When I was a teenager growing up in Russia, I felt studying very boring, I wanted to leave school and have my own life. There were only two ways for me to do this—working in the toy factory in my town, or getting married. I chose the first one. I was nervous when I told my father that I wanted to leave school. I thought he would say, “No! You are going to college.” Instead, he took me by surprise when he said, “OK. We’ll go to the toy factory.”
Two days later, he took me to the factory. I had a very romantic idea of working in a factory. I had imagined everyone to be friendly working together and having fun. I even imagined there would be music and singing. I guess I had watched too many movies as a teenager.
When we arrived at the factory gates, my father spoke to the guard and one minute later we went inside. My father said, “Take your time. Look around.” I walked around the factory, looking at the buildings, the workers, and listening to the noise. It was terrible. I ran back to my father and said, “I want to go home.”
He asked me, “What do you think of the factory?”
“It’s terrible,” I replied.
“And you have another choice, but I think getting married is even worse!” he said.
I went back to school the next day. From then on, I studied as hard as I could. Finally I got into a good college. I enjoyed studying English so I decided to major in languages at college. Thanks to my father and our trip to the factory, I now work at the United Nations and my father is very proud of me. I married a very good man and my life is much better than it would have been working in the factory!The writer lived in ________ when she was a teenager.
A.Russia | B.Japan | C.China | D.England |
At first she thought life in the factory would be ________ than in school.
A.more terrible | B.more colorful | C.busier | D.more boring |
After they visited the factory, the writer ________.
A.decided to work there | B.changed her romantic idea |
C.wanted to get married | D.argued with her father |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.The writer studied languages after she went into the college. |
B.The writer now works at the United Nations. |
C.The writer’s father used a special way to let his daughter go back to school. |
D.The writer’s father is proud because his daughter married a good man. |
What should you do if you want to have a nice photo taken? Whether it’s work or fun, the most important thing is lighting. If you get bad lighting, you will look bad, too. Know where the light is. You don’t want it below you or above you, you want it to shine directly at you.
The key thing is no shadow(阴影). If you are being photographed outside, do it in the morning, or wait till the 2 o’clock shadow has passed. Also don’t let pictures in the magazines stress you out – all the pictures are taken by great photographers. And all the faces have had pimples (丘疹,粉刺) taken out by computers.
Tip your head and learn what angles (角度) work with your face. Everyone is different. So you have to learn what suits you. You can practice in Photo Booth for as long as it is your turn, to learn what angles suit your face. Tip your neck to make it look longer, make eye contact with the camera. No one can look bad if they smile.
For long legs, point one leg into center of the frame and get the photographer to shoot looking up your body.
For just leg shots, lie upside down and raise legs in the air for the best angle. And your legs will look thinner and be in better shape.
Keep shoulders back.
Always have mouth slightly open, enough to put a penny between your lips, as this will make your lips look fuller.
Lower your eyes and then look up just as shutter (快门) is clicked for full eyes.
Try to catch every perfect photogenic moment!What is the most important thing when you take photos?
When is better to take photos outside?
What should you learn when you practice in Photo Booth?
What should you do with your shoulders when taking photos?
What is the passage mainly talking about?
No one else knew about the extra (额外的) club in Zach Nash's golf bag. It belonged to a friend, and Zach forgot it was there as he played his way to win in a junior tournament (锦标赛) this summer in Wisconsin, US.
The 14-year-old accepted his medal, and celebrated with grandparents who had come from a long way to watch. But when he stopped by his country club to share the news, a professional player noticed something wrong. "Count your clubs," he told the teenager.
Fifteen—one more than allowed. Zach's eyes filled with tears.
If Zach had just won a basketball or a soccer game and someone had discovered an offence (违反) after the win, it would not have mattered.
Bending the rules has become acceptable, if not encouraged, in many sports. It is nothing unusual for soccer players to make a turtle dive (假摔) in the hope of breaking rules.
Golf is different. In a win at all costs world, the game holds itself to a higher standard.
Golf isn't a game where referees (裁判) watch closely. In golf tournaments, dozens of competitors are spread across acres of land, so officials cannot hope to see each shot. Competitors call punishments on themselves.
Players feel the weight of history. Golf began at least the 15th century, but it became popular as a pastime for the wealthy who seemed to always have strict rules of behavior, even when it came to shooting at each other in rights.
"It was a sport for gentlemen, not laborers, and gentlemen did not care about winning. They cared about doing the right thing," said Robert Simon, a golf coach at Hamilton College in New York.
Honesty became a symbol of honor. When one of the game's early stars, Bobby Jones, was praised for calling a penalty on himself at the 1925 US Open. He replied, "You might as well praise a man for not robbing a bank."
