What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-coloured flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the prefer picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper colouring with words that shaded my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that shaped my childhood; I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was _____.
| A．doing shopping |
| B．having a debate |
| C．reading a message |
| D．leaving for Wyoming |
The author’s inspiration for the gift came from _____.
| A．a photo of a flower |
| B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother |
| D．a text about Christmas |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by _____.
| A．the father |
| B．the author |
| C．William Blake |
| D．Edgar Allan Poe |
The author made the gift by _____.
| A．searching for the poems online |
| B．drawing the background by hand |
| C．painting the letters in three colours |
| D．matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to design images for gifts. |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one’s heart. |
| C．To explain how computers help create gifts. |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received. |
Researchers at the University of Bedforshire have developed a new technique for powering electronic device（装置）. The system, developed by Professor Ben Allen at the Centre for Wireless Research, uses radio waves as power.
Believed to be a world first, the team claims it could eventually get rid of the need for conventional batteries. The university has now applied for a patent(专利) application to secure the only rights to the technique.
Professor Allen and his team have created a system to use medium wave frequencies to replace batteries in small everyday devices like clocks and remote controls.
The new technique uses the “waste” energy of radio waves and has been developed as part of the university’s research into “power harvesting”. Professor Allen said that as radio waves have energy---like light waves, sound waves or wind waves---in theory, these waves could be used to create power.
“The new area of power harvesting technology promises to reduce our reliance on conventional batteries,” he said. “It’s really exciting way of taking power from sources other than what we would normally think of.”
The team is now waiting for the results of the patent application to secure recognition of the technique. Professor Allen said that the team’s achievements had all been done in their “spare time”. “Our next stage is to try and raise some real funds so that we can take this work forward and make a working pattern and maybe partner up with the right people and take this to a full product in due course,” he said.
“Power harvesting has a really important part in our future, because, just in this country, we leave somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 tons of batteries in landfill（垃圾填埋）sites every single year－that is poisonous chemicals going into the ground.”
He added that development of the product could also be “commercially（商业） beneficial”. “The market for this is several billion pounds. We’ve seen market predictions for 2020 which have these kinds of figures, so there’s a lot of commercial potential in this area,” he said.
Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Bedfordshire, Professor Carsten Maple said, “This type of work is a reflection of the university’s growing reputation and experience in carrying out creating research.”From the text we know the new technique for powering electronic devices_____.
| A．can be applied to all electronic devices. |
| B．uses radio waves to create power. |
| C．has replaced conventional batteries. |
| D．produces many poisonous chemicals. |
According to Professor Allen, power harvesting technology______.
| A．makes every use of radio waves. |
| B．takes power from usual sources. |
| C．reduces our dependency on conventional batteries. |
| D．aims at huge commercial benefits. |
What can we learn about Professor Allen and his team from the text?
| A．They have made use of radio waves in their daily life. |
| B．They have raised a big fund to support their research. |
| C．They have gained a patent for their new technology. |
| D．They mainly did their research in their spare time. |
What is Professor Carsten Maple’s attitude toward the new technique?
| A．Critical. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Negative. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．A new technique to create power. |
| B．A big problem concerning conventional batteries. |
| C．Some special sources of power. |
| D．The development of power harvesting. |
Zoos divide opinion: there are those who think it is cruel to keep animals locked up while others believe zoos are essential for the survival of endangered species.
To argue that zoos imprison animals is to misunderstand what zoos are about. Without zoos many of the creatures we love and admire would no longer exist. Every single day, over one hundred animal species vanish. Scientists predict that as early as 2050 one quarter of the Earth’s species will become extinct.
Some animals are in danger because they are hunted. Alarmingly the population of tigers has already fallen by ninety-five percent. Other species are in danger because of a lack of food. For example, there are fewer than 1300 giant pandas left in the wild.
Zoos have special breeding programmes to help those animals at risk. These breeding programmes are proving extremely successful. As Irene Shapiro from Zoo and Wildlife Support says, “the Puerto Rican Parrot has grown in numbers from just thirteen to about eighty-five and the Golden Lion Tamarin Monkey, which has almost ceased to exist twenty years ago, has been reintroduced back into the wild.”
Unfortunately not everyone understands this important role zoos play. For example, Brian Featherstone from the Anti-Zoo Forum says, “I can’t believe we take animals from the wild and put them in cages for the entertainment of the public! We should view them on film or TV in their natural environment.”
