A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications(资历), he said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”
This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.
A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things to see if all was safe from damage. They found that the doors of the farmhouse had been safely fastened, and a lot of wood had been set next to the fireplace.
The young man slept soundly.
The farmer and his wife then looked at their property (财产) carefully. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage room, safe from the bad weather. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.
The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man’s words, “ I can sleep when the wind blows.”
The farmhand did his work loyally. When the sky was clear, he had prepared for the storm in case it broke. So when the wind blew, there was no need for him to be afraid. He could sleep in peace. The underlined word “fastened” in Para. 3 can be replaced by ______.
| A．closed | B．damaged | C．taken | D．moved |
From the passage, we can learn that ______.
| A．at first the farmer understood his words well |
| B．the young man was awakened in the night by a violent storm |
| C．the young man had prepared for the storm before it came |
| D．the young man was too sleepy to wake up in the night |
The best title for this passage is ______.
| A．Sleeping in peace through the storm | B．A violent storm |
| C．A young man and his dream | D．A clever farmer |
Which of the following proverbs can best explain the story?
| A．Lookers-on see more than players |
| B．Two heads are better than one |
| C．A stitch（针）in time saves nine |
| D．No man can do two things at a time |
If you haven’t already, you too should switch to the latest eco-friendly, energy-efficient, energy-saving LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting. As the world becomes more focused on green issues, everyone should do their part in practicing energy efficiency, recycling, cutting down their CO2 emissions and much, much more. One of the most successful campaigns that started in Australia is the now world-famous“Earth Hour”. 2.2 million of Sydney’s residents turned off their lights for an hour in a mass attempt to save energy. The following year, the same idea was adopted by a whole host of different cities.
This is a great example of a campaign to promote eco-friendly options and energy efficiency. But while it clearly raises awareness, it is not a long-term solution to energy saving across the developed world. A long-term solution can be found in the form of switching to LED lighting rather than the traditional halogen lights(卤光灯) found in a typical home.
Put simply, LED lighting is the future of lighting. LED lamps use up only a fraction of the energy compared to that of regular lamps. They also produce a quality flicker-free light, and will last longer than a regular light with 50,000 hours being realistic. Not only are they longer lasting and more energy-efficient with no sacrifice in light quality, but they may quickly become a possible substitute (替代物) for regular lamps that have been previously installed by homes and businesses.
An ordinary 50 watt low-voltage halogen light on for 4 hours a day would cost $ 25 per year to run. With a life span of around 3,000 hours it will typically stop working at the two-year mark. Compared with the regular one, an LED light of 50 watts operating for the same period will cost roughly $ 6 per year to run and last 50,000 hours. That means it won’t have to be replaced for 24 years! It really is a no brainer to switch to energy-saving LED lighting. Plus, you will be doing your bit for the environment by becoming more eco-friendly.“Earth Hour”is held in the world every year in order to.
| A．ask people to generate more energy for daily use |
| B．call on people to use less energy as much as possible |
| C．remind people to remember the days without lights |
| D．advise people to have a good rest after working hard |
How should we save energy according to the author?
| A．Raise public awareness. | B．Turn off the lights. |
| C．Hold“Earth Hour”. | D．Use LED lights. |
. It can be inferred from the third paragraph that LED lamps.
| A．are more expensive that regular ones |
| B．will take the place of regular lamps completely |
| C．might be used by more homes in the future |
| D．use up more energy and give out more light |
The underlined phrase in the last paragraph“no brainer”probably means a thing that.
| A．needs no consideration. | B．needs deep study |
| C．changes with others | D．connects with others |
When Peng Liyuan stepped off the plane in Moscow, the whole world wanted to know who dressed the elegant first lady．The reporter released the secret—Ma Ke．
Peng Liyuan has been wearing Ma Ke’s designs for more than a decade，a fact that was only highlighted recently when she was on her first state visit，accompanying her husband President Xi Jinping．The elegant and attractive Peng，formerly a popular singer, has been compared with the US’ first lady Michelle Obama and France’s Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, since stepping off the airplane in Moscow on March 22．Suddenly, everyone was curious to know more about the first lady’s wardrobe(衣橱)．
Even so，Ma prefers a low key approach．“If you eat a tasty egg why would you want to see the hen?” she says．
Ma’s relationship with Peng began 10 years ago after a concert in Guangzhou when a reporter told Peng she knew the designer behind the label Exception de Mixmind．Peng asked for an introduction because she was a fan of Ma’s designs and had been wearing them for years．
The two naturally became friends．Ma says：“The painting reflects the painter, and clothes reflect both the designer and the wearer．Someone desires fame and wealth，or love and sympathy；what you have in your heart is reflected in the design．Those who don’t share my philosophy won’t buy my clothes．Peng is a caring person，devoted to charity and environmental protection，which is exactly what I’m doing now．”
However, regardless of the brand，Peng’s support of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands．
“Instead she presented a vision of Chinese fashion，desiring to bring Chinese designers to the world stage，”says a western designer．
The first lady’s double-breasted coat and her black leather handbag aren’t available at any of Exception’s shops，though Exception’s physical stores do have seen a rising number of visitors． What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mean?
| A．opened | B．invented |
| C．forecast | D．hid |
In the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 Ma Ke mentioned “an egg and the hen” to show ______．
| A．it is hard to explain“ Which came first，the egg or the hen?” |
| B．the designer is more important than the design |
| C．paying such great attention to her was unnecessary |
| D．her satisfaction with the media attention on her dress |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A. First ladies compete with each other whenever they are together.
