It’s such a happy-looking library, painted yellow, decorated with palm-tree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof. About the size of a microwave oven, it’s pedestrian-friendly, too, waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach country Estates, along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago, shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available, she announced to her family of four, “That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break!”
Son Austin, now a 10th-grader, didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox. But Janey insisted, and husband Peter unwillingly got to work. The 51-year-old owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses, and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches, the family hung a signboard on the front, instructing users to “take a book, return a book,” and making the Henriksen library, now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world, the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read, a mix of science fiction, reference titles, novels and kids’ favorites. “I told them, keep in mind that you might not see it again,” said Janey, a stay-at-home mom.
Since then, the collection keeps replenishing itself, thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers. The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff, says Peter, are the thank-you notes left behind. “We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.” In what way is the library “pedestrian-friendly”?
A.It owns a yellow roof. |
B.It stands near a sidewalk. |
C.It protects book lovers from the sun. |
D.It uses palm-tree stickers as decorations. |
The library was built __________.
A.by a ship supply company |
B.on the basis of toy horses |
C.like a mailbox |
D.with glass |
What can we infer about the signboard?
A.It was made by a user of the library. |
B.It marked a final touch to the library. |
C.It aimed at making the library last long. |
D.It indicated the library was a family property. |
The passage tells us that the users __________.
A.donate books to the library |
B.get paid to collect books for the library |
C.receive thank-you notes for using the library |
D.visit the library over 5 times on average daily |
第二部分阅读理解(满分20分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don’t do a very good job. This article gives some suggestions on how to give an effective speech.
So, you have to give a speech-- and you’re terrified. You get nervous, you forget what you want to say, you stumble over words, you talk too long, and you bore your audience. Later you think, “Thank goodness, it’s over. I’m just no good at public speaking. I hope I never have to do that again. ”
Cheer up! It doesn’t have to be that bad. Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making. Ask yourself the purpose of your speech. What is the occasion? Why are you speaking? Then, gather as many facts as you can on your subject. Spend plenty of time doing your research. Then spend plenty of time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible, and use pictures, charts, and graphs if they will help you make your points more clearly. Never forget your audience. Don’t talk over their heads, and don’t talk down to them. Treat your audience with respect. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Just remember: be prepared. Know your subject, your audience, and the occasion. Be brief. Say what you have to say and then stop. And be yourself. Let your personality come through so that you make person-to -person contact with your audience.
If you follow these simple steps, you’ll see that you don’t have to be afraid of public speaking. In fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches! You’re not convinced yet? Give it a try and see what happens.
1. The main idea of this article is _________.
A. you can improve your speaking ability B. a poor speaker can never change
C. always make a short speech D. it is hard to make a speech
2. Paragraph 2 implies that ________.
A. many people are afraid of giving a speech B. many people are happy to give a speech
C. many people do not prepare for a speech D. many people talk too long
3. The phrase “talk over their heads” means ________.
A. speak too loudly B. look at the ceiling
C. look down upon them D. use words and ideas that are too difficult
4. All of the following statements are true except that ___________.
A. few people know how to make good speeches
B. a lecturer does not need to organize his speech
C. research is important in preparing a speech
D. there are simple steps you can take to improve your speaking ability
5. The title for this passage may be _______.
A. Do Not Make a Long Speech B. How to Give a Good Speech
C. How to Prepare for a Speech D. Try to Enjoy a Speech
第二节(共5小题;每小题2分,满分10分)
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Are you truly happy? Do you ever know what that it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness? 51 the following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life.
● Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. You moods will very likely increase if you are going after something you value.
● Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. 52 .
● When something goes wrong, try to figure out a solution instead of being absorbed in self pity. Truly happy people don't allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the circumstances back to their favor.
● 53 These few minutes will give you opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continuous happiness.
● 54 .Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance, you will be subconsciously(下意识地)putting yourself in a better mood.
● Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. Find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you happy.
● Keeping healthy is another way to achieve happiness. 55 .
A.What makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy. |
B.On the contrary, if you are around people who are happy, their emotional state will be infectious. |
C.Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood. |
D.These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves. |
E.Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy.
F.There are some steps in life that lead to happiness.
G.It's also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself.
Would you eat a ready meal from the fridge rather than cook by yourself? Have you been doing Internet shopping rather than going to the stores? What can' t you be bothered to do?
A study into how lazy British people are has found more than half of adults prefer to catch the lift rather than climb two flights of stairs.
Just over 2000 people were quizzed by independent researchers at Nuffield Health, Britain's largest health charity.The results were very astonishing.
About one in six people surveyed (调查) said if their remote control was broken, they would continue watching the same channel rather than get up.
More than one third of those questioned said they would not run to catch a bus.Worryingly, of the 654 respondents with children, 64% said they were often too tired to play with them.
This led the report to conclude that it's no wonder that one in six children in the UK are classified as obese (肥胖) before they start school.
Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director of Nuffield Health, said; "People need to get fitter, not only for themselves but also for their families, friends and evidently their pets.If we don't start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most basics of tasks."
And Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, was ashamed as the most lazy city in the UK, with 75% surveyed admitting they do not get enough exercise, followed closely by Birmingham and Southampton, both with 67%.
