Christmas, Easter and birthday parties can be difficult times for grandmothers and parents as they rush around trying to arrange the perfect celebration or making everyone as happy as possible! What’s better than a birthday party that makes your grandchild smile throughout or a celebration that impresses relatives and close friends?
That is why Granny Look has supplied in this section, one of the most comprehensive guides to making these special occasions that happen perhaps once a year a real success.
From a selection of Advent calendars to party planning or Christmas-stocking fillers we have all the possibilities covered so that your children and grandchildren will really have a memorable time with attractive gifts and original ideas.
Bring that festive spirit to all those traditional days, and ensure you are always ready for any possibility. Granny Look’s extensive links are bound to make every special occasion an entirely different experience from the year before and allow everyone to feel entertained and content.
CHRISTMAS-STOCKING FILLERS
Look no further! Granny Look helps the family to prepare in time for FATHER CHRISTMAS. Give SANTACLAUS some ideas. He can fill all the children’s Christmas-stockings with goodies! Unique Christmas gifts for children –– stocking fillers.
A Granny Look favorite!
ADVENT CALENDARS
All children love the build-up to CHRISTMAS! What is better than choosing one of Granny Look’s selection of Advent Calendars! Here you will find a list of websites to buy traditional or fun Advent calendars for children at Christmas time.
A Granny Look favorite!
BIRTHDAYS
LOOKING for a SPECIAL BIRTHDAY GIFT? Explore Granny Look’s selection of PRESENTS, PARTYPLANNING, PARTY TOYS and PARTY GAMES for your Children and Grandchildren’s BIRTHDAYS.
Plan and organize the KIDDIE’S PARTIES ahead of time!!
Don’t forget the PERSONALISED INVITATIONS!
CHRISTMAS
LOOK and BOOK now!! Granny Look’s selection of CHRISTMAS GIFTS for children.
Some guides to “What’s on in your area”… for the kids, PANTOS, SHOWS, THEATRES… at Christmas time!
UNIQUE Christmas gifts for Children. Spend QUALITY TIME with your Children’s Children this FESTIVE SEASON (圣诞节期间)!If you want to send some invitations to your daughter’s classmates, where will you search for the information?
| A．At Christmas. | B．At Birthdays. |
| C．At Advent Calendars. | D．At Christmas–stocking fillers. |
According to the passage, we can infer _______.
| A．you can only get special ideas for Christmas, Easter and birthday parties |
| B．in Granny Look you can buy many traditional or fun Advent calendars for children at Christmas time |
| C．there is no personalized invitation in Granny Look for you to select |
| D．Granny Look provides a wide range of links for people to prepare for special occasions |
From the text, we know that “Granny Look” is ______.
| A．a website that helps you to prepare for special occasions |
| B．a company that sells all sorts of products on the Internet |
| C．a person who guides you to make your yearly celebration a real success |
| D．a magazine that helps the family to prepare for special occasions |
The Cost of Higher Education
Individuals (个人) should pay for their higher education.
A university education is of huge and direct benefit to the individual. Graduates earn more than non-graduates. Meanwhile, social mobility is ever more dependent on having a degree. However, only some people have it. So the individual, not the taxpayers, should pay for it. There are pressing calls on the resources (资源) of the government. Using taxpayers' money to help a small number of people to earn high incomes in the future is not one of them.
Full government funding (资助) is not very good for universities. Adam Smith worked in a Scottish university whose teachers lived off student fees. He knew and looked down upon 18th-century Oxford, where the academics lived comfortably off the income received from the government. Guaranteed salaries, Smith argued, were the enemy of hard work; and when the academics were lazy and incompetent, the students were similarly lazy.
If students have to pay for their education, they not only work harder, but also demand more from their teachers. And their teachers have to keep them satisfied. If that means taking teaching seriously, and giving less time to their own research interests, that is surely something to celebrate.
Many people believe that higher education should be free because it is good for the economy (经济). Many graduates clearly do contribute to national wealth, but so do all the businesses that invest (投资) and create jobs. If you believe that the government should pay for higher education because graduates are economically productive, you should also believe that the government should pay part of business costs. Anyone promising to create jobs should receive a gift of capital from the government to invest. Therefore, it is the individual, not the government, who should pay for their university education. The underlined word "them" in Paragraph 2 refers to
| A．taxpayers | B．pressing calls | C．college graduates | D．government resources |
The author thinks that with full government funding
| A．teachers are less satisfied |
| B．students are more demanding |
| C．students will become more competent |
| D．teachers will spend less time on teaching |
The author mentions businesses in Paragraph 5 in order to
| A．argue against free university education |
| B．call on them to finance students' studies |
| C．encourage graduates to go into business |
| D．show their contribution to higher education |
Depression (抑郁症) is a serious problem today.Depression causes workers to be unproductive，causing companies and countries to lose billions of dollars.One expert says that depression is like cancer because it is “widespread，costly and deadly”．Depression hits one person in five around the world.
