Only after the straight-talking repairman handed me the bill and waved goodbye did I finally acknowledge the painful truth: Our 20-year-old clothes dryer was not going to last.
I turned to my husband. “He says we’re throwing good money after bad,” I sighed. “I think he’s right.”
“When do you want to go shopping for a new one?” my husband asked.
I glanced out the window, admiring the sunlight dancing on the big-leaf maples（枫叶） in our backyard. Perfect drying weather. Suddenly, I recalled my mother hanging laundry on a clothesline during my childhood. My sister and I had played hide-and-seek among the sweet-smelling sheets waving in the wind.
I suddenly had a plan. After the wash cycle, we covered the maples with damp blue jeans, shirts, socks and towels. The only things that didn’t go outside were my underpants. And I persuaded my shameless husband to let his big boxer shorts(男式平角短裤) stay indoors, too.
There is a secret pleasure to hanging laundry outdoors. It is the perfect excuse to get up from the computer. While checking on the laundry in the backyard, I could commune(亲近) not only with cotton T-shirts, but also my cats. I could watch cautious deer run through the yard with their young, listen to nervous squirrels in trees and observe a family of wild turkeys by the road. I returned to my desk refreshed.
And, except for the sandpaper feel of sun-dried bath towels, the drying method was a complete success. When autumn came, I’d scan the horizon each day to evaluate the chances of sun-drying. One morning I saw rain clouds. I had a load of wet clothes in my arms and no place to put them.
I found my husband. Together we hung laundry throughout the house.
Then my husband gave me a hug and a smile. “I think it’s time to buy a dryer…” he said, “… like, today.”
“Good idea,” I said, just as the infamous Oregon rain started.
Our sun-dried laundry habit was finished for the season. Why did the author want to try sun-drying?
a. Her husband insisted.
b. She wanted to cut expenses.
c. Their dryer wasn’t working.
d. She had good childhood memories of using a clothesline.
| A．b c | B．c d | C．a c d | D．b c d |
What could the straight-talking repairman have said to the author?
| A．“Continue to use it even if it is old.” |
| B．“You should have taken better care of your dryer.” |
| C．“You shouldn’t have wasted money on repairing your dryer.” |
| D．“Just buy a new dryer even if it’s very expensive.” |
What was the biggest benefit that sun-drying brought to the author besides dry clothes?
| A．She loves sun-dried bath towels. |
| B．She felt healthier and closer to nature. |
| C．She could bathe in the sunshine, too. |
| D．It gave her a break from her housework. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
| A．The author has stopped sun-drying since autumn started. |
| B．The author later became fed up with the trouble of hanging up her clothes. |
| C．The author listened to weather reports every day when autumn came. |
| D．The author realized sun-drying was seasonal and thus had its disadvantages |
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday. This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effect on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because__________.
| A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance |
| C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes |
David Smith wears casual clothes now, because__________.
| A．they make him feel at ease when working |
| B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C．he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D．he no longer works for any company |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code. |
| B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive. |
| C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees. |
| D．All the employers in the U.S. are for casual office wear. |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago. |
| B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s. |
| C．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers. |
| D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people. |
In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except ______.
| A．saving employees’ money |
| B．making employees more attractive |
| C．improving employees’ motivation |
| D．making employees happier |
A group of eight public high school students in Massachusetts, aged l5 to l7，designed and ran their own school within a school. They named their practice the Independent Project. They represented the usual range: two were close to dropping out before they started the project，while others were honors students.
Their guidance teacher was their adviser, consulting with them when the group encountered difficulties. Though they sought advice from English，math and science teachers， they were responsible for monitoring one another’s work and giving one another feedback. There were no grades, but at the end of the term，the students wrote evaluations of their classmates.
The students also designed their own course. In addition to some regular courses，they each took on an ‘individual project’，learning to play the piano or to cook，writing a novel or making a video about domestic(国内的) violence. At the end of the term，they performed their new skills in front of the entire school. The last part of their self - designed course was to do a ‘collective project’ that had social significance. Because they felt the whole experience had been so life – changing，they ended up making a film showing how other students could start and run their own schools.
The project was a success. After returning to their traditional study，the students have high motivation and are doing well. One student who had failed all of his previous math courses spent three weeks teaching the others about probability. The lesson learned here is that if students are given the opportunity to take control or contribute significantly to their own learning they will become more accomplished，more engaged and more knowledgeable.
