Four out of ten parents in the UK spend between ￡100 and ￡500 on their children’s birthday parties, according to a survey. Four in ten parents of children under 18, who were questioned in a survey, admitted that they felt pressured into organizing more expensive birthday parties for their children than they would like to.
How much parents spend on their children’s birthday parties is one of the most frequently discussed topics on parenting websites. Here is one comment on Mumsnet summing up the thoughts of many parents: “Where we live everyone hires places, entertainers and so on. I don’t want to compare with my rich neighbors, but I want my son to have what all his classmates have.”
The research was carried out on behalf of the children’s charity, Lumos, set up by the author JK Rowling. Just 13 percent of parents spent ￡50 or less in the past year on their children’s parties.
Many children’s clowns(小丑) or entertainers charge ￡150 or more for an hour, and parents often feel it necessary to book a special place. Even without these, the cost of plates, the cake and party bags can mount up. Party Pieces, a company set up by Carole and Michael Middleton, charge about ￡16 for a birthday cake for a party with 16 guests, ￡22 for table decorations and up to ￡48 for party bags.
Many children of famous people have increasingly expensive parties, often seen in famous magazines. Suri Cruise, the daughter of actor Tom Cruise and actress Katie Holmes, enjoyed a ￡100,000 birthday party according to a report.
Georgette Mulheir of Lumos, said,“Parents in the UK are under increasing pressure to spend more and more money on birthday parties for their children and their children’s friends.”What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Children’s birthday parties put their parents under financial pressure in the UK. |
| B．Many parents are willing to spend more on their children’s birthday parties. |
| C．Parents pay more and more attention to their children’s birthday parties. |
| D．Children in the UK hope for more and more expensive birthday parties. |
What does the underlined part “mount up” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．Increase. | B．Change. | C．Exist. | D．Count. |
By the example of the birthday party for Suri Cruise, the writer probably wants to show that________.
| A．famous people love their children very much |
| B．children of famous people can get whatever they want |
| C．some children of famous people have really expensive birthday parties |
| D．holding expensive birthday parties is common nowadays |
In which of the following sections would you most probably read this passage?
| A．Business | B．Education | C．Science | D．Family |
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography（传记）, she well remembers her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, helped build her confidence in becoming a very good writer. “He was the first person to know my serious dream to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was certain to be a success at it, which meant much more to me.”
Rowling met many difficulties in her writing, especially fantasy(幻想) stories. It wasn't until l990 that she first got the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. I didn't have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details appear in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, glasses-wearing boy who didn't know he was a wizard (男巫) became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year illness, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling suffered from depression(抑郁症). She, out of work,completed her first novel in the cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with the confidence of a friend!
Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?
| A．Confidence of a Friend Helped the Success of Harry Potter |
| B．J.K.Rowing’s Hard Life and the Success of Harry Potter |
| C．J.K.Rowing---author of the Harry Potter book series |
| D．How J.K.Rowing Firstly Got the Idea of Harry Potter |
According to the passage, we know J.K.Rowing_______.
| A．had a happy family |
| B．had a ten-year illness |
| C．earned a lot from her novels |
| D．published 12 books in 64 languages |
Where did J.K.Rowing first have the shape of Harry Potter?
| A．in the cafes | B．on a train |
| C．in a secondary school | D．in a publishing house |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Harry Potter’s friends didn’t know he was a wizard until he graduated. |
| B．J.K.Rowing wrote down her idea while she was on the train by borrowing a pen. |
| C．It’s lucky that J.K.Rowing didn’t have a pen while she got the idea of Harry Potter. |
| D．Harry Potter was a thin, yellow-haired handsome boy with a pair of glasses on his nose. |
If you are interested in studying at an American university, you have to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The test is widely known as the TOEFL. It is the most widely used language exam for American universities.
There are two major kinds of the TOEFL test. The first is the IBT, or Internet-based Test. It is offered in most of the world and accepted by nearly every university and scholarship program in the United States.The other kind of the test is called the Paper-based Test or PBT. The PBT is less costly to take and does not require use of the Internet.
