You cannot find a better way to enjoy Scottish traditions than going fishing and tasting a little bit of whisky(威士忌)at a quiet place like the Inverlochy Castle. When Queen Victoria visited the castle in 1873, she wrote in her diary, “I never saw a lovelier spot ,” And she didn’t even go fishing.
Scotland is not easily defined. In certain moments, this quiet land of lakes and grasses and mountains changes before your very eyes. When evening gently sweeps the hillside into orange light ,the rivers, teeming with fish, can turn into streams of gold . As you settle down with just a fishing pole and a basket on the bank of River Orchy, near the Inverlochy castle , any frustration will float away as gently as the circling water. It’s just you and purple , pink ,white flowers, seeking a perfect harmony . If you are a new comer to fishing, learning the basics from a fishing guide may leave you with a lifetime’s fun. For many, fishing is more than a sport, it is an art.
Scotland offers interesting place where you can rest after a long day’s fishing. Set against a wild mountain and hidden behind woodland , the beautiful Inverlochy Castle Hotel below the Nevis is a perfect place to see the beauty of Scotland’s mountains . Ben Nevis is the highest of all British mountains , and reaching its 1342-metre top is a challenge . But it’s not just what goes up that matters; what comes down is unique . More than 900 metres high, on the mountain’s north face, lies an all-important source of pure water. Its name comes form the Gaelic (盖尔特) language “usqueb” or “water of life”, and it is the single most important ingredient(原料) in Scotland’s best-known drink: whisky.Queen Victoria’s story wants to tell us that _____.
A.the Queen is rich in tour experience |
B.tasting whisky is better than going fishing |
C.the Castle is a good place to go in Scotland |
D.1873 is a special year for the Queen |
How is Paragraph 2 mainly written?
A.By making comparisons. |
B.By following time order. |
C.By analyzing causes. |
D.By giving descriptions. |
What makes Ben Nevis special ?
A.The water from the mountain. |
B.The beauty of its surroundings. |
C.The Inverlochy Castle Hotel. |
D.The challenge up to its top. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To introduce Scottish traditions to tourists. |
B.To show the attractions of Scotland to readers. |
C.To explore geographical characteristics of Scotland. |
D.To describe the pleasures of life in Scotland. |
Amanda Clement grew up in Hudson,South Dakota.Baseball was always her favorite sport.Once in a while her brother Hank and his friends would let her play first base in their games.More often,however,they asked her to umpire(裁判) for them,because they knew her calls would be fair and there would be no arguing.
One day in 1904,Amanda and her mother traveled to Hawarden,Iowa,to watch Hank play for the home team against Hawarden.When they arrived at the ball field,two local teams were waiting to play a preliminary(预备) game.The umpire hadn’t arrived,so Hank argued that the teams should let his sister serve as umpire.The players finally agreed.
Amanda,then sixteen and standing five feet,ten inches tall,made perfect calls.She was so good that players for the main game asked her 10 umpire for them and even offered to pay her.Thus,at sixteen,Amanda Clement became the first paid female baseball umpire on record.She is honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown,New York.Hank and his friends often asked Amanda to umpire for them because
A.they wanted to make her happy |
B.she called them brothers |
C.no one else wanted to do it for them |
D.she knew the rules well and was fair |
Amanda went to Hawarden in order to
A.serve as umpire |
B.make money |
C.watch her brother play |
D.help the local teams |
Amanda most probably learned how to umpire a baseball game
A.in her P.E.classes at school | B.in an umpire training school |
C.by watching and playing the games | D.from her mother,a baseball umpire |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A.Amanda Clement.First Female Umpire |
B.A Family of Baseball Fans |
C.Baseball Games in Hawarden,Iowa |
D.The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown |
We have all experienced days when everything goes wrong. A day may begin well enough, but suddenly everything seems to get out of control. Sometimes a single unimportant event may cause a number of things to happen. Let us suppose that you are preparing a meal and keeping an eye on the baby at the same time. The telephone rings and this causes your troubles to begin. While you are on the phone, the baby pulls the tablecloth off the table, destroying your half-prepared meal. You hang up hurriedly and attend to your baby. Meanwhile, the meal gets burnt. As if this is not enough to bring you to tears, your husband arrives home, unexpectedly bringing three guests to dinner.
Things can also go wrong on the road. During rush hour one evening two cars collided and the drivers began to argue. The woman driver behind the two cars happened to be a learner. She got into a panic and stopped her car. This forced the driver following her to stop suddenly. This driver’s wife was sitting beside him holding a large cake, and as she was thrown forward, the cake went right through the window and landed on the road. A truck driver seeing a cake flying through the air slammed on the brakes. The truck was carrying empty beer bottles and hundreds of them slid off the back of the truck onto the road, causing a terrible traffic jam. It took the police an hour to get the traffic on the move again. In the meantime, the truck driver had to sweep up hundreds of broken bottles. Only two dogs were enjoying themselves, for they were happily having what was left of the cake.If you want to answer the phone without any trouble, you’d better ___________ .
A.pull out the telephone line when you are with your baby |
B.put your baby on the bed and keep an eye on him / her |
C.not hurry to answer the phone |
D.make sure your baby is not near the table |
Who is responsible for the accidents that happened on the road?
A.The two drivers who were arguing. |
B.It wasn’t mentioned in the passage. |
C.The woman driver. |
D.The truck driver. |
From this story we learn that ________.
