I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled（贴标签）everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming. “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled（爬）under her covers, sobbing.
Obviously, that was not something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.What made Kate so angry one evening?
| A．She couldn’t find her books. |
| B．She heard the author shouting loud. |
| C．She got the news that her grandma was ill. |
| D．She saw the author’s shoes beneath her bed. |
The author tidied up the room most probably because _______.
| A．she was scared by Kate’s anger |
| B．she hated herself for being so messy |
| C．she wanted to show her care |
| D．she was asked by Kate to do so |
How is Paragraph 1 mainly developed?
| A．By analyzing causes |
| B．By showing differences |
| C．By describing a process |
| D．By following time order |
What might be the best title for the story?
| A．My Friend Kate |
| B．Hard Work Pays Off |
| C．How to Be Organized |
| D．Learning to Be Roommates |
The airline lost your baggage. The hotel laundry(洗衣房) ruined your favorite shirt. The taxi driver overcharged you. When you're abroad, sometimes things go wrong. Now you can do something about it! Use these tips when you want to express an effective complaint in English.
No matter how unfair the situation, it's best to phrase your complaint politely. In English, you'll sound more polite if you use indirect language. Here are some examples:
“I'm sorry to bother you...” Starting a complaint like this puts the listener who may have heard many complaints that day at ease. Use this phrase if the situation isn't that serious. For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted a baked potato, not fries."
“Can you help me with this?” Everyone would much rather be asked to do something than told! So try phrasing your complaint as a request for help: "Can you help me with this? My shirt came back from the laundry without buttons."
“I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding.” This is a polite way of saying, "Your information is wrong. Please fix it now." You'll most likely use this phrase if you made reservations(预定) for a flight, hotel or restaurant, and when you arrive, it's not what you expected. For example, "I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding. I requested a non-smoking room."
“I understand it's not your fault...” Often when you make a complaint, you deal with a person who was not directly responsible for the problem. But the problem isn't your fault, either! This phrase is helpful when you need swift action. Tell the person you're dealing with you understand they're not at fault and then directly state the problem: "I understand it's not your fault, but the airline promised they would deliver my baggage yesterday."
“Excuse me, but I understood that...” Using this phrase lets the person know you're well-informed and are suspicious they might be trying to take advantage of you. Don't say, "Hey! You're trying to cheat me!" Instead, start indirectly by stating what you know to be true: "I understood that the taxi ride to the airport was only 25 dollars." Then give them an opportunity to do the right thing.What’s the purpose of this passage?
| A．To give an introduction of life abroad. |
| B．To give suggestions on how to learn English. |
| C．To offer advice on giving complaints in English. |
| D．To offer guides to those who travel around the world. |
According to the passage, if we meet an unfair situation, we’d better .
| A．state our complaints politely |
| B．go for the police immediately |
| C．use indirect language to hurt people |
| D．fight against the one who is responsible |
Why should we start a complaint with polite phrases?
| A．Because the situation is never serious. |
| B．Because the listener may not speak English. |
| C．Because it can help solve the problem more easily. |
| D．Because we should be always in good manners abroad. |
Several effective complaints in English are mentioned above EXCEPT .
| A．“Can you help me with this?” |
| B．“I understand it's not your fault.” |
| C．“Hey! You’re trying to cheat me!” |
| D．“I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding.” |
Welcome to the Ambassador Hotel. To make your stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities（设施） to the full.
Dining Room
Breakfast is served in the dining mom from 8 to 9:30 a.m.. Alternatively, the room staff will bring a breakfast tray to your room at any time after 7 a.m., if you place an order for it by telephone. In this case, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door when you go to bed. Lunch: 12:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Telephone:48752
Room Service
This operates 24 hours a day. Phone the Reception Desk, and your message will be passed on to the room staff.
Telephone:48759
Telephone
To make a telephone call, dial 0 for Reception and Laundry (洗衣店), and ask to be connected. We apologize for delays in putting calls through when the staff are very busy. There are also public telephone booths(电话亭)near the Reception Desk. Early calls should be booked with Reception.
Shop
The hotel shop is open for souvenirs（纪念品）, gifts and toiletries（化妆品）from 9 a.m. to 5:30p.m.
Telephone:48687
Laundry
We have a laundry on the premises（附属）and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours. Ask the room staff to phone the laundrymen to collect them.
