"Super Dan", as top-seeded Lin Dan of China is better known in the badminton（羽毛球） world, had his Olympic dream come true after claiming the men's singles gold by beating Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia on August 17 in the Beijing Olympics.
His father, Lin Jianbin, said "Super Dan"has waited for four years to get this championship and he felt very proud of his son, as well as his prospective daughter-in-law Xie Xingfang, who is also a badminton player and won silver in women's singles at the Beijing Games.
An SMS: The beginning of a love story
Lin was born in Shanghang County, Longyan in Fujian Province. He first met Xie Xingfang when he was 14-years-old. 16-year-old Xie was attending a national youth team badminton training camp in Jinjiang, Fujian and Lin was also there.
Tall and beautiful, Xie became the Snow White in the heart of Lin Dan, and he tried to please her and get chances to chat with her after the training sessions. He did not go beyond that.
Before the Spring Festival in 2004, Lin finally mustered（召集，聚集） the courage and sent Xie Xingfang a text message - I LOVE YOU. In fact, Xie Xingfang had already realized Lin Dan was fond of her. And covertly（秘密地） , she began to pay attention to Lin's movement and performance on the court. "He is very interesting, got a lot of ideas, and is a lovely boy."
Two Kisses
In May 2004 at the Thomas Cup in Jakarta, their love relationship was first known to the public. Xie sat with her teammates and watched the men's team playing. When Lin Dan won the match, he rushed to the bench and kissed Xie, a move that Xie did not expect Lin to do in public. A photographer captured this moment.
At the All England Open in 2007, Lin kissed her again in public, making Xie feel like the happiest woman in the world.
After Lin won his third title at the Open, he did not stay to watch Xie play. Xie defeated her opponent and won the championship. When she was called to accept the trophy（奖品，战利品） , Lin suddenly emerged at the central venue, holding red roses and gave her the flowers, and a passionate kiss.
Nine Roses
Earlier, on February 14, 2006, Lin and Xie were with the national badminton teams at a training camp in Jinjiang. The teams had their rules – not going out of the training camp. Xie thought she would spend the Valentine's Day without flowers.
But Lin still managed to give her a surprise – giving her a Dior wallet as a Valentine's gift and nine roses. With the teams' rule in place, Lin asked his local friend to buy the roses and gave her a pleasant Valentines surprise.
A 200-square-meter apartment
Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang's love has been through four years of tests, and Xie's father also said that they should consider marriage after the Olympics.
In fact, Lin Dan has already prepared for this. He has bought a 200-square-meter apartment in downtown Beijing, with 4 rooms and 2 living rooms. Paying about 20,000 yuan per square meter for the apartment, it is reported the apartment is now valued at 8 million yuan.
"After the Olympics, we really want to live our own lives, go on vacation, go to school, get married, I am really looking forward to it," Xie said happily.
With two kitchens, one Chinese and one Western style, Xie said she wanted to be the person preparing soup at home and enjoy family life.How old was Lin Dan when he first met Xie Xingfang?
| A．14 | B．16 | C．18 | D．20 |
What does Xie Xingfang specialize in?
| A．tennis | B．badminton |
| C．basketball | D．swimming |
What did Lin Dan give Xie Xingfang as a gift for the Valentinge’s Day in 2006?
| A．A Chanel perfume | B．A Dior wallet |
| C．An LV handbag | D．A Tiffany ring |
When are the plans of this couple after the Olympic except _____?
| A．to start business | B．to go to school |
| C．to go on vacation | D．to get married |
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday. This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effect on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.” David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because__________.
| A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance |
| C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes |
David Smith wears casual clothes now, because__________.
| A．they make him feel at ease when working |
| B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C．he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D．he no longer works for any company |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code. |
| B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive. |
| C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees. |
| D．All the employers in the U.S. are for casual office wear. |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago. |
| B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s. |
| C．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers. |
| D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people. |
In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except
__________.
| A．saving employees’ money | B．making employees more attractive |
| C．improving employees’ motivation | D．making employees happier |
Anger is good for you, as long as you control it, according to new psychology research. A new study from Carnegie Mellon University shows anger may help people reduce the negative impacts of stress and help you become healthier.