Although people have believed depression to be a problem among the rich and educated，studies show that depression is a problem among everyone.Over any sixmonth period，between five to seven percent of the world’s population will be suffering from a serious depression.Suicide rates among people suffering from the disease in its extreme，or clinical form were 80 percent higher than in the population at large，and sufferers were four times more likely to have heart attacks.People who suffer from depression often have problems sleeping，getting up on time，and doing work productively.
Depression，which researchers agree has its origin in the genes，brings loss of confidence and ability to concentrate—making it impossible for employees and managers to work efficiently.
Depression is made more serious in China by Chinese’s inability to face it.Many people believe that depressed people are either weak or lazy.Besides，there is no good treatment，with few specialists available.“Most patients in China just don’t get help，”a Chinese doctor says.“In my hospital，I have to see 30 or 40 patients in a morning，just have time to say ‘Hello，how do you feel？’”
In Western countries，people are not afraid to admit that they have depression，but most do not tell it to their boss，because they fear that they will be stricken_off_the_rolls.“In my experience，aging bosses are the most willing to admit they have it.Because they feel the most secure about themselves，” an American doctor says.
Hopefully，in the near future，people around the world will be able to admit that they have depression so that they can get the right treatment.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．It is widely believed that everyone may suffer from depression. |
| B．Depression brings great problems to its sufferers in their life and work. |
| C．Depression is a commonlyexisting problem only in rich countries. |
| D．The poorer and the less educated a person is，the less he will suffer from depression. |
Compared to normal people，the depressed people are likely to be________.
| A．very unconfident and often absentminded |
| B．easy to avoid being hit by heart attacks |
| C．working efficiently and productively |
| D．either weak or lazy |
Depression becomes more serious in China because of________.
| A．the understanding of the problem |
| B．the lack of treatment and doctors |
| C．their unwillingness to tell it to their boss |
| D．the doctors’ careless work |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．People are suffering from depression because of the shortage of specialists. |
| B．The aging bosses around the world dare to say they are depressed. |
| C．More and more patients will turn to specialists for help. |
| D．Western people are braver than Chinese people. |
What does the underlined words in the 5th paragraph mean?
| A．Hired. | B．Dismissed. | C．Promoted. | D．Recommended. |
There was a sweet smell of incense (香) in the air as the wellmuscled man moved his legs into a position well behind his head.It was something that the human body really should not be able to do.But what else would you expect at the First World Yoga Championships?
On September 25，the world’s leading yoga experts arrived in the US to find out who was the best.But the real prize was to turn yoga into a proper Olympic event.
“Yoga is a combination of bodybuilding，Miss World，Mr Universe and gymnastics，” said championship organizer Bikram Choudhury.“There are some 70 people from more than 20 countries competing in this event.Why not have yoga at the Olympics？”
The public cannot decide whether or not Choudhury’s dream will come true.But he is right about one thing：yoga has become popular with young and old people all over the world.In the US alone,15 million people practise yoga.Everyone is at it，including Madonna and Ricky Martin.
Yoga started in India more than 5,000 years ago.The name means “to join together”．That is to bring the body and mind together into one pleasing experience.The whole system of yoga is built on three things：exercise，breathing and meditation (沉思)．
The yoga that we know today is mostly physical yoga.It’s seen as a type of exercise，but is different from sports like football or running.When we do yoga，we move our body into positions that stretch the muscles and joints，making them stronger.
One of the best things about yoga is the fact that everyone can do it.To women，it means a flat stomach，more shapely legs and a graceful body.To men，it is a way of becoming stronger and more athletic.
There are also speciallydesigned yoga classes for pregnant women or children suffering from mental disabilities，such as autism (孤独症)．As for teenagers，meditation and simple breathing exercises can help them learn to calm down，relax and concentrate better.But teenagers under 16 are not supposed to do the body exercises as it could have a bad effect on their natural growth.What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Something sportsmen should not do in practising yoga. |
| B．Basic skills that are required in performing yoga. |
| C．The performance of the sportsmen at the First World Yoga Championships. |
| D．The unique setting where yoga is performed. |
What is Choudhury’s dream in the passage?
A．Turning yoga into a proper Olympic event.
B．Making all Americans practise yoga.
C Winning the First World Yoga Championships.
