Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world in his own back yard. He sold the stone to a diamond dealer for over three hundred thousand dollars. In New York, the diamond was resold. This time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars. The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It’s easy to understand why the owner of the Joker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew, Kaplan. The cutter studied the diamond for twelve whole months.
When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw (瑕疵). He had to begin with his calculations (计算) all over again, or he might have made the stone useless. Six more months passed, and Kaplan finally said to the owner, “I m ready to start my work. There will be one excellent diamond that be comparable to any in the world, plus eleven small diamonds of first-class quality.” Kaplan waited a few more days until be felt he was in the best physical and mental (精神的) condition possible. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first blow. The diamond split (切开) exactly as he promised.Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world _______.
| A．in a minute | B．at the foot of a big mountain |
| C．in his own backyard | D．in a garage |
A diamond dealer is a person _______,
| A．in the diamond business | B．who stores diamonds |
| C．who cuts diamonds | D．who sells diamonds |
When the diamond was resold, _______.
| A．the dealer lost a lot of money |
| B．Joker made some more money |
| C．the dealer got 800,000 dollars |
| D．Kaplan got 800,000 dollars |
The owner of the diamond thought that if the diamond was cut successfully it might be worth _______.
| A．$300,000 | B．$500, 000 |
| C．$300, 000,000 | D．$800, 000, 000 |
Kaplan studied the diamond for _______.
| A．one and a half years | B．more than half a year |
| C．over eighteen months | D．more than nineteen months |
People around the world are superstitious about numbers; even those ancient Greeks believed that all numbers and their multiples had some mystical significance.
Those numbers between 1 and 13 were in particular to have a powerful influence over the affairs of men.
For example, it is commonly said that luck, good or bad, comes in threes; if an accident happens, two more of the same kind may be expected soon afterwards.The arrival of a letter will be followed by two others within a certain period.
Another belief involving the number three has it that it is unlucky to light three cigarettes from the one match.If this happens, the bad luck that goes with the deed falls upon the person whose cigarette was the last to be lit.The ill-omen linked to the lighting of three things from one match or candle goes back to at least the 17th century and probably earlier.It was believed that three candles alight at the same time would be sure to bring bad luck; one, two, or four, were permissible, but never just three.
Seven was another significant number, usually regarded as a bringer of good luck.The ancient astrologers believed that the universe was governed by seven planets; students of Shakespeare will recall that the life of man was divided into seven ages.Seven horseshoes nailed to a house will protect it from all evil.
Nine is usually thought of as a lucky number because it is the product of three times three.It was much used by the Anglo Saxons in their charms for healing.
Another belief was that great changes occurred every 7th and 9th of a man's life.Consequently, the age of 63 (the product of nine and seven) was thought to be a very perilous time for him.If he survived his 63rd year he might hope to live to a ripe old age.
Thirteen, as we well know, is regarded with great awe and fear.The common belief is that this derives from the fact that there were 13 people at Christ's Last Supper.This being the eve of his betrayal, it is not difficult to understand the significance given to the number by the early Christians.
In more modern times 13 is an especially unlucky number of a dinner party, for example.Hotels will avoid numbering a floor the 13th; the progression is from 12 to 14, and no room is given the number 13.Many home owners will use 12 1/2 instead of 13 as their house number.
Yet oddly enough, to be born on the 13th of the month is not regarded with any fear at all, which just shows how irrational we are in our superstitious beliefs.What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．If one good thing happens, two bad things will follow it. |
| B．If one bad thing happens, two good things will follow it. |
| C．If one good thing happens, two more good things will follow it. |
| D．Three good things and three bad things always come together. |
According to the passage, which of the following groups of numbers will certainly bring good luck to people?
| A．3 and 7 | B．7 and 9 | C．3 and 9 | D．3 and 13 |
What does the underlined word perilous in paragraphy 7 mean:
| A．dangerous | B．instable | C．unlucky | D．unhealthy |
The ill luck associated with 13 is supposed to have its origin in ________.
| A．legend |
| B．popular belief |
| C．religion |
| D．certain customs |
What is the author's attitude towards people's superstitious beliefs?
| A．His attitude is not clear. |
| B．He is strongly critical. |
| C．He is in favour of them. |
| D．He is mildly critical. |
Christmas is around the corner.If you look for a book as a gift for your child，you will be spoiled for choice even in a year there is no new Harry Potter.J．K Rowling's wizard is not alone．The past decade has been a harvest for good children's books, which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings．
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children．According to statistics in 1997, 23% said they didn't like reading at all．In 2003, 35% didn't．And around 6% of the children leave primary school each year unable to read properly．
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games．Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile．Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class．In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most．
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher．An evaluation this year reported that children on the school made 20 months' progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months' progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age．
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school, they read well, but read text often for fun than those elsewhere．Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success．According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage．Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
| A．Many high-quality childrem’s books have been published. |
| B．Many children’s books have been adapted from films |
| C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films. |
| D．The sales of presents for children have increased. |
Statistics suggested that____________．
| A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers. |
| B．a large percentage of children read regularly |
| C．a minority of primary school children read properly |
| D．a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading. |
What do we know about Reading Recovery?
| A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year. |
| B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking. |
| C．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading. |
| D．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading. |
Why is reading for fun important?
