Singles Day falls on every November 11th, and as the name indicates, this relatively new holiday is one exclusively for people who are still living the single life. I was a bit surprised when I googled “Singles Day” on the Internet, to find that China is the only country in the world that has set aside a special day for singles to celebrate their lives. To find out more about this celebration, please read on.
An old story goes that once there were four single men, leading very boring lives. None of them were married, or had lovers, or did anything exciting. They just sat around all day and played Mahjong.
One day they played Mahjong from 11 in the morning until 11 at night. During the game, no matter who won, the winning card was always the “four columns” card (the card shows four independent, parallel columns in two lines). Even more of a coincidence, it was Nov 11, or 11/11. In order to commemorate the day, they nicknamed it Singles Day.
Singles Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s. It got the name Singles Day because the date consists of four “ones”. These college students have since graduated, and carried their university tradition into society. Singles Day is now a special day for all fashionable youths.
The main way to celebrate Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it’s important that each person pay their own fee to show their independence. People also hold “blind date” parties in an attempt to say goodbye to their single lives.
Many singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on this day. Many attend “blind date” parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning “single” the four “ones” of the date can also mean “only one” as in “the only one for me.” Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only “one” in their heart.Singles Day got its name because _______.
| A．the persons who play Mahjong are four singles |
| B．the date consists of four “ones” |
| C．only single persons celebrate the day |
| D．it was first celebrated at universities in Nanjing |
Which of the following is wrong?
| A．Singles Day was first celebrated in Nanjing’s universities. |
| B．Many singles choose Singles Day to say goodbye to their single lives. |
| C．The only way to celebrate the Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends. |
| D．It was these college graduated students that carried their university’s tradition into society. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．the four singles did not get married |
| B．Singles Day receives great popularity among young people |
| C．when having dinner, one pays the fee for all his friends |
| D．on Singles Day many attend parties where blind people were present |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Origin of Singles Day. | B．How to Celebrate Singles Day. |
| C．Singles Day. | D．Say Goodbye to Singles Day. |
We use both words and body language to express our thoughts and opinions and to communicate with other people. We can learn a lot about what a person is thinking by watching his or her body language. Words are important, but the way a person stands, folds his or her arms, or moves his or her hands can also give us information about his or her feelings.
Just like spoken language, body language varies from culture to culture. Making eye contact—looking directly into someone's eyes—is in some countries a way to show interest. In other countries, however, eye contact is rude or disrespectful. The gesture for OK, making a circle with one's thumb and index finger, has different meanings in different cultures. In Japan, someone who sees another person making the gesture will think it means money. In France, a person seeing the same gesture will think it means zero. In Brazil and Germany, however, the gesture is rude. The thumbs-up gesture, meaning “great” or “good job” in the US, is rude in Nigeria, but in Germany and Japan it means the number one. The “crazy” gesture, moving the index finger in a circle in front of the ear, means “you have a phone call” in Brazil.
Even the gestures we use for “yes” and “no” are different around the world. In many countries, shaking one's head means “no”， and Iran, however, the gesture have the opposite meaning. There are also differences as to how often we touch each other, how close we stand to someone we are talking to, and how we act when we meet or part. In some countries, for example France and Russia, a visiting friend is greeted each other with a firm handshake, a loving hug, a bow or simply a nod of the head.
While there are many different interpretations of our body languages, some gestures seem to be universal. Pressing one's palms together and resting one's head on the back of one's hand while closing the eyes as if sleeping means “I am tired.” A good way of saying “I am full.” is moving the hand in circles over the stomach after a meal. If a person pats his or her stomach before a meal, it usually means “I am hungry.”
Perhaps the best example of universally understood body language is the smile. A smile can open doors and tear down walls. In can be used to express almost any emotion. We can use a smile to apologize, to greet someone, to ask for help or to start a conversation. We can smile at ourselves in the mirror to make ourselves feel happier and stronger. And if we are feeling down or lonely, there is nothing better than to see the smiling face of a good friend.In which two countries does the thumbs-up gesture mean the same thing?
| A．In the US and Nigeria. |
| B．In Japan and Germany. |
| C．In Nigeria and Germany. |
| D．In Japan and Brazil. |
Which of the following can serve as the topic sentence of the passage?
| A．Body language differs from cultures to culture. |
| B．People send messages not only by words. |
| C．Body language is important in our daily life. |
| D．Smile plays an important part in our life. |
It can be learned that body language________.
| A．always takes place when we're talking |
| B．can help us to read a person's mind |
| C．is always necessary in communicating |
| D．can't mean the same in different cultures |
The first tape recorder didn't use tape. It used long thin wire. It was invented in 1900 by Valdermar Poulsen. In 1930, German scientists invented the tape we use today. Back then the tape was on big rolls. In 1964 the Philips company in Holland invented the cassette. It's pretty much a holder for the tape. People use cassettes all over the world. If you don't have a cassette recorder, borrow one.
