As a boy growing up in India,I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s,with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe,where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium,Netherlands and West Germany.
I have vivid memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand,during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew. The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable,even for someone like me,who is otherwise scared of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe,we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport,for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河),it was simply an unforgettable experience. I was in a sombre mood on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation,but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again,with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me overseas,Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today,I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying,in general,for me,has always been an ordeal (terrible and painful experience).Flying on Lufthansa,however,is something I always have and always will look forward to.What made the author so interested in traveling abroad?
A.Growing up in India. |
B.Once staying in Canada. |
C.Once traveling to Canada with his father. |
D.His father's stories about his traveling experiences. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author's trip to Europe in 1998?
A.The author traveled with one of his parents. |
B.Both their going and return are by air. |
C.They traveled in spring that year. |
D.They stayed in Europe for nearly two months. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.
A.a city in India | B.a city in Europe |
C.an airline company | D.a travel agency |
The underlined word “sombre” in the 4th paragraph probably means “________”.
A.happy | B.sad | C.angry | D.enjoyable |
Honey Sweet Cake (Prep. Time: 12 mins.) Ingredients Strawberries in syrup(糖浆), 1 package (unfrozen) Heavy cream, 1 cup Corn flour, 2 tablespoons Process Mix the strawberries, cream and corn flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, while constantly mixing until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and refrigerate for two hours, Fill the frozen mixture in a cake, and serve. |
Rosy Cake (Prep. Time: 10 mins. ) Ingredients Sugar, 3/4 cup Water, 1 cup Corn flour, 3 tablespoons Strawberries , 2 ![]() Process Take a large saucepan and mix all the ingredients. Cook until the mixture thickens over medium heat. Let it cool naturally and completely. Fill up your cake with the mixture, and serve. |
Triangle Sweet (Prep. Time: 15 mins. ) Ingredients Sugar, ![]() Whipping cream, ![]() Unflavored gelatin(明胶) , 1 tablespoon Cold water, 2 tablespoons Boiled water, 3 tablespoons Strawberries, crushed, 2 cups Process Add sugar to the crushed strawberries and set them aside. In cold water, soften the gelatin, and once it is softened, add boiling water. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Add the dissolved gelatin mixture to the strawberries and let it cool. Now whip(搅打) the cream till it becomes stiff. When the strawberry mixture is of syrup thickness, add the whipped cream to it. Refrigerate until it sets. Fill it into your cake, and serve. |
Flaming Maple (Prep. Time: 10 mins. ) Ingredients Fresh lemon juice, 1 ![]() Honey, 2 tablespoons Maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Strawberries, ripe, 2 pints Process Make a fruit butter of half of the strawberries. Add honey, lemon juice, and maple syrup until it forms a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries. Fill the mixture in the cake, and serve. |
Which of the following ingredients are used in all the recipes?
A.heavy cream | B.sugar syrup | C.corn flour | D.strawberries |
Chefs needn't freeze the ingredients when preparing ___________
① Honey Sweet Cake ②Rosy Cake ③Triangle Sweet④ Flaming Maple
A.①② | B.②③ | C.①④ | D.②④ |
Which of the following is true?
A.Triangle Sweet takes the longest time to prepare. |
B.Strawberries used in the recipes aren’t all fresh. |
C.Most strawberries are used when making a Rose Cake. |
D.Honey Sweet Cake is the best choice for busy mothers. |
In how many recipes should chefs thicken the mixture by heating?
A.Only one | B.Two | C.Three | D.Four |
It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow passage, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting with people in UK.
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and shop assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?
A.He thinks it is unnecessary. | B.He thinks little of it. |
C.He appreciates it very much. | D.He thinks it goes too far. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.German men never treat a woman to dinner. |
B.The author think it’s unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver. |
C.In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job. |
D.Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men ______.
A.like to fight with each other | B.treat women in a polite way |
C.are as generous as English men | D.are unwilling to spend money for women |
The author develops the text through the method of ______.
A.making comparisons | B.telling stories | C.giving reasons | D.giving examples |
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
A.take photos | B.find a solution to the project |
C.hop along the path | D.cheer herself up |
The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________.".
A.unsuccessful | B.unrelated | C.uninteresting | D.unexpected |
In the author's opinion, __________.