| A．Because book-loving children take greater advantage of the project. |
| B．Because book-loving children show the potential to enjoy a long life. |
| C．Because book-loving children would make excellent future researchers. |
| D．Because book-loving children are likely to succeed in their education. |
The aim of this text would probably be _________．
| A．to overcome primary school pupil reading difficulty |
| B．to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading. |
| C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun. |
| D．to encourage the publication of more children’s books. |
| Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months' preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers. Six months' community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid, HIV / AIDS Fights and Teacher Training. Qualifications: 18 years, hard working and social engagement. Please contact us by e-mail: takeaction@betterworld.com. |
| Part-time work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange student organization.We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families.The Community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money. Applicants best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication and feel comfortable networking.Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the US.Positions available in most states. If interested, please email staff@youth.org or call 888-123-9872. |
| International Summer Job Hi, I'm an ESL student in China.I'm 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English.I'm looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country.I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work and cook Chinese dishes.Can anybody offer me a job? I don't need to earn much, just enough in two months (July-August) to pay for my return ticket to China.My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world. My email is: ram3462@hotmail.com. |
| Call for Native Speaker of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment.This experiment is carried out over the Internet.You don't need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level.The first task will take you around 15 minutes.After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment.The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers. If you are willing to help me, then please email us: club3864@hotmail.com |
Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?
| A．One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English. |
| B．One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases. |
| C．One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries. |
| D．One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program. |
Where will Jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?
| A．In some local offices in the U.S. |
| B．In a preparation program in Denmark. |
| C．In an ESL organization in China. |
| D．In an exchange student enter in Africa. |
If Mrs.Black in the U.S.hopes to learn more Chinese at home, she may contact _____.
| A．takeaction@betterword.com |
| B．staff@youth.org |
| C．club3864@hotmail.com |
| D．ram3462@hotmail.com |
What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?
| A．To provide language exercises. |
| B．To do some housework. |
| C．To offer advice on Child Aid. |
| D．To interview people online. |
In which section of the newspaper can you find these?
| A．News | B．Classified ads. | C．Culture | D．Business |
Some people remember the things by writing notes to themselves. Then they leave the notes in obvious (明显的) places, such as on the table, on the floor or in the middle of the living room. I don’t think I like to write notes to myself, Most of the time I lose them or forget to look at them until it’s too late. I would rather use an alarm clock to tell me what I should do. I have ten alarm clocks in my house. They could tell me about things. For example, if I have to make a telephone call or a certain time. I' ll set an alarm clock to go off a few minutes early and put the clock by the telephone. Or if I want to watch a certain television program, I' ll set an alarm clock at the right time and put the clock on top of the TV set, I can remember almost anything if I use my clocks. However, sometimes an alarm clock goes off and I don’t know what it means. I always remember setting it, but not why I set it. If the clock is by the telephone, I know I may have set it to tell me to call someone, but I can’t be sure. I might have set it to tell myself that somebody was to call me at a certain time.
根据短文内容，判断下列各句正误。正确的在题前括号内写“T¨，错误的写“F”。Some people like to write notes to themselves so that they can remember what to do at a certain time.
The writer doesn’t like to write notes to himself.
The writer often uses a computer to help him remember things.
Sometimes an alarm clock can do the housework for the writer.
The writer prefers remembering the things by writing notes to using alarm clocks.
Two men were sitting together in a plane. They were on a long journey. One of the men was a businessman. The other was a farmer. They sat without talking for a while, then the farmer said, “Let’s do something to pass the time.”
“What do you want to do?” the businessman asked. “We can ask each other riddles.” The farmer said, “You start.” “Let’s make the rules first,” the businessman said. “That’s not fair. You are a businessman with much knowledge. You know more things than I do. I am just a farmer.”
“That’s true.” The businessman said. “What do you want we should do?” “If you don’t know the answer to a riddle, you pay me $100. And if I don’t know the answer, I’ll pay you $50.” The farmer said. The businessman thought about this, then he said, “OK. That’s fair. Who will go first?”
“I will,” The farmer said. “Here is my riddle. What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies?” The business man repeated the riddle, “What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies? Mm, that’s a good one. I’m afraid I don’t know the answer.” He gave the farmer $100, then said, “Tell me the answer. What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies?” “I don’t know.” The farmer said and gave him $50.The story happened ____________.
| A．on a farm | B．in a shop |
| C．before a long plane journey | D．between two passengers |
What does the word “riddle” mean in this story?
| A．A difficult question to find the answer to. |
| B．Something to help to make rules. |
| C．Something to win money. |
| D．a kind of game in doing business. |
Why did the businessman agree to give more money if he lost?
| A．He made much more money than the farmer. |
| B．He thought he knew more than the farmer. |
| C．He was interested in making riddles. |
| D．He was better at playing riddle games. |
The farmer _________.
| A．enjoyed himself on his long journey. |
| B．didn’t want to pay even one dollar |
| C．spent all his money on the plane ticket. |
| D．won fifty dollars by playing the riddle game |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The two men made rules for their riddle. |
| B．The farmer was much cleverer than the businessman. |
| C．The two men made their riddle game more interesting by paying it for money. |
| D．The businessman knew the answer to his riddle. |