A.there are many road accidents every day |
B.the accidents mentioned in the passage are very strange |
C.no one knows why this kind of accident happens |
D.the accidents mentioned in the passage are very common |
The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is to ___________.
A.remind us not to answer the phone when we are busy |
B.tell us driving is dangerous every day |
C.remind us not to be nervous when we meet an accident |
D.remind us not to carry a cake when we are sitting in a car |
The main idea of this passage is that ________.
A.troubles always come in groups |
B.accidents may happen anywhere at anytime |
C.a telephone call may cause great trouble |
D.anyone may have trouble on their way home |
Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?
Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.
Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision-making, but in fact they are a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional centre is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasia, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasia thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choice, which we use to help the present decision-making.
However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems that anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.
All emotions affect our thinking and motivation,so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there is one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.What does the underlined word “central” mean?
A.in the middle | B.easy to reach | C.important | D.having power |
Damasia’s study suggests that ________.
A.emotions are the enemy of decision-making. |
B.our brain has nothing to do with decision-making. |
C.people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds. |
D.our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions. |
According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?
A.To think about happy times. | B.To make many decisions at a time. |
C.To stop feeling regretful about the past. | D.To learn about the process of decision-making. |
Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?
A.They often forget their past choices. | B.They make decisions without much thinking. |
C.They tend to save time when shopping. | D.They are too angry to bargain. |
What do we learn from the text?
A.Emotions are a part of decision-making. |
B.Sad people always make worse choices. |
C.No emotion seems to help us make good choices. |
D.Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation. |
From their beginnings New England towns had a special democratic system of government. At a stated time all the citizens would assemble at a town meeting, where they would discuss local problems and express opinions freely. They also elected the town’s officials at these gatherings and made decisions about the taxes they would pay and about other community matters. These meetings were usually held at the town hall, which was located in the central square.
In the eighteenth-century town meetings, only men who owned property and who were church members actually voted, although everyone present was allowed to express their opinions. Later, all citizens were allowed to vote. Thus the town meeting became truly democratic. Town meetings are still common in New England communities.
In recent years the town meeting idea has been widely imitated. There are open sessions of this kind on radio and television. Occasionally a meeting of this type is called by a government agency in order to give an opportunity for free and open discussion on current problems and policies.At a town meeting, people do the following things EXCEPT __________.
A.express their opinions about the government |
B.elect officials of the towns |
C.make a decision about whom they should marry |
D.discuss some community matters |
In the 18th century, who had the right to vote?
A.All the citizens. |
B.All the men except those who were church members. |
C.The rich. |
D.The rich men and the church members. |
Why has the town meeting been widely imitated?
A.Because many people are interested in it. |
B.Because it is very democratic. |
C.Because many people enjoy themselves at town meetings. |
D.Because sometimes government agencies call them. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Citizens can elect the officials in the town meeting. |
B.In recent years, town meetings are often called by a government agency. |
C.People can say what they want to say at the town meeting. |
D.Nowadays this kind of meeting is also held on radio and television. |
This passage mainly talks about _______.
A.the New England town meeting | B.modern town meetings |
C.a democratic meeting | D.New England towns |
We have all experienced days when everything goes wrong. A day may begin well enough, but suddenly everything seems to get out of control. Sometimes a single unimportant event may cause a number of things to happen. Let us suppose that you are preparing a meal and keeping an eye on the baby at the same time. The telephone rings and this causes your troubles to begin. While you are on the phone, the baby pulls the tablecloth off the table, destroying your half-prepared meal. You hang up hurriedly and attend to your baby. Meanwhile, the meal gets burnt. As if this is not enough to bring you to tears, your husband arrives home, unexpectedly bringing three guests to dinner.
Things can also go wrong on the road. During rush hour one evening two cars collided and the drivers began to argue. The woman driver behind the two cars happened to be a learner. She got into a panic and stopped her car. This forced the driver following her to stop suddenly. This driver’s wife was sitting beside him holding a large cake, and as she was thrown forward, the cake went right through the window and landed on the road. A truck driver seeing a cake flying through the air slammed on the brakes. The truck was carrying empty beer bottles and hundreds of them slid off the back of the truck onto the road, causing a terrible traffic jam. It took the police an hour to get the traffic on the move again. In the meantime, the truck driver had to sweep up hundreds of broken bottles. Only two dogs were enjoying themselves, for they were happily having what was left of the cake.If you want to answer the phone without any trouble, you’d better ___________ .
A.pull out the telephone line when you are with your baby |
B.put your baby on the bed and keep an eye on him / her |
C.not hurry to answer the phone |
D.make sure your baby is not near the table |
Who is responsible for the accidents that happened on the road?
A.The two drivers who were arguing. |
B.It wasn’t mentioned in the passage. |
C.The woman driver. |
D.The truck driver. |
From this story we learn that ________.
A.there are many road accidents every day |
B.the accidents mentioned in the passage are very strange |
C.no one knows why this kind of accident happens |
D.the accidents mentioned in the passage are very common |
The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is to ___________.
A.remind us not to answer the phone when we are busy |
B.tell us driving is dangerous every day |
C.remind us not to be nervous when we meet an accident |
D.remind us not to carry a cake when we are sitting in a car |
The main idea of this passage is that ________.
A.troubles always come in groups |
B.accidents may happen anywhere at anytime |
C.a telephone call may cause great trouble |
D.anyone may have trouble on their way home |