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When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices(装置)tell the time----which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
This is ridiculous(荒唐的). Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all the other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions----but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are now classified as “investments”(投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly $350,000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from $15,000 to $30,000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It’s a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up----they’ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that $350,000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex.
The sales of watches to young people have fallen because they_______.

A.have other devices to tell the time
B.think watches too expensive
C.prefer to wear an iPod
D.have no sense of time

It seems ridiculous to the writer that _______.

A.people dive 300 metres into the sea
B.expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones
C.cheap cars don’t run as fast as expensive ones
D.expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell

What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?

A.It targets rich people as its potential customers.
B.It’s hard for the industry to beat its competitors.
C.It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising.
D.It’s easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches.

Which would be the best title for the passage?

A.Timex or Rolex?
B.My Childhood Timex
C.Watches? Not for Me!
D.Watches----a Valuable Collection
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
知识点: 日常生活类阅读
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Now I’d like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two or three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays(文章). You’ll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive (全面的), which means you’ll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project (项目) will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I’ll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I’ll see you on Tuesday.
When will the final exam take place?

A.On Tuesday B.On a Wednesday
C.On a Thursday D.On a Friday

What will be included in the exam?

A.There will be only multiple-choice questions.
B.The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions.
C.The exam will have an oral and a written section.
D.There will be only essay questions.

Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive?

A.It will be easy to understand.
B.Students will be tested on all the material discussed in class.
C.It will cover topics from a wide variety of subjects.
D.Students must complete all parts of it.

The underlined phrase run into probably means .

A.go into
B.meet somebody unexpectedly
C.come up against something with force
D.come across

When was this talk most likely given?

A.During the first week of class
B.During midterm week
C.On the last day of class
D.On the last day of exam week

Sam lives in New York. His father has a shop and his mother is a doctor. He's seven years old now and has begun to go to school this autumn. It's a little far from their shop and his father drives a car to take him to school every day. So he's never late for class and his teachers like him.
It's Monday today. Miss Hunt is teaching them to count the numbers from one to ten. Sam is studying hard. Soon he can count them. Miss Hunt is happy and asks, "How many people are there in your family, Sam?"
Sam stood up and said, "Two, Miss Hunt."
"Who are they?"
"My father and mother."
"Oh? "Miss Hunt is surprised. She said, "There're three people in your family."
"But now I'm not at home. I'm at school, you know!"
Sam is ________.

A.an English boy B.an American boy
C.an English girl D.an American girl

Sam is in Grade _______ now.

A.One B.Two C.Three D.four

Sam usually goes to school ________.

A.on foot B.by bike C.by car D.by bus

______, so Miss Hunt is happy today.

A.Sam is late for class
B.Sam studies Chinese
C.The children are good at English
D.Sam can count from one to ten

Which of the following is wrong?

A.Sam is at school now.
B.There 're two people in Sam's family.
C.There 're three people in Sam's family.
D.Miss Hunt doesn't know how many people there are in Sam's family

One day an ant was drinking at a small stream and fell in. She made desperate(adj.拼死的) efforts to reach the side, but made no progress at all. The poor ant almost exhausted(adj.精疲力竭的) was still bravely doing her best when a dove saw her. Moved with pity, the bird threw her a blade of grass, which supported her like a raft, and thus the ant reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass, she heard a man come near. He was walking along barefooted with a gun in his hand. As soon as he saw the dove, he wished to kill it. He would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just as he raised his gun to fire. He stopped to see what had bit him, and the dove immediately flew away. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life.
The ant could not reach the side though _______.

A.she cried for help B.she asked the dove to save her
C.she tried very hard D.she could smell well

The dove saved the ant because _______.

A.she was the ant's friend
B.she took pity on the poor ant
C.the ant was almost exhausted
D.the ant had been struggled in the water for a long time

The ant succeeded in getting on the bank with the help of _______.

A.a leaf B.a piece of wood
C.a blade of grass D.a raft

Just as the man shot at the dove, _______.

A.the dove immediately flew away
B.the dove hid himself in the grass
C.the ant told the dove to leave at once
D.he felt something biting him in the foot

In writing the story, the writer wants to show _______.

A.how clever the ant was
B.how kind the dove was
C.how the ant and the dove helped each other
D.we often need help from others, therefore we should help others as much as we can

Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet(子弹) — and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?

A.He faced huge risks.
B.He lacked mighty forces.
C.Fear prevented him from trying.
D.Failure blocked his way to success.

What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?

A.Swallow more than you can digest.
B.Act slightly above your abilities.
C.Develop more mysterious powers.
D.Learn to make creative decisions.

What was especially important for Tim’s successful defense in the football game?

A.His physical strength.
B.His basic skill.
C.His real fear.
D.His spiritual force.

What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A.To encourage people to be courageous.
B.To advise people to build up physical power.
C.To tell people the ways to guarantee success.
D.To recommend people to develop more abilities.

Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also have a specific meaning, and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat—and when and how we eat them—are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural (农村的) and urban areas within one country.
Sharing bread, whether during a special occasion (时刻) or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness. Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition hits its roots in the custom of sharing bread.
Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations. In the southern United States, pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity (兴旺) in the New Year. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake, which signifies (预示) success in the New Year for the person who receives it.
Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child, and food can play a significant role. In China, when a baby is one month old, families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving red-colored eggs to guests. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity.
Nutrition is necessary for life, so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world.
According to the passage, sharing bread______.

A.indicates a lack of food
B.can help to develop unity
C.is a custom unique to rural areas
D.has its roots in birthday celebrations

What does the coin in vasilopita signify for its receiver in the New Year?

A.Trust. B.Success.
C.Health. D.Togetherness.

The author explains the role of food in celebrations by______.

A.using examples B.making comparisons
C.analyzing causes D.describing processes

What is the passage mainly about?

A.The custom of sharing food.
B.The specific meaning of food.
C.The role of food in ceremonies.
D.The importance of food in culture.

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