Scrooge looked around him angrily. It was Christmas and his only friend Jacob Marley, had been dead for seven years. What was there for him to celebrate? He listened with growing anger to the people calling out greetings in the street and growled at his nephew Bob Cratchit, who was just ready to go home. “Merry Christmas, uncle,” called Bob as he hurried out of the door.
Scrooge sighed. He might just as well go to bed. Aware that he should not waste his candle, he quickly undressed and climbed into bed. But no sooner had he done so than the ghost of Marley, covered in chains, appeared. “What’s the matter, Jacob?” he asked. “There are the chains I made in my life,” answered the ghost. “I’m forced to wander around with no rest and no peace. I have come here to warn you that if you do not change, this too will be your fate. You will be visited by three spirits. Expect the first one tomorrow when the clock strikes one. Expect the second and the third on the following nights at the same hour.” With that Marley vanished. “Nonsense!” he said and going back to bed, fell fast asleep.
When Scrooge awoke it was dark. The clock struck one. At the sound, light flashed into the room and there stood a young boy. “Who are you?” asked Scrooge in an unsteady voice. “I’m the spirit of Christmas past,” replied the spirit. “Come with me.” “Do you remember this?” he asked. Scrooge did. He heard the happy cries of people, and looking around he found himself, as he used to be, sitting on a chair and reading. It was a Christmas. Suddenly Scrooge watched his younger self joined in a band, dancing and laughing. “Strange,” said the spirit, “that such little things should make people so happy.” The ghost let him go and Scrooge sank down into a deep sleep.
When he awoke again the second night, the clock sounded one again. Before he doubted the second spirit already turned up. The fat and jolly spirit was smiling,“I’m the spirit of Christmas present.”Again Scrooge grasped the spirit’s hand and was transported to a small house filled with a number of children and their mother. “Why, it’s my nephew Bob’s house,” cried Scrooge in astonishment. His surprise increased when the door opened and in came Bob carrying a small, sick boy, Tiny Tim. “Sit down,” cried Bob to his family. “Let’s have the best Christmas dinner!” They all began to eat eagerly. Scrooge watched at the happiness and contentment of his poor nephew’s family. “A Merry Christmas to us all!” cried Bob. “God bless us everyone!” added Tiny Tim, who sat very close to his father and Bob held his thin hand tightly. “No, not for the uncle, but for you and the children. Nobody knows better than you how mean that man is.” exclaimed Bob’s wife. “Spirit,” cried Scrooge. “Will Tiny Tim live?” “If the future remains the same,” said the spirit, “there will be an empty chair next year.” Again the spirit moved Scrooge away, and he fell asleep as he fell back into his bed.
The third night he woke and waited for the hour and the third spirit. This time the spirit didn’t come in a flash of light but arrived quietly wearing a black cloth that covered its face and form. “I’m the spirit of Christmas that is to come.” The spirit pointed and led him to a large stone. It was at the foot of a grave(坟墓) that was clearly neglected. Scrooge looked closer with trembling fingers and with horror read his own name on the stone. “Oh, spirit, no, no!” The spirit’s finger remained steady pointing at the grave. “I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year,” cried Scrooge in terror. He reached out to hold the spirit’s hand, but it slipped away. Scrooge looked around him. he saw he was in his own bed with his own thing around him.
“I have learned from the past, present and the future,” he rushed to the window and shouted to the boys below: “What day is it today?” “Why, it’s Christmas Day,” they replied in amazement. “Wonderful,” cried Scrooge. He rushed to his office to wait for Bob. When he entered, Scrooge pretended to look angry. “Do you know what day it is, my boy?” he asked Bob. “I’m not going to stand for this any longer,” he continued, “and so I’m going to raise your salary.” Bob looked amazed. “A Merry Christmas, Bob,” cried Scrooge slapping him on the back. “I want to help you and your family. Let’s talk about it this very afternoon.”What do the underlined words “growled at” mean in the first paragraph?
| A．said happily to | B．said calmly to |
| C．said slowly to | D．said angrily to |
From the second paragraph, we can learn that ________.
| A．Scrooge was even mean to himself |
| B．Scrooge believed what his friend told him |
| C．Marley lived with chains before his death |
| D．Marley came to say “Merry Christmas” to Scrooge |
When did Scrooge meet three spirits?
| A．At Christmas Eve. |
| B．On the 3 different nights before Christmas. |
| C．On Christmas Day. |
| D．On the 3 different days before Christmas. |
Which is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Scrooge died the next year. |
| B．Bob’s son, Tiny Tim, died the next year. |
| C．There is more than one child in Bob’s family. |
| D．The third spirit showed Scrooge his well-cared-for grave. |
What do you think Scrooge would be in the following years?
| A．Kind and poor. | B．Kind and generous. |
| C．Happy and mean. | D．Miserable and mean. |
Which of the following saying best describes the passage?