The results cause serious challenges for the National Health Service, where obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer have been on a steady increase for the past 40 years and are costing billions of pounds every year.
1.From the passage we can learn that _____.
A.Birmingham is second to Glasgow in laziness
B.half of the parents don't care enough for children
C.one in six people in the UK don't take exercise
D.British people are more lazy than those in other countries
2.The report suggests that some pre-school children in the UK are obese because .
A.they have a big appetite
B.they have a sweet tooth
C.their parents often work too hard
D.their parents seldom play with them
3.According to the passage, overweight might ______.
A.contribute to heart disease B.result from some heart attack
C.be common in developed areas D.not be controlled in a short time
For a girl who's interested in fashion, what would be the dream job for success? Being a model? Probably no—?that's for a pencil thin who doesn't eat.One answer is, fashion stylist (时装造型师).
As more brands open stores in China to enlarge their reach, the increase in outdoor advertising might light a stylist spark in a girl' s heart.Fashion magazine offices are crowded with applicants, and fashionable brand HR managers get thousands of resumes (简历) of people looking for a stylist position.
"It looked too high before, but now I find it more approachable," said Xue Rui, 22, a Fudan University Chinese literature grad who works as an assistant stylist at Hermes in Shanghai."There is no certain rule in dressing up models, and you can try every way with your own taste to make them pretty and attractive."
The attractiveness of this line of work is not only in the elegant clothes.And it's not like it used to be.Now it's a well-paid and promising career.
"A stylist at a fashion magazine can have some special rights.You have a chance to contact (联系) famous persons and dress them up in a style you like," said Cheng Hong, chief editor of the Chinese version of L' officiel Hommes magazine." You need to cooperate with top photographers and select places around the world to take photos in.You might also be invited to fashion shows of top brands and can select some of the favorite clothes."
Girls can find it hard to ignore this field and it is opening up to normal girls, not only style or fashion design majors.A fashion designer knows how to make a dress pretty, but a stylist knows how to make a person beautiful, from head to toe.
There exist some problems, no matter how great you may think it is, it' s unbelievably hard work.You need to build good relations with various people, say stars, photographers, PR managers, other media, and even airlines.You need to take care of clothes in the workplace and pay for even a tiny spot you get on them.The worst thing is that you might work extremely hard for a week on some serious photos, but if the chief's not satisfied, you do them all over again.
So, remember, girls, you've been warned.
1.What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably mean?
A.Being a model is thin girls' business.
B.A good model eats nothing but fruits.
C.To be a model, she must look like a pencil.
D.To be a model, she can not eat nutritious food.
2.As a stylist at a fashion magazine, you need to do the following things EXCEPT .
A.make contact with famous persons B.dress yourself up in a special style
C.co-work with top photographers D.select the favorite clothes
3.We can infer from the passage that ______.
A.working as a stylist was not so appealing as it is today
B.a successful stylist must have a diploma in fashion design
C.fashion designers do more tough jobs than fashion stylists
D.skills for stylists are not so important as relationships with others
4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.Designing for MagazinesB.Styling for Success
C.Being an Attractive Designer D.Arguing against Fashion Stylists
In this age of cell phones, text messages and computer keyboards, one Scottish school has returned to basics.It's teaching youngsters the ignored art of writing with a fountain pen.There is no clicking of keyboards in most classrooms at the Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School, although there is a full range of facilities (设施)for computer lessons and technology isn' t being ignored.The private school' s headmaster believes the old-fashioned pens have helped strengthen the academic (学术的) performance and self-esteem (自尊)of his 1,200 pupils.
"The pens improve the quality of work because they force the children to take care, and better work improves self-esteem", headmaster Bryan Lewis said." Proper handwriting is as relevant today as it ever has been." Students as young as 7 have been instructed to give up their ball point pens and begin to deal with its more artful predecessor.By the time they reach grade five, at age 9, they are expected to write mainly with fountain pens.Lewis said the school's 7- and 8-year-olds use fountain pens for 80 percent to 90 percent of their work, returning to pencils for such subjects as math."I don't see fountain pens as old-fashioned or out of date.Modern fountain pens are beautiful to use? it's not like in the old days of broken metal points and dirtying writing paper," Lewis said."We have a particular writing style and we have developed it very carefully and found a way that allows left-and right-handed people to write without dirtying paper."
Some people in wealthy nations argue that handwriting is becoming less important because of the growing use of cell phone text messaging and typing on computers, but the school disagrees."We talk of the paperless office and the paperless world, but this is not true," Lewis said."You still need to have proper handwriting skills."
1.The Scottish school in the passage _____.
A.does not think highly of modern technology
B.values fountain pens more than anything else
C.pays special attention to the use of fountain pens
D.takes an action which is considered to be stupid by a great many people
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Schools in Scotland all encourage using pens.
B.Fountain pens today are much more expensive.
C.Lewis thinks the idea of the paperless world impractical.
D.The left-handed can't benefit from the new fountain pens.
3.The underlined word "predecessor" in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A.the pencil B.the fountain pen C.the keyboard D.the ball point pen
4.The headmaster Bryan Lewis holds the view that _____.
A.children should be required to use pens when they are five
B.using pens may slow down students' speed of writing
C.pens have helped to build up students' self-respect
D.handwriting skills are more important than typing skills