Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules…planning your next move...acting as a team member…these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating (合作) .
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. Which sharpens the hand-eye coordination（协调）needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to give people hope through soccer. He created a foundation(基金会) to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.
| A．be a team leader | B．obey the basic rules |
| C．act as a grown-up | D．predict possible danger |
The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can________.
| A．describe life in an exciting way |
| B．turn real-life experiences into a play |
| C．make learning life skills more interesting |
| D．change people’s views of sporting events |
According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
| A．It makes people have a deep love for the country. |
| B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
| C．It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
| D．It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to _______.
| A．bring fun to poor kids |
| B．provide soccer balls for children |
| C．give poor kids a chance for a better life |
| D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．Games benefit people all their lives. |
| B．Sports can get all athletes together. |
| C．People are advised to play games for fun. |
| D．Sports increase a country’s competitiveness. |
After Mom died, I began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work. He was frail（衰弱） and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed（挤榨的） orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading, “Drink your juice.” Such a gesture（表示）, I knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love. In fact, I remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom “Why doesn’t Dad love me?” Mom frowned（皱眉）, “Who said he doesn’t love you?”“Well, he never tells me,” I complained. He never tells me either,” she said, smiling. “But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house. That’s how your father tells us he loves us.”
I nodded slowly. I understood in my head, but not in my heart. I still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me. Dad owned and operated a small scrap（小片） metal business, and after school I often hung around while he worked. Dad handfed scrap steel into a device（装置） that chopped （切）it as cleanly as a butcher（屠夫） chops a rack of ribs（肋骨）. The machine looked like a giant pair of scissors（剪刀）, with blades（刃） thicker than my father’s body. If he didn’t feed those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury. “Why don’t you hire someone to do that for you?” Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed（搓） his aching shoulders with a strong smelling liniment（涂剂）. “Why don’t you hire a cook?” Dad asked , giving her one of his rare smiles.
Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me, I walked over, hugged him and said, “I love you, Dad.” From then on I did this every morning. My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave them.What would be the best title for the passage?
A I just couldn’t understand my father B My father never loved me
C Silent fatherly love D My hard-working fatherThe author’s father always prepared a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for him because ______.
A that was the author’s favorite B he was sure the author would be thirsty
C the author was always complaining D that was a gesture of loveThe author’s father didn’t hire a helper because ______.
A his job was too dangerous B his job required high skills
C he wanted to save money D he was not good at communicating with othersWe may infer from the passage that ______.
A the author’s father lacked a sense of humor
B the author quite understood his father as time went on
C the author’s father didn’t love him very much
D the author’s father was too strict with him
The American local food movement has been all about buying seasonal food from nearby farmers. Now, thanks to the Web, it is expanding to include far-away farmers too. A new start-up, Foodzie, is an online farmers market where small food producers and growers can sell their products.
Foodzie was started by Mr LaFave and two of his friends, who met during college at Virginia Tech, where they would pay frequent visits to farmers markets. Last year, while living in North Carolina, one of them, Emily Olson, now 24, came up with one idea. She was working as a brand manager for a gourmet grocery chain and realized that people who enjoyed fine food but didn’t work in the business had no way to discover handmade foods outside their local farmers markets. Small farmers had no way of finding or selling to faraway customers, either.
Mr LaFAve and the third co-founder, Nik Bauman, both 25, worked in corporate sales and software development. “With business, food and computer science backgrounds, we figured we had everything we needed.” Mr LaFAve said.
The three quit their jobs, and opened this site to the public in December and the site has had 43,000 visitors in the past month. So far, 29 sellers have opened shops and 41 are in the process of opening them. The founders recently hired a fourth employee to help Ms Olson recruit(吸收) new food producers at farmers markets and food shows. Mr LaFAve is convinced that the recession(经济衰退) will not reduce people’s interest in buying locally grown and handmade food. “There is misunderstanding that all these foods are more expensive than mass-produced alternatives,” he said. “People are pouring their heart and soul into these products, and they are of the highest quality. ” The passage is mainly about _______________.
| A．how an online farmers’ market works |
| B．the American local food movement |
| C．three youths starting an online farmers’ market |
| D．the reasons why people are interested in local food |
Why did the founders start the online farmers’ market?
| A．Because it met the need of the market. |
| B．Because the founders were interested in seasonal food. |
| C．Because some people wanted to buy locally grown food. |
| D．Because farmers wanted to sell their foods. |
The underlined word in Paragraph 2 can be used to describe ______________.
| A．food of high quality | B．terrible food | C．food of low fat | D．fried food |
The founders of the site employed another person to help _______________.
| A．open new shops in faraway markets |
| B．buy locally grown and handmade food |
| C．find more food outside their local farmers’ markets |
| D．find more food growers to open shops on their site |
About the three founders, we know that ________________.
