For years I wanted a flower garden. I'd spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together. But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, "Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know."
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about having a garden.
Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I looked out of the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow(垂柳), because I saw things blowing around on all its branches. Then I put my glasses on - and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree. There was also a note among them: "Thank you for your time,Mom, we love you." later my children bought me tools, ornaments(装饰物), a sunflower ,stepping stone and gardening books.
That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and take care of my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me.
I live in a city where winters are long and cold, and summers are way too short. But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes - every time.
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!The woman saw _____in the garden.
| A．a weeping willow | B．a flower |
| C．a money tree | D．a pair of glasses |
What does the sentence “Do you see a money tree outside” Money doesn’t grow on trees really means?
| A．There is a money tree outside |
| B．It’s not easy to make money |
| C．I’m really busy |
| D．Don’t dream in the daytime |
The underlined word “them” in the fourth paragraph refers to ______.
| A．trees | B．my children | C．branches | D．dollar bills |
From the fifth paragraph ,we can infer that______
| A．her husband died when she was young |
| B．She was alone but not at all lonely |
| C．She wasn’t caring for her kids any longer |
| D．She liked her garden better that her kids |
The best title of the passage is_____
| A．My Money Tree | B．Money Grows on a Tree |
| C．Love in Winter | D．My kids and I |
Close contacts between Japan and the rest of the world were created in the twentieth century. In the last forty years, business contacts between Japan and the West have become very important. Many foreign companies now have offices in Japan and Japanese businessmen do business around the world. Differences between Japanese and Western ways of doing business, however, often bewilder foreign businessmen and make doing business in Japan difficult for foreigners.
The American businessman, for example, wants to start talking business immediately. He does not want to wait. The Japanese businessman, on the other hand, likes to arrive at decisions after giving them serious thought. Another thing foreign businessmen have difficulty in understanding is when a Japanese means “Yes” or “No”. This is because of cultural differences between Japanese and Western society(社会), Which make it difficult for a Japanese to say “No” directly.
In the USA, it is easy to say “No” to something one does not want to do. But in Japan, it is very difficult to say “No”. To refuse an invitation or a request(请求) with “No” is felt to be impolite. It is thought to be selfish and unfriendly. So instead of saying “No” directly, the Japanese have developed many ways to avoid(避免) saying “No”. These can help them avoid hurting other people’s feelings. However, this often makes their ways of doing business rather difficult for foreigners to understand and follow.What often makes foreigners feel difficult to do business in Japan?
| A．Their different ways of doing business. |
| B．Their different lifestyles. |
| C．The fact that the Japanese never say “No”. |
| D．The fact that the Japanese are slow to take action. |
Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined expression “bewilder foreign businessmen” in Paragraph One?
| A．cause foreign businessmen to change their minds. |
| B．give a feeling of surprise to foreign businessmen. |
| C．attract foreign businessmen’s attention. |
| D．make foreign businessmen think wrongly. |
What fact does the passage lead you to believe?
| A．American businessmen do things more slowly than Japanese ones. |
| B．American businessmen like to say “Yes” and “No”. |
| C．Americans usually say what they are thinking. |
| D．Americans do not say what they think or feel clearly. |
From the passage we can infer(推断) that __________.
| A．Japanese businessmen are good at business |
| B．foreign businessmen should try to know Japanese ways of doing business |
| C．foreign businessmen must be more polite |
| D．you must learn from Japanese businessmen if you want to succeed |
Driving a car at a high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You only need to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highway and it will take you where you wish to go. But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver needs to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city of London, from the loneliest street to the popular restaurant around. He has to be at the service of all kinds of passengers (乘客) at all times.
A London taxi driver said the following about his job.
During the night it is usual for him to stop two or three times for some food. He said, “I never drink when I’m working, otherwise I’d lose my license (驾驶执照).”