But how to get started with TOEFL? Here are some tips.
1. Plan ahead ---It takes a long time to improve your TOEFL score. Do not expect a big lift in your test results after two weeks. You will have to spend a lot of time and energy.
2. Master the basics first ---You should have to be good at basic English before you take the test. If you score below 500 on the PBT or 70 on the IBT, study for a few months and come back to the TOEFL later.
3. Get a study guide --- It is easy to find study guides for the IBT. Pearson, Barron's, ETS, and Kaplan all produce quality materials. Take a practice test once or twice a month. The best study guides will have explanations in the answer key.
4. Use outside resources --- Remember, you are learning a language, not a test. You can improve your TOEFL score by making English part of your daily life. Some simple ways are listening to English speakers, watching movies and reading newspapers. Some others are reading English textbooks, sending and reading text messages in English, and writing online in English.
The best way to do well on the TOEFL is to know English well.The real goal of the test is to measure how well a student can communicate in English-speaking classroom.
If you want to know more, please click here.
If you want to study in an America university, you have to_________.
| A．be very rich and work hard |
| B．be well prepared to take the TOEFL test |
| C．ask an English teacher to help you |
| D．prepare for a month before taking the TOEFL test |
From the passage we can learn that___________.
| A．the IBT is more expensive to take and requires use of the Internet. |
| B．Pearson is a person who teaches quality materials. |
| C．If you score 500 on the PBT,you can pass the TOEFL test. |
| D．If you are good at reading ,you can pass the TOEFL test. |
The real purpose of the TOEFL is to, according to the passage.
| A．get more foreign students to study in American universities |
| B．let foreign students know more about American universities |
| C．measure one’s communicating ability in English. |
| D．improve foreign students’ skills of taking tests |
Where does the passage most probably come from?
| A．A website | B．A lesson |
| C．A science book | D．A novel |
Suppose you have everything: a good job, good health, good relationships and a lot of money to spend. But still there is something missing from your life. Guess what? The love. It is not something that you should ignore. Life without love is just like body without soul.
Love gives meaning to life as without love life is meaningless. Lucky is the person who gets love and keeps the flames of love burning for ever. It is not a matter of days or months. Love is for life and life is for love.
It is easy to fall in love but difficult to keep the flames of love burning. Before having serious long term love relationships, be sure that the person you love is also sincere with you. A selfish person can make your life terrible. If this is the case with you then try to get rid of that person as soon as possible.
Most people do not give importance to their love life as they give importance to their professional life. This is a bad choice which ruins the whole life. A balance between the two is necessary in order to enjoy life in its entirety. Do not lose the love you need.
In order to make your life more exciting and enjoyable, you need a loving and caring person with whom you can share your values, dreams, joys and jokes. In difficult times of failure, pain, or loss of dear ones, this person should stand firm beside you and comfort you in every possible manner.
Love your life and love the person who is in your life. Keep the flames of love burning to live a great, great life.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the second paragraph?
| A．Love is only for life. |
| B．Life is designed only for love. |
| C．Life is not separated from love. |
| D．When you have a good life, you can own a real love. |
Which of the following do you think is the most difficult?
| A．To fall in love with a person. |
| B．To find a real person loving you. |
| C．To make the flames of love burning forever. |
| D．To keep good relations with friends. |
If you want to keep the flames of love burning, you should .
| A．try to get rid of your bad manners as soon as possible. |
| B．make certain that the person you love is also sincere |
| C．try to find out whether the person you love really loves you |
| D．make sure that you treat the person sincerely |
According to the passage, the writer wants to tell us .
| A．to value everything one has |
| B．to be sincere with the people around |
| C．to live a life full of love all one’s life |
| D．to avoid being a selfish person |
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is launching a new campaign called Hay Fever, which aims to teach rabbit owners how to correctly feed their rabbits.
