For several years, Americans have enjoyed teleshopping — watching TV and buying things by phone. Now teleshopping is starting in Europe. In a number of European countries, people can turn on their TVs and shop for clothes, jewelry, food, toys and many other things.
Teleshopping is becoming popular in Sweden, for example. The biggest Swedish company sells different kinds of things on TV in 15 European countries, and in one year it made＄100 million. In France there are two teleshopping channels, and the French spend about＄20 million a year to buy things through those channels.
In Germany, until last year teleshopping was only possible on one channel for 1 hour every day. Then the government allowed more teleshopping. Other channels can open for telebusiness, including the largest American teleshopping company and a 24－hour teleshopping company. German businesses are hoping this new teleshopping will help them sell more things.
Some people like teleshopping because it allows them to do their shopping without leaving their homes. With all the problems of traffic in the cities, this is an important reason. But at the same time, other Europeans do not like this new way of shopping. They call teleshopping “junk on the air”. Many Europeans usually worry about the quality of the things for sale on TV. Good quality is important to them, and they believe they cannot be sure about the quality of the things on TV.
The need for high quality means that European teleshopping companies will have to be different from the American companies. They will have to be more careful about the quality of the things they sell. They will also have to work harder to sell things that the buyers cannot touch or see in person.Teleshopping is_______ in Europe.
| A．not popular | B．growing | C．not possible | D．cheap |
People like teleshopping because it is_________.
| A．American | B．cheaper | C．easier | D．more popular |
Some Europeans don’t like teleshopping because they________.
| A．don’t like to buy things |
| B．don’t watch TV |
| C．believe the things sold on TV are expensive |
| D．think the things sold on TV are bad quality |
In Germany, teleshopping may_________.
| A．help businessmen get more money | B．keep the shops open longer |
| C．have fewer buyers | D．bring better TV programs |
The best title of this passage is_________.
| A．American Teleshopping | B．Teleshopping Companies |
| C．Teleshopping in Europe | D．Teleshopping — Junk on the Air |
Having Fun “Growing” and “Stealing”？
Recently, an Internet game has become a new fashion among young office workers and students．People can “farm” on a piece of “land” and “grow’’, “sell” or even “steal” “vegetables”, “flowers” and “fruits” on the Net. They can earn some e-money and buy more “seeds”, “pets” and even “houses”.
Joyce interviewed some young people. Here are their opinions．
Harold：I don’t quite understand why they are so mad about the childish game, Maybe they are just not confident enough to face the real world.
Allan：I enjoy putting some “bugs” in my friends’ gardens and we’ve become closer because of the game．Having fun together is the most exciting thing about it．
Laura：You know, people in the city are longing for(渴望) the life in the countryside．It reduces my work pressure(压力)；besides, it gives me the exciting experience of being a “thief”．
Ivy： Well. it’s just a waste of time．Teenagers playing the game spend so many hours on it that they can not focus on (专注于)their study.According to the passage, people can’t _______things in this game.
| A．grow | B．borrow | C．steal | D．sell |
Among the people Joyce interviewed,____ likes the game while____ dislikes the game.
| A．Laura; Allan | B．Allan; Harold | C．Harold; Ivy | D．Ivy; Allan |
From Laura’s words, we can guess that she’s most probably_________
| A．a student | B．an office worker | C．a farmer | D．a thief |
Which is NOT the reason why people like the game?
| A．They are longing for country life． |
| B．They can have fun with friends． |
| C．The game can relax people and give them a new experience． |
| D．They are confident enough to face the real world. |
Where can you find this passage?
| A．In a car magazine． | B．In an advertisement． |
| C．In a newspaper | D．In a science book |
One day when some government officials were rebuilding a barn（谷仓）, they found a mouse hole in a corner and used smoke to force the mice inside the hole to come out. A while later they indeed saw mice running out, one after another. Then, everyone thought that all the mice had escaped. But just as they began to clean up, they saw two mice squeezing（挤）out at the mouth of the hole. With some efforts, the mice finally got out. However, it was strange that after they came out of the hole, they did not run away immediately. Instead, one chased after the other near the mouth of the hole. It seemed that one was trying to bite（咬）the tail of the other.
Everyone was puzzled, so they stepped nearer to take a look. They realized that one of the mice was blind and could not see anything, and the other was trying to allow the blind mouse to bite on his tail so that he could pull the blind one with him to escape.
After seeing what happened, everyone was speechless and lost in thought. During the meal time, the group of people sat down in a circle and started to chat about what happened to the two mice.
One serious American official said: “I think the relationship between those two mice was that of king and guard. “The others thought for a while and said: “That was why!”
A smart French said: “I think the relationship between those two mice was that of husband and wife.” Again the others thought for a while, and all felt it made sense.
A Japanese said: “I think the relationship between those two mice was that of mother and son.” Once again the others thought for a while, and felt this was more reasonable. So they expressed agreement another time.
At that moment, one Chinese asked: “Why did those two mice have to have a certain relationship？ “
Suddenly, the group looked back at the Chinese and remained speechless. The American official, the French and the Japanese who had spoken earlier all lowered their heads in shame, and did not dare to answer.
In fact, the true love is not built on friendship, loyalty or blood relationship. Instead, it is based on no relationship. Neither of the two mice ran away immediately because ______.
| A．one was biting the other |
| B．the mouth of the hole was too small |
| C．they were not afraid of smoke |
| D．one was trying to help the blind one |
it made sense” probably means ______.
| A．it was correct | B．it was strange |
| C．it was funny | D．it was sweet |
Why did they lower their heads in shame according to the passage？
| A．They did not dare to answer. |
| B．They had mistaken the relationship of the mice. |
| C．They regretted（后悔）driving a poor blind mouse away. |
| D．They did not express themselves much better. |
It is clear that ______.
| A．all the mice came out of the hole easily |
| B．each of the people understood the relationship differently |
| C．the people wanted to kill the mice with smoke |
| D．the people knew one of the mice was blind at the first sight |
The best title for the passage is ______.
| A．TWO LOVELY MICE | B．HELP PRODUCES LOVE |
| C．FRIENDS IN NEED | D．LOVE IS ALL |
Studying abroad is an amazing experience, especially when you come to Australia as an overseas( 外国的 ) high school student. You can have a lot of fun here, especially on holidays.