“Here getting emotional is not bad for you if you look at the case of anger,” said Jennifer Lerner of Carnegie Mellon. “The more people display anger, the lower their stress responses.”
Lerner studied 92 UCLA students by asking them to count back from 6,200. They must say out loud every thirteenth number. Researchers disturbed them by asking them to count faster or ask them other questions. If they made any mistakes, they had to restart from the very beginning. Many students felt depressed about making so many mistakes or got angry.
Lerner used a hidden video camera and recorded all their facial expressions during the test. The researchers describe their reactions as fear, anger and disgust.
Other researchers recorded the students’ blood pressure, pulse and production of a high-stress hormone（荷尔蒙）called cortisol. People whose faces showed more fear during the experiment had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. Both can have lasting effects such as diabetes（糖尿病）, heart disease, depression and extra weight gain.
When people feel fear, negative impacts increase, but when they get angry, those negatives go down, according to the study.
“Having that sense of anger leads people to actually feel some power in what otherwise is a maddening（令人发狂的）situation,” Lerner said.
Lerner previously studied Americans’ emotional response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks two months after the incident. She found people who reacted with anger were more optimistic. These people are healthier compared with those who were frightened during the event. So in maddening situations, anger is not a bad thing to have. It’s a healthier response than fear. What is the story mainly about?
| A．The findings of new psychology research. |
| B．What you can do with anger in certain cases. |
| C．Different effects produced by anger and fear. |
| D．Healthier responses in maddening situations. |
Which statement will Jennifer Lerner agree with?
| A．It’s better to be angry than to be frightened. |
| B．Different reactions reflect different outlooks on life. |
| C．Don’t control your anger and it makes you powerful. |
| D．Pessimistic people are generally healthier than optimistic people. |
What does the underlined word “both” refer to according to the passage?
| A．Fear and anger. | B．Blood pressure and pulse. |
| C．Blood pressure and cortiso1. | |
| D．Higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. |
In what ways can anger be beneficial to people?
| A．By showing their optimistic side. | B．By reducing their stress. |
| C．By reducing high blood pressure. | D．By taking the place of fear. |
The researchers irritated（激怒）the students by __________.
| A．recording their performance secretly |
| B．asking them to count to 6, 200 again and again |
| C．disturbing them and making them start all over again |
| D．criticizing them when they made mistakes |
Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock（闹钟）. He tried to shave（刮脸）quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing（熨）, so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter（表）. He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.
In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.Harry had __________.
| A．a lucky day | B．an unlucky day | C．a busy day | D．a good day |
Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.
a. The man who read the electricity meter came.
b. Harry ironed his shirt.
c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt.
d. There was a knock at the door.
e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.
| A．a, b, c, d, e | B．b, a, d, c, e | C．b, a, c, d, e | D．c, b, d, a, e |
Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it?
| A．The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt. |
| B．The only other needed ironing. |
| C．He had only one shirt. |
| D．He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt. |
Harry was taken to the police station because __________.
| A．his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there |
| B．there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi |
| C．a man killed a woman with a knife |
| D．the murderer（杀人犯）was seen to run a away in a taxi |
His boss told him to go away and find another job because __________.
| A．he had been kept by the police | B．there was blood on his shirt |
| C．he was late for work | D．he had killed a woman |
The teacher who did the most to encourage me was, as it happened, my aunt. She was Myrtle C. Manigault, the wife of my mother’s brother Bill. She taught in second grade at all-black Summer School in Camden, New Jersey.
