LowCost Gifts for Mother’s Day
Gift No.1
Offer to be your mother’s health friend.Promise to be there for any and all doctor’s visits whether a disease or a regular medical checkup.Most mothers always say “no need，” but another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor’s visit.The best part? This one is free.
Gift No.2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records，which include the test results and medical information.Put them all in one place.Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them.“Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother’s life，” Dr.Marie Savard said.
Gift No.3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions.“Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep，”Savard said.“We know that good sleep is very important to our health.”
Gift No.4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother’s Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构)．Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things －many of which are“green”－and then choose a meaningful charity from a list.When your mother gets the gift，she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor’s visits?
| A．Take notes. | B．Be with her. |
| C．Buy medicine. | D．Give her gifts. |
Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
| A．In Gift No.1. | B．In Gift No.2. |
| C．In Gift No.3. | D．In Gift No.4. |
Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to________.
| A．enjoy good sleep | B．be wellorganized |
| C．get extra support | D．give others help |
Strange it may sound, this is a true story about a lesson of honesty happening between a lucky thief and a worthy professor.
Once a thief won a lottery ticket but left it at his crime(犯罪) scene when he stole a suitcase from a professor. To his great surprise, his victim, who picked up the ticket and took the prize money of ￡25 000, managed to get in touch with him in order to return him the case. The robbery took place when John Smith, a math professor was changing a tyre on the motorway. The thief happened to pass by. He appeared to be a warm-hearted guy and stopped “to help”. When the professor found his suitcase in the car missing, the thief had driven off as fast as he could. The professor picked up the dropped ticket on the floor and put it in his pocket before driving home.
John Smith didn’t realize it was a winner until he knew the lottery results on TV. He got the prize money and began a battle with himself silently in his heart. At last，he decided not to keep the money although he just had been robbed of his suitcase by the owner of the ticket. He set out to advertise in newspapers and on radio for finding the owner, “ Don’t be surprised that I’m trying to find the man who robbed me in order to returned him the ￡25 000—a lottery win. Please meet me without telling me your real name if you don’t want to. ”.
Later John received tens of hundreds of calls from people around the country trying to trick him into handing them the cash. But he didn’t arrange to meet the right person in the park until he recognized the voice. The robber, was moved into tears when he returned the suitcase. “Why didn’t you keep the money？”he asked, not believing what was happening. The honest professor replied simply, “Because it’s not mine.” With these words, he walked off，spurningthe thief’s offer of a reward.The underlined sentence “Then he began a battle with himself silently.” suggested that .
| A．he made an immediate decision on knowing the lottery results |
| B．he silently decided to punish the robber by keeping the ticket |
| C．he realized that money played an important role as honesty . |
| D．he hesitated about how to deal with the ticket for some time |
Hundreds of people phoned the professor because they _______.
| A．lost their lottery ticket |
| B．hoped to take the money |
| C．knew who the robber was |
| D．wanted to make fun of him |
The underlined word “spurning” in the last sentence is similar to______.
| A．forgetting | B．accepting |
| C．refusing | D．making |
Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?
| A．A Magical Lottery |
| B．A Thief’s Lucky Day |
| C．A Stubborn Professor |
| D．A Reward of Honesty |
Coca-Cola has created a publicity stunt (作秀) in Singapore — a vending machine (自动售货机) which gives out free cans of Coke in return for hugs. The whacky idea is part of the company’s Open Happiness campaign designed to attract young people in Singapore.
Students at the National University of Singapore were surprised to find that the soft drinks company had placed the machine in the schoolyard. But instead of the drinks brand’s logo (标志), the words “Hug Me” are written across its red-and-white logo. Instead of paying money, customers have to hug the drinks machine to receive a free can of Coke.
Public displays of affection are uncommon and have long been discouraged in Singapore, but are on the rise among young people. The move is part of a campaign created by the advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather, intended to let the youth to see the brand as a non-threatening friend.
Leonardo O’Grady, leader of the campaign, said, “Happiness is contagious (传染的). The Coca-Cola Hug Machine is a simple idea to spread some happiness. We want to spread happiness in an unexpected, creative way to attract not only the people present, but the audience at large.”
He hopes that it will encourage consumers to bring positivity, optimism and fun into their lives and to open a Coke, sharing a little happiness.
