A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some exquisite and expensive—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided for us.”
God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. "[Z
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?
| A．To give his students many more choices. |
| B．To teach his students how to enjoy coffee. |
| C．To show the students his collection of cups. |
| D．To tell his students the right attitude to life. |
According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____.
| A．get the best type of coffee cups |
| B．make the best of what they have |
| C．have a wide range of coffee cups |
| D．care about social status and wealth |
The best title for the passage would be _____.
| A．God's Coffee | B．The Pressure of Life |
| C．The Happiest People | D．Professor's Coffee Cups |
The word advertising refers to any kind of public announcement that brings products and services to the attention of people. Throughout history, advertising has been an effective way to promote（促进）the trading and selling of goods. In the Middle Ages, merchants employed town criers to the public messages aloud to promote their goods. When printing was invented in the fifteenth century, pages of advertisements（ads）could be printed easily and were either hung in public places or put in books.
By the end of the seventeenth century, when newspapers were beginning to be read by more people, printed materials became an important way to promote products and services. The London Gazette was the first newspaper to set aside a place just for advertising. This was so successful that by the end of the century several companies started businesses for the purpose of making newspaper ads for merchants.
Advertising spread quickly throughout the eighteenth century. Ad writers were starting to pay more attention to the design of the ad text. Everything, from clothes to drinks, was promoted with clever methods such as reception of the firm's name or product words organized in eye-catching patterns, the use of pretty pictures and expressions easy to remember.
Near the end of the nineteenth century, companies that were devoted to the production of ads came to be known as "advertising agencies（广告商）." The agencies developed new ways to get people to think of themselves as members of a group. Throughout the twentieth century, advertising agencies promoted consumerism（消费主义 as a way of life. Spreading the belief that people could be happy only if they bought the "right" products.What was advertising like in the Middle Ages?
| A．Merchants were employed to promote products. |
| B．Ad messages were shouted out in public places. |
| C．Product information was included in books. |
| D．Ad signs were put up in towns. |
What does the word "This" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．Advertising in newspapers. | B．Including pictures in ads. |
| C．selling goods in markets. | D．Working with ad agencies. |
The 18th century advertising was special in its ________.
| A．growing spending | B．printing materials |
| C．advertising companies | D．attractive designs |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
| A．The Story of Advertising |
| B．The Value of Advertising Designs |
| C．The Role of Newspaper Advertising |
| D．The Development of Printing for Advertising |
which of the following statements about the London Gazette is true?
| A．It was a newspaper for advertising |
| B．It was the first newspaper in London |
| C．It was successful in promoting products and services |
| D．It was the most popular newspaper in London |
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and moved to New York City when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters asking for admission（录取）to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. She was so determined that she taught school and gave music lessons to get money for the cost of schooling.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school. she decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon（外科医师）, but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea.
Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital , she also set up the first medical school for women.Why couldn’t Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon?
| A．She couldn’t get admitted to medical school |
| B．She decided to further her education in Paris |
| C．A serious eye problem stopped her |
| D．It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States |
What main obstacle（障碍） almost destroyed Elizabeth’s chances for becoming for a doctor?
| A．She was a woman. |
| B．She wrote too many letters. |
| C．She couldn’t graduate from medical school. |
| D．She couldn’t set up her hospital. |
How many years passed between her graduation from medical school and the opening of her hospital?
| A．Eight years | B．Ten years |
| C．Nineteen years | D．Thirty-six years |
According to the passage, all of the following are “firsts” in the life of Elizabeth Blacekwell, except that she ______.
| A．became the first woman physician |
| B．was the first woman doctor |
| C．and several other women founded the first hospital for women and children |
| D．set up the first medical school for women |
Eilzabeth Blackwell spent most of her life in _______.
| A．England | B．Paris |
| C．the United States | D．New York City |
The Evergreen Teen Book Club invites you to join us and take full advantage of our limited-time introductory offer.
If you join our club, you will receive a certificate for 3 free books. These are yours to keep, even if you decide to cancel your membership. However, if you decide to purchase just one book at the regular club price, you will receive a certificate for an additional 3 free selections after your first order is placed.
As our member, you can benefit from all of our super sales and our Bonus(奖励) Program. You accumulate 2 bonus points with each cash purchase of one book. Every 6 bonus points will earn you a certificate for one free book!
To join our club, fill in the brief application listing your name, address, and phone number on the postage-paid card at the bottom of this page. Then drop the card in the mail and our present catalogue will be immediately mailed out to you for your 3 free selections!
This catalogue offers a wide selection of over 500 books in every issue, including mysteries, adventures, biographies, cookbooks, sports, and many more. Our catalogue also contains interviews with your favorite authors, reviews of newly published novels, and a teen top-ten list for both fiction and nonfiction.
Once you are a member, you will receive our catalogue monthly, but you don’t need to purchase any selections. We send you only exactly what you order.
If you join before June 30th, we will also provide complimentary shipping (免费送货)，even if you choose to order nothing except your 3 free books.
You can build a great book collection!