During my childhood and youth, Aunt Myrtle encouraged me to develop every aspect of my potential, without regard for what was considered practical or possible for black females. I liked to sing; she listened to my voice and pronounced it good. I couldn’t dance; she taught me the basic dancing steps. She took me to the theatre ---- not just children’s theatre but adult comedies and dramas—and her faith that I could appreciate adult plays was not disappointed.
My aunt also took down books from her extensive library and shared 
them with me. I had books at home, but they were all serious classics. Even as a child I had a strong liking for humor, and I’ll never forget the joy of discovering Don Marquis’s Archy & Mehitabel through her.
Most important, perhaps, Aunt Myrtle provided my first opportunity to write for publication. A writer herself for one of the black newspapers, she suggested my name to the editor as a “youth columnist”. My column, begun when I was fourteen, was supposed to cover teenage social activities—and it did—but it also gave me the freedom to write on many other subjects as well as the habit of gathering material, the discipline of meeting deadlines, and, after graduation from college six years later, a solid collection of published material that carried my name and was my passport to a series of writing jobs.
Today Aunt Myrtle is still an enthusiastic supporter of her “favourite niece”. Like a diamond, she has reflected a bright, multifaceted (多面的) image of possibilities to every pupil w
ho has crossed her path.Which of the following did Aunt Myrtle do to the author during her childhood and youth?
| A．She lent her some serious classics. | B．She cultivated her taste for music. |
| C．She discovered her talent for dancing. | D．She introduced her to adult plays. |
Aunt Myrtle recommended the author to a newspaper editor mainly to ______.
| A．involve her in teenage social activities | B．give her a chance to collect material |
| C．develop her capabilities for writing | D．offer her a series of writing jobs |
We can conclude from the passage that Aunt Myrtle was a teacher who ______.
| A．gave pupils confidence in exploiting their potential |
| B．trained pupils to be diligent and well-disciplined |
| C．emphasized what was practical or possible for pupils. |
| D．helped pupils overcome difficulties in learning |
The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes, holding packages in their hands.
“Who are these people?” I asked.
“Satisfied customers,” answered young Mr. Hopkins. “We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer, I always take their picture.” Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera standing next to one wall. “Now, how can I serve you?” he added.
By this time, I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends, and this seemed to be the perfect place to purchase them. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the commodities in Mr. Hopkins’shop. No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me. Finally, I bought an antique jewelry box, a pair of riding boots, a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine.
I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. I promised Mr. Hopkins that I would come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place,” I told the shopkeeper.
“Please do not do that, sir”, said Mr. Hopkins. “This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret.” Then he took my photograph, and handed me the picture straight away.
“That was quick!” I exclaimed. I looked at the photograph. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’ dusty shop.
On Christmas Day, my friends and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop. I finally agreed to take him to London to show him.
When we arrived in London, we walked along Oxford Street, past the department store and found...nothing. The little shop was no longer there. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there.
As I was staring at the place where the shop should have been, an old policeman came along. “Are you looking for something sir?” he asked.
I turned and said “I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. I thought it was here.”
“Oh yes,” said the policeman. “There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son. It sold all sorts of things, but it was knocked down over 30 years ago.”
I looked again at the place where the shop had been. Then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop.
“How strange” I exclaimed. How did the writer like the shop?
| A．He found it a modern big shop. |
| B．He thought it a wonderful shop for all Christmas presents. |
| C．He thought it a good shop with an ancient camera. |
| D．He found it a dusty, old but friendly and lovely little shop. |
Which of the following is true about the shop?
| A．It was knocked down a few weeks ago. |
| B．It was a well-known little shop in London. |
| C．It was a special shop selling special presents. |
| D．It was between a music shop and a department store. |
The word “the commodities’ in the 4th paragraph means _____.
| A．the writer’s works |
| B．the goods in the shop |
| C．Mr. Hopkins’ photographs |
| D．Some presents left by other customers |
Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
| A．Christmas Shopping |
| B．Hopkins and His Son |
| C．The Strange Little Shop |
| D．The Strange Experience |