B. Peng’s suits can be bought in Ma Ke’s clothes stores
C Ma Ke’s opinions are totally different from Peng’s
D Peng had liked Ma’s designs long before they met each other.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Peng wears the dress designed by a Chinese designer probably to support Chinese brands. |
| B．Many citizens found Peng Liyuan’s choice quite unexpected. |
| C．Black leather handbags like Peng’s are widely sold in bag stores in big cities. |
| D．After Peng Liyuan’s visit to Moscow Ma Ke’s clothes became more popular |
We offer five kinds of courses. Each course has been designed to help students according to their needs.
Course 1: General English
General English is designed to develop students’ basic communication skills in speaking and pronunciation, reading, listening, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Tuesday to Friday: 9:00 am to 11:00 am, $ 288 per week.
Course 2: Academic English
Academic English is for students who want to take the IELTS exam or for those who need to use English in a professional area. Monday to Friday: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $ 320 per week.
Course 3: High School ESL
Why not make the most of your time studying in Australia with the help from TIES? We have High School ESL classes each week specifically designed for international students. Tuesday to Friday: 8:00 am to 11:00 am, $ 25 per hour.
Course 4: Night Classes
Do you want to improve your English and get the best possible results in your GRE test? We have two night classes each week designed to meet your needs. Tuesday and Thursday evenings: 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm, $ 60 per day.
Course 5: One on One
If you are interested in some One on One lessons with TIES teachers, we can design a course to meet your needs. One on One lessons can improve your English language skills more quickly and help students who want to take TOEFL. Tuesday to Friday: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $ 80 per hour.If you are an English beginner, you’d better choose.
| A．General English | B．High School ESL |
| C．Night Classes | D．Academic English |
Which course would be helpful for students who want to take the IELTS exam?
| A．Course 1. | B．Course 2. |
| C．Course 3. | D．Course 4. |
How much will you pay if you spend two weeks taking the High School ESL course?
| A．$ 200. | B．$ 300. |
| C．$ 500. | D．$ 600. |
What can we learn from One on One according to the passage?
| A．Its lessons are given in the morning. |
| B．It’s especially designed for English beginners. |
| C．It’s more expensive than the other courses. |
| D．Its lessons are designed to only improve writing skills. |
There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care .To water his flowers, he used two buckets(水桶) .One was a shiny and new bucket. The other was a very old and dilapidated one，which had seen many years of service, but was now past its best.
Every morning, the gardener would fill up the two buckets. Then he would carry them along the path, one on each side, to the flowerbeds. The new bucket was very proud of itself. It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled (溢出). The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds, much water had leaked (漏出) along the path.
Sometimes the new bucket would say,“ See how capable I am ! How good it is that the gardener has me to water the flowers every day! I don't know why he still bothers with you. What a waste of space you are!”
And all that the old bucket could say was. “ I know I am not very useful, but I can only do my best. I am happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me, at least.”
One day, the gardener heard that kind of conversation .After watering the flowers as usual, he said , “You both have done your work very well .Now I am going to carry you back .I want you to look carefully along the path.”
Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed, on the side where the new bucket was carried, there was just bare（光秃秃的）earth; on the other side where the old bucket was carried, there was a joyous row of wild flowers, leading all the way to the garden.What was the old bucket ashamed of?
| A．His past. | B．His aging. |
| C．His manner. | D．His leaking. |
What does the underlined word “dilapidated” probably mean?
| A．dirty | B．dark |
| C．worn-out | D．ordinary-looking. |
The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to _________.
| A．take pity on the old one | B．laugh at the old one |
| C．show off its beautiful looks | D．praise the gardener’s kindness |
Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?
| A．Because it was used to keep a balance |
| B．Because it stayed in its best condition |
| C．Because it had its own function |
| D．Because it was taken as a treasure |
The fact that blind people can see things using other parts of their bodies apart from their eyes may help us understand our feeling about color. If they sense color differences, then perhaps we, too, are affected by color without knowing it.
Salesmen have discovered by experience over a long period of time that sugar sells badly in green wrappings（包装）， that blue foods are considered not agreeable to the taste, and that cosmetics（化妆品） should never be packed in brown. Their discoveries have grown into a whole subject of color psychology（心理学）。 Some of our preferences（偏爱） for colors are clearly psychological. Dark blue is the color of the night sky and therefore connected with calm, while yellow is a day color connected with energy and encouragement. Experiments have shown that colors, partly because they are connected with psychology, also have a direct effect on people’s mind. People in bright red surroundings show an increase in breathing speed, heartbeat and blood pressure; red is exciting. Pure blue has exactly the opposite effect; it is a calming color. Being exciting, red was chosen as the signal for danger, but a close study shows that a bright yellow can produce a more basic state of alarm, so fire engines in some advanced areas are now rushing around in bright yellow colors that stop buses, trucks and cars.. The passage tells us that salesmen have __________.
| A．discovered the relationship between color and psychology |
| B．tried out colors on blind people |
| C．found out that color affect sales |
| D．developed a special subject of color psychology |
. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．what color we prefer depends on our state of mind |
| B．foods sell well in green or blue wrappings |
| C．blind people cannot sense color difference |
| D．a bright yellow has exactly the opposite effect to red |
. If people are exposed to（置身于） pure blue, _________.
| A．their blood pressure rises |
| B．they want to taste blue foods |
| C．they will feel like buying things |
| D．they won’t easily feel nervous |
. Which of the following do you think is the best title of the passage?
| A．Colors and sales | B．Colors and feelings |
| C．The blind and colors | D．Preferences for colors |