He normally goes home between two and three o’clock in the morning. There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, “That’s the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don’t make money, no one is going to give it to you. ”
London taxi drivers not only “take” but also “give”. Every summer hundreds of poor children from London go for a day at the sea ― by taxi! There rides are paid by the taxi drivers. At the sea, they are met by the mayor (市长) , and a lunch party is also held for the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day’s running around the beaches and visiting the market there, the children go home again by taxi, free of charge of course!London taxi drivers try to make more runs sometimes mainly because __________.
| A．they make a living by driving |
| B．they prefer to work for themselves |
| C．they want to help more passengers |
| D．they are used to working deep into the night |
How do London taxi drivers “give”?
| A．They give the poor children a lunch party at the sea each summer. |
| B．They give poor children the chance to meet the maor. |
| C．They pay for some poor children’s rides for a day’s tour each summer. |
| D．They play with some poor children at the sea for a day each summer. |
Which of the following words can be used to describe London taxi drivers?
| A．Brave and careful |
| B．Rich and generous |
| C．Modest and easy-going |
| D．Hard-working and kind |
The passage is most likely to be found from __________.
| A．an advertisement of a taxi company |
| B．an online travel guide |
| C．a website about the taxi drivers in London |
| D．a report about living conditions in London |
Chris Jones recently completed a very unusual journey. Our reporter Mary Owen met him at his home in the south of London and be told her all about the trip.
Reporter: What gave you the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant, Chris?
Chris: Well, it all started the idea two years ago when I was planning a trip to India. I visited a photo exhibition of elephants and I realized that the only enjoyable way to make a trip around India was on an elephant.
Reporter: What did you do next?
Chris: I flew to New Delhi and started looking for an elephant, I needed an elephant trained to carry people. I didn’t know anything about elephants, so I asked an expert(专家) for help. He taught me how to ride an elephant. He also helped me find an elephant.
Reporter: How long did it take to find a suitable elephant?
Chris: Not too long. I bought a female elephant called Tara for about 6, 000 dollars.
Reporter: Can you tell me about the journey?
Chris: Tara and I set off from New Delhi a week later. We were going to Sonepur in northern India. There is a big elephant market there and I could sell Tara easily. And what a ride! Elephants can travel at about 6 miles an hour and Sonepur is more than 1, 200 km away. It took us 64 days to complete the journey.
Reporter: Did you have any problems on your journey?
Chris: Yes, a few. But nothing serious. On the third day, Tara hurt her foot. Btu that got better quickly. Also, there was a lot of heavy rain during the first week and we got very wet!
Reporter: What happened when you reached Sonepur?
Chris: My plan was to sell Tara. But I was very fond of her. I couldn’t take her back to Britain and I didn’t want to sell her at the market. I happened to meet some people who wanted an elephant for their national park in southern India. I knew that Tara would be safe with them, so I gave her to them. I was very sad to say goodbye.Chris got the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant from __________.
| A．a visit to a zoo |
| B．an elephant expert from India |
| C．the photos of elephant |
| D．an old friend who lived in India |
The elephant expert told Chris __________.
| A．when to buy an elephant |
| B．how to feed an elephant |
| C．where to sell his elephant |
| D．how to ride an elephant |
Chris decided to go to Sonepur because __________.
| A．it is a very interesting place |
| B．he would be able to sell Tara there easily |
| C．elephants cannot be sold anywhere else |
| D．it would take only a short time to get there |
When Chris arrived at the market in Sonepur, __________.
| A．he realized that he did not really want to sell Tara |
| B．he visited some shopkeepers |
| C．he sold Tara to a national park |
| D．he decided to take Tara home with him |
DIY, which means Do It Yourself, is quite popular in UK. Lots of stores and supermarkets sell DIY things. TV programmes show people how to DIY.