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| D．It will pay to be kind to others. |
A study of English learning problems was carried out among a total of 106 foreign students. It shows that most students considered understanding spoken English to be their biggest problem on arrival. This was followed by speaking. Writing increased as a problem as students discovered difficultties in writing papers that they were now expected to hand in. Reading remained as a significant (显著的) problem.
Information gained helped us in determining where special attention should be paid in our course. Although many students have chosen to join the course with a reasonable motivation (动机), we considered it important to note what seemed to encourage interest. Nearly all the students have experienced some kind of grammar-based English teaching in their own country. To use the same method would be self-defeating because it might reduce motivation, especially if it has failed in the past. Therefore a different method may help because it is different.
Variety of activity was also seen as a way of maintaining (保持) or increasing motivation. Several years ago we had one timetable that operated throughout, but we soon found that both the students and the teachers lost interest by about halfway through the ten weeks. This led us to a major re-think, so finally we brought it into line with the expressed language needs of the students. What is the text mainly about?
| A．Foreign students have more problems. |
| B．There are many ways to improve English. |
| C．Teaching should meet students' needs. |
| D．English learning problems should be studied again. |
Writing became a bigger problem when foreign students _____.
| A．had to write their papers |
| B．became better at speaking |
| C．became less interested in reading |
| D．had fewer problems with listening |
We may infer from the last two paragraphs that _____.
| A．different teaching methods should be used |
| B．grammar-based teaching seems to be encouraging |
| C．English courses are necessary for foreign students |
| D．teaching content should be changed halfway |
Ten years ago I went into the studio and recorded a 56-minute video for teenagers called “Three keys to greatness.” Although my focus was for teenagers, the principles I shared certainly apply to adults as well. Recently I was asked to list these three things. Now for your benefit here they are again.
Firstly, set goals. I call it the view of the future. Most people, including kids, will pay the price if they can see the promise of the future. So we need to help our kids see a clear future, and they will be ready to pay the price today to attain the rewards of tomorrow. Goals help them do this.
Secondly, pay attention to personal development. Simply making consistent investments in our education and knowledge we will benefit throughout our lives. I suggest having an amount of time set aside for reading books, listening to recording, attending discussion, keeping a journal and spending time with other successful people. Mr Jones recommends reading a lot as a good method of improving yourself. The simple fact is that you need to change your outlook on life and on yourself, as it will have a positive influence on your personality and outlook. You should learn something new about your profession every single day until you’re an expert in the field.
Thirdly, make a financial plan. I call it the 70/30 plan. After receiving your salary, simply setting aside 10% for saving, 10% for investing and 10% for giving, the rest for your life. And over time when you have your own family this will guarantee financial independence for you.
If people focus on doing these three simple things over a long period of time, I believe they will be surely successful! The advantage of setting goals is that ___.
| A．you’ll know the future of the world |
| B．you’ll know what kind of person you will become |
| C．you’ll be willing to work hard for your future |
| D．you’ll be satisfied with what you have achieved |
The author lays the most stress on ___.
| A．gaining knowledge |
| B．making good friends |
| C．attending discussions |
| D．listening to recordings |
According to the passage, one picture of reading a lot is to ___.
| A．lead a better life |
| B．have a good personality and outlook |
| C．change your position |
| D．become an expert in many fields |
Whom does the author mainly advise to make a financial plan?
| A．All kinds of people |
| B．The young people |
| C．The middle-aged people |
| D．The rich people |
The Queen’s English is now sounding less upper-class, a scientific study of the Queen’s Christmas broadcasts has found. Researchers have studied each of her messages to the Commonwealth countries since 1952 to find out the change in her pronunciation from the noble Upper Received to the Standard Received.
Jonathan Harrington, a professor at Germany’s University of Munich, wanted to discover whether accent changes recorded over the past half century would take place within one person. “As far as I know, there just is nobody else for whom there is this sort of broadcast records,” he said.
