A romantic message-in-a-bottle discovered by a mother and daughter at a Scottish beach has sparked（触发） a mystery about whether it could have travelled 5,000 miles across the seas from China.
Nicola MacFarlane, 41, and daughter Lucy, four, from Portobello, near Edinburgh, were looking for driftwood（浮木） on Portobello Beach when they came across an old glass bottle containing a note inside written in Mandarin. Now the family are trying to work out if the letter has managed the extraordinary journey across the Philippine Sea, into the Indian Ocean and through both the South Atlantic and the North Atlantic Ocean’s before washing up on the shores of Great Britain.
It was written on Chinese Valentine’s Day or Qixi Festival as it is more traditionally known, lunar July 7, 2012, so it sent off as recently as six days ago because it followed the modern calendar, which celebrated the occasion on August 23. Nicola was still excited to read about the Chinese love story after having it translated.
“I really do hope that it is from China but even it is from nearer to home, it’s still a lovely gesture and an inspiring find. It’s a love story regardless of where it came from. Nicola, who runs a beach art business in Portobello, added: “I’m always at the beach looking for bits of driftwood but I’ve never come across anything like this before. We knew it was Chinese, but we had no idea what it said.’
Unable to read the Mandarin text, Nicola turned to the internet and her Australian friend, Julie Gould, whose daughter attended a Chinese school in Sydney.
Several hours later Julie returned with the news that it was in fact a love letter.
The translated letter reads: “Da Hai(Ocean), I hope no-one will get this bottle, as we just wish you can hear our voice, and get your blessing. Today is the Chinese Valentine’s Day, we pray that our relationship will last forever and we will have a long happy life together…”
Nicola said: “It sounds to me like the couple are in love but cannot be together so they have sent the message to tell the world of their love.”When did Nicola and her daughter come across the message-in-bottle?
| A．On July 15, 2012. | B．On August 29, 2012. |
| C．On August 31, 2012. | D．On September 2, 2012. |
What were Nicola and her daughter probably doing when they found the bottle?
| A．They were walking on the beach. |
| B．They were washing hands and feet. |
| C．They were looking for the driftwoods. |
| D．They were lying on the beach resting. |
The underlined word “Mandarin” probably means “ ” .
| A．Scottish | B．British |
| C．English | D．Chinese |
We can learn from the passage that Nicola__________.
| A．thinks the letter was written to show love |
| B．had expected to get something unusual |
| C．knows a little Chinese |
| D．found the bottle was from a nearby place |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.
Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910, the first Father’s Day was observed in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to establish Father’s Day as a national commemorative day, in 1972.
These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead．Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is not true ?
| A．It is a day to show love to mothers |
| B．It is a day to wear carnations |
| C．It is a day for people to visit the cemetery |
| D．It is a day for many people to attend religious services |
Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The first Father’s Day was observed
b. Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance
c. Father’s Day became a day for national observance.
d. The idea of honoring fathers was bought up
| A．a b c d | B．d a b c | C．b a c d | D．d a c b |
Who plays the most important role in Father’s Day becoming a national commemorative day?
| A．Mrs. Do | B．Margaret Chase Smith | C．Ann Jarvis | D．Woodrow Wilson |
From the passage, we know in the U.S ________________.
| A．one should wear a red carnation if one’s mother pass away |
| B．on Mother’s Day, families often go out to have barbecues |
| C．on Father’s Day, people often stay at home to celebrate the special day. |
| D．The purpose to have these two special days is to show love to parents |
The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to __________
| A．call on people to love and respect their parents. |
| B．introduce Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
| C．tell the difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day |
| D．show how important fathers and mothers are |
During the 19th century, scientists found that when certain parts of the brain of a person were hurt, he would lose the power of doing certain things. And so people thought that each part of the brain does a different job. But modern research has discovered that this is not so, for it is not easy to show exactly what each part of the brain does.
In the past fifty years there has been a great increase in the amount or research done on the brain. Scientists have found out that the way the brain works is not so simple as people in general may think. Chemists tell us that about 100,000 chemical changes take place in the brain every second. Some recent researches also suggest that we can remember everything that happened to us. We may not be able to think of the things we have heard and seen but it is kept there in the store-house of the human mind. Earlier scientists thought that the power of one’s brain got weaker and weaker as one grows older. But it is plenty of exercise, it keeps its power. It is now thought that is not true. As long as the brain is given plenty of exercise, it keeps its power. It has proved that an old person who has always been active in the mind has a quicker mind than a young person who has done physical work without using much of his brain.In the last century, scientists found that a person would lose the power to do certain things _____.
| A．when he got weaker in health |
| B．if certain parts of his brain were hurt |
| C．after he did a quite different job |
| D．when he grew older |
Scientists today are still unable to show exactly ______.
| A．what each part of the brain is doing |
| B．how many chemical changes take place in the brain each second |
| C．whether each part of the brain does the same job |
| D．which part of the brain is the most important |
It has been found that one’s brain usually works ______.
| A．faster when he is old |
| B．a little now and a little then |
| C．in a very simple way |
| D．without any rest all day long |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Scientists are working hard at the researches on the brain. |
| B．As many as six million chemical changes take place in the brain every minute. |
| C．A young man doing physical labor is sure to have a much slower mind. |
| D．Even an old man has a quick mind only if his brain is given much exercise. |
The more work we give our brains,___________.
| A．the less result we will gain |
| B．the more work they are able to do |
| C．the weaker their power will get |
| D．the more tired they will feel |
An expensive car speeding down the main street of a small town was soon caught up with by a young motorcycle policeman. As he started to make out the ticket, the woman behind the wheel said proudly, “Before you go any further, young man, I think you should know that the mayor of this city is a good friend of mine.”The officer did not say a word, but kept writing. “I am also a friend of chief of police Barens,”continued the woman, getting more angrier each moment. Still he kept on writing. “Young man ,”she persisted, “I know Judge Lawson and State Senator (参议员) Patton.” Handing the ticket to the woman, the officer asked pleasantly, “Tell me, do you know Bill Bronson.”