Many rabbit owners wrongly take Bugs Bunny’s advice and feed their rabbits an incorrect diet, according to the British animal charity. Rabbits do not naturally eat root vegetables, such as carrots, nor do they naturally eat lettuce(莴苣), the charity said.
The charity said that people were using these foodstuffs as major parts of a rabbit’s diet, when in fact they can cause health problems. Just 8% of owners knew what to correctly feed their rabbits, according to statistics.
This might explain why 11% of rabbits are suffering from tooth decay and a further 11% from digestive problems, according to research at the University of Bristol, commissioned by the RSPCA.
“We want all pet rabbits to be eating hay as their main food,” said Rachel Roxburgh, an animal scientist for the charity. “People also think their rabbits should eat carrots because that’s what Bugs Bunny does. But he’s a cartoon, real rabbits don’t talk, and they shouldn’t be eating carrots too often either.”
The RSPCA suggests giving rabbits daily handfuls of hay, around the same size as the rabbits themselves. They can also feed on grass, but not lawn clippings (剪下的草).
To vary their diet and give them a treat, dark green vegetables are advised, including broccoli, kale and cabbage on a daily basis, as well as regular parts of commercial nuggets(小块食物).
What do you feed your rabbits? Are you guilty of giving them one too many carrots?The purpose of the “Hay Fever” campaign is to .
| A．suggest new types of healthy food for pet rabbits |
| B．teach rabbit owners what to do when their pets get tooth decay |
| C．instruct rabbit owners to make proper diet choice for their pets |
| D．clear up people’s misunderstandings about rabbits. |
The writer shows the problem is quite serious among the rabbit owners by .
| A．quoting(引述) Rachel Roxburgh | B．giving examples |
| C．making a comparison | D．using numbers |
Which of the following are healthy foods for pet rabbits on a daily basis?
| A．carrots and grass | B．hay and cabbage |
| C．lettuce and kale | D．broccoli and nuggets |
What is Rachel Roxburgh’s attitude toward rabbit owners?
| A．Understanding. | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Doubtful. |
Worried about how many calories(卡(热)) you are going to get in that piece of pizza, chocolate cake or bag of chips? A new iPhone application that takes a picture of the meal with the phone and gives a calorie read-out almost at once, may help. The MealSnap was developed by DailyBurn, a fitness social network that has created several other fitness and diet-related iPhone applications.
Within minutes of taking a picture of a meal and matching it to the given information of some 500, 000 kinds of food, the application sends users a warning with a range of calories for the meal that was photographed.
To start with, we sent it something simple--a Braeburn apple. A couple of minutes later the application replied that it was between 64 and 96 calories.
Andy Smith, chief director at DailyBurn, said: “The database(数据库) can also quickly help recognize the food, how many calories there are, proteins, fat, carbs, vitamins, whatever you may want to know.”
Mr Smith added that it will take some time to complete calorie counting but the application makes it easier to record the calories in food. That is why it is so popular among those who are trying hard to lose weight.
“The pure act of recording something can cause a psychological(心理的) change that can help people on their health and fitness plan. Just the simple fact of recording it makes me more understand what I’m eating,” he said.
In addition, MealSnap can serve as a food diary, allowing users to keep a readable record of the meals they have eaten. Mr Smith said:“It’s like a food journal, but easier. All you do is take the picture.” MealSnap is available on the iTunes store for ￡1.79, or $2,99 in the US.Why did DailyBurn invent the MealSnap according to the passage?
| A．To help those who are not good at math to keep healthy. |
| B．To call on people to buy food with fewer calories. |
| C．To help people keep fit by giving scientific directions in eating. |
| D．To help people realize the importance of choosing food. |
Which of the following statements about MealSnap is TRUE?
| A．People have to link iPhone with the Internet to use it. |
| B．It has been put into the market. |
| C．People will have a physical change by using it. |
| D．It’s popular because it was developed by DailyBurn. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．iPhones Win Against Apples in Market |
| B．MealSnap iPhones Work as a Health Signal |
| C．MealSnap, a New iPhone Application |
| D．MealSnap Offers You Health Database |