I love it at night. It’s peaceful. And when it cools down I sometimes do some ironing. I don’t really care for it. I work full-time and too busy for most housework. I remember the old woman who taught me to iron. I was about 15 and somehow got a live-in job taking care of a woman who had been an able-bodied, healthy woman until the accident that caused her to be paralyzed（瘫痪）.
The woman had an electric wheelchair. She could move her head and arms but not her hands or fingers. She had this clamp（夹子）attached to her arm and I’d have to open it and put a cup or a pencil in it and then she could move it. She would tell me how to do things. She would instruct me in great detail on the correct way to do things. Her home was perfect and beautiful. She would follow me around in her electric wheelchair to make sure I did everything exactly right. I’m sure she had been a perfect homemaker. She would have me fold everything, including socks and pillow cases. I would complain silently and wish terrible things on her. She taught me the right way to make the bed and tuck （塞）the corners. I know sometimes she’d get frustrated and impatient with me. I knew she wanted to grab it and do it herself. But she never yelled or scolded. Only insisted I do it right. I didn’t like it much, but I did it.
Today I can iron pretty well. I know where to start on a shirt, the right way to do the collar and sleeves. Now that I think about it, I don’t think she is an old lady. I think she might have been about my age now. Anyway, when I iron, I think of her and silently thank her for all the things I learned. From the passage we can infer that the writer of the passage now is ________.
| A．a housewife | B．a full-time worker |
| C．a clothes maker | D．a college student |
The writer used to take care of the lady because ______.
| A．she wanted to learn how to do housework |
| B．she was a relative of the disabled woman |
| C．she wanted to earn some money while sleeping and eating there |
| D．she had to do something in return to the lady for her kindness |
When the lady taught the writer how to do housework, the little girl was ______.
| A．eager to learn | B．unwilling to learn |
| C．forced to learn | D．careful to learn |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards the lady now?
| A．Sympathetic | B．Fearful | C．Hateful | D．Grateful |
“I once hoped to afford a wonderful telescope, but now I wish my father would be back.” Lucy Lawrence’s letter to Father Christmas written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched every heart. Lucy went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucy, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone ,you will see them again . And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too, in your mind and in your heart . I find that my parents , long dead now , still occur in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive . I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor , I was so proud , or rather so pleased with myself , that I couldn’t wait to write to my parents . The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all Mother said was “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children! ” I haven’t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors, and to lay down my life for those in my care ? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, one to give me pause.
I pray silently , sometimes , in the dead of night ,that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword（剑）, and my darling from the power of the evil .” Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I’m sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph .
| A．shows the author’s pity on the kid |
| B．acts as an introduction to the discussion |
| C．puts forward the subject of the text |
| D．makes a clear statement of the author’s opinions |
In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us .
| A．why his parents often appear in his dream |
| B．how much he misses his parents now |
| C．when Lucy will get over all his sadness |
| D．how proud he was when he succeeded in life |
What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?
| A．Proud. | B．Excited. |
| C．Uninterested. | D．Uneasy. |
What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?
| A．Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns. |
| B．Advise parents stay with their children safely at home. |
| C．Try to keep violence and murder far away from society. |
| D．Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death. |
Many people once thought that air pollution had a bad influence upon only the area immediately around large cities with factories and heavy automobile traffic. Today, we know that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is nearly worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the entire eastern half of the United States and led to health warnings even in rural areas away from any major concentration of factories and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be affected by air pollution. Some scientists feel that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide( 二氧化碳) in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a“greenhouse effect” － holding in heat reflected from the earth and raising the world’s average temperature. If this view is correct and the world’s temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be under water.
Another opinion, less widely held, is that increasing tiny substances in the atmosphere are blocking sunlight and lowering the earth’s temperature－a result that would be equally disastrous.A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to new ice age and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. At present we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report prepared by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very likely). Perhaps, if we are very lucky, the two tendencies will make up for each other and the world’s temperature will stay about the same as it is now.As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution _____.
| A．caused widespread damage in the countryside |
| B．affected the entire eastern half of the United States |
| C．almost brought worldwide effect |
| D．existed merely in urban and industrial areas |
As far as the greenhouse effect is concerned, the author _____________.
| A．shares the same view with the scientists |
| B．is uncertain of its consequence |
| C．rejects it as being ungrounded |
| D．thinks that it will increasingly destroy the world |
It can be inferred from the passage that ____________.
| A．raising the world’s temperature a little would not do much harm to life on earth |
| B．lowering the world’s temperature a little would lead to agricultural disasters |
| C．almost no temperature changes have occurred over the past decade |
| D．the world’s temperature will remain constant in the years to come |
This passage is primarily concerned with _____________.
| A．the greenhouse effect in the world |
| B．the measures to adjust the climate |
| C．the potential effect of air pollution |
| D．the measures to protect the environment |
" Vi-Lasata!I can't believe it--a Vi-Lasata!” —You see some attractive young ladies looking at a sweater in a department store and you listen to their conversation:
“ Vi-Lasata is almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Terry bought in Rome."
When they leave, you go over to see this unbelievable sweater. It's nice and the price is right.You've never heard of Vi-Lasata, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So, you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Vi-Lasata clothes.
Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too. This is the secret of undercover （暗中影响的）marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.
Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the “thumb generation” -- consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.
So advertising agencies hire young actors to "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice cheating, but marketing director Jonathan Ressler calls it creativity. "Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is falling."
