Having put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, you have ended 12 years of hard study. Forget your studies for a while. It’s time to enjoy yourselves!
There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts.
High school students in Western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a prom to mark their graduation. It’s to mark the time kids turn into young men and women. After the prom, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they are no longer as dependent on their parents as they were before.
At the prom, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal clothes are worn. Traditionally, girls give boys matching boutonnieres ( 佩带在扣眼上的花). Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials.
Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning (加冠) of a prom king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class prom through the four years of their high school.
High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, in a pleasure cruise boat.
But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of effort to decorate the gym to make the event special. The music played at the prom will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop.
The students elect the Prom Queen. She is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly. These are great honors that the pair take very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election.The word "prom" is probably closest in meaning with________.
A.a party to celebrate graduation | B.a dancing competition |
C.a fashion show | D.an election ceremony |
Which of the following is an economical way to hold the prom?
A.Renting a ballroom. | B.Taking a cruise boat. |
C.Holding it in the school gym. | D.Wearing informal dresses. |
What clearly indicates that prom is very important to students?
A.Music is played at the prom. |
B.They take pictures at the prom. |
C.The King and Queen dance with each other. |
D.They wear formal clothes or special clothes. |
For what do the students just talk to friends at a prom?
A.They don’t want to get help from their parents. |
B.They will part with their friends in a short time. |
C.They don’t like to be accompanied by their parents. |
D.They want to be elected by their friends as the Prom King or Queen. |
How is the prom significant to the students?
A.They can be relieved from the study pressure. |
B.They are going to say goodbye to their friends. |
C.They have chances to be elected as the Prom King or Queen. |
D.The prom marks the graduation and after it they will be independent. |
Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”
This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only one was a winner. He’s really a big loser! www. .com
He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeked another term. One of her opponents(对手) said, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true. However, an honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too often. Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well, which is a sad fact of life.How much did the lottery winner lose?
A.One hundred dollars. | B.Two hundred dollars. |
C.Three hundred dollars. | D.Four hundred dollars. |
We may infer that the author believes people should _______.
A.buy lottery tickets |
B.make use of half-truths |
C.not take anything at face value |
D.not trust the Yucky Company |
What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A.final increase | B.big advantage |
C.large share | D.total saving |
What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?
A.False statements are easy to see through. |
B.Half-truths are often used to mislead people. |
C.Doctors like to act in advertisements. |
D.Advertisements are based on facts. |
One August afternoon, Richard Allen dropped off his last passenger, Mrs. Carey. Lifting two grocery bags, he followed her across the yard and stood on the step of her house. Glancing up, he saw a large wasp (黄蜂) nest under the roof. Allen had heard that wasps can become more likely to sting (蜇) in summer. He mentioned this to Mrs. Carey, who had opened the door.
“Oh, they don’t bother me,” she said lightly. “I go in and out all the time.”
Anxiously, Allen looked at the nest again—to see the wasps flying straight at him. “Hurry!” he shouted to Mrs. Carey. “Get in!”
She stepped quickly inside. Allen ran for his mini-bus. Too late; they were upon him. Just as he jumped aboard, half a dozen red spots showed on his arm, and he felt more on his back and shoulders.
As he was driving down the road, Allen felt as if something was burning at the back of his neck, and the “fire” was spreading forward toward his face. An immediate anxiety took hold of him. Allen knew that stings could cause some persons to die. But he had been stung the previous summer and the after-effects soon passed. However, what he didn’t know was that the first sting had turned his body into a time bomb waiting for the next to set off an explosion.
Miles from the nearest medical assistance, Allen began to feel his tongue thick and heavy and his heartbeat louder. Most frightening, he felt his breathing more and more difficult. He reached for the radio mike(话筒), trying to call the mini-bus center, but his words were hardly understandable. Signals were also poor that far out. He knew a rescue team was on 24-hour duty at the Amherst Fire Department’s north station. So his best chance was to make a run for it.
Rushing down the mountain, Allen tried not to panic, focusing his mind on each sharp turn. He was almost through the last of them when he felt sure he was going into shock(休克). Just then he reached for the radio mike again.
“Call fire station,” he shouted, concentrating to form the words. “Emergency. Bee sting. Emergency. There in ten minutes.”
“Five-ten.” the center replied. www. .com
Hold on, Allen thought. Keep your eyes open. Breathe. Keep awake.
At last he reached the station. Two firemen ran out. Allen felt their hands grasp him before he hit the ground. You made it, he thought. It is mentioned in the passage that wasps are more likely to attack when_____.
A.there are huge noises |
B.strangers are approaching |
C.the air is filled with food smell |
D.the hottest season comes around |
Allen didn't know that if stung by wasps again, he would______.