D．Getting the public support for promoting yoga.Why does the author mention Madonna and Ricky Martin in the fourth paragraph?
| A．To compare the differences between the young and the old. |
| B．To describe the extensive popularity of yoga in the US. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of practising yoga. |
| D．To explain the strong influence of public figures in the US. |
Which statement is NOT true about yoga?
| A．It is a type of exercise which benefits the body and mind. |
| B．It makes muscles and joints stronger by stretching. |
| C．It contains exercise，breathing and meditation. |
| D．It is similar to the sports like football or running. |
According to the passage，who does not need to pay special attention in practising yoga?
| A．Women to be mothers. | B．Teenagers under 16. |
| C．Adult men. | D．Children with autism. |
Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy, but this one is clean and cool. Fox Point is a very new47-unit living building in South Bronx, one of the city’s poorest areas. Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly (以前) homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government. The rest are low-income families. The boiler room has special equipment, which produces energy for electricity and heat. It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air, reducing carbon emissions(碳排放)while also cutting costs.
Fox Point is operated by Palladia, a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy, people. Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers.
ECP has created national standards for healthy, environmentally (环境方面) clever and affordable homes which are called, the Green Communities Standards. These standards include water keeping, energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%, which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs. Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy.
Michael. Bloomberg, New York's mayor, plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for500,000 New Yorkers. Almost 80% of New York City’s greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings, and 40% of those are caused, by housing. . So he recently announced that the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD) , whose duty is to develop and keep the city’s supply of affordable housing, will require all its new projects to follow ECP’s green standards.
Similar measures have been taken by other cities such as Cleveland and Denver, but New York’s DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country. What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph?
| A．To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people. |
| B．To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas. |
| C．To show how the environment-friendly building works. |
| D．To compare old and new boiler rooms. |
What is an advantage of the buildings meeting the Green Communities Standards?
| A．Lower running costs. |
| B．Costing less in construction. |
| C．Less air to be lost in hot days. |
| D．Better prices for homeless people. |
It can be learned from the text that
| A．New York City is seriously polluted |
| B．people’s daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City |
| C．a great number of people in New York City don't have houses to live in |
| D．some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City |
What is the main purpose of this text?
| A．To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems. |
| B．To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing. |
| C．To ask society to help homeless people and low-income families. |
| D．To introduce healthy, environmentally clever-and affordable housing. |
A Guide to the University
Food
The TWU Cafeteria is open 7am to 8pm. It serves snacks(小吃), drinks, ice cream bars and meals. You can pay with cash or your ID cards. You can add meal money to your ID cards at the Front Desk. Even if you do not buy your food in the cafeteria, you can use the tables to eat your lunch, to have meetings and to study.
If you are on campus in the evening or lat at night, you can buy snacks, fast food, and drinks in the Lower Café located in the bottom level of the Douglas Centre. This area is often used for entertainment such as concerts, games or TV watching.
Relaxation
The Globe, located in the bottom level of McMillan Hall, is available for relaxing, studying , cooking, and eating. Monthly activities are held here for all international students. Hours are 10 am to 10 pm, closed on Sundays.
Health
Located on the top floor of Douglas Hall, the Wellness Centre is committed to physical, emotional and social health. A doctor and nurse is available if you have health questions or need immediate medical help or personal advice. The cost of this is included in your medical insurance. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to noon and 1;00 to 4;30pm.
Academic Support
All students have access to the Writing Centre on the upper floor of Douglas Hall. Here, qualified volunteers will work with you on written work, grammar, vocabulary, and other academic skills. You can sign up for an appointment on the sign-up sheet outside the door two 30 –minute appointments per week maximum. This service is free.
Transportation
The TWU Express is a shuttle(班车) service. The shuttle transports students between campus and the shopping centre, leaving from the Mattson Centre. Operation hours are between9am and 3pm. Saturdays only. Round trip fare is $1.What can you do in the TWU Cafeteria?
| A．Do homework and watch TV |
| B．Buy drinks and enjoy concerts |
| C．have meals and meet with friends |
| D．Add money to your ID and play chess |
Where and when can you cook your own food?
| A．The Globe, Friday |
| B．The Lower Café, Sunday |
| C．The TWU Cafeteria , Friday |
| D．The McMillan Hall , Sunday. |
The Guide tells us that the Wellness Centre _________.
| A．is open six days a week |
| B．offers services free of charge |
| C．trains students in medical care |
| D．gives advice on mental health |
How can you seek help from the Writing Centre?
| A．By applying online |
| B．By calling the centre |
| C．By filling in a sign-up form |
| D．By going to the centre directly |
What is the function of TWU Express?
| A．To carry students to the lecture halls. |
| B．To provide students with campus tours |
| C．To take students to the Mattson Centre. |
| D．To transport students to and from the stores. |