The students in the project are remarkable because they demonstrate the kinds of learning and personal growth that are possible when teenagers feel ownership of their high school experience，learn things that matter to them and learn together.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Some students might drop out of high school. |
| B．The teachers monitored the students’ homework. |
| C．The students themselves solved all their problems. |
| D．The teachers evaluate the students’ performances. |
The students involved in the Independent Project.
| A．didn’t need to learn common lessons |
| B．tended to escape from the whole society |
| C．were unwilling to share their experiences |
| D．focused on self-study and working together |
According Paragraph 4，we know that.
| A．the traditional study is better than the project |
| B．all the students had failed their math courses |
| C．the students have freedom to design their lessons |
| D．the project was mainly concerned with math courses |
The project made the students outstanding because.
| A．they are unusually talented |
| B．they have better backgrounds |
| C．they have supportive teachers |
| D．they are owners of their education |
What would be the best title of the text?
| A．Structure the kids’ days to the minute |
| B．Let kids rule their own school within a school |
| C．Offer students few opportunities to do anything |
| D．Provide traditional education to the students |
Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there’s no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn’t long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: “If those old people next – door hadn’t mattered so much to me, I wouldn’t have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.”Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
| A．Because she didn’t want others to hear her play. |
| B．Because she didn’t want to disturb others. |
| C．Because she didn’t have a large house. |
| D．Because she liked to play in strange places. |
Brenda started to give concerts _______ .
| A．after she practiced in her space bubble |
| B．when she became part of the unique space journey |
| C．after she became a real musical astronaut |
| D．when people came to see her in the space bubble |
Brenda became famous because _______ .
| A．she made a space suit |
| B．she became a real musical astronaut |
| C．she played drums in her space bubble |
| D．she played drums in a band |
Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
| A．kind, hardworking and clever |
| B．brave, kind and hardworking |
| C．lovely, brave and kind |
| D．nervous, kind and clever |
We can draw a conclusion from the passage that: “______”.
| A．He laughs best who laughs last |
| B．It’s never too old to learn |
| C．Two heads are better than one |
| D．One good turn deserves another |
How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations show that there are several keys to success that successful people share.
First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to go ahead. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot control things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering (给人以权力的)things they can do .Perhaps what most separates successful people from others is that they live life “on purpose”---they are doing what they believe they are put here to do .In their opinion, having a purpose in their life is the most important fact that enables them to become fully functioning people. They hold that when they live their life on purpose ,their main concern is to do the job right .They love what they do ---and it shows people want to do business with them because of their devotion to their jobs.
To live their life on purpose, successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it. Besides, they never easily give up. Once they have set up goals in their life, they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Top achievers always keep in mind that they don’t have forever. Rather than seeing it negative or depressing, they use the knowledge to encourage themselves to move on and go after what they want energetically and passionately.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．How do people live their life on purpose? | B．How can people be successful? |
| C．How do people make plans? | D．How do people do business? |
By living life “on purpose ”successful people can ________
| A．do a lot of work without using more money. | B．concentrate on their jobs |
| C．do business with many people easily. | D．share what they have with every one unselfishly. |
The pronoun “it” (Line 10.Para.2) refers to _____
| A．the main concern of successful people |
| B．the job that successful people do |
| C．the devotion with which successful people do their job |
| D．the business that successful people do with other people. |
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet （彗星）is heading towards the earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the earth.
On 17 July, a piece of 4 kilometers wide comet enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion（爆炸）. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the seabed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards form the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned（淹死）.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes ash set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million people remain alive.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?What is mainly described in the passage?
| A．A historic discovery. |
| B．An event in imagination. |
| C．A research on space. |
| D．A scientific adventure. |
When the first piece hits the South Atlantic, it causes________.
| A．an earthquake | B．hunger |
| C．an Earth explosion | D．huge waves |
Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long?
| A．Because the land is covered with water. |
| B．Because the light and heat form the sun cannot reach the earth. |
| C．Because people there cannot live at the temperature of zero. |
| D．Because wars break out among countries. |
By giving the example of dinosaurs, the author tries to prove_________.
| A．animals could not live in the cold climate |
| B．what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story |
| C．the human beings will die out in 2094 |
| D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space |