However, this misses the point. A zoo does more than display animals to the public. It ensures their survival. Without zoos you would not be able to see many of these animals on TV or anywhere else!What’s the writer’s attitude towards zoos?
| A．He shows no opinion either for or against them. |
| B．He thinks that they are unnecessary and cruel. |
| C．He believes they play an important environmental role. |
| D．He expresses a desire that more of them be built. |
The underlined word “vanish” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____.
| A．remain | B．disappear |
| C．become rarer | D．get killed |
According to the passage the world’s tiger population _____.
| A．will rise by 5% next year |
| B．is relatively stable |
| C．is 95% smaller than in the past |
| D．has fallen to 95% |
According to the passage some people do not agree with zoos because they _____.
| A．are too expensive to run | B．put animals in danger |
| C．do not provide enough food | D．keep animals locked up |
According to the writer, the most important function of the zoo is to _____.
| A．make a lot of money | B．entertain visitors |
| C．ensure animals’ survival | D．educate the public |
You wake up in the morning, the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings, you say hello, and the play starts. The person on the other end has a sad tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to. Yon are still in a wonderful mood(心情)? Impossible!
Communicating with negative people can wash out your happiness. It may not change what you think, but communicating long enough with them will make you feel unhappy for a moment or a long time.
Life brings ups and downs, but some people are trapped in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer. They only feel glad when they make others feel bad. It is not strange that they can hardly win others’ pity or respect.
When you communicate with happy people，you will stay happy. When the knife of a negative person is put in you, you feel the heavy feeling that, all in all, brings you down.
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people. This could be a co-worker, or relative. In this situation, say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to the negative person，but all this cannot reduce your bad feelings and they won’t feel ashamed(羞愧) of themselves about that.
Unhappiness often influences happiness without even being realized. The depressing(令人沮丧的) words of another at the start of the day can be with you throughout the rest of your day，which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness. Life is too short to feel unhappy.
| A．make a comparison(比较) | B．offer an evidence(证据) |
| C．introduce a topic | D．describe a daily scene |
| A．By influencing our feelings. |
| B．By telling people the nature of life. |
| C．By changing our way of thinking. |
| D．By comparing their attitude to life with ours. |
| A．other people’s pity for them | B．making other people unhappy |
| C．holding an active attitude | D．other people’s respect for them |
| A．to change negative people’s attitude to life |
| B．to show our dislike to negative people |
| C．to make negative people feel ashamed of themselves |
| D．to communicate with negative people as little as possible |
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Future success depends on the ability to learn. Here are the answers to the questions most often asked by students. Read the book and learn:
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The basics of effective study for 8 to 12-year-olds, fully illustrated. Children who read and apply the materials in this book can regain the liking for study. Get this book for a child you want to see win at his studies!
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*How to find words in a dictionary.
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*How to use a dictionary to correctly pronounce words.
At last, you’ll just pay 50% for these books before January 1,2015.
| A．Teachers | B．Children | C．Adults | D．Parents |
| A．Basic Study Manual |
| B．Study Skills for Life |
| C．Learning How to Learn |
| D．How to Use a Dictionary Picture Book for Children |
| A．$91.88 | B．$129.38 | C．$46 | D．$156.98 |
| A．introduce new books to readers |
| B．guide readers to choose books |
| C．encourage people to buy the books |
| D．contribute these books to those who are interested in them |
Saving money is easy when you don’t have anything to spend it on, but what happens when things come suddenly that demand some of your hard-earned money? These are called expenses (开销).
Chances are, most of your basic living expenses — food, shelter, clothing, medical care — are covered by your family. But perhaps you and your family have agreed that you’ll pay for certain other expenses out of your own money, such as cell phone bills, after-school snacks, jewelry, or club fees (费用).
Expenses that happen regularly, like every week or month, are called “fixed” expenses. The good news is that because you know when these expenses are coming, you can plan for them. But life is full of surprises, and sometimes these surprises turn into expenses, too. You might have an emergency like fixing a flat tire on your bike, or something unusual like the class trip to Six Flags. These are called “unexpected” expenses and if you are smart with your money, you’ll plan for these as well.
Here’s a secret when it comes to saving money: if you think of it as a regular expense, it’ll be easier to put a certain amount aside. Tell yourself that the $20.00 you are trying to save up every month is something you must do, and there’s no getting around it.
What kinds of fixed expenses do you have? Can you think of any unexpected expenses that have come up for you in the past? Can you think of any you might have now or in the near future?
| A．Money spent on medicine. | B．Money spent on clothing. |
| C．Money spent on sports. | D．Money spent on meals. |
| A．Changing a new tire. | B．House rent. |
| C．Buying snacks. | D．Paying for cell phone bill. |
| A．Trying your best to prevent emergencies. |
| B．Earning as much as you can after class. |
| C．Cutting most of your expenses. |
| D．Putting some money aside as a regular expense. |
| A．you can’t let out this secret |
| B．there is no other choice |
| C．you have other solutions to it |
| D．there’s no point in arguing about it |