Begin now by taking advantage of this great offer.If you join the Evergreen Teen Book Club, you can __________.
| A．buy books at cost price |
| B．get one free book for a cash purchase of 3 books |
| C．receive a gift after each order |
| D．expect 3 free books each month |
If Lily wants to get free delivery, she should __________.
| A．accumulate 6 bonus points |
| B．order at least 3 books |
| C．purchase the catalogue |
| D．join the club before June 30th |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to __________.
| A．join the club and order books |
| B．read different kinds of books |
| C．collect books for the club |
| D．learn from famous writers |
Minimalism(简约主义)is a term that describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is reduced to its most basic features．As for me, minimalism functions well not in art or design, but in my daily life．
When I was packing for university, I found it extremely difficult to let go of some of the things I owned．I knew I couldn’t take everything with me, but I kept asking myself “how could I possibly throw this away?”, “what if I need it one day?”, and “what about all of the memories?” Now that I’ve moved, and left that stuff behind, I don’t even miss it. Whether or not I got rid of it, it barely makes a bit of difference to me now．I’ve learned that over time people forget, or their need for a particular object eventually disappears. Either they store it away or they get rid of it．
You might think nostalgically（怀旧的）about the toys you cared about when you were a child, but what is making you smile now is not the thing itself but the memory of it. I’ve heard it a hundred times, “you don’t need things to make you happy.” It takes something life-changing like moving across the country to realize how true this is．
Speaking of which, for a lot of people, minimalism is about able to move．It’s about being able to go almost anywhere at any time because you don’t have many possessions to carry. When you keep things you don’t need, they become a burden that ties you to a place. Moving to university was a good time to let go of a lot of stuff．And when I visit for the holidays, I’ll probably get rid of even more, to lighten the burden．
Of course there are exceptions. There are some things that are irreplaceable, very rare or expensive or we simply love and cherish for some reason or another, since we are humans．But after we keep those, how much is left that we don’t really need?
Hence, minimalism．And why does minimalism bring happiness? That’s because what really makes me happy is freedom．And the key to freedom is minimalism because minimalism reduces our attachment to things．
Attachment to too many objects creates a great mess and can severely hold back our freedom to do whatever we want, while minimalism helps us start new projects, move, travel, learn new things, work, expand, be debt-free, be healthy – really living life to our full potential．
I left the nest to fly onwards and upwards. I can’t do it with old things weighing me down. And that is why I have adopted minimalism with open arms．In paragraph l, the writer gives the definition of minimalism to ________．
| A．introduce a topic | B．present his own idea |
| C．describe a scene | D．offer an argument |
Many people don’t want to let go of some of their belongings because ________．
| A．they haven’t had any life-changing experiences |
| B．they hope to live life to their full potential by storing things away |
| C．they fear their memories will be gone with the thrown-away stuff |
| D．they may have to change their lifestyle because of the loss of them |
Which of the following is NOT the reason why the writer favors “minimalism” in life?
| A．It takes the burden off her while she is moving． |
| B．It reduces her attachment to her personal things． |
| C．It enables her to gain the freedom that she desires． |
| D．It helps her to realize how true life is． |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Minimalism brings happiness． |
| B．Minimalism is applied in many fields． |
| C．Minimalism makes people think nostalgically． |
| D．Minimalism is about able to move． |
A US student has just spent 30 days on an “insect diet ” – eating insects three times a day. Camren Brantley-Rios says traditional meats such as pork and beef are unable to continue and he wanted to try out what many consider the diet of the future.
Many people would find the idea of eating insects distasteful, even if it were not disgusting. Not so long ago, Brantley-Rios was among them. But for the last month he has been eating insects for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“I’m mainly sticking to three kinds,” he says. Occasionally he has included different insects. Preparing these he “actually cried”, though he insists they were surprisingly good.
Insects consume fewer resources than animals, like pigs and cows, to produce the same amount of protein(蛋白质), Brantley-Rios says – and more than two billion people worldwide include insects in their regular diet, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
“There’s not really a need to eat insects in America because we have it so nice,” Brantley-Rios says. “We have finer meats and we’re lucky to have that luxury(奢侈), so there’s not much of a pressure to eat insects right now. But what a lot of people are trying to do is make it a little bit more marketable.”
He has ordered insects from farms that usually supply zoos, which need them “to feed certain animals”. He has always made sure the insects have been fed on an organic diet, he says, and only bought species he knows are safe to eat.
He knows that one person eating insects won’t make much difference. To have a real environmental effect, millions would have to follow his example.Why has the US student tried out an “insect diet”?
| A．To seek for future vegetables. |
| B．To advocate traditional meats. |
| C．To make up for the lack of meat. |
| D．To explore new forms of protein. |
What can we learn about Brantley-Rios from Paragraph 2?
| A．He is tired of meats like pork and beef. |
| B．He advised people to eat insects though disgusted. |
| C．He had nothing to eat but insects last month. |
| D．He didn’t like the idea of eating insects. |
What does the underlined part “actually cried” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．was scared | B．was pitiful |
| C．was sorry | D．was puzzled |
How does Brantley-Rios guarantee the safety of his insect diet?
| A．He tests each species before eating it. |
| B．He orders insects for certain zoo animals. |
| C．He feeds his insects on an organic diet. |
| D．He has insects raised on his own farm. |