He said the noble way of pronouncing vowels (元音) had gradually lost ground as the noble upper-class accent over the past years. “Her accent sounds slightly less noble than it did 50 years ago. But these are very, very small and slow changes that we don’t notice from year to year.”
“We may be able to relate it to changes in the social classes,” he told The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper. “In 1952 she would have been heard saying ‘thet men in the bleck het’. Now it would be ‘that man in the black hat’. Similarly, she would have spoken of ‘the citay’ and ‘dutay’, rather than ‘citee’ and ‘dutee’, and ‘hame’ rather than ‘home’. In the 1950s she would have been ‘lorst’, but by the 1970s ‘lost’.”
The Queen’s broadcast is a personal message to the Commonwealth countries. Each Christmas, the 10-minute broadcast is put on TV at 3 p.m. in Britain as many families are recovering from their traditional turkey lunch.
The results were published in the Journal of Phonetics.What is the text mainly about?
| A．The relationship between accents and social classes. |
| B．The Queen’s Christmas speeches on TV. |
| C．The changes in a person’s accent. |
| D．The recent development of the English language. |
The Queen’s broadcasts were chosen for the study mainly because ___.
| A．she has been Queen for many years |
| B．she has a less upper-class accent now |
| C．her speeches are familiar to many people |
| D．her speeches have been recorded for 50 years |
We may infer from the text that the Journal of Phonetics is a magazine on ___.
| A．speech sounds | B．Christmas customs |
| C．TV broadcasting | D．personal messages |
Which of the following is an example of a less noble accent in English?
| A．“dutay” | B．“citee” | C．“hame” | D．“lorst” |
Most likely, you aren’t the family breadwinner. But doing a small job or getting a weekly allowance would put some money in your pocket. For kids and grown-ups alike money is easy to spend. If you aren’t careful, it can be gone in no time.
Being responsible with your money is an important skill to learn and the sooner you start the better. Whether you are tracking your spending or saving for something special, creating a budget can help you deal with expenses and plan for the future. All you need are paper and a pencil and some self-control.
First, take a look at our sample monthly budget. Then, use a separate sheet of paper to plan your own. In the first two columns, list your sources of income and how much you expect to earn from them. In the third and fourth columns, list what you expect to spend your money on and the amount.
Sample Monthly Budget
| Monthly income |
Amount |
Monthly Expenses |
Amount |
| Allowance |
$ 20.00 |
Snacks |
$ 26.00 |
| Money earned selling drinks |
$ 25.00 |
Music downloads |
$ 12.00 |
| Money earned babysitting |
$ 12.50 |
Movies |
$ 18.00 |
| Money earned delivering newspapers |
$ 30.00 |
Video Rentals |
$ 10.00 |
| Total: |
$ 87.50 |
Total： |
$ 66.00 |
The left-hand total should be more than or equal to the right-hand total. If it is, you have an effective budget.
Budgets are not complex, but sticking to them can be tough. When planning your budget, be realistic about your expenses. If you know that you drop $18 at a movie, don’t write $12 in that space simply because you wish you were spending less.
If you are eyeing a big purchase, such as a $150 skateboard, spend less and save more until you have the total amount. No matter how attractive it may be, avoid spending your savings. One day, you will thank yourself!The purpose of making a budget is to help people ___.
| A．learn to be realistic |
| B．manage their money well |
| C．increase their savings |
| D．test their power of self-control |
What should people do when planning a budget?
| A．Fill in the expenses as they really are. |
| B．Avoid spending money on expensive things. |
| C．Set aside a fixed amount of money as savings. |
| D．List income and expenses on two pieces of paper. |
Who is the passage written for?
| A．Bank manager | B．Parents |
| C．Breadwinners | D．Children |
Far from the land of Antarctica, a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88°C and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05°C. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules (分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein, or AFGP.Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88°C.
B. It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture
C. A special protein keeps it from freezing.
D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05°C.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．A type of ice-salt mixture. |
| B．A newly found protein. |
| C．Fish blood. |
| D．Sugar molecule. |
What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．sugar | B．ice | C．blood | D．molecule |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Discovery of the AFGP. |
| B．A special fish living in Antarctica. |
| C．The ice shelf around Antarctica. |
| D．Protection of the Antarctic cod. |