A.a bath can make people relaxed |
B.depression is usually caused by hard work |
C.walking in a busy city centre harms people's health |
D.adults should express their inner feelings freely |
The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
A.explanation | B.suggestion | C.introduction | D.reminder |
A mathematician who goes mad is not a subject most directors consider commercially attractive, but then Ron Howard isn’t among most directors, despite an impressive list of credits, a Beautiful Mind is his most successful work to date, combining psychological drama with a moving love story to produce a film that is as interesting as it is entertaining.
The Oscar winning Russel Crowe has put himself in line for further honors with his acting John Nash, the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician troubled by schizophrenia(神经分裂症). A Beautiful Mind pictures Nash as an unusual hero, not just because of his academic achievements, but also because of the courage he displays while battling his illness.
In 1947, Nash was one of many great young minds at Princeton. “To find a truly original idea is the only way to distinguish myself.” The proud and determined student declared. His exploration of such an idea afforded him little time for the normal socializing. His shyness and straightforward approach brought him few friends.
After finally hitting on a revolutionary new idea, Nash’s career took off and his reputation was secured. He balanced research work with teaching, which is where he met the bright and beautiful student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). Things in his life were going well when his talent for code breaking brought him to the attention of the military who employed him during the early stages of the cold war with Russia. However, the stress of his work made Nash’s illness develop.
Crowe’s performance is perfect. He and Connelly ignite (make something exciting) the film’s passionate love story and Connelly’s wonderful performance makes the audience moved by Alicia, whose courage, strength and faith in her husband are the primary reasons for his recovery.The passage is most probably _____.
A.a book review | B.a movie review |
C.a movie poster | D.an advertisement |
Which can replace the underlined phrase “hit on” in the fourth paragraph?
A.put up with | B.come on |
C.put on | D.come up with |
Which of the following statements is not true?
A.John Nash did not go mad totally. |
B.Ron Howard is an outstanding director. |
C.The stress of the academic work caused Nash’s illness. |
D.Nash didn’t have many friends. |
We can infer form the text that _____.
A.without Alicia, John Nash would not have recovered from schizophrenia. |
B.John Nash gave up his career when troubled by schizophrenia. |
C.Russell Crowe won another Oscar Award after this movie. |
D.John Nash volunteered to serve in the army. |
By far the most common difficulty in study is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work. This difficulty is much greater for those who do not work to a plan and have no regular routine of study. Many students muddle along , doing a bit of this subject or that, as the mood takes them, or letting their set work pile up until the last possible moment.
Few students work to a set timetable. They say that if they did work out a timetable for themselves they would not keep to it, or would have to change it frequently, since they can never predict from one day to the next what their activities will be.
No doubt some students take much more kindly to a regular routine than others. There are many who shy away from a self-controlled weekly timetable, and dislike being tied down to a fixed program of work. Many able students state that they work in cycles. When they become interested in a topic they work on it attentively for three or four days at a time. On other days they avoid work completely. It has to be admitted that we do not fully understand the motivation to work. Most people over 25 years of age have become used to a work routine, and the majority of really productive workers set aside regular hours for the more important areas of their work. The “ tough-minded ” school of workers doesn’t fully accept the idea that good work can only be done naturally, under the influence of inspiration.
Those who believe that they need only work and study as the fit takes them have a mistaken belief either in their own talent or in the value of “ freedom ”. Freedom from control and discipline leads to unhappiness rather than to “ self-expression ” or “ personality development ”. Our society insists on regular habits, timekeeping and punctuality ( being on time ), and whether we like it or not, if we mean to make our way in society, we have to meet its demands.The most widespread problem in applying oneself to study is __________ .
A.changing from one subject to another |
B.the failure to keep to a set timetable of work |
C.the unwillingness to work out a systematic plan |
D.working on a subject only when one feels like it |
Which of the following is TRUE ?
A.Many students are not interested in using a self-controlled timetable . |
B.Many students don’t like being told to study to a fixed timetable . |
C.Most people over 25 years of age don’t work to a set timetable . |
D.Tough-minded people agree that good work is done naturally . |
The underlined part “ as the fit takes them ” means __________ .
A.when they have the energy | B.when they are in the mood |
C.when they feel fit | D.when they find conditions suitable |
A suitable title for the passage might be __________ .
A.Attitudes to Study | B.A Study Plan |
C.The Difficulties of Studying | D.Study and Self-discipline |