A British shopper, Emma Mumford, who was named “the Coupon(优惠券) Queen” has spent just £350 on a luxury(奢侈) Christmas for her and her family-but got £2,500 worth of food, drink and presents thanks to coupons and offers.
Ms Mumford is a so-called “extreme couponer” and spends hours hunting out the best deals and bargains. She has been preparing for this Christmas since the end of the last one. Ms Mumford made the huge savings by checking price comparison websites and as a result collected more presents than she needed for Christmas. After sorting out gifts for all of her family, she has even been able to donate £1,000 worth of presents to her local hospital.
“It has been so nice to have Christmas sorted and not having to worry about breaking the bank. I wanted to get high quality presents for my family and show that you can do it without spending a fortune. There is a misconception that everyone who does couponing only gets value products but through my careful shopping I have managed to purchase designer perfumes(香水), a high-end coffee machine.” she explained.
She said “What started as a hobby to help me save money has turned into my life and I am able to run a business helping people save money. I know what it feels like to struggle as my ex-partner had a lot of debt which I took on for him. We were in a poor situation where every penny counted. That’s what really inspired me.”
She has now turned her bargain-hunting addiction into a business where she searches for the best deals and offer tips to the general public through video blogging and her Facebook Page.
“I try and show people that it is just a little bit of work in the beginning but it will eventually pay off. One of the best things to do is just to be a bit forward thinking and save throughout the year.”
How did Emma make the huge savings?
She compared prices through websites.
She hunted out bargains in real shops.
She used coupons and offers worth £2,500.
She collected more Christmas presents than needed.
What does “breaking the bank” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Buying presents of low quality. |
| B．Spending more money than you have. |
| C．Breaking into the bank. |
| D．Taking out money from the bank. |
What really inspired Emma to help people save money?
| A．Her addiction to bargain-hunting. |
| B．The financial difficulties she shared with her ex-partner. |
| C．The poor situation people around her were going through. |
| D．Her experience of running an unsuccessful business. |
Which of the following can best describe Emma?
| A．Ambitious and creative. |
| B．Sensitive and determined. |
| C．Brave and lucky. |
| D．Careful and caring. |
The vast jungles of the Amazon rainforest are home to tribes(部落)mostly isolated(隔绝的)from the outside world，whose way of life，largely unchanged for hundreds of years，is now increasingly threatened by modern civilization．
Now, scientists discover they can monitor these“uncontacted tribes”using satellites，which would allow inexpensive and safe tracking of these tribes in order to protect them from outside threats．
In order to help conserve these uncontacted Indians，researchers need accurate estimates of their populations．One way to collect this data involves flying over their villages，but such overflights are both expensive and could fill these native peoples with fear．Another strategy involves meeting individuals on the ground，but among other risks，scientists could accidentally spread disease to members of the tribes．
Instead，scientists investigated whether satellite imaging could monitor uncontacted tribes. The result was inspiring．They confirmed their locations and measured the sizes of their Village，houses and gardens．“We can find isolated vinages with remote sensing and study them over time．”Walker told Live Science．“We can ask：Are they growing?Do they move?”
Surprisingly，based on the sizes of the houses and Villages，the scientists find the population densities of these isolated villages are about 10 times greater，on average，than other villages of native Brazilian peoples．This may be due to the fact that they have to live closer together because they are not as good at clearing the forest，since they lack modern devices like chainsaws and tractors，the researchers said．The tribes may also be afraid of spreading out due to fear of being attacked by outsiders，Walker said.
The researchers now plan to focus on 29 more isolated villages to“look at their ecology—that is．distance from rivers and roads—and use this to model where else we can find more isolated villages，”Walker said．What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Amazon tribes are disappearing． |
| B．Scientists found isolated Amazon tribes． |
| C．Modern civilization is threatening Amazon tribes． |
| D．Isolated Amazon tribes are monitored with satellites． |
Scientists don't want to meet the Indians on the ground due to the fear that_______
| A．they can’t get accurate data |
| B．they will be attacked by the Indians |
| C．they could pass disease to the Indians |
| D．they will catch disease from the Indians |
What do scientists find about the tribes?