| A．they are of the same age | B．to start the website they gave up their work |
| C．they used to be colleague | D．they majored in farming at college |
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized(强调) the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusingexperience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished. Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate(适当的) topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent.”He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his words：“You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t request you to do so, ”he answered, greatly surprised.I said, “Didn’t you say’ you don’t say？”Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, ‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.”Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students. A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because ____________.
| A．English idioms were not important | B．I was not careful with English idioms |
| C．my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance of them | D．I had no interest in them |
At first, on hearing “You don’t say,” I thought the foreigner meant _____________.
| A．he was not interested in the topic | B．he was only interested in the Great Wall |
| C．I had talked too much | D．I had to stop talking |
Which of the following is true according to the passage？
| A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall. |
| B．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it. |
| C．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide. |
| D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting. |
After the Englishman explained the idiom, ________________.
| A．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool | B．the Englishman became a real fool. |
| C．I felt very silly | D．I became more carefully in everything |
Shift Happens by Robert HoldenPrice: $ 6.49It’s an excellent book that will greatly improve your life. It has insightful (富有洞察力的) wisdom that is easy toapply in everyday life. It’s written in a very thoughtful and humorous way. Read it when you are stressed and it will help you remember what is important in your life.Balancing Work & Life by Robert HoldenPrice: $ 10.50The book deals with the key challenges of our life. It is a must-read for anyone who is trying to balance work success, family joy and daily life.★Practical techniques show you how to set your goals and make proper choices.★Clear text and illustrations (图表) cover every aspect of defining success and achieving balance.★Accessible (易懂的) charts and diagrams explore different choices for taking actions and provide examples.Happiness Now by Robert HoldenPrice:$8.00This book explains what holds us back from being happy in our lives. Holden analyzes these similar questions and inthe process you will become more informed about what’s really going on in your mind. This is a must-have book for anyone wanting to understand how your thoughts keep you from your happiness.The Secrets of Relationships by RenshawPrice: $9.50Are you looking for a satisfying relationship? If so, you should read this book and discover:★The secret of findingthe right partner★The secret of communicating successfully★The secret of getting along well with others★The secret of getting what you want This book is your passport to a whole new relation-ship experience.Order online now and you can get a 20% discount.For more information, please click here.If you find it hard to get along with others, which book can offer you help?
| A．Happiness Now | B．Balancing Work & Life |
C．Shift Happens | D．The Secrets of Relationships |
All of these books mainly help people ______________.
| A．to make friends easily | B．to improve their quality of life |
C．to find a better job | D．to achieve their goals |
If you want to buy two copies of Balancing Work & Life and one copy of Happiness Now online, how much would you have to pay?
| A．$29 | B．$23.20 | C．$26.50 | D．$22.40 |
All people need to sleep. Sleep is a necessary process that promotes proper body functioning and can improve the quality of your life. Not only is the quantity of sleep important, but also the quality of sleep.
Your bedroom should be shaped to your taste and allow you to sleep in a peaceful environment. One of the biggest mistakes people make in their sleep is to use their bedroom for activities other than sleep. If your bedroom also functions as a command station for your life and work, the likelihood（可能性）of your sleeping being poor is rather high. Bedrooms should be designed, decorated and used for sleep mainly.TVs, computers and other things should not be in your bedroom if at all possible.
Establishing regular sleeping and waking times can help improve the quality of your sleep especially for those suffering from sleeplessness. Avoid hot food, caffeine, sugar and alcohol at least 4 to 6 hours before your sleep time.Develop a regular exercise program.Proper exercise and nutrition will help improve sleeping patterns. However, avoid exercising 2 hours before sleeping, since this may stimulate（刺激）your body and make sleeping more difficult.
Establish a pre-bedtime rule that will help you focus on sleep. You can try meditation (沉思), reading or deep breathing and relaxation. Your bedtime rule should be yours. Do not worry about it fitting into a specific category（种类）.Do what is best for you.
Things such as room temperature, noise and light levels and even your bed mattress（垫子） can have a lot of effect on the quality of sleep that you experience. Block out distracting（使人分心的） noises and lights. You are in your bedroom to sleep and not be distracted by environmental interferences (干扰).Which of the following is the best title for the text?
| A．How to Improve Sleep Quality？ | B．What Is the Process of Sleep? |
| C．Where Should We Sleep? | D．How to Deal with Sleep Problems? |
According to the author, __.
| A．the bedroom has many functions than expected |
| B．computers can make people sleep fast |
| C．the bedroom is better used only for sleep |
| D．amusements are forbidden in the bedroom by law |
If you have sleep problems, __.
| A．a well-decorated bedroom is important to you |
| B．you’d better have steady sleeping and waking time |
| C．cold food and sugar are good for you |
| D．you need proper exercise just before sleep |
The main idea of the last paragraph is ___.
| A．a good sleep environment contributes to good sleep |
| B．blinding lights can make for a good sleep |
| C．bed mattress plays a key part in sleep |
| D．distracted people are sleepless |