So even the error had no effect on Zach's final score—he never used the extra club, the teenager packed up his medal and dropped it in the mail. "But this was golf, and rules are rules. I just knew what I had to do," he said.
Then came another tournament. Before teeing off, Zach counted his clubs four times.Zach Nash returned the medal he won in the junior tournament because________.
A.he was caught cheating by a player |
B.he decided to follow the rules of golf |
C.he used another player's club by mistake |
D.he made a mistake counting his final score |
Which of the following statements about golf is TRUE according to the passage?
A.In golf, honor comes before win. |
B.Early golf players didn't care about the rules. |
C.Golf players usually do whatever it takes to win. |
D.Golf referees watch each shot and call punishments. |
The underlined phrase "teeing off" in the last paragraph probably means "____ ".
A.getting started | B.getting caught |
C.leaving | D.winning |
What is probably the best title of the passage?
A.Zach's medal. | B.The history of golf. |
C.Honesty counts in golf. | D.Golf is rich men's game. |
It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth. “I’m paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me,” she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare.”
It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend’s refrigerator: “Practice random (随意的) kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” The phrase impressed (使某人印象深刻) her so much that she copied it down.
Judy Foreman saw the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. “I thought it was beautiful,” she said, explaining why she’d taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, “like a message from above.” Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, saying that though she liked it, she didn’t know where it came from or what it really meant.
Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days.
“Here’s the idea,” Anne says. “Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly.” Her fantasies include painting the classrooms of shabby schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, “Kindness can build on itself as much as violence (暴力) can build on itself.”
The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been encouraged to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours! Why did Natalie Smith pay for the six cars behind her?
A.She had seven tickets. |
B.She hoped to please others. |
C.She wanted to show kindness. |
D.She knew the car drivers well. |
Judy Foreman copied down the phrase because she ___.
A.thought it was beautifully written |
B.wanted to know what it really meant |
C.decided to write it on a warehouse wall |
D.wanted her husband to put it up in the classroom |
Who came up with the phrase according to the passage?
A.Judy Foreman. | B.Natalie Smith. |
C.Alice Johnson. | D.Anne Herbert. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.People should practice random kindness to those in need. |
B.People who receive kindness are likely to offer it to others. |
C.People should practice random kindness to strangers they meet. |
D.People who receive kindness are likely to pay it back to the giver. |
Inventions All Around Us
Every invention has a story. These stories often have a lesson to teach, too. Here are the stories of some everyday household inventions.
Canned Food and the Can Opener—Get It Right!
Peter Durand invented canned food in 1810, but there was a problem. Durand didn't have a good way to open the cans. In 1858, Ezra Warner invented a can opener. It used a piece of metal to cut and remove the top from the can, but it was difficult to use. Finally, in 1870, William Lyman added a wheel to the can opener. The metal went around the top of the can and removed it easily. Finally, people were able to open cans without a lot of work. Canned food was soon popular.
Frozen Food—A Little Good Luck Can Help!
Clarence Birdseye had the chance to go on a trip toe Arctic. When people there caught fish, they put the fish in a container (容器) of ice to freeze it quickly. When people cooked the fish later, it was still good! This gave Birdseye an idea. He thought people could also have this kind of food at home. In 1926, Birdseye invented frozen food. People were able to store food in freezers for a long time.
Air Conditioning—One Answer to Two Problems!
Printing companies make books, so they use a lot of paper. Sometimes, changes in the weather can hurt the paper. In 1902, Willis Carrier invented air conditioning to control the temperature inside his printing company. This saved the paper. People soon realized other benefits of air conditioning. They started to air condition their homes in the summer. Carrier's invention changed the world!When was canned food invented?
A.In 1810. | B.In 1870. |
C.In 1902. | D.In 1926. |
After the trip to the Arctic, Clarence Birdseye invented ____________.
A.canned food | B.can openers |
C.frozen food | D.air conditioning |
Changes in weather _____________ in Willis Carrier's company.
A.helped to keep food |
B.hurt printing paper |
C.caused health problems |
D.made rooms comfortable |
47. According to the passage, which of the following may lead to inventions?
A.People's needs. | B.Public support. |
C.Modern technology. | D.Practical suggestions. |
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A.stop wearing your watch |
B.finish your homework on time |
C.get new books and objects |
D.know when parents or teachers are near |
A PENGO WATCH CONTROL can help you to ______________.
A.repair your TV |
B.put away your books and objects |
C.become a James Bond |
D.get a daily weather report |
You can get your Mr. H for___________.
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