| A．They live close together． |
| B．Their population is dropping. |
| C．Thev live in distributed areas． |
| D．Their population is increasing fast. |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．There are 29 Amazon tribes in total． |
| B．More isolated tribes are yet to be discovered． |
| C．It's easy for scientists to find isolated villages． |
| D．Isolated villages are distant from rivers and roads． |
Close your eyes and picture the city of Paris．Now imagine the city without its most famous landmark：the Eiffel Tower．
The unthinkable almost happened．
When French engineer Gustave Eiffel built this tower for the Paris World’s Fair of 1889，it was controversial．The iron structure contrasted(对比)sharply with the historic stone buildings of Paris．Eiffel’s four-legged iron archway was supposed to last only 20 years．That’s when Eiffel’s permit to operate the building would expire(过期)and the city could choose to tear it down．
Yet from the beginning．Eiffel had a strategy to save his building．If the Tower was linked to important research，he reasoned，no one would dare to take it down．So he would make it a grand laboratory for science．
Scientific research began just one day after the Tower opened to the public on May 6，1889．Eiffel installed a weather station on the Tower’s third(and highest)floor．He connected instruments by wire to the French weather bureau in Paris．With these，he measured wind speed and air pressure．
In 1903，still worried that his building might be torn down，Eiffel got a clever idea．He asked the French military to conduct its own research on radio communications at the Tower．He even paid the army’s costs．
French army captain Gustave Ferrié worked from a little wooden house at the base of the Tower's southern pillar．From there，he made radio contact with forts around Paris．Convinced of the importance of radio communications，the army set up a permanent radio station at the Tower．In 1910，the city of Paris renewed the structure’s permit for another 70 years．
This year marks the iconic structure’s 125th birthday．Over the years，research conducted there has brought dramatic and unexpected payoffs．During World War I，for instance，the French army used the Tower as a giant ear to receive radio messages．It even led to the arrest of one of the war's most famous spies．What does the author mean by“The unthinkable almost happened”?
| A．The Eiffel Tower was almost torn down． |
| B．Gustave Eiffel was more than an engineer． |
| C．It took great efforts to build the Eiffel Tower． |
| D．The Eiffel Tower has served important purposes． |
The Eiffel Tower was controversial because_____________．
| A．it was giant and ugly |
| B．it would expire too soon |
| C．some historic buildings had to be removed |
| D．it didn’t match the historic buildings of Paris |
How did Gustave Eiffel save the Eiffel Tower?
| A．By asking the army to defend it． |
| B．By showing its importance for tourism． |
| C．By making it a base for scientific research． |
| D．By asking the government to renew its permit． |
The arrest of a famous spy is mentioned to show．
| A．the Eiffel Tower has lost its initial value |
| B．the Eiffel Tower has existed long enough |
| C．research done in the Eiffel Tower had unexpected payoffs |
| D．the Eiffel Tower was successfully preserved during the war |
 Let’s Go Science Show Show Times：Wednesday，November12，2014 at 10：00 am Tickets：$9．00 per person for groups of ten or more；$14．00 for individuals The wacky and talented Professor Smart and Dr. Knowitall join forces for an educational，entertaining，exciting experiment demonstrating the basic principals of science．During the show you and your students will learn about air pressure，figure out flight，and get a handle on the scientific method． Appropriate for Grades l—5 |
 The Wizard of OZ Show Times：Tuesday，December 18，2014 at 9：00 am Tickets：$10．00 per person for groups of 10 or more；$14．00 for individuals Follow the yellow brick road．Join in Dorothy’s adventures over the rainbow with the Tin man，Scarecrow，Lion and，of course，the Wizard himself．More excitement is created when a life-size tornado travels from the stage through the audience．Meet old friends and new in this imaginative fun filled musical. Award-winning lighting and special effects． Appropriate for all ages |
 Charlotte’s Web Show Times：Thursday，December 4，2014 at ll：00 am & 12 noon Tickets：$12．00 per person for groups of 20 or more；$17．00 for individuals Charlotte’s Web is a beloved and memorable children’s classic that comes to life on stage in this musical story．The story is set in a Midwest country farm in the first half of the twentieth century． Meet Fern Arable，an imaginative eight-year-old farm girl，Wilbur，a small lovable pig，Charlotte，a large intellectual spider．and Templeton，a lazy yet clever rat．You’re sure to fall in love． Appropriate for Grades Pre-Kindergarten—3rd grade |
A father with his son to see Science Show will pay______．
| A．$9．00 | B．$18．00 |
| C．$14．00 | D．$28．00 |
A boy who likes stories about wizards will watch the musical at______．
| A．9：00 am | B．10：00 am |
| C．12 noon | D．15：00 pm |
Where does the story of a little girl with several animals take place?