“Why, no,”She answered. “Well, that is the man you should have known,”he said, heading back to his motorcycle, “I am Bill Bronson.” The policeman stopped the car because_____
| A．it was an expensive car |
| B．the driver was a proud lady |
| C．the driver was driving beyond the speed limit |
| D．the driver was going to make trouble for the police |
The woman was getting more angry each moment because _____.
| A．the policeman didn’t know her friends |
| B．the policeman didn’t accept her kindness |
| C．the policeman was going to punish her |
| D．she didn’t know the policeman’s name |
The policeman was _______.
| A．an honourable fellow | B．a stupid fellow |
| C．an impolite man | D．a shy man |
The woman was _______.
| A．kind-hearted |
| B．a person who depended on someone else to finish her work |
| C．trying to frighten the policeman on the strength of her friends’ powerful positions |
| D．introducing her good friends’ names to the young officer |
The policeman_______.
| A．had no sense of humor | B．had s sense of humor |
| C．had no sense of duty | D．was senseless |
⑴ Every language has its own special words and expressions. And a story can be told about each of them. Hot is a simple, easily understood word. So are most of the expressions made with the word hot. But not always, as we shall see.
⑵ The words hot potato, for example, give you no idea at all to the meaning of the expression, hot potato. The potato is popular and many Americans like baked potatoes. Imagine trying to carry a hot potato in your hand. It would be difficult, even painful, to do so. Some publicly argued problems are highly emotional. The problems must be treated carefully, or they will be difficult and painful if an elected official has to deal with them. One such hot potato is taxes. Calling for higher taxes can mean defeat for a politician. And yet, if taxes are not raised, some very popular government programs could be cut. And that also can make a politician very unpopular. The questions must be dealt with carefully, the same way you would handle any other hot potato.
⑶ Another expression is not so hot. If you ask someone how she feels, she may answer “not so hot”. What she means is she does not feel well. Not so hot also is a way of saying you do not really like something. You may tell a friend that the new play you saw last night is not so hot. That means ____________________________.
⑷ A hot shot is a person, often a young person, who thinks he can do anything. He is very sure he can succeed. But often he fails. The expression was born in the military forces. A hot shot was a soldier who fired without aiming carefully.
⑸ Hot is a word that is often used to talk about anger. A person who becomes angry easily is called a hothead. An angry person’s neck often becomes red. We say he is hot under the collar.What is the text mainly about? (no more than 8 words)
_______________________________________________________________Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with a proper sentence. ( no more than 8 words)
__________________________________________________________________Which sentence in the text is the closest in meaning to the following one?
As you would deal with other difficult problems, you must be careful with these ones.
__________________________________________________________________________________List three situations where “hot” expressions can be used according to the text. (no more than 30 words)
①________________________________________________________________
②________________________________________________________________
③________________________________________________________________Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 into Chinese.
__________________________________________________________________
Now I know that we black people are much more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes(糖尿病) than white people. And they often lead to heart attacks and other untreated diseases. For example, black people are three to four times more likely than white people to have high blood pressure and twice as likely as the white population to die of a stroke(中风).
New research has found out the surprisingly high levels of salt in many of black people’s favorite meals. I stopped putting extra salt in my food at the table long ago and I try to cut down on the salt I use in cooking. The recommended daily level of salt for adults is 6 grams. It is easy to see that if you avoid processed(加工过的) foods and use salt in your cooking within the limit, you won’t exceed the daily level.
The research showed how much salt there is in some foods that we buy from restaurants and takeaways. An average salad with rice and peas has 6.2 grams of salt. This is more salt than you are supposed to eat for the whole day.
A researcher talked about the importance of home cooking rather than take-outs. At home, he pointed out, not only can you hold control of the salt shaker, but also you can create tasty food which is low on salt. The researcher later provided curry goat and rice and peas. They were low on salt, but completely delicious.
I do not suppose Jamaicans are going to stop buying takeaways soon. But if you suffer from high blood pressure, it is probably better not to buy them often.The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 1 refers to ______.
| A．white people | B．black people |
| C．untreated diseases | D．high blood pressure and diabetes |
What has the new research found out according to Paragraph 2?
| A．Black people take in too much salt. |
| B．Black people’s meals are very special. |
| C．Processed foods have too much salt in them. |
| D．6 grams of salt per day is enough for an adult. |
What would the writer probably suggest black people do?
| A．Order no salad in a restaurant. | B．Take in no salt for several days. |
| C．Stop cooking their favorite meals. | D．Eat less takeaways. |
The researcher provided curry goat and rice and peas in order to ______.
| A．thank those who came to his home for his research |
| B．let people know that eating less salt makes one healthier |
| C．show that tasty food with less salt can be made at home |
| D．prove the less salt the food has the more delicious it is |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Watch the salt. | B．Take care, black people. |
| C．Say no to takeaways. | D．Say no to high blood pressure. |