That warm day was the only day of the week without rain.I opened the door,took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine.Suddenly,I noticed that the house near mine had been sold.An elderly lady was in front of the door,with some beautiful flowers beside her.I walked to her.She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.
“Hi!My name is Karmen,”I said smiling brightly at the old lady.She smiled back and said,“Hello,Karmen.I ’m Henrietta.”Her voice was very strong for someone at her age.Later,I learned she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her.From that day on,I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food.A year passed,and I considered Henrietta to be one of my best friends.
One day,I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door,but there was no answer.I knocked again,and she still didn’t turn up.So I let myself in,using the key she had given me.I checked her living room and then her kitchen.I finally went into her bedroom,and she was lying peacefully on her bed.Beside her there were two notes.One was her will(遗嘱),which said all that she had would be given to me.The other was a thank-you note.I went to her bedside and cried sadly.
Though several years have gone by,I still miss her deeply.Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house,I remember the wonderful friendship we had.The writer came out of the house to ______.
A.look at an old lady | B.enjoy some flowers |
C.enjoy the sunshine | D.clean the house nearby |
Through visiting the old lady,the writer learnt that the old lady ______.
A.disliked all her relatives |
B.had no one to look after her |
C.didn’t want to live with her family |
D.was looking for someone to look after her |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.The old lady was not kind. |
B.The writer didn’t have any good friends. |
C.The old lady didn’t know how to make food. |
D.The writer got along very well with the old lady. |
What does the underlined part “turn up”in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Appear | B.Leave | C.Try | D.Change |
In the United States, friendships can be close, constant, intense, generous and real, yet fade away in a short time if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while— then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship where it left off and are delighted.
In the States, you can feel free to visit people’s homes, share their holidays, or enjoy their lives without fear that you are taking on a lasting obligation(义务). Do not hesitate to accept hospitality(好客) because you can’t
give it in return. No one will expect you to do so for they know you are far from home. Americans will enjoy welcoming you and be pleased if you accept their hospitality easily.
Once you arrive there, the welcome will be full and warm and real. Most visitors find themselves readily invited into many homes there. In some countries it is considered inhospitable to entertain at home, offering what is felt as only home—cooked food, not “ doing something for your guest”. It is felt that restaurant entertaining, shows more respect and welcome. Or for other different reasons, such as crowded space, language difficulties, or family custom, outsiders are not invited into homes.
In the United States, both methods are used, but it is often considered more friendly to invite a person to one’s home than to go to a public place, except in purely business relationships. So, if your host or hostess brings you home, do not feel that you are being shown inferior treatment.
Don’t feel neglected if you do not find flowers awaiting you in your hotel room, either. Flowers are very expensive there; hotel delivery is uncertain; arrival times are delayed, changed, or canceled —— so flowers are not customarily sent as a welcoming touch. Please do not feel unwanted! Outward signs vary in different lands; the inward welcome is what matters, and this will be real.
In the United States, you will find friendships ______ if circumstances change.
A.die suddenly | B.pass away |
C.disappear gradually | D.last forever |
Americans _____ their foreign friends to make a return for their hospitality.
A.ask | B.don’t expect | C.never allow | D.wish |
In some other countries, giving a dinner party at home is considered ______ than in a restaurant.
A.less friendly | B.less hospitable | C.more natural | D.more popular |
According to the passage, which of the follow
ing is NOT true?
A.Flowers are signs of outward welcome. |
B.Flowers are expensive. |
C.Flowers are available at all time. |
D.Flowers are not necessarily sen![]() |
Situated in the South West of England, between Exeter and Plymouth, Torquay is one of the most popular holiday resorts in Britain. It provides a variety of entertainment, sports of every kind and cultural facilities, all set in a position of outstanding natural beauty. Visitors can choose between luxury hotels by the sea, with private suites(套房),swimming pools and saunas, and comfortable but less expensive guest houses. There are camping sites, too, and hundreds of houses displaying“B & B”signs.
As well as a number of small quiet bays, which are ideal for beach barbecues away from the crowds, Torquay has large sandy beaches where you can buy refreshments(饮料)and hire deck chairs, boats and even beach huts. There are large areas of grassland overlooking the sea, and miles of winding cliff paths for walkers who just want to enjoy the scenery and what is often said to be the healthiest air in the country. For the sportsmen and women there are opportunities not only for golf, tennis, squash and bowls, but also for water-skiing, hang-gliding and deep-sea fishing.
After a day in the open air, there’s lots to do in the evenings, too. There are plenty of discos, the occasional opera or ballet, and summer variety shows in the seafront theatres. For the children, there is a beautiful model village with a complicated railway layout which is remarkably realistic-especially when the lights are all on at night.
Of course, there’s no need to spend your whole holidays in Torquay. Only a short drive away is Dartmoor National Park, where you can walk for miles through dramatic, unspoiled countryside, or picnic by beautiful rivers and streams. Or, nearer to home, you can sail across Tor Bay to the lovely old fishing village of Brixham.
