the time to fix it the night before when I asked him instead of playing checkers with Jonathan. What are his priorities anyway? I wondered. I was still mopping up the mess when Jonathan walked into the kitchen. "What's for breakfast, Mom?"
I opened the empty refrigerator. "Not cereal," I said, watching the sides of his mouth drop. "How about toast and jelly?" I smeared the toast with jelly and set it in front of him. Why was I so angry? I tossed my husband's dishes into the sudsy water.
It was days like this that made me want to quit. I just wanted to drive up to the mountains, hide in a cave, and never come out.
Somehow I managed to lug the wet clothes to the Laundromat. I spent most of the day washing and drying clothes and thinking how love had disappeared from my life. Staring at the graffiti on the walls, I felt as wrung-out as the clothes left in the washers.
As I finished hanging up the last of my husband's shirts, I looked at the clock. 2:30. I was late. Jonathan's class let out at 2:15. I dumped the clothes in the back seat and hurriedly drove to the school.
I was out of breath by the time I knocked on the teacher's door and peered through the glass. With one finger, she motioned for me to wait. She said something to Jonathan and handed him and two other children crayons and a sheet of paper.
What now? I thought, as she rustled through the door and took me aside. "I want to talk to you about Jonathan," she said. .
I prepared myself for the worst. Nothing would have surprised me.
"Did you know Jonathan brought flowers to school today?" she asked.
I nodded, thinking about my favorite bush and trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. I glanced at my son busily coloring a picture. His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow. He brushed it away with the back of his hand. His eyes burst with blue as he admired his handiwork.
"Let me tell you about yesterday," the teacher insisted. "See that little girl?"
I watched the bright-eyed child laugh and point to a colorful picture taped to the wall. I nodded.
"Well, yesterday she was almost hysterical. Her mother and father are going through a nasty divorce. She told me she didn't want to live, she wished she could die. I watched that little girl bury her face in her hands and say loud enough for the class to hear, 'Nobody loves me.' I did all I could to console her, but it only seemed to make matters worse."
"I thought you wanted to talk to me about Jonathan," I said.
"I do," she said, touching the sleeve of my blouse. "Today your son walked straight over to that child. I watched him hand her some pretty pink flowers and whisper, 'I love you.'"
I felt my heart swell with pride for what my son had done. I smiled at the teacher. "Thank you," I said, reaching for Jonathan's hand, "you've made my day."
Later that evening, I began pulling weeds from around my lopsided azalea bush. As my mind wandered back to the love Jonathan showed the little girl, a biblical verse came to me: "...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." While my son had put love into practice, I had only felt anger.
I heard the familiar squeak of my husband's brakes as he pulled into the drive. I snapped a small limb bristling with hot pink azaleas off the bush. I felt the seed of love that God planted in my family beginning to bloom once again in me. My husband's eyes widened in surprise as I handed him the flowers. "I love you," I said.From the first four paragraphs, we know that_____
| A．the writer's husband was a very considerate man |
| B．the writer was fond of life in a cave |
| C．the present life let the writer feel nothing but sad |
| D．things didn't go as the writer expected. |
What's the proper order of the events according to the passage?
①Mother arrived at school and knew the truth.
②The son presented the flower to the girl.
③Mother felt sad to see the flower branch broken.
④The girl was desperate and wanted to die.
⑤The son broke a flower branch and took it to school.
| A．③①②④⑤ | B．④⑤③②① |
| C．⑤④③②① | D．④③⑤①② |
What was the writer’s most probable state of mind when the teacher wanted to have a talk with her?
| A．enthusiastic | B．amazed |
| C．optimistic | D．calm |
What is the closest meaning of the underlined word “hysterical”?
| A．angry | B．shocked |
| C．mad | D．light-hearted |
Why did Jonathan pick up a limb of the writer's azalea bush?
| A．He had a preference for azalea. |
| B．He wanted to show off before his classmates. |
| C．He intended to comfort the girl. |
| D．He lost his heart to the girl. |
The best title of the story may be________ .
| A．The Greatest of These | B．A limb of my azalea bush |
| C．You’ve made my day | D．My best day |