Today, whether or not you follow the latest trends, one’s fashion and choice of dress is a reflection of one’s individual style and tastes. Can you still remember how you dressed at the start of China’s opening-up? Today’s program is one of a special series commemorating （纪念） the 30th anniversary of reform and opening-up in China. In these two episodes we focused on fashion and style and were honored to invite two special guests to join us in studio—Ms. Zhang Ling from Raffles-BICT Inter-national College and Alex from Esquire magazine.
When we talk about fashion, color is absolutely crucial. A color can reflect the mood of an individual person or the spiritual temperament（性情） of entire society or age. Mrs. Zhang and Alex talked about the colors which have left the greatest impression on them. In the 1960s and 70s, blue and grey were the dominant colors at the time and people had limited choices to dress up. But fast forward to the present, you will find no difficulty in choosing from array(大批) of vivid colors in the market.
We also gave our guests a list of keywords—traditional brands, jeans, DIY, international brands, personal dress for them to choose from in order to represent the fashion of their generation. We find out that for every keyword our guest chose, there was a special story behind it. Some of the stories brought us back to old times—we even brought some vintage(古老的) clothing from the 60s and 70s up on stage and invited some audience members to try them on.
When we mention fashion, we must mention brand. With increasing disposable（可自由使用的） income and purchasing power of the Chinese, many luxury brands have flocked into China. However, you could imagine in 1980s, when the first inter-national brand came to China, it unveiled（展示） a fashion storm among the Chinese. China’s opening-up dates back to _______.
| A．the 1960s | B．the 1970s | C．the 1980s | D．the 1990s |
All of the following EXCEPT _______ are keywords in representing the fashion of our generation.
| A．traditional brands | B．international brands |
| C．personal dress | D．special stories |
The fact that many luxury brands have flocked into China shows that _______.
| A．China has given up its own culture |
| B．Chinese have been tired of array of vivid colors in the markets |
| C．Chinese have increased their disposable income and purchasing power |
| D．China has grown tired of its traditional brands |
Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
| A．Because she didn't want others to hear her play. |
| B．Because she didn't mean to disturb others. |
| C．Because she didn't have her own room. |
| D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors. |
Brenda started to give concerts _______.
| A．after she practiced in her space bubble |
| B．when she became part of the unique space journey |
| C．after she became a real musical astronaut |
| D．when people came to see her in the space bubble |
Brenda became famous because _______.
| A．she was good at music and science |
| B．she became a real musical astronaut |
| C．she invented a special way of practice |
| D．she played well and had a talent |
Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
| A．Kind, hardworking and clever. |
| B．Brave, kind and hardworking. |
| C．Lovely, brave and kind. |
| D．Nervous, kind and clever. |
It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
| A．He laughs best who laughs last |
| B．It's never too old to learn |
| C．Two heads are better than one |
| D．One good turn deserves another |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that l already created my gift. 1 sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; My dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was________________.
| A． doing shopping | B． having a debate |
| C． leaving for Wyoming | D． reading a message |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from __________.
| A． a photo of a flower |
| B． a story about a kid |
| C． a call from the mother |
| D． a text about Christmas |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by ______ .
| A．the father | B．the author |
| C．Edgar Allan Poe | D． William Blake |
The author made thegift by __________.
| A． searching for the poems online |
| B． drawing the background by hand |
| C． painting the letters in three colors |
| D． matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A． To show how to design images for gifts. |
| B． To suggest making gifts from one's heart. |
| C． To explain how computers help create gifts. |
| D． To describe the gifts the author has received. |
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. 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 was seen to run 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 |
For many years, I was sure that my suffering was because of my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts, and rejections with it.
Many obese（overweight）people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin means being loved, being special, and being cherished. We imagine what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally realize its promise of happiness, and of course, love.
It took me a long while to know that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards are different with culture. In Somoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us try hard to change our body, but with no result. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes toward ourselves, the whole world changes.The passage tries to tell us the importance of ______.
| A．body size |
| B．attitudes toward life |
| C．culture difference |
| D．different beauty standards |
What does the underlined word “everything” (paragraph 2) mean?
| A．All the problems. | B．All the bodies. |
| C．The whole world. | D．The truth. |
What can be inferred about the author?
| A．The author is a Samoan. |
| B．The author succeeded in losing weight. |
| C．The author has been troubled by her/his weight. |
| D．The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents. |
According to the author, what is the common view of those who have lost some weight first and gained it back later?
| A．They feel angry about the regained weight. |
| B．They don’t care about the regained weight. |
| C．They feel optimistic（乐观的）about future plans on weight control. |
| D．They think they should give up their future plans on weight control. |
Welcome to the Ambassador Hotel. To make your stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities（设施） to the full.
Dining Room
Breakfast is served in the dining mom from 8 to 9:30 a.m.. Alternatively, the room staff will bring a breakfast tray to your room at any time after 7 a.m., if you place an order for it by telephone. In this case, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door when you go to bed. Lunch: 12:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Telephone:48752
Room Service
This operates 24 hours a day. Phone the Reception Desk, and your message will be passed on to the room staff.
Telephone: 48759
Telephone
To make a telephone call, dial 0 for Reception and Laundry (洗衣店), and ask to be connected. We apologize for delays in putting calls through when the staff are very busy. There are also public telephone booths(电话亭)near the Reception Desk. Early calls should be booked with Reception.
Shop
The hotel shop is open for souvenirs（纪念品）, gifts and toiletries（化妆品）from 9 a.m. to 5:30p.m.
Telephone: 48687
Laundry
We have a laundry on the premises（附属）and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours. Ask the room staff to phone the laundrymen to collect them.
Telephone: 48867
Bar
The hotel bar is open from 12 to 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.. The Reception staff will cash cheques and exchange money in many foreign currencies（货币）.The announcement(通知) mainly gives us information about ________.
| A．facilities in the hotel |
| B．providing passengers all kinds of service |
| C．the ways of serving |
| D．carrying out the promise of the hotel |
The card in a bedroom of the hotel is to announce that ___________.
| A．you should keep silent when walking past the room |
| B．the passenger of the room is taking a rest |
| C．the waiters mustn’t enter the room |
| D．any visitors won’t bother the hotel guest |
You have arrived to stay at the hotel at 2 a.m., and want a snack(快餐), What should you do ?
| A．Go to the hotel shop. |
| B．Go to the hotel bar. |
| C．Give a message to the waiter. |
| D．Phone Reception |