Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for family, health, and life in general. However, Black Friday has turned it into a business.
Traditionally, the true value of Thanksgiving lies at home not the shopping centers. However, Black Friday has nowadays allowed society to ignore this as individuals long for something that they do not need or even truly want. Shopping on Black Friday becomes a sign of a shift into a culture that values material wealth over spending time with loved ones. People are willing to force their way through the crowds in their desperate search for marked-down sweaters and necklaces.
In recent years, Thanksgiving has become a pre-Black Friday holiday for many families. They are devoted to mapping out shopping routes and making organized schedules for which stores to hit first. By drawing individuals out to shopping centers with "matchless savings", businesses encourage this behavior of ignoring Thanksgiving. Many families take their home-cooked meals while camping out at the door of shopping centers. With each new year, Thanksgiving is becoming victim to over-commercialization—switching from a meaningful time of thanks and family to a day dedicated to products and profit.
Black Friday has shown that with current common standards, people cannot even set aside a single day to appreciate what they already have without immediately buying more. Families have lost sight of what is truly important in life, and have found reasons in debating between a low cost HD television and an appreciation for what they already have. Remember, Thanksgiving should be a day in which people are grateful for all that they have.The underlined word "this" in paragraph 2 probably refers to ______.
| A．the sign of a shift | B．the material wealth |
| C．the shopping crowd | D．the true value of Thanksgiving |
In recent years, what will many families do when thanksgiving comes?
| A．Make full preparations for the Black Friday shopping. |
| B．Visit some newly-opened shopping centers in advance. |
| C．Find it difficult to choose a store for their first visit. |
| D．Go camping at the gate of shopping center for a good deal. |
In the last paragraph, the author mainly intends to tell us that we should ______.
| A．set aside a single day to buy more |
| B．try to spend less to get low cost products |
| C．stay with our families as long as we can |
| D．appreciate what we've possessed with our families |
What's the author’s attitude towards the present ways people celebrate Thanksgiving?
| A．Annoyed. | B．Worried. | C．Supportive. | D．Unconcerned. |
Bicycle tour(旅行)and race
A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27(Sat. & Sum. ). At 5:30am, the riders will leave Tian'anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometers as a training leg. Then the next 55 kilometres leg, from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive(竞争性的)part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be taken from Jixian to Changli.
The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaibe, covering a distance of 20 kilometres. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.
Cost:200 yuan Telephone:4675027
Brazilian footballers
The Brazilian Football Club will play Beijing Guo'an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26. The club has four national team players . Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Romario who has promised to play for at least 45 minutes.
Ticket prices:60,100,150 yuan
Time/Date:4:30 pm, August 26(Sat. ) Telephone:5012372
Rock climbing
The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26-27 at the Huairou Mountain-climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators(观众).
Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou.
Time/Dates:9-12 am, August 26 and 27
Telephone:7143177, 7144850, Wang ZhenghuaThe main purpose of announcing the above events is to give information about .
| A．visiting teams |
| B．famous players |
| C．things to do for the weekend |
| D．prices to pay for the sports events |
If you take part in the bike tour, you will ride for .
| A．35 kilometres | B．55 kilometres |
| C．75 kilometres | D．110 kilometres |
the underlined word "leg" in "Bicycle tour and race" probably means .
| A．race | B．practice |
| C．part of the training | D．part of the tour |
What is special about the rock climbing competition?
A foreign team takes part in it.
B. You can watch it without paying.
C. You don't have to be a sportsman to take part.
D. The bus trip to the place of the competition is free. If you want to find something to do for Saturday afternoon, which telephone number will you call?
| A．4675027 | B．7143177 | C．5012372 | D．7144850 |
Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth.” wise people say. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor. The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.
Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story. An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat with pleasure, drink with pleasure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day. A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.“ But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”The writer thinks that_____.
| A．health is more important than wealth |
| B．work is as important as studies |
| C．medicine is more important than pleasure |
| D．nothing is more important than money |
The doctor usually tells his patient what to do______.
| A．without examining the patient | B．after he has examined the patient |
| C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine | D．unless the patient feels pain |
The underlined part means “______”.
| A．he was feeling better than ever | B．he wasn’t a healthy man |
| C．he was feeling worse than before | D．he will be well again |
From the last sentence of the passage, we learn the man_______ before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.
| A．was a heavy smoker | B．didn’t smoke so much |
| C．didn’t smoke | D．began to learn to smoke |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The doctor usually tests his/her blood pressure when a person is ill. |
| B．The man told the doctor he couldn’t remember things. |
| C．The man thanked the doctor. |
| D．The man didn’t follow the doctor’s advice. |
One day an out of work mimic(滑稽演员) is visiting the zoo and attempts to earn some money as a street performer. As soon as he starts to draw the crowd，a zoo keeper grabs him and drags him into his office. The zoo keeper explains to the mimic that the zoo's most popular attraction，a gorilla(大猩猩)，has died suddenly and the keeper fears that attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mimic a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mimic accepts.
