Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York，So I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing （揭露） the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A．Their flight had been delayed. |
| B．Their flight had been cancelled. |
| C．They had early bookings |
| D．They took a later flight |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| B．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| C．She is very strict with her children |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A．She's a teacher. | B．She's a media person |
| C．She's a housewife. | D．She's a businesswoman. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to expose bad tricks. | B．How to reserve airline seats. |
| C．How to make a business deal. | D．How to spend money wisely |
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression . The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marian Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesti ng school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression -- eating or mood changes -- and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity (成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
| A．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness. |
| B．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
| C．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
| D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The older a woman is，the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance. |
| B．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly. |
| C．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents. |
| D．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression. |
What’s the author’s attitude towa rds puppy love?
| A．Confused. | B．Disinterested. |
| C．Scared. | D．Disapproving. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Puppy love may bring young people depression. |
| B．Parents should forbid their children’s love. |
| C．Romance is a two edged sword for adults. |
| D．Romance is good for young people. |
Betty Friedan, born in 1921 in Peoria, Illinois, attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She finished her studies in psychology in 1942. After college she attended the University of California at Berkeley to continue her studies. Later, she moved to New York City and worked as a reporter and editor for labor union newspapers.
In 1947, Betty married Carl Friedan. They had a child, the first of three. When Betty Friedan became pregnant for the second time, she was dismissed from her job at the newspaper. After that she worked as an independent reporter for magazines. But her editors often rejected her attempts to write about subjects outside the traditional interests of w omen.
In 1966, Betty Friedan helped found NOW, the National Organization for Women. She served as its first president. She led campaigns to end unfair treatment of women seeking jobs. She wanted women to take part in social and political change. Betty Friedan led a huge demonstration(游行) in New York City for women’s rights. Demonstrations were also held in other cities.
In 1981, Betty Friedan wrote a book called “The Second Stage” about the condition of the women’s movement. Friedan wrote that the time for huge demonstrations and other such events had passed. She urged the movement to try to increase its influence on American political life. Some younger members of the movement criticized her as too conservative.
Betty Friedan died on February 4, 2006. She was considered the mother of modern women’s liberation movement. Betty Friedan once told a television reporter how she wanted to be remembered: “She helps make women feel better about being women.”According to Paragraph 2, Betty lost her job because .
| A．she was pregnant | B．she got married |
| C．her editors didn’t like her | D．she was too independent |
Betty led a huge demonstration to .
| A．fight against the government |
| B．fight for women’s rights |
| C．take part in political life |
| D．get support from the government |
The book“The Second Stage” .
| A．was popular among young women readers |
| B．thought highly of those huge demonstrations |
| C．was about the condition of the women’s movement then |
| D．decreased the movement’s influence on American political life |
Fr om the last paragraph, we know that .
| A．Betty help ed women live better |
| B．Betty wanted to be remembered forever |
| C．Betty thought it better to be a woman |
| D．the television reporter knew Betty well |
When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write my own books. Half the students sneered（冷笑）, the 36 nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be silly, only 37 can become writers, ” the English teacher said, “And you are getting a D this term. ” I was so 38 that I burst into tears.
That night I wrote a short 39 poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the newspaper. To my 40 , they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and 41 writer. I showed my teacher and fellow students. They 42 . “Just plain dumb luck. ” the teacher said. I tasted 43 and I’d sold the first thing I’d ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was 44 with me.
During the next two years I sold dozens of 45 , letters, jokes and recipes. By the time I 46 from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks（剪贴簿） filled with my published works. I 47 mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again. They were dream killers and 48 people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their 49 .
I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four. I wrote what I felt. It 50 nine months, just like a pregnant woman. I mailed it without a self addressed stamped 51 and without making a copy of the manu script.
A month later I received a（n） 52 , and a request to start working on another book. The worst year I earned two dollars. In my best year I earned 36, 000 dollars. 53 years I earned between five thousand and ten thousand. No, it isn’t enough to live 54 , but it’s still more than I’d make working part time. People ask what college I 55 , what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is： “None. ” I just write. I’m not a genius.