Torquay seems to have something for everyone. But don’t take my word for it----come and see for yourself. Which of the following best explains what “B & B” means on the signs?
A.Beach and barbecue | B.Breakfast and bath |
C.Bed and breakfast | D.Beautiful and British |
According to the text Torquay might be described as.
A.comfortable and expensive | B.remote and beautiful |
C.croweded and lively | D.fresh and healthy |
What is special about the model village?
A.It opens at night. | B.It has a real railway system. |
C.It’s in the open air. | D.It has something for the children |
What is the purpose of writing this text?
A.To introduce the geography of Torquay to students. |
B.To make some places known to visitors. |
C.To show the beauty of resorts. |
D.To attract more tourists. |
Ed Jocelyn and Andy McEwen might have appeared to be a bit mad---the two set off on their own “Long March” through the remotest regions of China on October 16. The idea was to take a year to retrace one of the epic movements of modern military history.
The two British men in their mid-30s were working as editors in Beijing when they decided to reexperience the tales of the original marches. “We hold these people in such respect,” McEwen says.
They plan to keep diaries but will not share the contents during the trip. “When we get to the end we’ll put our heads together and try and come up with a book,” Jocelyn said.
Their trip has had some auspicious beginning, they have already met two Long March veterans(老战士) in less than a month of travel.
In this modern version, the pair are aided by high-tech equipment including a satellite phone, mini-computer, video camera and solar panels to recharge batteries. A mountain tent and portable stove will help them in the remoter stretches.
They plan to average 35-40 kilometers a day, and rest about every third day. Ed admitted that their trip would be very tough.
If they succeed, they will be the first foreigners to complete the entire Long March route since Otto Braun, the German military advisor who accompanied the Red Army on the Long March. This text is mainly about.
A.high-tech equipment helpful to the Long March |
B.first foreigners to walk the Long March |
C.British recall of the Long March spirit |
D.British editors’ adventure original in China |
The underlined word “auspicious” most probably means.
A.friendly | B.favourable | C.strange | D.surprising |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about the two foreigners?
A.They will use anything modern on the way. |
B.They will do some cooking by themselves. |
C.They’re planning to have a book pu![]() |
D.They will send off news about what happens day by day. |
Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars, and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves appear as seven mysterious black dots (点) on the pictures which were sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance that you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features (特征) while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air may be flowing out.
“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves could be perfect places to search for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria (细菌). A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining to flow out, forming caves. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.How the caves were formed on Mars. |
B.How NASA sent the pictures back to earth |
C.Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign(迹象)of life. |
D.Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars. |
We can learn from the passage that __________.
A.water has already been found on Mars |
B.the scientists found all the caves at night |
C.it is certain that there is life in these caves |
D.the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry |
According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because ________.
A.such caves could provide energy for![]() |
B.they had finally found the caves on Mars |
C.such caves would be perfect places to search for life |
D.There would be life on Mars. |
Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include_________.
A.lava and energy | B.water and radiation from space |
C.gases and lava | D.water and protection from radiation |
what does the underlined word “ the planet” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A.the Mars | B.the earth | C.the caves | D.radiation |
Discover
A science magazine, designed for wonders of modern science, written for the educated general readers. Published by Disney Magazine Publishing Co., Discover tells many of the same stories professionals (专业人员) read in Scientific American. A truly delightful family science magazine, each issue (每期) brings new topics to make dinner time and water-cooler conversations interesting.
Cover Price: $59.88
Price:$19.95($1.66/issue)
You Save: $39.93(67%)
Issues:12 issues/12months
Self
Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Self is a handbook designed for women’s overall physical and mental health. Every issue contains usable articles such as “Style Lab”, in which wearable clothes are mixed and matched on non-modles and the “Eat Night Road Map”, with tips on how to eat properly.
Cover Price: $35.86
Price:$15.00($2.5/issue)
You Save: $20.86(58%)
Issues: 10issues/12months
Instyle
Instyle is a guide to the lives and lifestyle of the world’s famous people. The magazine covers the choices people make about their homes, their clothes and their free time activities. With photos and articles, it opens the door to these people’s homes, families, parties and weddings, offering ideas about beauty, fitness and in general, lifestyles. Publisher: The Time Inc. Magazine Company.
Cover Price: $47.88
Price:$23.88($2.38/issue)
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Issues: 10 issues/12months
Wired
This magazine is designed for leaders in the field of information engineering including top managers and professionals in the computer, business, and education industries. Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc. , Wired often carries articles on how technology changes people’s lives.
Cover Price: $59.40
Price:$10.00($1.00/issue)
You Save: $49.40(83%)
Issues: 10 issues/12monthsWhich two magazines are published by the same publisher?
A.Wired and Instyle | B. Discover and Instyle |
C.Self and Discover | D.Self and Wired |
Which magazine offers the biggest price cut?
A. Instyle | B.Wired | C.Discover | D.Self |
The “Style Lab” in Self provides readers with articles which _________.
A.offer advice to ordinary women on clothes. |
B.show how a woman can become famous |
C.introduced places with the best food |
D.discuss ways of training models |