Fifty years ago not many people would have something repaired by themselves. In those days labour was fairly cheap and most people would have thought it worthwhile to have somebody repair their things unless they were very poor. Today, however, it is quite a different story. Men and women in all walks of life turn their hands to all kinds of jobs round the house. Some people have even successfully built their own houses. These jobs have been made easier today by using prepared materials.
In every high street throughout Britain nowadays there is at least one “DIY” shop. And “Do-it-yourself” is a booming business. A lot of people visit these shops every day because of the high cost of the present-day labour. Fifty years ago if people needed some repairs, they would .
| A．try to mend them by themselves |
| B．throw them away |
| C．repair them in their homes |
| D．have somebody repair them unless they were poor |
Many jobs have been made easier today because .
| A．some people have successfully built their own houses |
| B．men and women turn their hands to all kinds of jobs |
| C．they can be done by using prepared materials |
| D．a lot of people are very hard up for money |
From the passage we know that
| A．there are many “DIY” shops in Britain |
| B．not every high street in Britain has one “DIY” shop |
| C．people can do nothing without using prepared materials |
| D．"Do-it-yourself" is a lazy business in cities |
Why do a lot of people visit “DIY” shops every day?
| A．Because people are used to doing things at home. |
| B．Because the present-day labour is no longer cheap. |
| C．Because they are interested in shopping. |
| D．Because they enjoy the high cost of present-day labour. |
STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes. What do you think the similarities of these parties are?
| A．All the parties have very strict rules for their members. |
| B．If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket. |
| C．All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers. |
| D．All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old. |
In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?
| A．Speed dating. | B．Lock and key party. |
| C．Dinner in the dark. | D．Message party. |
If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ________.
| A．you have to eat with your hands |
| B．you have to wear night vision glasses |
| C．guests eat all the courses in the darkness |
| D．your dining partners will help you choose the food |
How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?
| A．4. | B．3. | C．2. | D．1. |
The passengers on the subway who caught a glimpse of me may have thought I was strange. In particular a gentleman sitting opposite me was always staring at me, looking at the cheese bread on the floor in front of me and then staring back at me. A passenger probably dropped it by mistake and got off at a previous stop, but the gentleman might not think so. “Next stop, St. Patrick Station” — my stop was quickly coming up. I had few minutes to either take the cheese bread, which nobody else was claiming, or left it there.
In those few minutes I felt my pride getting in the way. “What would others on the subway think of me if I took the cheese bread? Would they think that I was poor and hungry? Would they think that I was stealing?” The ignorant thing to do was say “yes” to any of those self-imposed questions. Actually, they were just my own thoughts. Though I would leave the subway, walk a block to my office, get settled at my desk, and sit comfortably in my office for the whole day, I couldn’t get rid of the enormous sense of guilt and regret.
My thoughts once pushed me towards pride and ignorance, but finally I had to admit I was wrong. This missing cheese bread could be a gift for a homeless person who suffered from cold and hunger. So why not overcome a little bit of my pride and pass along so much kindness?
Just as the doors opened at my stop, I grabbed the cheese bread and left the subway. It felt awesome, but I didn’t care if people were looking at me or what they were thinking. Instead of going directly to my office as usual, I walked a few more blocks up to Queen’s park, where I often saw a homeless man sitting outside. I always wanted to give him something, but only today I walked toward him, who wrapped himself in a sleeping bag. I was full of satisfaction, and so did the homeless man, I thought.The gentleman kept staring at the author because _______.
| A．he wanted to talk to the author |
| B．he might think the author dropped the bread |
| C．the author appeared too nervous |
| D．the author was going to get off |
The underlined word “self-imposed” in paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
| A．easily obtained |
| B．strongly supported |
| C．deliberately created |
| D．completely unaccepted |
Why did the author grab the cheese bread when he got off?
| A．He noticed that no one was looking at him. |
| B．He didn’t want to see the cheese bread to go to waste. |
| C．He remembered a homeless man at that very moment. |
| D．He valued kindness more than his own pride. |
A new study suggests that the roundtheclock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may take a toll on family life. The study，which followed more than 1,300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone throughout the study period were more likely to report negative “spillover” between work and home life—and，in turn，less satisfaction with their family life.