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Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest hunger rate. But according to a new report, African farmers also have ideas that could help the world fight hunger and poverty. Danielle Nierenberg from the Worldwatch Institute in Washington spent a year visiting twenty-five countries south of the Sahara. In Nairobi, Kenya, for example, Ms Nierenberg found women farmers growing vegetables just outside their doorsteps in the Kibera settlement. She says they are finding ways to make their lives better. The women feed their families and sell their surplus. They use the money to send their children to school.
Last year, about 925,000,000 people worldwide did not get enough to eat. Half of all people in the world now live in and around cities. Researchers like Ms Nierenberg are looking increasingly at creative ideas to feed those who don’t have enough good food to eat. She says there are a lot of lessons that people in the Western world can learn from Africa. And what they are doing can certainly be done in other developing countries.
Farmers in the developing world lose between twenty and forty percent of their harvest before it ever reaches market. There are many reasons why food gets wasted. Farmers are without electricity and cold storage. They lack good seeds and fertilizer. They lack good roads. Conditions like these keep small farmers in poverty. Ms Nierenberg says more attention needs to be paid to protecting harvests. She says, “Given all that we invest in producing food in the first place, we need to devote the same amount of attention to making sure that it is not wasted.”
In Nigeria, village processing centers are helping farmers reduce their losses and earn more money. They centers process cassava, a root vegetable, into basic food products. In Uganda, the Worldwatch report says some schools are teaching children how to grow local kinds of crops. And in South Africa and Kenya the report praises the breeding(培育) of local kinds of livestock. These animals may produce less milk or meat than other breeds, but they can survive heat and drought conditions.We could learn from the new report in Para.1 that .
| A．sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest hunger rate |
| B．African farmers have ideas to help fighting hunger and poverty |
| C．women farmers grow vegetables in the Kibera settlement |
| D．women farmers grow vegetables to send their children to school. |
The underlined word “surplus” in Para.1 is closest in meaning to .
| A．private vegetables | B．side products |
| C．leftover vegetables | D．home-made products |
Ms Nierenberg suggests that .
| A．the women spend more money on education instead of farming |
| B．more and more African people should live in and around cities |
| C．researchers find creative ideas to feed the people suffering hunger |
| D．people in the Western world do the same as the Africans have done |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Farmers in developing world often lose some of their harvest |
| B．Small farmers in developing countries often suffer poverty. |
| C．Farmers should pay more attention to protecting their harvest |
| D．Attention should be paid to saving food instead of producing food |
The best title of this passage should be .
| A．A New Report About African Farmers Fighting Hunger |
| B．Creative Ideas to Feed Those Who Have No Enough Food |
| C．Looking to Africa for Ideas About How to Fight Hunger |
| D．Animals That Can Survive Heat and Drought Conditions |
I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier.
There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he's an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, "How's it going?" But he did something different--he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd. I has grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don't give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, "I just found out I have six months to live," and someone would reply, "Have a great day!"
But that wasn't the end.
He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. "I sure want to thank you for shopping here today," he told them. "You have a great day. Bye-bye."
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins. All had been touched by his simple gesture--and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.
Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name--Marty.
Who was that guy? It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy's body.
I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that.What was most customers' reaction to Marty's behavior?
| A．They thought it priceless. |
| B．They thought it awful and odd. |
| C．They felt somewhat offended. |
| D．They were in some way moved. |
The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because______
| A．the cashier did more than scanning the items |
| B．the cashier couldn't work as fast as others |
| C．there were some big purchases |
| D．the writer was not patient enough |
What can we infer about Sam Walton?
| A．He might be Marty's father or grandfather. |
| B．He might have died while working in the market. |
| C．He might be friendly and devoted to Wal-Mart. |
| D．He might have come back from the dead once before. |
According to the writer, when common people ask you "How's it going?"
| A．they are just practicing their conversation ability |
| B．they are inquiring about your private information |
| C．they don't expect to hear any negative answers |
| D．they don't really care what you may answer |
What does the writer intend to express through the text?
| A．Our everyday life is always full of surprises. |
| B．Being different is a good way of doing business. |
| C．A little positive action can make a big difference. |
| D．Most customers enjoy being treated this way. |