There are many festivals in Australia. The most important one is obviously Christmas. Each year, the summer holidays at every high school last about two months from the beginning of December to February, which covers the Christmas time. Since it is a long holiday, most overseas students love to fly back to their home countries to spend the time with their families and friends, but a few students still stay in Australia during the holiday to get part-time jobs. It is quite easy to find a part-time job at Christmas. Students often take part in another major social activity. They go to the beach to have fun in the sunshine. The summer in Australia is from December to February, so going to the beach in December is very popular among Australians.
Easter in March is another important holiday in the year. It actually combines(使联合) “Good Friday” and “Easter Monday”. Almost every shop closes on Good Friday. And people usually go to see Easter Show.
The Chinese New year is not a public holiday in Australia, so every Chinese student still has to go to school to study and do his or her normal duties.Summer holidays in Australia often begin in_________.
| A．July | B．September | C．December | D．February |
In Australia, you can spend Christmas_________.
| A．in winter | B．in March | C．in summer | D．in January |
Overseas students _________ in their summer holidays.
| A．must do their normal duties | B．continue to study at school |
| C．can do part-time jobs | |
| D．go to the beach to find part-time jobs |
Probably people seldom _________ on Good Friday in Australia.
| A．go shopping | B．spend the time with their friends |
| C．have fun | D．give chocolate eggs to each other |
Students in Australia go to school_________.
| A．at Christmas | B．at Easter |
| C．in the Chinese New Year | D．on Easter Monday |
A habit is any action that we have performed so often that it becomes something that we do almost without thinking. Some of them are thought to be bad habits. People spend countless hours and dollars each year trying to get rid of these bad habits but often fail. Why? Change is hard work and there is no shortcut to achieve it. However, there is still some advice for you to follow.
First, look at why you do it. In other words, what’s the result of doing this thing? If your bad habit is shouting at people when you are unhappy or under pressure, what do you get from it? It may make you feel a little better for the moment. Or maybe you have a bad habit of leaving your homework undone. The result could be that you get more time to spend on the Internet!
Next, take a look on the other hand. What are you losing because of your habit? Shouting at other people is a bad habit because it makes people around you feel bad and unhappy. Leaving your homework undone is a bad habit because you may be punished by your teacher. Having more Internet time means that you are losing the chance to learn the things that you need to learn. When you think that way, you’ll find that it’s not wise to keep your bad habit! Now it is time to make a decision. What will you choose? I’m sure you will choose to do what you think is more important. From the first paragraph we know that __________.
| A．a habit is a terrible thing that we can never change |
| B．people take countless hours and dollars to get rid of habits |
| C．none of the people who try to break bad habits are successful |
| D．though it is difficult, we can still do something about our bad habits |
The underlined sentence “there is no shortcut to achieve it” means that __________.
| A．it is not easy to get rid of bad habits |
| B．there is a long way and a short way |
| C．something dangerous may happen |
| D．we must cut it in a short time. |
According to the reading, if you want to get rid of your habits, you have to __________.
| A．talk to others when you are in low spirits |
| B．know why you do what you do |
| C．finish your homework first |
| D．spend less time on the Internet |
Which of the following does NOT happen because of a bad habit according to the reading?
| A．You are punished later. |
| B．Making people around you feel unhappy. |
| C．You feel a little better after shouting at others. |
| D．You leave your homework at home by accident. |
The main purpose of this passage is to __________.
| A．introduce and describe | B．complain and disagree |
| C．explain and advise | D．discuss and argue |
I do not need a calendar to tell me when it is winter. All I need is my nose. When I wake up in the morning and smell the tasty treats my mom is cooking downstairs, I know winter has arrived.
The first one is the smell of chocolate. During the holiday season (from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day) my mother makes her special hot chocolate. She always adds a peppermint candy cane (薄荷味拐棍糖) to the drink and tops it with cream.
The hot chocolate gets me out of bed, but it is my mother’s chocolate fudge (软糕) that makes me run downstairs. It is a thick chunk (块) of chocolate that tastes like heaven. My mother adds nuts. That gives it more texture (质感).
But my mother isn’t done yet. She also makes a treat she calls “window panes (窗玻璃)”. She takes a few different colored marshmallows (棉花糖) and melts them together with chocolate. The final product looks like a colorful church window, so we call it “window panes”.
These tasty holiday treats are usually eaten after a meal as a dessert. But don’t tell Santa Claus because I secretly eat them all day long.What wakes “me” up in the morning?
| A．The alarm clock. | B．My mom. | C．The noise upstairs. | D．The smell of food. |
In the author’s eyes, the taste of the chocolate fudge is ____.
| A．terrible | B．wonderful | C．awful | D．so so |
With nuts, the chocolate fudge tastes _____.
| A．softer | B．sweeter | C．harder | D．hotter |
The “window panes” the author mentions refer to _____.
| A．special hot chocolate drink | B．decorations on the window |
| C．chocolate cake with fruits on it | D．a mixture of marshmallows and chocolate |
Why does the author look forward to the winter?
| A．There is plenty of time to play around. | B．The food his mom cooks is mouthwatering. |
| C．It’s great fun to play outdoors. | D．He can have a good rest during the winter. |