However, one might ask what exactly is "real" about of young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Advertising agent would say it's no less real than an ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. You don't know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance.Vi-Lasata is __________.
| A．a very popular department store |
| B．the brand name of a sweater |
| C．a clothing company in Rome |
| D．an advertising agency |
The attractive young women were talking so that they could ________.
| A．get the sweater at a lower price |
| B．be heard by people around |
| C．be admired by other shoppers |
| D．decide on buying the sweater |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Traditional advertising is becoming less effective as it's too direct. |
| B．The “ thumb generation” tends to be more easily influenced by ads. |
| C．The two girls are in fact clerks in the Vi-Lasata Company. |
| D．Undercover marketing is surely against the law in that country. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Performance in Shops | B．Vi-Lasata Sweaters |
| C．Ways of Advertising | D．Undercover Marketing |
Dear Customers,
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Amazon Prime takes the effort out of ordering: no lowest purchase and no combining orders. Two-day shipping becomes an everyday experience rather than an occasional excitement.
We are offering Amazon Prime membership at the introductory price of $79 per year, which includes sharing the benefits with up to four family members in your household. Considering that we normally charge $9.48 for two-day shipping on a single book and $ 16.48 for overnight, many of our customers will find the program very rewarding. It works across books, DVDs, music, electronics, kitchen, tool, health, personal care, etc, etc.
We expect Amazon Prime to be expensive for Amazon.com in short term. In the long run, we hope to earn even more of your business, which will make it good for us too. We hope you enjoy our latest transformation(转变).
You can sign up for membership with one click HERE.
Sincerely,
Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
What’s the purpose of the letter delivered by the CEO?
| A．To encourage customers to join in a special program for free. |
| B．To ask for the feedback of the customers. |
| C．To express festive greetings to the consumers. |
| D．To encourage customers to consume more on line. |
How much can you save compared with the ordinary customers if you have two orders each with a two-day shipping and a over-night shipping?
| A．$ 21.97 | B．$ 25.96 |
| C．$ 16.48 | D．$ 9.48 |
What does “all-you-can-eat” mean in the first paragraph?
| A．direct | B．unlimited |
| C．convenient | D．cheap |
What does the last part infer?
| A．They lose much in the special program. |
| B．The customers spend more in the future. |
| C．This program can offer a double-win in a long term. |
| D．Amazon.com is a very popular on-line bookstore. |
From Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou, you can travel along the East Line not only the other line going past Dujiangyan and Wenchuan. Take a regular bus from Chengdu Chengbei Bus Station from 9:00 to 16:30. It only takes about three hours to Jiangyou. The ticket is CNY50.00 net per person. Up along Fujiang River, you will pass the second largest city in Sichuan, Mianyang and enjoy the picturesque scenery.
There is bus available to the destination from 6:30 to 13:30 in Mianyang Pingzheng Bus Station,The one way ticket is about CNY95.00 net per person. In this case, you can not get stop at Jiangyou and Pingwu. This is one option for you.
In Jiangyou, visit the Former Residence of Li Bai, the famous poet in Tang Dynasty. If time permits, you can also take a look at the Doutuan Mountain, which is famous for its unique sceneries and also holdsnational gliding (滑翔) campaigns every year. Take bus at Jiangyou Bus Station to Pingwu and stay there for one night. Our recommendation is to stay at the Pingwu Hotel, which is the first hotel that can serve foreigners in the small city. The contact phone number is 0816 - 8822022. Pingwu has the best royal Buddhist temples in Ming Dynasty, Bao'en Temple and the historic relics in the period of Three Kingdoms (220-280).
The next day, take bus to Huanglong, which is 120 kilometers away from Pingwu. It only takes about 2 hours to arrive at one of the world's most naturally fantastic locations - the Huanglong Scenic and Historic Areas. The bus ticket is CNY30.00 net per person.
You can easily find the bus from Chuanzhusi to Jiuzhaigou. The journey time is 1.5 hours. Here we would like to recommend another hotel in Jiuzhaigou for you, Mofang Hotel. The contact number is 0837-7764926.
Two days in Jiuzhaigou Valley can give you enough time to explore there. Sometimes, you need to purchase the extra charge for entering the valley twice.What is the tour route of the East Line from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou according to the passage?
| A．Chengdu - Mianyang - Jiangyou - Huanglong - Pingwu - Chuanzhusi - Jiuzhaigou |
| B．Chengdu - Mianyang - Fujiang - Jiangyou - Pingwu - Huanglong - Jiuzhaigou |
| C．Chengdu - Mianyang - Jiangyou - Pingwu - Huanglong - Chuanzhusi - Jiuzhaigou |
| D．Chengdu - Mianyang - Jiangyou - Pingwu - Chuanzhusi-Huanglong - Jiuzhaigou |
Where is this passage likely to appear?
| A．An advertisement of local hotels. |
| B．A travel guide for foreign travelers. |
| C．A geography book of Sichuan Province |
| D．A newspaper for English learners. |
If you take the bus from Pingzheng Bus Station to Jiuzhaigou, you can________.
| A．directly get to the destination |
| B．get on the bus before 2 o’clock pm |
| C．also visit Bao’en Temple halfway |
| D．enjoy the scenery along Fujiang River |
From this passage, which of the following statement is TRUE?
| A．Pingwu Hotel is the only choice for foreign guests in Pingwu. |
| B．We’d better pay the entrance fee twice in Jiuzhaigou. |
| C．We can travel from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou along different routes. |
| D．Doutuan Mountain is famous for the Former Residence of Li Bai. |