So the next morning the mimic puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before the crowd comes. He discovers that it's a great job. He can sleep all he wants，play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mimic. However，eventually the crowds tire of him and he tires of just swinging on wires. He begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience，he climbs to the top of his cage，crawls across a partition(隔离物)，and dangles from the top to the lion's cage. Of course，this makes the lion very angry，but the crowd loves it.
At the end of the day the zoo keeper comes and gives the mimic a raise for being such a good attraction. Well，this goes on for some time－the mimic keeps taunting the lion，the crowds grow larger，and his salary keeps going up. Then one terrible day when he is dangling over the angry lion he slips and falls. The mimic is terrified.
The lion gathers itself and prepares to attack. The mimic is so scared that he begins to run round and round the cage with the lion close behind. Finally，the mimic starts screaming and yelling，“Help me，help me！”But the lion is quick and attacks. The mimic soon finds himself flat on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says，“Shut up，you idiot！Do you want to get us both fired？”The mimic visits the zoo to________.
| A．take care of the dying gorilla | B．beg some money from the zoo keeper |
| C．ask for a job there | D．perform and earn some money there |
The zoo keeper offers the mimic a job to act as the gorilla because________.
| A．it is more expensive to hire a real gorilla |
| B．the real gorilla died but the keeper does not want to lose its visitors |
| C．he likes the mimic's performance |
| D．he wants to help the mimic who is out of work |
What does the mimic feel about the new job at first?
| A．He likes it because he has enough freedom in the job. |
| B．He likes it but he prefers to working as a mimic. |
| C．He doesn't like it for people do not respect him. |
| D．He doesn't like it because he gets little pay. |
The mimic climbs to the lion's cage because________.
| A．he finds it more interesting to climb the cage |
| B．he wants to play with the lion |
| C．he wants to attract the attention of his audience |
| D．he has never seen a lion before |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The mimic and his job | B．The mimic and his success |
| C．The actor and the mimic | D．The mimic and his animals |
The most important holiday in spring, especially for Christians, is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year，but it’s always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for colored eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day.
But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter, many people go to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection（复活）from the dead. Most people color Ester eggs. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs，they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world. People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium, children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny (兔子).But in Belgium, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria (保加利亚), red Easter eggs are lucky in churches. Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria，for example，children sing from door to door and are rewarded with colorful eggs.Easter comes _______.
| A．on the same date every year |
| B．on Sunday on March 22 |
| C．on Sunday on April 25 |
| D．on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 |
To celebrate Easter, people ___________.
| A．go shopping, hide colored eggs and children hunt for them |
| B．give Easter baskets filled candy and goodies to one another |
| C．buy new clothes, hide colored eggs and children look for them around the house |
| D．both B and C |
For Christians the more important thing to do on Easter is________.
| A．going to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection |
| B．buying new clothes |
| C．eating delicious food and paint color eggs |
| D．exchange beautiful gifts each other |
People from different cultures have different ideas about Easter egg _________.
| A．In both American and Belgium, children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in bushes |
| B．In Belgium, the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells |
| C．In America, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny |
| D．In America, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells |
In some places of Austria, children sing from door to door for_______.
| A．blesses | B．Easter eggs |
| C．candy and goodies | D．Easter bunny |
Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives．For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite．Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the Earth to show how clouds are moving．Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls．
Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to US through satellites．Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location．
We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another．They are usually 35，880 kilometers above the equator．Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place．This is because it is moving around the world at 11，000 kilometers an hour—exactly the same speed that the earth rotates．A satellite must orbit the Earth with its antennae(天线)facing the earth．Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit，So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position．This usually happens about every five or six days．
Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the Earth．A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years．Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired．Often，very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the Earth for a very long time．This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other．Which of the following is NOT done by satellites according to the passage?
| A．Sending information for weather forecast |
| B．Taking photographs of the Earth |
| C．Sending TV pictures |
| D．Providing food for airplane pilots |
What’s the speed the earth rotates at?
| A．35,880 kilometers per hour． | B．335,880 kilometers per hour |
| C．11,000 kilometers per hour． | D．110,000 kilometers per hour |
Why does the satellite move around the world at the same speed as the Earth rotates?
| A．In order to take photographs |
| B．In order to stay in a certain position in the orbit |
| C．In order to move away from its orbit |
| D．In order to send television pictures． |
What does the underlined word “This” in the 3rd paragraph refer to?
| A．A satellite |
| B．A little rocket |
| C．A satellite seems to stay in the same place in the sky |
| D．The satellite puts the rockets in the right position． |
Which is true of satellites?
| A．A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years． |
| B．Every time a satellite gets broken，it is brought back to the Earth to be repaired． |
| C．A broken satellite is never left in space |
| D．They often crash into each other． |