English people like DIY. There is a saying in UK----“As Englishman’s home is his castle”. Huge number of people spend their holidays making their homes beautiful “castles”. If there is anything that needs fixing around their homes, such as painting the walls or putting in a new shower, they will do the jobs themselves. They share DIY experience with their friends. More and more people have discovered the joy of DIY. Sometimes people also DIY for saving money. With the economic downturn at present, many people can not afford a big house. They are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money. It is not surprising that DIY is so popular.
DIY can be difficult. There is a huge market for DIY furniture which people need to get together themselves with a few basic tools. However, people often find it not easy to build a piece of furniture because they can’t understand the instructions. Sometimes the instructions are simple and clear, but the furniture itself is difficult to build. One thing is for sure, though most DIY projects are started with the best intentions. Many of them may not get finished. DIY can also be dangerous. For example, anything electrical should be done by a professional worker. Unluckily, many people don’t care about this warning and put themselves in danger. It is reported that in just one year over 230,000 people were hurt while doing DIY in UK, including 41,000 who fell off ladders.
Therefore , DIY can bring us fun and help us save money, but it is not always as easy as it is thought to be if we bite off more than we can chew. Maybe factories should make products that are easier and safer for us to DIY.How do many English people spend their hoildays to the passage?
| A．Making their homes beautiful. |
| B．Visiting their friends. |
| C．Travelling all over the world |
| D．Making a lot of money |
Why do English people like DIY?
| A．Many stores sell DIY things. |
| B．DIY can bring them fun. |
| C．TV programmes teach them to DIY |
| D．All DIY projects are easy. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．DIY is a waste of money. |
| B．it is always difficult to DIY. |
| C．We should be careful while doing DIY. |
| D．It is very safe for us to DIY. |
In the passage, “we bite off more than we can chew” probably means .
| A．We can eat everything we like. |
| B．We should do something difficult. |
| C．We do something that is too difficult. |
| D．We eat too much food that is not safe. |
Jack Johnson is one of the most popular singer-song writers in the world.
Jack was born on May 18. 1975 in Hawaii Being the song of a famous surfer. Jack usually has an interest in surfing.Most of his life lessons were learned in the water.At the age of 17, Jack entered the finals of the Pineline Masters—the worlde’s most famous surfing competition.Everyone thought Jack would become a professional surfer like his father.Unluckily .One month later,he had a deadly accident while surfing and was seriously hurt.
Life is like a reaching door.When it closes, it also opens. Jack started to practise playing the guitar and write songs when he was staying in hospital.At first ,his father thought Jack only did it for fun.but soon he was suiprised at the great progress his song had made.
When studying in the university. Jack didn’t stop practising his guitar skills.He played the guitar for school partses.He wrote songs and sang for his teachers and friends.They liked his songs.His first music albam Brushfire Fairytaies came out in 2001.It was a great success.His second album，On and On ，was much like his first.They were filled with sweet，easy-going songs that everybody liked listening to later. Jack had lots of concerts in and out of America.He became popular all over the world.
Jack had five albums by 2010 and more than 15 million copics of them were sold.His music doesn’t fit into any of the popular music styles like pop,rocks R and B or hip-hop.It is more like folk music, played with a guitar and beautiful voice.When listening to his songs,you feel like lying on the beach enjoying the warm sunfine.
Jack is a talent,though he himself says he is only a surfer who loves music. In his songs we can find his secret of success.Whatever happens in our lives,we have to accept it and do the best we can.At the age of 17, Jack__.
| A．had his first music album |
| B．took part in a surfing compentition |
| C．had his first concert |
| D．became popular all over the world |
Jack started to write songs__.
| A．while he was staying in hospital |
| B．when he had concerts out of America |
| C．after his seccond album came out |
| D．after he played the guitar at the school party |
What is the seccet or Jack’s success?
| A．He was born in Hawaii |
| B．His father was very famous |
| C．He wrote many songs for his teachers and friends |
| D．He always faced difficulties bravely and tried his best. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．A Famous Writer | B．Surfing in the Sea |
| C．A Guitar Player | D．Surfing in the Music |