The wedding（婚礼） took place in a Birmingham hotel. The bride and her father arrived in a new black American sports car. Her father looked nervous and uncomfortable in front of the cameras. The bride wore a silk wedding dress. She smiled nervously at the waiting photographers and went to a room on the first floor where she met her future husband for the very first time.
Carla Germaine and Greg Cordell were the winners of a radio station’s competition. The aim of the competition was to find two strangers prepared to marry without having met each other. Miss Germaine, 23, is a model. Mr. Cordell, 27, is a TV salesman. They were among the two hundred people who entered for a particular “experiment” organized by BMRB radio in Birmingham, England. Greg and Carla were among eight finalists who were interviewed live on radio. They took a lie detector （测谎仪）test and the station also spoke to their friends and family about their personalities. The competition judges included an astrologer（占卜家）who declared that they were suited.
The couple celebrated their wedding with a wedding breakfast and a party for 100 guests in the evening, but not everyone shared their joy. Miss Germaine’s mother looked anxious through-out the wedding and Mr. Cordell’s parents are reported to be less than delighted.
Organizations, including the marriage guidance service Relate, have criticized the marriage. As one expert put it, “we have enough problems getting young people to take marriage seriously. Marriage should always be about love.”
The couples are now on a Caribbean honeymoon followed by journalists. Their other prizes include a year’s free use of a wonderful apartment in the centre of Birmingham, and a car. But will it last?How did the couple’s parents react to the wedding?
| A．The bride’s mother shared their joy. |
| B．The bridegroom’s parents were quite delighted |
| C．The bridegroom’s parents were not that joyful. |
| D．The bride’s father felt uncomfortable about the wedding. |
Some experts believe that ________.
| A．marriage without the couple’s meeting each other first ends up in divorce. |
| B．most young people take marriage seriously except this couple. |
| C．young people nowadays are too careless about marriage. |
| D．taking a lie detector test can not solve all the marriage problems. |
One of the prizes for the couple is ________.
| A．to spend their honeymoon wherever they like. |
| B．to use an apartment free for some time. |
| C．to have a wedding dress free. |
| D．to own an American sports car. |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Two Strangers and a Wedding. | B．A Wedding Based on love. |
| C．A Short--lived Marriage. | D．A Well--Matched Couple. |
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．They took a later flight. |
| B．They had early bookings. |
| C．Their flight had been delayed. |
| D．Their flight had been cancelled. |
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 housewife. |
| C．She's a media person. | 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 spend money wisely. | D．How to make a business deal. |
Welcome to International Student Insurance (保险), the number one online destination for international student health insurance and travel insurance plans. Here you will find information on the best international health, medical and student insurance plans to fit the needs of the international student:
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| US Citizens (公民) Click here |
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At International Student Insurance, we pride ourselves on offering the best international student insurance plans to students from all around the world. Our plans are recognized around the world as providing high-quality service at low prices —so please feel free to browse our site and learn more about what we offer.
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You don’t have to be a student to buy one of our plans. Non-students can visit our sister site International Citizens —International Health Insurance.
If you are looking for an international plan to fit the need of your group of international students, please visit our group insurance center for more. Any student who wants to learn about the insurance plans can click the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．Student Safety | B．International Citizens |
| C．Atlas International | D．Student STM |
The underlined word “browse” (in Paragraph 4) means “______”.
| A．look after | B．look for |
| C．look through | D．look at |
Where can we probably read this passage?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．On the Internet. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．In a story book. |
The group insurance center is for ______.
| A．every student | B．groups of international students |
| C．American students | D．single international student |
Everything has a name. All people, places and things have names. For example, Jenny is the name of a student from England. England is the name of her country. Cities and towns have names, too. Schools and office building also have names. All things have names. Names are important.
Names are different all over the world. In Jenny’s class, Jenny must learn the names of students from all over the world. This is very difficult because the names are different. www.
In the USA, most people have a first name, a middle name, and a last name. Parents choose the first and middle names for their baby. There are names for boys and names for girls. For example, John, Peter, Tom and Mike are all names for boys. Elizabeth, Betty, Susan, and Mary are all names for girls. The last name is the family name. Usually it is the father’s family name. In a family, the mother, the father, and the children usually have the same last name.
Names are different all over the world. They can be long or short, but they are always very important.Why does everything have a name? Because ______.
| A．it is very interesting to have a name |
| B．it is very easy to be remembered |
| C．it is very easy to be told from others |
| D．both B and C |
It is difficult to learn names all over the world because ______.
| A．there are many different languages |
| B．the names in different countries are different |
| C．some names are very short, some are very long |
| D．there are many names all over the world |
Which of the following is true?
| A．It’s difficult to learn the names because they are different |
| B．There is no difference between girls’ names and boys’ names |
| C．Jenny doesn’t want to learn the names very well |
| D．It’s easy for Jenny to learn the names of her classmates. |
What names are for girls?
| A．George, Linda, Susan | B．Tom, Jill, Candy |
| C．Elizabeth, Betty, Mary | D．Peter, Jeff, Jack |
A long time ago people thought that the sun went round the earth. In some countries people even said that the sun was a god (神). They thought the god drove across the sky each day on a golden horse. Now we know the earth goes round the sun. It takes the earth a year to go all way round the sun. Today men even know how far it is for the earth to go round the sun. They tell us that the earth travels over a thousand miles a minute on its journey round the sun.
The sun is really a star. It is much bigger than the earth and it is very hot. Some people have been to the moon but we know that no one can ever go to the sun. It is far too hot for people to live anywhere near it. The sun is three hundred thousand times heavier than the earth and more than million times larger.A long time ago, people said the sun was ____.
| A．a golden horse of god | B．a god on a golden horse |
| C．a god with golden dress | D．a god and a golden horse |
The earth travels over ____ miles an hour.
| A．1,000 | B．100,000 | C．6,000,000 | D．60,000 |
One year is ____
| A．the time for the earth to turn round. |
| B．the time the earth travels one thousand miles. |
| C．one circle the earth goes round the sun. |
| D．the journey of the earth. |
Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn't all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other's language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk 'dog', and dogs can learn how to talk 'Cat'.
What's interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn how to read each other's body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we previously suspected. Once familiar with each other's presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of the research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets─to people who don't get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.The underlined word swimmingly in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．early | B．sweetly | C．quickly | D．smoothly |
Some cats and dogs may fight when _____.
| A．they are cold to each other |
| B．they look away from each other |
| C．they misunderstood each other's signals |
| D．they are introduced at an early age |
What is found surprising about cats and dogs?
| A．They eat and sleep each other. |
| B．They observe each other's behaviors. |
| C．They learn to speak each other's language. |
| D．They know something from each other's voices. |
It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs _____.
| A．have common interests |
| B．are less different than was thought |
| C．have a common body language |
| D．are less intelligent than was expected |
What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?
| A．We should learn to live in harmony. |
| B．We should know more about animals. |
| C．We should live in peace with animals. |
| D．We should learn more body languages. |