| A．On a farm． | B．On a brick road． |
| C．In a kindergarten． | D．In a college library． |
A broad smile spreads across the faces of Martyn Sibley and Srin Madipalli when asked where they were when they decided to launch an online lifestyle magazine for disabled people．“On the beach．”they reply．“We’ve both travelled a lot but we wanted a real adventure，”Sibley says of the California road trip during which Disability Horizons was conceived(设想)．
Sibley，whose professional background is in marketing，has been writing his own blog since 2009“about what I got up to，everyday stuff about living with disability”，he says．He describes how while“wandering on the beach together”Madipalli suggested branching out beyond a oneperson blog．
Why did they want to create a“lifestyle”magazine for the disabled people?The pair，both in their 20s，say they wanted to produce something“positive and inspiring”that would tell about the lives of disabled people as they actually were．They were especially eager to produce something that showed young disabled people“what it was possible to do with their lives”，says Sibley．
In less than a year，Disability Horizons has had more than 50 regular contributors and attracted a reader base of more than 20，000 people，more than a third of whom are in the US．
Sibley and Madipalli have a genetic disease that causes progressive muscle wasting and loss of movement．They are wheelchair users and have been good friends since growing up in London and Cambridge．Listening to them joke，it makes perfect sense that their shared optimistic outlook has spilled over into the magazine．The site covers topics ranging from books and travel to clubbing and photography．“It’s definitely a mix．”Madipalli says．What has Sibley been writing about in his own blog?
| A．His love for travelling． |
| B．His attitude toward life． |
| C．His suffering from a disease． |
| D．His everyday life with disability． |
For what purpose was Disability Horizons created?
| A．To collect money for the disabled． |
| B．To help the disabled to make friends． |
| C．To organize the disabled to travel around． |
| D．To let people know the real life of the disabled． |
The fourth paragraph is written to tell us that Disability Horizons__________________.
| A．became popular very soon |
| B．was complex in marketing |
| C．became a failure in the US |
| D．was not well received at first |
Which of the following best describes Sibley and Madipalli?
| A．Kind and generous. |
| B．Creative and humorous． |
| C．Disabled but optimistic． |
| D．Adventurous but rude． |
Many Christmas customs are based on the birth of Christ, such as giving presents because of the Wise Men, who brought presents to the baby Jesus（耶稣）Singing Christmas carols is based on the scene of the birth with figures of shepherds, the Wise Men and animals surrounding the baby Jesus.
The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in the present-day Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. After his death around 340 A. D. he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors were believed to steal his remains and removed them to Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas’ popularity throughout Europe.
His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas became the patron（保护神）saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cap, flowing white beard, and bishop’s mitre. In Greece, he was the patron saint of sailors; in France, he was the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium, the patron of children and travelers. Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated（供奉的）to him and sometime around the 12th century an official holiday was created in his honor. The Feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated on December 6 and the day was marked by gift-giving and charity.
After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas declined, but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of his name Sint Nikolass was eventually transformed to Sinterklaas. Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. Dutch colonists brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century and here the English name of Santa Claus appeared.Why, as is believed, is Santa Claus so popular in Europe?
| A．Because of his reputation for generosity. |
| B．Because he died in Italy. |
| C．Because of the deed of the Italian sailors. |
| D．Because of his devotion to Italian children. |
What was the Feast of St. Nicholas held for?
| A．Celebrating Christ’s birthday. |
| B．Giving thanks to churches. |
| C．Marking a holiday. |
| D．Honoring St. Nicholas. |
What does “Sinterklaas” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．European followers. | B．Santa Claus. |
| C．Jesus. | D．The Dutch. |
Which of the following can best describe Santa Claus?
| A．Generous, devoted and honored. |
| B．Dedicated, kind and alive. |
| C．Well-known, traditional and lovely. |
| D．Popular, famous and creative. |