A.have no after-effects |
B.suffer from sharper pain |
C.surely lose his life |
D.become more sensitive |
Allen failed at his first attempt to send his message to the mini-bus center because _______.
A.he was unable to speak clearly |
B.his radio equipment was poor |
C.he was in a state of shock |
D.no one was on duty |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
A.Allen, a Helpless Driver |
B.Wasps, Bloody Killers |
C.A Race against Death |
D.War against Wasps |
Ever since Stephanie’s 13th birthday we have been receiving comments from other adults expressing their sympathies because our daughter is now a teenager.We’ve heard everything from,“Sure she’s a good kid,but just wait,now that she’s teenager…”to the ever inspiring,“Well,all kids are rotten when they are teenagers,just try to go through it the best way you can.”What’s more upsetting is that many of these insensitive adults feel the need to share their negative predictions well within the hearing of both our daughters.
I know that teenagers can be moody(闷闷不乐)and difficult at times,but I’m 38 and I can also be difficult and moody.We worry about the future and want today’s kids to know that we care for them and that there are opportunities that wait for them.However, at the very point they set out on that journey toward adulthood we stand there watching them disapprovingly(不赞成),just waiting for them to make mistakes.“just like we knew they would.”We tell them to respect themselves and to say no to drugs,yet we fail to set a positive example by treating them with kindness and consideration,demonstrating(示范)our respect for them.
I have,at times been guilty of this behavior but am now realizing that the more I see each person as a person,the more I am pleasantly surprised in some way or another. For example,a few weeks ago my husband and I were having dinner at our favorite restaurant and two teenage boys came in and sat down right beside us.I must admit that my first thought was,“perfect,there goes our quiet, peaceful dinner.”I was so wrong! These young men were well behaved.quiet and left a nice tip for the waitress.Once I looked beyond the jeans so loose they were practically falling off and the multi-colored hair, I saw what fine people these kids were.
Many of the people who,perhaps unknowingly, treat teens with disrespect are unhappy about the fact that pop singers and sports stars are our children’s heroes. I feel that unless we give them something better to go after, we really shouldn’t complain.When their children reach their teens,parents usually expect_________.
A.trouble | B.sympathy |
C.congratulations | D.inspiring comments |
In the author’s opinion,the trouble with parents is that________.
A.they are too watchful of their teenage children |
B.they are too concerned about their children’s future |
C.they fail to treat teenagers with enough kindness and respect |
D.they speak ill of their children within their hearing |
When two teenagers came into the restaurant and sat beside the author, her first thought was that__________.
A.they were wrong to have chosen this restaurant for dinner |
B.something interesting was going to happen over dinner |
C.her quiet dinner with her husband would be ruined |
D.she and her husband were going to have a pleasant surprise |
What does the author think of the two teenage boys?
A.They may become nice people if they are willing to change their lifestyle. |
B.They are typical of teenagers who wear ill-fitting clothes and dye their hair. |
C.They’re fine young men despite their loose jeans and multi-colored hair. |
D.They will respect you if you respect them. |
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer.” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out.” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
“It was a strange-looking machine –one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, “so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colors, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the center of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead.” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES VOYAGER 1: … VOYAGER 2: …”
Mark’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED(自动回收程序已启动).”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow (光芒), until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”Where did the boy’s father most likely work?
A.In an electronic factory. |
B.In a computer company. |
C.In a scientific research center. |
D.In an information processing center. |
Mark thought“SPACE TRANSPORTER”on the screen was the name of _________. .
A.a computer game | B.a company website |
C.a software producer | D.an astronomy program |
What happened to the boys at the end of the story?
A.They were blown into the air. |
B.They were sent to another planet. |
C.They were hidden in the strong light. |
D.They were carried away to another country |
Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
A.He was afraid of being scolded. |
B.He didn’t like the loud noise and light. |
C.He didn’t want to play games any more. |
D.He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he’d better offer you more money to do so — or even double that depending on where you live now. That’s because Moscow has just been found to be the world’s most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment(娱乐).
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger (汉堡包) is a steal at $4.80.
London takes the No.2 place, up from No.5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates (估算) London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No.5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.
Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world’s most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year’s study — New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.
Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada’s most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide. What do the underlined words “a steal” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.an act of stealing | B.something very cheap |
C.something delicious | D.an act of buying |
London has become the second most expensive city because of ______.
A.the high cost of clothing |
B.its expensive transportation |
C.the stronger pound against the dollar |
D.the high prices of fast food meals |
Which city is the third most expensive on the list?
A.Sydney. | B.Hong Kong. | C.Moscow. | D.Tokyo. |
Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?
A.Toronto. | B.Los Angeles. | C.San Francisco. | D.New York. |