For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas (地区). Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious, and McIntosh.
Apples are different in colour, size, and taste. The colour of the skin may be red, green, or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart (酸的). Generally, sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce (苹果酱).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve metres. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree. It can be learned from the text that Delicious apples are _______________
A.grown in France. | B.sold everywhere. | C.very big. | D.quite sweet. |
Cold winter weather is good for _______________
A.the growth of apple trees. | B.producing large apples. |
C.improving the taste of apples. | D.the increase of water in apples. |
China, France and the United States are considered to _______________
A.be large producers of apples. |
B.be large producers of applesauce. |
C.have the longest history in apple production. |
D.have the coldest winter among apple producing countries. |
The word yielded in the last sentence means _______________
A.improved. | B.increased. | C.produced. | D.sold. |
You have the ability to decide if you are happy or not. Happiness is a choice.
You can't depend on someone else to make you happy. That is a lesson I learned early on in my marriage. I realized that I couldn't rely on my husband as my source of happiness. I learned that my happiness depended on me and not my husband's actions. I learned that you have to choose to be happy.
You can choose your emotions. True happiness comes from within; it can't be forced by outside forces. So how do you choose happiness? The same way you choose to smile or choose to wear a certain outfit. You choose it because that's what you want to experience in your life.
You want to buy a new pair of shoes so you choose a pair that you like and feel good. You wouldn't buy a pair of shoes that you don't like or that don't fit well, right? So why do we keep choosing emotions and feelings that don't make us feel good?
Choosing to be happy after you realize your anger has shown up (or even choosing to be calm) can be beneficial. We choose our feelings; no one can do that for us. If we let others get to us, influence our emotions - we are giving them power over us. When others cause us anger or pain, we are giving them our power.
We need to keep our feelings in check and not react automatically to what is thrown at us. We need to think our actions out instead of just reacting to what someone says or does.
Remember that we can always choose happiness. At first it will be difficult to just switch your thoughts and feelings from anger, self-doubt, or fear to joy and happiness. But it is only a thought away. Don't dwell on what happens to you unnecessarily but realize what is causing you to feel that way. Realize that thoughts, feelings and emotions can change. Then move on and choose to be happy.What’s the best title of this passage?
A.Choose to Be Happy | B.Choose Your Emotions |
C.Pretend to Be Happy | D.Find Happiness |
The lesson the writer learned in her marriage is ________.
A.she can depend on her husband to find happiness |
B.balancing the relationship between the husband and wife is an art |
C.one can’t rely on someone else to make himself or herself happy |
D.happiness can be influenced by outside forces |
Why did the writer mention buying shoes?
A.To use it as an example to show the importance of choosing to be happy. |
B.To offer advice on how to choose comfortable shoes. |
C.To compare choosing shoes and choosing an outfit. |
D.To help to move to the next paragraph easily. |
The writer suggests that we should ________.
A.let others control our feelings |
B.respond immediately to others’ words |
C.pay more attention to words than actions |
D.hold back our feelings properly |
When TV news programs report wars or disasters, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims because they don’t want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually warned in advance that they may find some of these scenes disturbing, so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes-the TV cameramen-have no such choice. It is their duty to witness the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how terrible and unpleasant they may be. Consequently, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24-hour news in recent years has created an almost insatiable (贪得无厌的) demand for TV information. But major broadcasters and the TV news agencies—such as Reuters and WTN-have never had enough staff to meet the worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to “freelance” TV cameramen.
These freelance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company which hires them, be it for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the freelance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The freelancer must survive on his own.
TV will always need hard, vivid moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books, explains Nick Growing, once foreign editor for Britain Channel 4 News and now a BBC news presenter.
By hiring freelancers, they can buy in the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to contract out the risk, he says.TV news agencies turn to freelance cameramen in order to .
A.save expense and avoid risks |
B.get free and useful pictures |
C.get first-hand information and pictures |
D.satisfy the greed of the freelance cameramen |
We can infer from the passage that the freelance cameramen .
A.have to take a lot of risks in the course of work |
B.are tied to many TV news agencies |
C.have better skills than other cameramen |
D.need to contract out risks of work for TV companies |
According to this passage, some major broadcasters and TV news agencies .