Spillover essentially(本质上)means that the line between work and home begins to become unclear. Work life may invade home life when a parent is taking jobrelated calls at home，for instance—or family issues may start to take up work time. For example，a child may call mum at work，telling her “microwave exploded”，explained Noelle Chesley，an assistant professor of sociology at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be that they are allowing for even more spillover between work and home.
This may be especially true for working women，the study found. Among men，consistent use of mobile phones seemed to allow more work issues to creep (潜入)into family time. But for women，the spillover tended to go in both directions. Being “connected” meant that work cut into home time，and family issues came into work life.
Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchanges among family members. But there may be ways to control the spillover，according to Chesley. Employers, she said，could look at their policies on contacting employees after hours to make sure their expectations are “reasonable”．For their part，employees could decide that cell phones go off during family time, Chesley said.What does the underlined phrase “take a toll on” probably mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．Explaining. | B．Founding. | C．Extending | D．Damaging. |
According to Chesley，what is the best solution to the problem caused by cell phones?
| A．Separate work hours from family time. |
| B．Refuse to use cell phones. |
| C．Ignore coming calls during family time. |
| D．Encourage women to stay at home. |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．cell phones affect men as much as women |
| B．cell phones seem to be convenient to families |
| C．cell phones make the line between work and home unclear |
| D．we can do nothing to solve the problem |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．How to control the negative spillover caused by cell phones. |
| B．How work life invades home life. |
| C．Consistent use of cell phones makes people feel less satisfied with their work. |
| D．Cell phones cause negative “spillover” between work life and home life. |
Inside the pleasingly fragrant cafe, So All May Eat(SAME) in downtown Denver ,the spirit ofgenerosityis instantly noticeable :donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked.A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Café has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant allows poor local customers who cannot pay to work as volunteers instead. They can act as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or look after the buildings and equipment for the cafe.
It’s based on trust, and it’s working all right”, says co-owner Brad Birky, who started the café in 2006. Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there. “We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable, regardless of their circumstances,” Birky says. SAME’s special lunch menu changes
daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers. The café now averages 65 to 70 customers (and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007,one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during t he long
winter said goodbye to the Birkys, He said he was going to New Orleans to help with the hurricane clearing up,” says Birky. What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys previously worked for?
| A．They refused to have volunteers. |
| B．They offered low quality food. |
| C．They provided customers with a good environment. |
| D．They closed down because of poor management. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The customers who cannot pay can work as volunteers instead. |
| B．More volunteers will go to new Orleans for the hurricane cleanup. |
| C．Many new cafes will be opened to offer free lunches in the town. |
| D．The lunch menu has remained the same since the café was started. |
The author’s attitude towards running such a café is_______
| A．unfavorable | B．doubtful | C．cautious | D．approving |
What’s delicious to eat and comes in a variety of colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg．It can be steamed, fried, and baked．It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables．
Eggplant was first grown in India in the 5th century BC．Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia．Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe．At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today．Instead, it’s like a white egg．Due to this egg - like appearance, eggplant got its name．In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a “mad apple.” This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one' s health．People actually thought eggplant could cause madness and cancer．
Fortunately today people know that eggplant doesn't cause insanity or cancer．In fact eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer．In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this super vegetable．Since it's high in fibre, eggplant can improve digestion．
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today．Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow - white．And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber．Dish varieties range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious．
Today, thousands of people gather in Loomis, Calif, for the annual Loomis Eggplant Festival．The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes．There is plenty more to do and see, though．Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children's activities all “egg – cite” festival - goers．Most people at the festival would agree—eggplant is an “egg—cellent” vegetable．Eggplant got its name because of its _____．
| A．appearance | B．taste | C．color | D．value |
Which of the following does NOT belong to the qualities of eggplant?
| A．It can be cooked in various ways． |
| B．It is easy to digest． |
| C．It can prevent cancer． |
| D．It is valuable and priceless． |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Eggplant can be eaten to cure cancer |
| B．Eggplant used to taste bitter． |
| C．India produce the most eggplant in the world today． |
| D．Eggplant has a history of nearly 1,000 years． |
Most people come to the Loomis Eggplant Festival to_____．
| A．see arts and crafts |
| B．enjoy food with eggplants |
| C．take part in recipe contests |
| D．promote eggplant |