Think of a book your parents read out loud to you. That might be a great book to read out loud to your mom or dad in their car. Put a cassette in the recorder, open the book, hit the record button and start reading out loud.
Remember there is not such a thing as a wrong way to do this. You might think you've made a mistake, but this gift is part of you，and nothing about that can be a mistake. It's impossible.
You get to be all artistic and creative here. You might want to play music in the background. Do whatever you want. The gift is you, so you decide. Remember to say “I love you” at the end of your reading. That's like the prize at the end of the book.Choose the right order that shows the development of the tape recorder.
a．Using big rolls.
b．Using cassettes.
c．Using thin wire.
| A．a，b，c |
| B．b，c，a |
| C．c，a，b |
| D．c，b，a |
Why does the author mention the history of tape recorders in Paragraph 1?
| A．To inform readers of new inventions. |
| B．To lead into his following suggestion. |
| C．To give an example of his suggestion. |
| D．To show the importance of tape recorders. |
What does the author advise us to do?
| A．To read a book to our parents in their car. |
| B．To ask our parents to record a book. |
| C．To make a gift for our parents. |
| D．To practice reading out loud. |
(2010·全国卷Ⅰ)
Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws (爪) on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature (特征) for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons. |
| B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins. |
| C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon. |
| D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins. |
Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that ______.
| A．they look like young cuckoos |
| B．they have claws on the wings |
| C．they eat a lot like a cow |
| D．they live on river banks |
What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
| A．They had claws to help them climb. |
| B．They could fly long distances. |
| C．They had four wings like hoatzins. |
| D．They had a head with long feathers on the top. |
Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?
| A．To find more good. |
| B．To protect themselves better. |
| C．To keep themselves warm. |
| D．To produce their young. |
Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war? War is an ancient custom which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always evil and usually foolish, but in the past the human race managed to live with it. Modern skill has changed this. Either man will stop war, or war will stop man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the greatest danger, but bacteriological(细菌的)or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat. If we succeeded in stopping war, there would be no danger for us. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not by contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in massacre(大屠杀), but by arbitration(仲裁)in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.
There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology(意识形态)would prevent war. I believe this to be a complete error. All ideologies are based upon beliefs without proof which are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Those people who believe them are willing to go to war in support of them.
The movement of world opinion during the past two years has changed very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a common belief that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course, very different problems remain in the international world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that agreements should be reached even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict(冲突)nowadays is not between East and West, but between Man and the H-bomb. From the first paragraph we can know that________.
| A．we may face greater threat from weapons |
| B．bacteriological or chemical weapons are less dangerous than nuclear weapons |
| C．man's idea of victory has changed |
| D．dangerous weapons are forbidden in modern society |
The author believes that the only way to stop war is to________.
| A．stop nuclear weapons |
| B．settle international issues through agreements |
| C．destroy bacteriological and chemical weapons |
| D．let the stronger side take over the world |
The last paragraph suggests that________.
| A．nuclear war will definitely not take place |
| B．real agreements have been now reached |
| C．world opinion is still divided on nuclear war |
| D．man is beginning to realize that nuclear war is his greatest enemy |
Which of the following words can best describe the author's feeling in writing this passage?
| A．Disappointed. |
| B．Doubtful. |
| C．Worried. |
| D．Hopeful. |
As societies develop, their members start to see things not so much according to what they need, but according to what they want. When people have enough money, these wants become demands.
Now, it's important for the managers in a company to understand what their customers want if they are going to develop effective marketing strategies(策略). There are various ways of doing this. One way at supermarkets(超市), for example, is to interview(采访)customers while they're doing their shopping. They can be asked what they prefer to buy and then the results of the research can be studied. This provides information on which to base future marketing strategies. It's also quite normal for top managers from department stores to spend a day or two each month visiting stores and mixing freely with the public, as if they were ordinary customers, to get an idea of how customers act.
Another way to get information from customers is to give them something. For example, some fast food restaurants give away tickets in magazines or on the street that permit customers to get part of their meal for nothing. As well as being a good way of attracting customers into the restaurants to spend their money, it also allows the managers to get a feel for where to attract customers and which age-groups to attract.
Another strategy used at some well-known parks such as Disneyland is for top managers to spend at least one day in their work, touring the park dressed as Mickey Mouse or something like that. This provides them with a perfect chance to examine the scene and watch the customers without being noticed. The text is designed for________.
| A．managers |
| B．salesmen |
| C．researchers |
| D．customers |
Which of the following can help managers get useful information?
| A．Visiting customers themselves. |
| B．Giving customers free food on the street. |
| C．Visiting parks as ordinary customers. |
| D．Asking customers questions at supermarkets. |
What does the word “this” underlined in the last sentence refer to?
| A．Visiting Disneyland. |
| B．Wearing attractive clothes. |
| C．Acting Mickey Mouse. |
| D．Dressing up and walking around. |
The main idea of the text is________.
| A．how to do market research |
| B．how to develop marketing strategies |
| C．how to find out customers' social needs |
| D．how to encourage customers to spend more money |