Telephone:48867
Bar
The hotel bar is open from 12 to 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.. The Reception staff will cash cheques and exchange money in many foreign currencies（货币）.The announcement(通知) mainly gives us information about ________.
| A．facilities in the hotel |
| B．providing passengers all kinds of service |
| C．the ways of serving |
| D．carrying out the promise of the hotel |
The card in a bedroom of the hotel is announced that ___________.
| A．you should keep silence when walking past the room |
| B．the passenger of the room is taking a rest |
| C．the waiters mustn’t enter the room |
| D．any visitors won’t bother the hotel guest |
You have arrived to stay at the hotel at 2 a.m., and want a snack(快餐), What should you do ?
| A．Go to the hotel shop. | B．Go to the hotel bar. |
| C．Give a message to the waiter. | D．Phone Reception |
Mr. Baker lived in an old and low house. His wife was blind in both eyes and the two children were very young. All his family often went hungry(挨饿.) He had nothing but a small piece of field. One autumn he grew some wheat in his field. He hoped it would do well because all family would depend on it. The whole winter it often snowed. And the next spring the wheat was doing well. Mr. Baker was happy. One day Mr. Baker went to watch his wheat. To his surprise, a lot of crops were eaten up by a horse. He became angry but could not find out whose horse had eaten them. He thought the horse would go there again. So he decided to stay in his field and tried to catch the horse.
A few days later a yellow horse came in his field again and began to eat the wheat. Mr. Baker ran after it quickly, with a stick in his hand. But the beast ran much faster than he. He tried his best, but could not catch up with it. The next morning, when Mr. Baker was working in his field, he saw the yellow horse pulling carriage on the road. He picked up a stick at once, ran closer to the horse and began to beat it up.
The driver was surprised and stopped him. He asked, “Why are you beating my horse?”
“It has nothing to do with you, ” Mr. Baker said angrily. “The beast knows why I’m beating him!”What was Mr. Baker?
| A．A driver | B．A doctor | C．A keeper | D．A farmer |
Why was Mr. Baker happy at first?
| A．Because wheat was doing well. |
| B．Because he would soon get a good harvest. |
| C．Because he found out the beast that ate up his wheat. |
| D．Because his family would not grow any more wheat. |
Mr. Baker tried his best to catch the horse to ____________.
| A．sell it for some money |
| B．beat it up(痛打) |
| C．make it work for him |
| D．find out the owner of the horse |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The horse knew that it had done wrong. |
| B．The horse had nothing to do with the driver. |
| C．The horse knew whose wheat it had eaten up. |
| D．The horse belonged to the driver. |
Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day. They don’t want anyone to go shopping that day.
Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It’s 25 days before Christmas. It’s after Thanksgiving and often the first day of Christmas shopping. At this time, we see ads in newspapers and on TV telling us to “buy, buy, buy!”
The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day. In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don’t need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up to tell people that we buy too much.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. They asked restaurants in the neighborhood to donate the food. They made posters and talked to other students about it. The dinner was a big success, and many students agreed not to buy anything on November 29. The students at high school liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day!Which of the following is NOT the day for people to celebrate Buy Nothing Day?
| A．The first day after Christmas. | B．25 days before Christmas. |
| C．After Thanksgiving. | D．November 29 |
When do people usually do shopping?
| A．Before Thanksgiving. | B．On Christmas. |
| C．Anytime. | D．Before Christmas. |
How do people celebrate Buy Nothing Day?
| A．In California, parents and children get together to play games. |
| B．In England, people celebrated by performing plays. |
| C．They bought nothing and made the others decide not to. |
| D．In Mexico, high school students dressed up. |
Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west coast. Even since she was a young girl, she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn’t changed her mind. After she graduated from high school, she went on to college. Four years later, she received her bachelor’s degree (BA) in English and her teaching certificate. Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers, Mrs. Blake takes more classes; she hopes to get a master’s degree (MA). With an MA, she will receive a higher salary and if possible, she hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well. The school day at Mrs. Blake’s high school, like that in many high schools in the United States, is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period, which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M, Mrs. Blake must meet with parents, make our examinations, check assignments at all, Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.How long is it since Mrs. Blake graduated from high school?
| A．four years | B．eight years | C．twenty years | D．twelve years |
According to the article, which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university?
| A．a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| B．a doctor’s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree |
| C．a master’s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| D．a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree – a master’s degree |
How many degrees has Mrs. Blake achieved so far?
| A．four | B．two | C．three | D．one |
Which of the following sentences is not true?
| A．Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality. |
| B．Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United States. |
| C．Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees. |
| D．The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states. |