A. have employed enough cameramen
B. are not willing to employ many cameramen
C. are very mean to freelancers
C. are responsible for the freelancer if he is injuredThe author of this passage shows his the freelance cameramen.
A.sympathy to | B.respect for | C.anger to | D.admiration to |
Surrounded by the towns of Davidson, Huntersville and Cornelius, Lake Norman is a man-made lake. It is also the largest lake in the state covering a shoreline of more than 500 miles. State Park on the lake gives a chance for different water activities.
People, both tourists and locals, come to the area on weekends, where during the peak season a large crowd arrives to relax and have fun. A great activity for kids is education except fun. The tour covers aquatic(水生的) life, especially that seen at Lake Norman. Since it is more of an educational one it also covers other important knowledge about water.
Those wanting to go boating are seen off into the lake on canoes and pedal boats which are rented on hourly basis. The charges are $5 per hour increased by $3 for every additional(附加的) hour. The boats can be kept on the lake all day from 10 in the morning till 5 in the evening during the summers. Both canoes and pedal boats can seat 2 to 4 people.
The park also set up a group tent camp, where a site can hold about 25 people. People from all over the country come here to catch some fishing action, obviously hoping to catch some fish as well. The inner park lake is also great for fishing, though it offers a smaller area compared to Lake Norman. Those here for adventure like to go for biking and hiking on the trails inside the park.
Lake Norman is a great place to spend time with family and friends. People come here on vacation or simply to kick back after a week’s work and relax. From the passage we learn that Lake Norman is ______.
A.the second largest lake in the USA |
B.surrounded by the town of Davidson |
C.not a natural one but made by people |
D.about five hundred metres long |
A large number of people came to the park ______.
A.to watch the performances here | B.during the peak season |
C.to have sports games | D.all the year round |
In what way does the park attract children except having fun?
A.Learning a lot. | B.Catching fish. |
C.Going hiking. | D.Going cycling. |
How much will you have to pay at least if the five of you want to go boating a day?
A.28 dollars. | B.36 dollars. | C.23 dollars. | D.46 dollars. |
If you want to save more money you can ______.
A.stay in the hotel that is near the park |
B.come to the park in summer or spring |
C.stay in the tent of the park for the night |
D.fish in the small lake in the park |
In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience (经历) four seasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later black clouds come and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.
In England, people can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.
When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella (伞)or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.
If you don't take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret (后悔) later in the day.Why do people in England often talk about the weather?
A.Because they may have four seasons in one day |
B.Because they often have very good weather |
C.Because the weather is warm just like in spring |
D.Because the sky is sunny all day |
From the story we know that when _________come, there is a heavy rain.
A.sunshine and snow | B.black clouds |
C.summer and winter | D.spring and autumn |
"People can also have summer in winter." Means "it is sometimes too ______in winter."
A.warm | B.cool | C.cold | D.rainy |
In the sunny morning some English people usually take a raincoat or an umbrella with them because ________.
A.their friends ask them to do so | B.it often rains in England |
C.they are going to sell them | D.they are their favourite things |
The best title (标题)for this passage is ________.
A.Bad Seasons | B.Summer or Winter |
C.The Weather in England | D.Strange English People |
When I was young, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never shouted at us for playing in his yard. I remembered him as a neighbor who was nicer than anyone else in the neighborhood.
When Dr. Gibbs was happy, he was planting trees. And his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
Dr. Gibbs had some interesting theories about planting. He talked about trees that weren’t watered would grow deep roots in search of water. So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak (橡树) and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with the rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs died a couple of years. Every now and again, I walk by his house and look at the trees that he planted twenty-five years ago. They’re very strong now.
I planted a couple of trees a few years later. I watered them regularly and took good care of them. Whenever a cold wind blows, they shake their leaves and branches.
The funny thing about those trees of Dr. Gibbs was that difficulty seemed to help them in ways comfort and ease never could.What was Dr. Gibbs’ life goal?
A.To build a forest. | B.To save more lives. |
C.To make a lot of money. | D.To study plants. |
One of Dr. Gibbs’ theories about planting was that ______.
A.he often talked to the trees | B.he kicked the trees heavily |
C.he never watered the trees | D.he buried the leaves around the roots |
What does the writer mainly want to tell us?
A.Trees are not as weak as we think. |
B.We should listen to others’ advice. |
C.Difficulty is necessary for growth. |
D.Planting trees is good for the environment. |