The machines have been such a success that there are plans to roll them out across Asia. Mr. O’Grady added, “The reaction was amazing — at one point we had four to five people hugging the machine at the same time as well as each other! In fact, there was a long line of people looking to give hugs.”The underlined word “whacky” in Paragraph1 can be replaced by “______”.
| A．free | B．strange |
| C．uncertain | D．traditional |
What was the purpose of the campaign?
| A．To help sell more Coca-Cola drinks. |
| B．To display the famous logo of Coca-Cola. |
| C．To tell the young Coca-Cola is their friend. |
| D．To show Coca-Cola is especially generous. |
Leonardo O’Grady thinks that _______.
| A．the Coca-Cola Hug Machine is the best advertisement |
| B．the Coca-Cola Hug Machine can spread happiness |
| C．the Coca-Cola Hug Machine should be open only to the students |
| D．people who enjoy the campaign would buy more Coca-Cola drinks |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The campaign has achieved good results. |
| B．The campaign has cost Coca-Cola much money. |
| C．The Coca-Cola Hug Machines will be seen worldwide. |
| D．Coca-Cola focuses more on sharing happiness than on sales. |
The passage mainly tells us that ______.
| A．it is quite simple to spread some happiness |
| B．Coca-Cola soft drinks are popular in Singapore |
| C．people in Singapore are more positive across Asia |
| D．the Coca-Cola vending machine asks for hugs rather than money |
Lose yourself in the sights and sounds of Madrid –– a three-night break from £175 per person.
● Have a three-night break in Madrid, with a four-star hotel.
● Prices range from £175 to £245 per person, depending on when you travel (£350 as usual).
● Stay in the Hotel Santo Domingo in the heart of the city.
● Return flights are included in the cost of the voucher (代金券).
Details
● The voucher is valid (有效的) from January 9th, 2014 to March 25th, 2014 (no discounts during January 16th –18th, February 1st–2nd, 12th–16th, March 1st–2nd).
● £175 per person for arrivals between January 9th and January 31st; £210 per person for arrivals between February 1st and February 28th; £245 per person for arrivals between March 1st and March 25th.
● Once you have bought the voucher, book by calling 0800 368 0300. Book as early as you can. You cannot call off your deal once you book one.
● One voucher can only be used for one stay. You cannot use more vouchers to extend your stay. It’s not available with any other discounts. The unused parts of the deal are not exchanged for cash or any other service.
What you will get
Madrid’s mix of culture, wisdom and fun makes it one of Europe’s most exciting capital cities. By day, go to the Golden Museum Triangle to enjoy works of art by Picasso and Van Gogh, and visit the Royal Palace. At night, go to clubs to experience the culture. When it comes to the food, no words can describe it.
In the hotel, you can have free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, LCD televisions and bathrooms. As well as being based in the best shopping area in Madrid, the hotel is also close to the biggest museum.If a customer arrives at the Hotel Santo Domingo on January 20th, he’ll be offered a discount of ________.
| A．50% | B．40% | C．30% | D．10% |
What do we know about the Hotel Santo Domingo?
| A．It is a five-star hotel. |
| B．It lies in the west of Madrid. |
| C．It is located in a shopping area. |
| D．It is far from the biggest museum. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To introduce the sights of Madrid. |
| B．To offer help to visitors to Madrid. |
| C．To advertise a hotel in Madrid. |
| D．To tell visitors how to book hotels in Madrid. |
If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy. Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well. Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West. As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.The first paragraph is mainly intended to ______.
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the great thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students _______.
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westners |
| D．Old Thinkers With a Big Future |
The passage is likely to appear in ___________.
| A．a biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
Many of us feel uneasy when someone stands too close to us, talks to us too loudly or makes eye contact (接触) with us for too long. But have you ever wondered why those things make you uncomfortable?
It’s all about personal peace, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated (侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume (香水) makes you feel angry.
Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire (渴望) to have space to themselves. In a survey(调查) by Trip Advisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay more for some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.
Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.
Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall.
Preference(偏好) for personal space are different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin(拉丁人的) cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.The writer mainly _________ in this article.
| A．tells us how to achieve personal space |
| B．explains what personal space people need is |
| C．introduces some knowledge about personal space |
| D．argues for the importance of keeping personal space |
Who might feel his personal space is safe according to the passage?
| A．A person who has to sit next to a lady putting on strong perfume. |
| B．A person who has been watched by a stranger for a long time. |
| C．A person who hears strange noises when reading at home. |
| D．A Latin boy who is chatting with a friend sitting close to him. |
What can we know from the survey by TripAdvisor?
| A．People need a smaller personal space in recent times than before. |
| B．People have a strong desire for personal space in recent times. |
| C．There are not enough seats on the plane to meet people’s needs. |
| D．Food service is better provided than seats on the plane. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The space around the body is more needed than that around all the senses. |
| B．If you hold newspapers on the bus, your personal space won’t be violated. |
| C．People usually choose the corner seats first in a library for personal space. |
| D．Different cultures share the same preferences for personal space. |